August 2008 Archives

Things were much, much closer than everyone (myself included) anticipated but in the end the U.S. was in possession of the world's two best basketball players, and Kobe Bryant were the difference down the stretch of the 118-107 victory over Spain in the gold medal game that just wrapped up a couple of minutes ago in Beijing.

The play of the game: After seeing the U.S.'s lead cut to five points after a dunk and free throw by the spectacular Rudy Fernandez, Bryant hit a 3 from the left wing while being fouled by Fernandez (his fifth and disqualifying) and converted the free throw for a nine-point lead with 3:10 to go.

The U.S.'s defense was awful and things could have proven disastrous if not for the big shots Bryant hit down the stretch (13 points in the fourth quarter) and the numerous big plays LeBron James made at both ends of the floor.

Props to Spain, though, for playing so tough (despite playing without one of its two best players, point guard Jose Calderon who was out with an ankle injury) after losing by 37 points to the U.S. in pool play.

The playing time of Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, via a couple of early fouls apiece, has been limited in the first half and Spain trails only 69-61 at intermission in the gold medal men's basketball game in Beijing Sunday afternoon (Saturday night/Sunday morning our time).

In addition to the extensive on-bench time of the team's two best players, the U.S.'s defense has been anything but sharp.

But the U.S.'s depth, and the return to early tourney form of Dwyane Wade, is why the U.S. is just 20 solid minutes of basketball away from winning gold medals.

Tayshaun Prince, the Dominguez High graduate and Detroit Piston, also played very well in the first half for the U.S.

After the first 7 1/2 games for the U.S., there should no longer be anyone doubting why Mike Krzyzewski wanted him on the American's squad.

The 20-point victory over Argentina Friday for the U.S. men's basketball team in Beijing?

That's as close as anyone has been to Kobe Bryant, LeBron James & Co. the past few weeks.

It's difficult to envision Spain, which beat Lithuania in the other semfinal Friday (yep, I was up at 5 a.m. to watch it . . . and it was a very good game), staying within anything approaching striking distance of the U.S. team in the gold medal game.

It's set for 2:30 p.m., Beijing time on Sunday.

That translates to 11:30 p.m. our time Saturday night.

You'll be able to go to sleep early Sunday morning knowing Kobe is bringing a gold medal back with him to Newport Beach.

If you were up at 7:15 a.m. and caught the Argentina-Greece men's basketball quarterfinal, you watched baskeball at its best, on any level.

It was the caliber of game you anticipate seeing in an NBA final series or a Final Four.

Now, can Argentina beat the U.S. Friday morning (our time; it's Friday night in Beijing)?

I doubt it very much.

But I do think it will prove to be the toughest test the U.S. faces en route to its gold medal-winning performance on Sunday.

Is anyone going to give the U.S. men's basketball team a "competitive" game?

Well, there are two more opportunities for someone to do so but I wouldn't count on it happening after it cruised past Australia.

The lads play too hard, with too much purpose, and have too much talent -- individually and collectively -- for any significant chance of a major slip-up taking place Friday, in a semifinal against Argentina or Greece, and Sunday, in the gold medal game against Spain or Lithuania.

Not to get ahead of ourselves here but . . . come Sunday night we should try to figure out where this U.S. team belongs on the all-time pecking list of Olympic gold medal-winning clubs.

The U.S. team has missed 10 free throws and hasn't shot particularly well from the perimeter yet still leads Australia by 12 points at halftime after a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Deron Williams.

Australia, despite getting a poor performance (only four points and several turnovers and no strong effort under the boards) by its best player, Andrew Bogut of the Milwaukee Bucks, has played pretty well. It could be a lot closer if it hadn't missed a half-doze or so close-in attempts.

LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Kobe Bryant are just too dynamic and too dangerous for the rest of the world to cope with.

So far, so good in my question to watch all four of the Olympic men's basketball medal-round quarterfinal games.

I made it through most of the 11:30 p.m. (tipoff, our time) Spain-Croatia tilt before dozing through much of the first telecast of Lithuania-China. The all-basketball channel is bailing me out, though, because it is now replaying that contest, which was won handily by a very impressive Lithuania team.

Spain-Lithuania will be an exceptional semifinal Friday.

I should hold up ok for USA-Australia, which tips off in about 15 minutes but I could get wobbly for Greece-Argentina if it isn't well-played and tight.

It's going to be nappy time after that one for sure, though.

By the way, I haven't been gulping down diet soft drinks, either, in the quest to stay lucid. My last caffeine intake was a diet Dr. Pepper at about 10 o'clock Tuesday night.

Wish me well.

Alex Stepheson, the 6-foot-9 graduate of Harvard-Westlake who played as a reserve for two seasons for the University of North Carolina basketball program, said Monday that he plans to enroll at USC next week.

Stepheson, a member of the Press-Telegram's 2005-06 Best in the West team, also considered transferring to Arizona State, Cal and UCLA before deciding to play his final two seasons of eligibility with the Trojans.

Scott Wolf of the Daily News originally wrote a blog entry last month that Stepheson would end up at USC, the alma mater of the player's mother and sister.

Stepheson is expected to be eligible for the Trojans for the 2009-10 season, unless the NCAA grants him a waiver of its rule that forces football and basketball players to spend an academic year in residence at their new school before becoming regaining eligibility for competition for an NCAA Division I program.

Four down, and four more games to go before the U.S. men's basketball team collects gold medals.

What was supposedly to be a "close" game (relatively speaking, that is) turned into a wipeout of a very talented team from Spain tonight (this morning, our time; we're 15 hours behind the folks in Beijing).

The pressure defensive and transition offense got a helping hand from the U.S.'s jump shooting (12 shots were knocked in from behind the 3-point arc).

Can the U.S. lose (say, to either Spain or Greece, which it pummeled in pool play), or Argentina or Lithuania (the medal-round acton)?

Sure.

But the gap between the U.S. team and the rest of the field is even wider than most imagined before the teams arrived in China.

The Mike Krzyzewzki-coached and (take your choice) LeBron James- or Kobe Bryant-led U.S. men's basketball team (relatively) breezed in its first real "test" Thursday when it beat Greece by 23 points.

But the Americans will be facing what is probably the second most-talented squad in the field Saturday night (7:15 a.m. Pacific Time) in Beijing when they take on Spain.

Spain, also 3-0 in Pool B action, has a roster dotted with NBA players, including the Lakers' Pau Gasol and his 7-foot brother, Marc, who is expected to start for the Memphis Grizzlies this coming season.

It will also be the first opportunity for most basketball followers in the U.S. to see Spain's 17-year-old wunderkind point guard, Ricky Rubio.

He could be the first player chosen at his position in the next NBA Draft. He has been playing as a professional in Europe for three years.