Redemption Is A Dish Best Served In China
August 25th, 2008 at 9:40 amBy Chris
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By now, you know about Team USA’s golden victory over Spain Sunday morning. As indicated by the adjective, the win returned the gold medal to who many view as its rightful owner — USA Basketball. Yes, they had to earn it against a Spanish team that wouldn’t back quit and was executing their offense probably better than they ever have at any point since the team was developed.
It was a good game to watch, except for the referees, who seemed to not care how many times Marc Gasol pushed Chris Bosh in the back but made it a point to keep a close eye on the Spanish and American guards. Through it all, the USA prevailed, 118-107, thanks to Kobe Bryant channeling his inner NBA MVP with a mix of ruthless assassin in fourth quarter to help drive the gold-plated stake into the opponent.
Of course, it would be foolish to forget about Dwyane Wade’s contribution either. While Kobe played the closer by scoring 14-fourth quarter points — complete with a shushing of the Spanish fans — it was Wade who put Team USA on his back through quarters one-through-three. Wade finished the game with 27 points that included a back-breaking 3-point bomb as the Spanish were trying to rally late in the fourth quarter — complete with an awesome thug mug for the opposing crowd.
What does this mean for 2012? Is this the start of something new for USA Basketball or was this a blaze of glory that will be pushed aside as these foreign basketball players become more and more comfortable playing against the United States? In order to keep their momentum going, they’ll have to keep sending talented teams that are committed to the process and are willing to take part in Team USA activities over the next few summers.
Can we expect players like Wade and King James to be in London for 2012 or will they give way to the Greg Odens and Mike Beasleys of the world? What about a coach? Coach Krzyzewski indicated this would be his only Olympics, so does that give way to Mike D’antoni and Nate McMillan?
With all these questions moving forward, it’s probably a good thing the Olympics are only once every four years.
Congratulations, Redeemers. You certainly earned it.
