US NBA stars beat Spain to take gold

August 12, 2012

(via AFP)

The United States Dream Team of NBA stars captured their second Olympic men’s basketball gold medal in a row and the 14th overall for America by beating Spain 107-100 in Sunday’s final. The US multi-millionaire lineup of NBA elite claimed their fifth crown in the past six Olympics, improving to 62-since revamping the national team program after settling for bronze in 2004.

The Americans ran through the tournament undefeated just as they did in 2008 when they defeated Spain 118-107 in the Beijing final. The latest roster had five gold winners from Beijing and five from the US 2010 world champions.…

Aug 12, 2012ballineurope

This post was published on August 12, 2012

Comments: 25

somedude
12 years ago
Talk about an #umpshow in the first half for both teams. Lebron James had one hell of a year. Happy Team USA won. Glad I won’t have to see Rudy Fernandez’s antics for another 2 years. Cheers.
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Euroleague > NBA
12 years ago
USA only beat Spain by 7 and Lithuania by 5.

A team of 12 Euroleague all stars would beat Team USA by 30-40 points.
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- Gabe
  12 years ago
  Hahaha…You’re either joking are servery delusional. Appreciate the best national team in basketball just beat the 2nd best team in basketball in a fantastic game. If you are really appreciate basketball you would appreciate the greatness and the accomplishment of Team USA.
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Gabe
12 years ago
So now US has won three global tournaments in a row! I think our dominance is back!
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mike
12 years ago
This is a great day for basketball. The US is now officially dominating world basketball with it’s 3rd consecutive Gold Medal in international basketball. Wow, the King, Durant, and Kobe, finally, comes up big.

We can talk more about the game in the next few days, but all credit also to the Eurobasket champs who played a very tough and determined game. Pau was huge, but Navarro gave them hope early on with his scoring spree. Navarro always seems to be a thorn on the US side. La bamba is probably the best non-NBA player in the game. Marc played well also, and Ibaka too.

Well, no trash talk from me today. I’m happy that we witnessed a great basketball game, and you can certainly see the respect both teams have for one another. Awesome Sunday for me!
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Phileus
12 years ago
No trash talk from me neither – it was a great game from both sides. LBJ and Durant look like the two best players in the world, though the Gasols definitely proved their NBA All-Star lineage. Navarro saved his greatest game for the most important game, but in the end it was not enough. Still it’s a sign of greatness to rise to the occasion like he did.

It’s interesting that the Thunder had four players repped in the gold medal game, and the Heat only had one.

People are already worrying about Spain’s future, but at the very least they can expect three more elite tournaments from Ibaka and Marc and some exciting things from Rubio.
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Gabe
12 years ago
One other thing I would like to point out. Now with this victory James and Melo are 2-2 in Fiba events or.500. No longer a losing record. Also everybody on the team except Harden and Davis now have their second global FIBA medal which no players from other countries can claim. Seven of them have a 2-0 record now except Paul who is now 2-1. To make a comparison JCN is 1-5. Pau is 1-4.
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somedude
12 years ago
Will Mirotic be allowed to play in a tournament with Ibaka?
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- Gabe
  12 years ago
  No, a country can’t use two nationalized players.
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Gabe is an Asshole
12 years ago
Gabe is such a fucking asshole.
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Vincent
12 years ago
A very good game. As an American I am really glad the USA won, but I also really enjoyed watching the other nations play as well. Some excellent basketball and basketball players. Looking forward to the World Championships in 2 years and wanting to see who will be there and which players will participate for the USA.

ps. Rudy Fernandez is a douchebag
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mike
12 years ago
Just some observations of the implications of another US Gold Medal.

First, the US is dominating world basketball with it’s 3rd straight Gold medal, and the US is 62-1 since 2006. Even in the 2006 Worlds, the US played very well, and went undefeated until an unheralded Greek team shocked them in the semis. The US still blew away a very good Argentinian team for the Bronze.

Since then, the US retooled parts of that team and have not lost to this day, and have proven, once and for all, who the big kahuna in the basketball world really is. What’s more, the US has proven they can win a major tournament like the Worlds in 2010 using a totally different team, a B Team, if you will. A great basketball program started by Colangelo soon after the 2004 debacle in Athens, and the influence and personality of Coach K ,have created a new culture in the US where American NBAers WANT to join team USA.

