The Lakers Nation » USA Basketball

Kobe leads Team USA to Capture Gold

David Brickley — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 09:34:07 +0000

I took a few things away from the USA vs. Spain gold medal game.

The one that sticks out the most is that Team USA would NOT have won the gold without the one and only Kobe Bryant.

It took the final game of the Olympics to truly test this “Redeem Team”, it took the gold medal game to see if this team is truly the best in the world.

They proved that, and it’s not like we needed any more reassurance. However, Kobe Bryant also proved that he is the best on the planet, and one of the biggest pieces Team USA needed to regain gold, and solidify the United States as the finest in the world.

The respect is un-matched, and with all the talent on that USA team, and all the big names that are asked to carry their respective NBA teams, everybody knew when it came down to it, the star of stars would be Kobe Bryant, and he would lead them to the promise land.

Some of us wondered if Kobe would ever put his stamp on these Olympics, if indeed he would ever prove that he is the best of the best. When team USA needed him, he stepped up. When the rest were lost, he was there to guide them. When the team was looking for answers Kobe stepped up to the challenge.

Kobe Scored 13 points in the fourth and final quarter, being more aggressive in the final minutes, after Coach K told Kobe, “Let the Mamba loose.”

Spain was a great competitor, the previous meeting they would lose to Team USA by 37, this time there was more on the line, and Spain definitely rose to the challenge.

Someone who definitely rose to the challenge was Kobe’s Lakers teammate Pau Gasol, he had an impressive effort, and it was nice to see him more aggressive and going at Dwight Howard, after being labeled soft after the lackluster performance in the NBA finals.

As a diehard Lakers fan, and a proud USA citizen, it was great to finally see Team USA back on top where they belong, no matter what the media said, USA is the pinnacle of basketball talent.

The USA flag was raised in the air, higher then both Spain and Argentina, and the national anthem played, it was an emotional time for Kobe, all those involved with USA basketball, and any patriotic American. It sure feels good to be back on top!

Congratulations to Kobe, Team USA, and our man Pau for a great effort.

What do you think? Does Team USA win this game without the killer instinct and immense talent of Kobe Bryant? Were you impressed with Team USA’s effort throughout the Olympics? We want your take! Sound off in comments

Redemption! – USA Basketball wins Gold

Kam Pashai — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 09:21:17 +0000

ESPN: Order is restored in international basketball. The United States is back on top, but not by that much anymore.

Culminating a three-year mission to end years of embarrassment, the U.S. Olympic team survived a huge challenge from Spain, winning 118-107 Sunday in the gold-medal game.

After overwhelming everyone for seven games, the Americans led by only four points with under 2½ minutes to play. Then the U.S. proved it could handle a close game that seemed would never come in Beijing.

Their prize: the first U.S. gold medal since the 2000 Olympics.

Argentina won the bronze with an 87-75 victory against Lithuania.

Dwyane Wade scored 27 points for the Americans, who found a much gamer Spanish team than the one it humiliated by 37 points earlier in the tournament. Kobe Bryant added 20 points.

In a game so void of defense that it felt more like an NBA All-Star game than one with a title at stake, the Americans had too much offense down the stretch. Bryant converted a clutch four-point play with 3:10 remaining, holding his finger to his lips to quiet the rowdy Spanish crowd behind the basket.

Wade added another 3-pointer that made it 111-104 with just over 2 minutes left, and only then could the Americans relax a little.

They began to celebrate during a break after some technical fouls on Spain with 26 seconds left, then celebrated at midcourt when it was over with “Born in the USA” blaring over the arena’s speakers.

Kobe wants to play in 2012 Olympics!

Chris Manning — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 23:17:37 +0000

This is pretty awesome news. He’ll be the “grandpa” of the team (sort of like Kidd) – but I’m sure all the young guns will be locked and loaded – especially since they will bring home the Gold Medal soon! Here is what KB10 said…

Yahoo: The Olympics have been such a renaissance to his career, Bryant insists that he wants to play as a 34-year-old in 2012 in London.

“If they want me back, I’ll be back,” he said.

FB&G: Gold Medal Game Time

Jaime Quintanilla — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 19:58:00 +0000

Forum Blue & Gold: Here’s my prediction – not only is the USA going to win the gold in Beijing, it will win it in London in 2012, too.

I’ll explain the second prediction first. One thing has been pretty clear in these Olympics and said by Kelly Dwyer among others – the USA is the best NBA-style team in this Olympics by a mile. It’s not a gap that other countries are going to close completely in the next four years.

And in four years (actually in two), the international game is going to look more like the NBA game.

