US avenges ’04 loss to Argentina, one step from redemption

And four years later vengeance was wrought.

The US Men’s basketball team advanced to the gold medal game with a 101-81 win over rival Argentina. The game had an odd back and forth pace but much like in the quarterfinal win over Australia, a big play before halftime set the stage for the US win.

The Argentines stayed with the US four about three and a half minutes and then the USscoring machine went to work. The broke off an 18-0 run during which Argentina’s best player, Manu Ginobili, left with an ankle injury and fouls. He never returned while his countrymen could hardly stem the tide of the US, trailing by 19 at the end of the quarter.

Argentina’s bench had not been a factor in this tournament, as they basically played a six-man rotation, but in the second quarter they finally made their mark. Led by injured star Andres Nocioni, who did not start the game, the reserves unleashed an 11-0 run of their own and pushed Argentina back into the contest.

The established starters then cut the USlead to six and had a chance for more with 35 seconds left in the half. Carlos Delfino was given the job of running the end of half, dribble for 15 seconds and then make a move play, but instead of going to the basket, pulled up for a 25-foot jumper that predictably missed.

The US got the rebound, pushed up court and Carmelo Anthony got the chance for a three-point shot at the buzzer. What happened next is a matter of interpretation. Argentina’s Juan Gutierrez attempted to block the shot and tipped the ball away but subsequently made contact with Anthony’s hand.

The refs called the foul, all three free throws went down and the US led by nine. In the second half the game settled into a situation where Argentina was always threatening to make the game uncomfortable for the US (i.e. a single digit defect) but the North Americans had an answer at every turn and rolled to the 20-point victory.

Nocioni and Ginobili combined for only eight shots in 26 injured minutes so the scoring onus fell on Luis Scola and Delfino. Scola was a monster, scoring on mid-range shots and in the post while Delfino was always a threat to hit a big three. If he had been shooting as well as he had against Greece, the game would have been closer.

Argentina overall shot just 26 percent from beyond the arc, a number that all but assures a loss against the talented US team. They did manage to keep the turnovers low, no easy feet, but the US defenders were playing outstanding man-to-man defense.

For the US the scoring came form varied sources but the biggest game came from Jason Kidd. He had been quite for most of the tournament but poured in seven assists.

Despite shooting poorly, Anthony led the US in scoring 21 points, mostly on the strength of hitting all 13 of his free throws. That was a theme for the US as they took 36 shots from the charity stripe and hit 26.

Seven US players scored ten or more points including three off the bench while Both Dwight Howard and Chris Bosh grabbed at least nine boards.

The game had special significance for several US players who four years ago were eliminated by this Argentine team in this stage of the tournament. It was the first time US professionals were knocked out of an Olympics and set in motion a series of changes in the Team USA program.

One More Challenge ahead

The last thing standing between the Redeem Team and the redemption it is seeking is the talented yet somewhat erratic team from Spain. These teams have already played in first stage and the US won in a rout.

This game will be a chance for Spanish vengeance since the US upset a 5-0 Spanish team in the quarterfinals in 2004, denying a very good squad the chance to medal.

The Spanish style of play however makes them less of a challenge than Argentina, Greece and maybe even Australia would have been.

First the Spanish like to run and play up-and-down basketball. This can cause problems for teams used to playing at a slower pace but the US likes to run and get more individual match-ups where their talent advantage can shine through. Unless Spainkeeps the turnovers way down, this modus operandi could back fire.

Likewise, the Spanish press will do more harm than good for them. The US has three great point guards, a great point forward (LeBron James) and a shooting guard who can help break the press (Kobe Bryant). The US simply will not be flustered, rattled or warn down by any kind of pressure defense.

Furthermore this philosophy creates a large amount of open space on the floor and the US thrives in open space. They have trouble with tightly packed defenses that can jump passing lanes and giving them more space only plays into their hands.

The only way Spain stays in this game is by running the offense through Jose Calderon (who is one of the few point guards who can weather the US pressure defense) and Pau Gasol (just a great scorer) and hit a ton of threes.

Calderon however is hurt and did not play against Lithuania. Raul Lopez and Ricky Rubio went 0-for-9 shooting in their last game and will have an extremely tough time with the US.

The Spainsh team clearly has the players to be a good long-range shooting team but have yet to produce. Fernandez, Navarro, Calderon and Garbajosa are all capable of draining three-pointers, yet as a team the Spanish are hitting a tournament worst 29.8 percent of their attempts form beyond the arc.

They could have a breakout game but don’t count on it.

Expect the US to run, dunk and in general wreak havoc. The three biggest advantages Spain possesses are talent, depth and style and the US out paces them in each category.

Prediction: US wins gold 121-87