Still, US dominance is not at the level of the early 90’s when US teams were never challenged, and rarely were teams even close by halftime. This is not the case today, and it’s just as it should be, because the 1992 team created all the new foreign stars who have since joined the NBA. Most of these great European stars have said it was the influence of the Dream Team that made them like basketball in the first place, and it was their dream to join the NBA.

The influence of the foreign players in the NBA is clear and palpable. Along with the Americans, they have created the world’s dominant basketball league. If the US is the lone superpower in the world, the NBA is the lone super league in the basketball world. Anyone notice that the national teams that have made noise or challenged the US in the last few years are led by,or composed of a nucleus, of NBAers? Look at this years final four in the Olympics! From Ak47 to Parker, to the Gasols, to Kobe, LBJ, and Durantula.
Other leagues will produce their own stars, mind you, but they will almost always be lured eventually into the bright lights of the NBA, or the sheer challenge of playing against the world’s best on a daily basis.

And let no one mislead you. The NBA Title is still the most prestigious in the basketball world, bar none, including Olympic Gold Medals. Anyone who disagrees, hasn’t won one. Privately, players, foreign or American, will admit the NBA Title was the biggest moments of their lives. Just the sheer challenge of 82 games,and 4 best of 7 playoff series, playing the best players from all over the world in exotic combinations is just totally daunting, and most good or even great players never win the NBA Title. Pau Gasol was never COMPLETELY respected until he won the NBA Title in back to back years, especially beating the team that bullied him in the 2008 Finals, those hated Celtics

You can be sure this growing power of the NBA will be used by Stern to centralize as much revenue as possible. This is not necessarily a good thing, but I predict FIBA will eventually capitulate. A future FIBA-NBA World Cup will be Stern’s next project, and it will be intriguing to watch.
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- Vic
  12 years ago
  Mike, that’s why I enjoy watching Greece play. The Greeks with a full roster have a medal candidate team and have almost no NBA players.
  
  Kinda portrays the level of Europe.
  I am sure they will come back stronger next WC though. Hopefully, their absence during these Olympics will motivate all of their best players to be part of their team.
  
  The US was clearly the best this year, but IMO any top international team with Lebron and Durant (and perhaps Kobe) on the roster would have won the gold. Providing the US would be without those players.
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Gabe
12 years ago
Team USA my not be dominate now as in the mid-nineties but if they win the World Cup in two years they would have done better. When NBA players 1st entered international competition they pulled the same feat the US just did not. Olympic gold, WC gold and repeat Olympic gold. But, if you don’t know, for the next WC in 1998 there was an NBA strike and no NBA player participated so the US, with college and players in Europe won bronze, In the next Olympics the US won gold again so although the US won 4 competitions in a row with NBA players they only actually won 3 competitions in a row because they lost in 1998 without NBA ballers. Therefore if the US wins the WC in two years they will have actually done better than the USA teams of the 90’s.
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- Gabe
  12 years ago
  And sorry I have to do this:
  
  Chris Paul -2 gold medals
  Vassilis Spanoulis- 0 gold medals
  
  Paul > Spanoulis
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Rick
12 years ago
Why do Europeans even visit this site? It’s clearly just a site for NBA only American fans to talk trash. I’m amazed that any Europeans would even come to the site.
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mike
12 years ago
Gabe, the Euro guys seem to be in mourning as there is now a dearth of comments on Spain’s loss. One other thing is this, we Americans gave the world plenty of hope in ’02 and ’04 when we assembled teams that had no business playing for team USA, and they suddenly felt that they were close to catching up. Some nuts even thought they were better than US basketball like our resident nut here on this site.

Of course, we Americans always knew that so many players could have played for team USA during those years 02-06 that would have sealed Gold medals, but USA basketball failed,not because the players weren’t good enough, but the organization and leadership didn’t recruit the right players, and use the right system to win.

Once US basketball figured things out, we always knew the US was close to being unbeatable . We’re always accused of being arrogant, but as the saying goes, “it ain’t bragging if you can back it up.” Or something to that effect.