The 3-point line will move from 20 feet, 6.1 inches to 22 feet, 1.7 inches. The NBA line is 23-9…..FIBA also will reconfigure the three-second area to match the NBA shape, going from a trapezoid to a rectangle.

FIBA is also throwing in a charge circle under the basket, as in the NBA. These rule changes favor the NBA players. For example now Dwight Howard can post deeper on the low block, and what player in the world can move him off that? All those changes will move the game toward more of an NBA style – there still will be no defensive three seconds and other key differences, but it will be more in the comfort zone of the NBA players.

Combine that with the larger three-year commitment and other things used as a structure this time around, and the USA will win the gold in London.

And they will win in Beijing too. Spain may be the most NBA-like team outside th USA in this tournament (although I expect they will break that mold some in the Gold Medal game) and as was said earlier, the USA is by far the best NBA-style team in this tournament.

Much like the Argentina game, I think for the USA to lose they would have to take the game off. Spain has a lot of talent, but not enough to withstand a focused USA team at both ends of the court. The USA has to be focused on defense and use ball pressure and stick with men at the three-point line. They have to be focused on offense and take advantage of good ball movement against a zone defense, not over-dribble and go into isolation then launch threes (Spain prefers a man-to-man but will play zone much more because Argentina had some success with it). They have to play through what will be a physical Spanish side. But they can do all that, and they have advantages. Rubio may be one of the best 17-year-old players I’ve ever seen, but he still makes 17-year-old mistakes when pressured and the USA bench should be able to run on those. The USA is a very deep team and that will wear Spain down.

As way of evidence, look at the raw +/- numbers for the Olympics and you see something interesting – no USA players in the negative. Also, whether adjusted or straight up, the two guys doing the best with plus-minus are the first two guys off the bench – Wade and Bosh. The USA brings guys off the bench that would be a team’s main weapon anywhere else.

There is no way the USA is not focused for the Gold Medal game. So there is no way they lose. And I don’t see them losing in major international play for a while now.

By the way, I’ll be up and commenting during the game (probably not a live blog, unless there is a lot of interest, but there are ones all over the Web tonight). Come by and share your thoughts.

U.S. men beat Argentina to reach Olympic basketball final

Jaime Quintanilla — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 17:22:32 +0000

ESPN: The climb back to the top is nearly complete. One more win and U.S. basketball is golden again.

The Americans ended their streak of final four flops and Argentina’s hopes of an Olympic gold-medal repeat, starting fast and finishing strong in a 101-81 semifinal victory Friday.

All that’s left is what the U.S. players came for: a gold medal. The United States scored 21 of the first 25 points, got a big break when Argentina star Manu Ginobili reinjured his left ankle, and surged into its first gold-medal game in eight years.

There’s still 40 minutes to go, but this U.S. team looks good as gold. All the Americans have to do now is beat Spain, who they clobbered by 37 points in pool play, on Sunday to win their first gold in a major international event since the 2000 Olympics.

What followed was a frustrating and embarrassing stretch in which they couldn’t even make the podium in the 2002 world championships, then managed only bronze medals after losing in the semis of the 2004 Athens Games and ‘06 worlds.

Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James were part of those bronze busts, and vowed they’d leave China with gold. Anthony scored 21 points and James added 15, 13 in the second half.

Luis Scola scored 28 points for Argentina, which didn’t relinquish its title without a fight. Even without Ginobili for the final 3½ quarters, the Argentines cut a 21-point lead into single digits and frustrated the Americans with their physical play, but they didn’t have enough depth or firepower without their best player.

Continue reading ‘U.S. men beat Argentina to reach Olympic basketball final’

U.S. pulls away from Aussies, reaches semifinals

Jaime Quintanilla — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 18:49:57 +0000

ESPN: Don’t doubt this U.S. men’s basketball team — and sure don’t challenge them, either.

Especially if it’s going to make Kobe Bryant flash his NBA MVP form.

Bryant scored 25 points in his best game in Beijing, and the men’s U.S. Olympic team advanced to the semifinals by beating Australia 116-85 on Wednesday night.

The United States will play defending champion Argentina on Friday night for a spot in Sunday’s gold medal game. The Argentines beat Greece 80-78 in a quarterfinal victory watched from behind the baseline by Bryant and members of the U.S. coaching staff.

Argentina beat the U.S. in the semifinals of the 2004 Olympics.

Locked in what looked like another tough game in Australia, the Americans sent the Aussies’ upset hopes down under with a 14-0 burst to open the second half, featuring nine points from Bryant.

