Team USA, Gold Medal Winners
2008 Olympics Blog: Day 12
Submitted by Jon_Pastuszek on Sun, 08/24/2008 - 2:38pm.
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Team USA, Gold Medal Winners |
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The Redeem Team finally redeemed American hoops after six years of failure in major international competitions, beating Spain in what was a highly competitive, highly entertaining match. Dwyane Wade had a sensational 27 point performance and Kobe Bryant hit several clutch shots in addition to his 20 points. The Americans were able to hit 13/28 from three, which was enough to repel 21 points from Pau Gasol and 22 points from Rudy Fernandez.
This wasn't only the best Olympic basketball game I've ever seen -- this was one of the best basketball games I've ever seen. The level of play on both sides were extremely high. It had everything one could want -- crisp passing, precise shooting, highlight-reel dunks, intense defense and a great finish. I loved watching every second of it. An instant classic if there ever was one.
It was also the most physical 118-107 scoreline I've ever seen. Nothing was easy. Every rebound was tough, every screen was hard and every trip to the foul line was earned. It was chippy the whole way through, with plenty of before and after the whistle stuff going on, including a cheap shot landed on Chris Paul about five seconds after a call was made. Jeff Van Gundy was probably smiling somewhere.
There were many doubts, but two knocks on this US team were that they couldn't shoot and they couldn't keep their composure when things got rough. Well, the US overcame Argentine and Spanish zone defenses, and unrelenting, brusing physicality in order to win gold. That made things even more sweeter.
Today, I learned two things. One, it's good to have LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade on the same team. Second, I learned the word for "runner" in Chinese. Thanks to Juan Carlos Navarro for making so many that even the CCTV announcers couldn't miss them.
A lot of great performances in this game, and I could go on in detail about every one, but I want to specifically talk about Dwyane Wade tonight. He was unbelievable throughout the entire Olympics, and he saved his best performance for last. He shot 9/12 tonight and had 4 steals and was truly unstoppable. At the end of the tournament, dude shot 67% on 70 shots. In my mind, he's on the shortlist of MVP candidates along with LeBron, and either one would be a good choice. But, when it mattered most, D-Wade came through in a huge way and hit some HUGE shots down the stretch to deliver gold. Simply awesome to witness.
But, I still fear for the man. Today, I think he fell down six times and got up seven. Less than usual, but I would prefer if he used some caution when he throws his body into the lane. D-Wade, the world loves watching you play basketball too much to see you on the sidelines injured.
We also have to talk about Kobe. Kobe was Kobe at times tonight, taking poor shots and disrupting continuity at times. But, the guy hit some enormous shots, none bigger than his 4-point play that not only stopped Spanish momentum but also sent Rudy Fernandez to the pine for good with his fifth foul. Team USA definetely could not have won the game without his heroics and bravery.
Let's continue to share the love, and give credit where credit is deserved. Spain, you played like champions today. You gave the US your stiffest challenge, sans Jose Calderon, and you made the Redeem Team earn their gold. I could be down for this type of game every two years. Just tremendous stuff.
The great game was further enhanced by 29 minutes of Beijing Blog favorite, Ricky Rubio. Think about that -- a 17-year old kid led the defending World Champs in minutes in the 2008 Olympic Gold Medal match against the best team in the world. In America, he would be a high-school senior right now! It's crazy! Exclimation point!
The youngster showed great poise and control against non-stop pressure defense, and had his own invdividual highlight when he crossed up Jason Kidd, split the defense and then finished a nifty finger roll. He's going to be a star in the League one day. Truthfully, I'm a little upset that I don't get to see him play college ball. I feel greedy saying it, but he needs to be stateside. The sooner he's in the NBA, the better.
Rudy Fernandez was also superb. Any questions over Rudy Fernandez's athleticism can be directed towards Dwight Howard. Once he gets the ball out of his throat, I'm sure he'll be able to attest to Rudy's jumping ability. He's going to be a good player for the Blazers.
And Marc Gasol made my "back-up center" prediction look foolish at times tonight. I was blown away by his spin move along the baseline. He's a smart player, he's got size and he's got skills. Question will be whether he has the necessary athleticism to be effective.
Before we wrap things up, let's get this straight real quick. The Redeem Team is not The Dream Team. Anybody who thinks that this current squad could beat the originators are either sorely mistaken or have a birth-year after 1987. Redeem Team believers can say anything they want and I'll just reply with four words: MJ in his prime. Beyond that, Scottie Pippen, Charles Barkley, Clyde Drexler were in their respective primes too, and Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, even at their late stages, weren't too bad either. Plus, Pat Ewing, Karl Malone and David Robinson are all better than any big man on this current squad. Let's enjoy the win and bask in the glow of gold... but let's not get too brash and crown this team the best ever.
Box score
This is it for the Beijing Blog. The Closing Ceremonies are complete, which means the Olympics are over. Beijing goes back to its normal, polluted, yucky, pre-Olympic self. I had a ton of fun writing to all of our NBADraft.net fans, and I hope you enjoyed reading. Zaijian.
*Jon Pastuszek is a recent graduate of the University of San Francisco. A decent Mandarin speaker, Jon has spent over a year in Beijing, and has traveled most of the country. He will be in Nanjing, China this year studying Mandarin and contributing to NBADraft.net on various Chinese NBA prospects. He can be reached at jwpastuszek@dons.usfca.edu
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Ricky Rubio
Its sad to know that the
ı like basketball very nice