BEIJING - After cruising for two weeks at the Olympics, the U.S. was challenged for 40 minutes.
The Associated Press
USA's Kobe Bryant salutes the crowd as he celebrates after beating Spain 118-107 in the men's gold medal basketball game at the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Sunday.
USA's Kobe Bryant salutes the crowd as he celebrates after beating Spain 118-107 in the men's gold medal basketball game at the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Sunday.
And it was worth every last one.
The U.S.' riveting 118-107 victory against Spain in Sunday's gold medal game showed how good the Americans could be under pressure, and it capped a three-year mission to put the U.S. back atop the basketball world.
“This team has come a long way, and we had a lot of blowouts those first few games,” point guard Chris Paul said.
“So it was fitting that this one would be a close one. It really tested us to see what we were all about, and in the end, we showed we're the best in the world.”
And hokey as it may sound, the Americans learned the value of teamwork.
This was the Americans' 13th gold medal, but none of the others were anything like it.
There had been bouncebacks before - after Munich, after Seoul. But no U.S. men's basketball team ever worked harder for the ultimate Olympic prize.
It was more than a bit symbolic when they locked arms and stepped atop the medal platform before accepting the United States' first gold medal since 2000 in the sport it invented.
“It wasn't so much individual stuff and individual talent,” said Spain's Pau Gasol, who scored 21 points. “It was more teamwork, probably well-directed by their coaching staff.
“I've seen the guys hungry and want to get back to the top,” Gasol said. “That's what they've done. They were able to get to the top again and show that they should be in first place, but they had to work for it.”
Dwyane Wade scored 27 points to lead the Americans and Kobe Bryant added 20.
Afterward, the entire U.S. team appeared at the postgame news conference, many of the players draped in American flags.
“If it wasn't for the determination and the willpower that we have in each other, we wouldn't have pulled through and gotten this win,” said LeBron James, who emerged as the leader of this team. Much respect to Spain, but the U.S. is back on top again.“
Now the trick is staying there.
The U.S. may have taught the world how to play basketball. But it took the U.S. eight long years - and several embarrassing losses - to understand what it takes to rule in the 21st century.
After the bronze-medal finish in the 2004 Olympics, the Americans realized that a hastily assembled team of NBA All-Stars can't always beat a finely tuned foreign team.
USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo addressed that by requiring a three-year commitment that began before the 2006 world championship.
That commitment paid off Sunday, when the Americans had to pull together as the resilient Spaniards whittled a 14-point deficit to four with 2:22 to play.
The U.S. had hammered Spain by 37 points in pool play. But Spain didn't go so quietly with a medal on the line.
“I think this is a testament to the system that Mr. Colangelo put in place,” Bryant said. “What you saw today was a team. Everybody wants to talk about NBA players being selfish, being arrogant, being individuals. Well, what you saw today was a team bonding together, facing adversity and coming out of here with a big win.”
Skeptics said this team was too small. They also questioned its shooting, a trouble spot in past Olympics. As for the defense, would NBA stars commit to both ends of the floor for 40 minutes?
Colangelo heard the questions and shrugged.
“I never doubted,” he said. “I believed in who we had selected.”
The size issue turned out to be irrelevant.
The tallest player in the tourney, 7-foot-6 Yao Ming of China, looked like a exhausted man pedaling a bicycle uphill when the U.S. got out on the break in its opening 101-70 rout of the hosts.
The U.S. was outrebounded 37-31 by Spain in the final and still won by 11 points. At game's end, the 6-foot-8 James was guarding Spain's 7-foot Marc Gasol.
The Americans certainly seemed tall enough when they stood atop the medal platform, basking in the cheers of the crowd that had adopted them as the tourney's other home team.
“We felt that athleticism and great defense would offset a lot of things,” Colangelo said. “The versatility this squad would have and the character of the guys - a lot of that negates size.”
As for the shooting issues, the Americans struggled early on, no one more so than Bryant, who started 1-for-15 from beyond the arc.
But Bryant and Wade nailed two 3-pointers in a 68-second span late in the fourth quarter to quell Spain's final rally. Bryant had a four-point play, and after being fouled while drilling a 3-pointer, he put his finger to his lips to tell the raucous Spanish contingent to quiet down.
The U.S. shot 37.7 percent from beyond the arc for the Olympics.
For most of the tournament, it didn't matter how the U.S. shot because its defense generated lots of easy buckets. But Sunday was its shabbiest defensive effort.
The U.S. gave up 61 points in the first half and let Spain shoot an unbelievable 61 percent from the floor. (Spain finished at 51 percent.)