I’ll look forward to the NBA season now, and seeing the Sixers win the Atlantic.LOL
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Gabe
12 years ago
New FIBA rankings:
http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fc/even/rank/p/rankMen.html

The top 5 teams held pat while Russia jumps five spots to be ranked #6. Brazil and France each jump; 4 spots to get in the top 10, where as I predicted Italy loses it’s silver medal and drops 14 spots out of the top 20, it’s about time. Big improvement by Tunisia (+10) and Great Britain (+20) to get in the top 25. Also Serbia -4 and Nigeria (Nigeria!) +4.

Can’t wait for 2014 where Greece will have to win silver just to stand pat in the ratings!
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Gabe Is Gay
12 years ago
Gabe is such a disgrace.

Telling everyone that China, Germany, Angola were among the best teams and would beat the “vast majority” of European teams and could “often win EuroBasket” because they were “ranked in the top 10”.

Gabe, don’t you ever fucking DARE to say that shit again, or there will be hell to pay.

As for Greece, they are the international team with by far the strongest talent pool. They will actually be moving UP the rankings, as both Spain and Australia are going to begin to fade fast and hard.

So you better pick a new European team to hate and bash on Gabe, unless you want even all the Americans that visit this site to realize that you are a lying scum bag.
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- Gabe
  12 years ago
  I’m a disgrace? Although I predicted the USA to dominate, which they did. I also predicted Spain to win silver, which they did. And was one Shved three pointer away from having my prediction of Argentina winning bronze. Yet I am a disgrace? Okiay
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  - Gabe
    12 years ago
    Also I don’t think Spain will fade “fast and hard”. Marc Gasol is just 27 and Rubio is only 21 and both are getting better. Navarro and Pau are getting old though. Since the next WC is in Spain I think they have one last run. Not only will they have home court advantage with the refs but all the Spanish players will want to participate in their home country. While the US will probably have to field a “B-Team” again. That worked in Turkey but will in work against Spain in their home court probably without a player of Durant’s skill. The WC is when the US is the most vulnerable because they don’t sent their best players.
    
    I feel Russia, with it’s population of over 140 million will keep being a power.
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Ezra
12 years ago
No end to Gabe’s LIES and BULLSHIT here.

Gabe: “Nigeria had one NBA player and 11 college and D-League players”.

Actually, zero college players, zero D-League players.

4 guys that were in the NBA, and Oguchi will make 5, as NBA teams are offering him contracts.

Obasohan played in Eurocup/Spanish League.

Archibong played in Euroleague/Eurocup.

Oyedeji played in NBA/Euroleague/Spanish League.

Oguchi – heading to NBA.

Diogu – NBA player

Al-Farouk Aminu – NBA player.

Skinn – moved to a Eurocup team.

Dagunduro – moved to the Italian League.

Ugboaja – NBA draft pick (spent half a year with the Cavs in the NBA)

Alade Aminu – Will play in Euroleague this year.

I love how a team comprised of 5 guys that played in NBA, 3 guys that played in the Euroleague………….is a “team of 1 NBA player and 11 scrubs from college and D-League”)

More and more of Gabe’s lies are exposed every time I check his claims here.
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Phileus
12 years ago
Cool, so by this logic, Greece’s best player is also an NBA player 😉

Come on guys, we all know this guy isn’t being serious 🙂 I can’t even be mad. Team USA won the gold without losing a game, and we had another classic gold game.
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Rick
12 years ago
Nigerian national team centers Ike Diogu and Akin Akingbala (did not play at the Olympics, but played in the Euroleague last year)…….

were both offered to Greek league club Panathinaikos by their agents.

Panathinaikos denied signing either of them citing, “they are not up the standards of our club”.
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Ark
12 years ago
Gabe and mike were wrong YET AGAIN. FIBA denied the request of Mark Cuban and David Stern to make the Olympics under-23, and also denied their request to place the FIBA World Cup under NBA control and ownership.

Also, the FIBA World Cup will officially become FIBA’s world basketball flagship and showcase, with the Olympics officially taking second in importance.

Finally, the court size and 3 point distance will be the same as in the NBA – evidently they felt sorry for Stern and Cuban, so they threw those dogs a little bone.
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