Anyone who thought the USA Men's Basketball Team would roll over Spain in the gold medal game had a rude awakening this morning. Spain had been beaten by team USA by 37 points in an earlier meeting in these Olympics, however this time they had a few tricks for team USA. Juan Carlos Navarro, Rudy Fernandez, and Pau Gasol all gave brilliant performances, but they could not match the energy that Kobe Bryant and Dwayne Wade gave team USA in their thrilling 118-107 victory in the gold medal game. Wade dominated the 1st half leading the team with 27 points. Bryant made clutch shots in the 4th quarter to finish with 20 points.
The United States has earned their 1st gold medal since the 2000 Olympics. Sure that doesn't sound like a long span of time, but for a country who is known to dominate the game, team USA had something to prove. This morning team USA had problems with their defense, but foul trouble early led to some key reserves stepping up. Tayshaun Prince, Chris Paul, and Chris Bosh all played great. In all, the whole team stepped up when it mattered, bringing home the gold medal to the United States.
So should we start thinking about 2012? Current players like LeBron James, Chris Paul, Dwight Howard, Deron Williams, and Chris Bosh should all be asked back. Inserting the likes of Andre Iguodala, Kevin Durant, Kevin Martin, Josh Smith, Greg Oden, Rodney Stuckey, and Brandon Roy would keep this team as one of the best in the world. But the best is what we all want right? Other countries will continue to get better, and this tournament will be harder to win in 2012.
3 comments:
I really liked how this team came together to win the gold. I think that Coach K deserves a lot of credit for that. If I were the olympic committee, I would go back to the college ranks for the 2012 team. Dick Vitale made this point this morning and I agree with him. I think the college game revolves more around the team than the NBA. Someone like Rick Pitino, Roy Williams, Tom Izzo, Ben Howland or Jim Calhoun would be a good pick.
The only problem I have with the college kids playing is that I like the 3 year commitment to play as a team. College kids couldn't be able to do that. I will say I have a hard time believing Kobe, LeBron, and the rest of those guys when watching them celebrate. Is it really a special moment for them? What was the reason they played, to win a gold medal or to try and prove the USA has the best players. There is a difference.
I wasn't suggesting that the college players be on the olympic team. I was saying that they should stick with college coaches.
Post a Comment