Part of that had to do with Spain's playmakers, but too often the Americans left Spanish shooters open all over the floor.
After forcing 28 turnovers in their first meeting with Spain, the U.S. managed only half that many in the final.
“We tried to stop them,” U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “We couldn't stop them completely.”
The U.S.' riveting 118-107 victory against Spain in Sunday's gold medal game showed how good the Americans could be under pressure, and it capped a three-year mission to put the U.S. back atop the basketball world.
“This team has come a long way, and we had a lot of blowouts those first few games,” point guard Chris Paul said.
“So it was fitting that this one would be a close one. It really tested us to see what we were all about, and in the end, we showed we're the best in the world.”
And hokey as it may sound, the Americans learned the value of teamwork.
This was the Americans' 13th gold medal, but none of the others were anything like it.
There had been bouncebacks before - after Munich, after Seoul. But no U.S. men's basketball team ever worked harder for the ultimate Olympic prize.
It was more than a bit symbolic when they locked arms and stepped atop the medal platform before accepting the United States' first gold medal since 2000 in the sport it invented.
“It wasn't so much individual stuff and individual talent,” said Spain's Pau Gasol, who scored 21 points. “It was more teamwork, probably well-directed by their coaching staff.
“I've seen the guys hungry and want to get back to the top,” Gasol said. “That's what they've done. They were able to get to the top again and show that they should be in first place, but they had to work for it.”
Dwyane Wade scored 27 points to lead the Americans and Kobe Bryant added 20.
Afterward, the entire U.S. team appeared at the postgame news conference, many of the players draped in American flags.
“If it wasn't for the determination and the willpower that we have in each other, we wouldn't have pulled through and gotten this win,” said LeBron James, who emerged as the leader of this team. Much respect to Spain, but the U.S. is back on top again.“
Now the trick is staying there.
The U.S. may have taught the world how to play basketball. But it took the U.S. eight long years - and several embarrassing losses - to understand what it takes to rule in the 21st century.
After the bronze-medal finish in the 2004 Olympics, the Americans realized that a hastily assembled team of NBA All-Stars can't always beat a finely tuned foreign team.
USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo addressed that by requiring a three-year commitment that began before the 2006 world championship.
That commitment paid off Sunday, when the Americans had to pull together as the resilient Spaniards whittled a 14-point deficit to four with 2:22 to play.
The U.S. had hammered Spain by 37 points in pool play. But Spain didn't go so quietly with a medal on the line.
“I think this is a testament to the system that Mr. Colangelo put in place,” Bryant said. “What you saw today was a team. Everybody wants to talk about NBA players being selfish, being arrogant, being individuals. Well, what you saw today was a team bonding together, facing adversity and coming out of here with a big win.”
Skeptics said this team was too small. They also questioned its shooting, a trouble spot in past Olympics. As for the defense, would NBA stars commit to both ends of the floor for 40 minutes?
Colangelo heard the questions and shrugged.
“I never doubted,” he said. “I believed in who we had selected.”
The size issue turned out to be irrelevant.
The tallest player in the tourney, 7-foot-6 Yao Ming of China, looked like a exhausted man pedaling a bicycle uphill when the U.S. got out on the break in its opening 101-70 rout of the hosts.
The U.S. was outrebounded 37-31 by Spain in the final and still won by 11 points. At game's end, the 6-foot-8 James was guarding Spain's 7-foot Marc Gasol.
The Americans certainly seemed tall enough when they stood atop the medal platform, basking in the cheers of the crowd that had adopted them as the tourney's other home team.
“We felt that athleticism and great defense would offset a lot of things,” Colangelo said. “The versatility this squad would have and the character of the guys - a lot of that negates size.”
As for the shooting issues, the Americans struggled early on, no one more so than Bryant, who started 1-for-15 from beyond the arc.
But Bryant and Wade nailed two 3-pointers in a 68-second span late in the fourth quarter to quell Spain's final rally. Bryant had a four-point play, and after being fouled while drilling a 3-pointer, he put his finger to his lips to tell the raucous Spanish contingent to quiet down.
The U.S. shot 37.7 percent from beyond the arc for the Olympics.
For most of the tournament, it didn't matter how the U.S. shot because its defense generated lots of easy buckets. But Sunday was its shabbiest defensive effort.
The U.S. gave up 61 points in the first half and let Spain shoot an unbelievable 61 percent from the floor. (Spain finished at 51 percent.)
Part of that had to do with Spain's playmakers, but too often the Americans left Spanish shooters open all over the floor.
After forcing 28 turnovers in their first meeting with Spain, the U.S. managed only half that many in the final.
“We tried to stop them,” U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “We couldn't stop them completely.”
