Deron Williams’ pull-up trey to beat the buzzer before half time sank a deep dagger into Australia. The 3-point bucket off an outlet pass by Bosh with only three seconds left on the clock gave USA a 12-point cushion heading into the half. The rest was history. USA then went on a 12-0 run to break away from the Aussies and begin to prepare for the semifinals. This game seemed balanced for the first set of minutes, just like most of USA’s match-ups in the Olympics, but the Americans eventually overpowered their opponent on many faces of the game. USA was unstoppable on all sides of the ball, out-rebounding Australia 57-28. Their dominance of the boards and the flow of the game was undeniable. Even Chris Paul had his share of rebounds with seven. LeBron led the pack in rebounding with 9, with players such has Anthony, Bosh, Wade, Dwight and Kobe at least five boards each. Jason Kidd was finally used throughout the game, running for nearly 16 minutes and helping US push the ball across the court at a smart speed.
The storyline was simple. America held the upper-hand in all parts of the game against Australia. The only way the Australians managed to keep a respectable score at times would be by occasionally hitting the three. Anytime Australia executed a play that could potentially grow confidence, USA would immediately push the ball across the floor and respond, with a three or a powering dunk. Every American scored for the team once again, with Bryant being the leader with 25. Kobe woke up from his solid play to explode all over Australia through difficult jump shots and jams.
I set my alarm for 8:00 a.m. to catch this one, but I immediately fell asleep before tip-off. A couple hours later, I woke up to a close Greece v. Argentina game. Spanoulis’ failed game-winner for Greece at the buzzer set up a watchable Argentina v. USA meet. Unlike Australia, Argentina has their set of stars, lead behind Ginobili with 20.3 ppg. After catching the Australia-USA game on the Internet, my necessity to catch their match against Argentina is nearly as big as a next House episode. Unfortunately, my job schedule will once again shot down all hopes like it has all summer. No matter who comes out victorious, the finals will be a game to see for anyone who know/enjoys Anything about Basketball.
This year’s Olympics have been magnificent to say the least. From swimming to running, the achievements and victories earned by all athletes are eternally appreciating. Basketball has evolved into a much more interesting sport than it usually was with USA becoming a team you can’t go all-in on. Watching different countries pitch in their style of play against each other has become eye-candy. Watching USA basketball continue to slowly overcome their feats presented have been gripping for me to continue to follow and write on. Therefore, their future events will continue to flog the page.
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