LeBron James added 16 points for the Americans, who are guaranteed a chance to play for a medal. They need two more wins for their first gold medal in a major international competition since the 2000 Sydney Games.

As the US expected, with the gold medal getting closer, the games are getting tougher.

Australia stayed with the United States for the first 15 minutes of the game, duplicating the strong performance it had against the Americans in an 87-76 exhibition loss in Shanghai on Aug. 5 — a contest the Americans led by only seven points midway through the fourth quarter.

Continue reading ‘U.S. pulls away from Aussies, reaches semifinals’

Kobe Bryant rules China

Jaime Quintanilla — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 18:37:45 +0000

L.A. Times: The U.S. basketball team, entirely made up of superstars, isn’t really anyone’s, but one of them — Kobe Bryant — stands alone, at least as far as 1.3 billion Chinese are concerned.

If LeBron James is still King James in the U.S., Bryant is the new emperor of China.

Bryant gets the loudest cheers in pregame introductions. Fans chant “MVP!” when he’s at the free-throw line. Late in Saturday’s rout of Spain as he sat on the bench, they started chanting, “Kobe! Kobe!”

As teammate Carmelo Anthony joked, “Kobe might want to think about moving here — to live.”

On this, his fifth trip to China, he’s protected by the U.S. team’s security people, several of whom were hired off the Lakers staff.

On past trips, where every place he went hadn’t already been secured as they have been here, he would have needed the People’s Liberation Army.

“Oh, they’ve broken through security before,” Bryant says. “I’ve lost earrings, chains and all kinds of stuff. This time I tuck ‘em in when I go into crowds.

“Last year when I came here, I lost an earring. . . . A kid found it on the floor and held on to it for three hours and came back and gave it back to me. That’s crazy.”

Continue reading ‘Kobe Bryant rules China’

U.S. dominates Germany; Aussies next

Chris Manning — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 15:34:10 +0000

Team USA proved why they are on a mission to be the best in the world.

ESPN: The U.S. Olympic team put away Dirk Nowitzki and Germany in a hurry.

Next up: the only team so far these Americans couldn’t blow out.

After destroying Germany 106-57 on Monday, the Americans (5-0) move on to a quarterfinal matchup Wednesday against Australia, the team that’s provided them with their toughest test in China.

The U.S. led by only seven points midway through the fourth quarter of an 87-76 exhibition victory in Shanghai two weeks ago over an Australian team that didn’t have starting center Andrew Bogut of the Milwaukee Bucks. He was resting a sore right ankle.

It’s hard to imagine a repeat of that semi-Shanghai surprise with the way the U.S. has played in Beijing.

“Nobody is going to beat them. No way, it’s just not going to happen,” Germany’s Chris Kaman said.

Continue reading: ‘U.S. dominates Germany; Aussies next’

Kaman: “People hate Kobe Bryant, and he’s the best player in the world.”

Chris Manning — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 02:58:38 +0000

Chris Kaman recently made some comments about Kobe. Deep respect from the Clipper. He talks about how he’s playing for Germany (tomorrow USA faces Germany) even though he’s an American Citizen. Here is what he had to say about Ochox3:

ESPN: “People are going to hate you no matter what you do. People hate Kobe Bryant, and he’s the best player in the world,” Kaman said. “I just want to be positive, not focus on the negative stuff. It doesn’t get you anywhere.”

Team USA dismantles Spain

Jaime Quintanilla — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 20:34:56 +0000

ESPN: Spain tried everything. Pretty much none of it worked.

The zone? Team USA shot over it, drove the baseline against it and picked it apart.

The pick-and-roll? Spain tried it a lot early, and you know how many points its best player, Pau Gasol, had in the first 12 ½ minutes against it? Zero.

The press? Let’s put it this way: If another team tries to use the full-court press against Team USA, it might as well just walk off the court and forfeit. Open up the court for the Americans, like the Greeks did two nights earlier and like the Spanish foolishly tried to in this one, and they’ll crush you.

What made Saturday’s 119-82 throttling of Spain so impressive was the way the Americans did everything so extraordinarily well. They’re getting better each game, they’re improving their few weak areas and the only thing that’s scary about this 37-point beatdown is the notion that they might have peaked.

It’s up to them to prove that they haven’t, because the plane ride home is still more than a week away. But if they’re going to keep bringing it like they brought it against the reigning world champions, there’s no way they’re going to lose.

“Twenty-eight turnovers is just a staggering number,” said Gasol, whose team’s field goal total matched its turnover total.

Continue reading ‘Team USA dismantles Spain’