Play ugly to beat Redeem Team - Argentina

Reuters

FACING UP: Spain will have to be rough and ready for Team USA's band of basketball superstars.

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Argentina's forward Luis Scola has one piece of advice for Spain ahead of today's hugely anticipated gold medal game against Kobe Bryant's USA basketball team at the Olympic Games. "You gotta play ugly," says the hard-working Houston Rockets star.

Scola should know. He got down in the trenches and helped give Kobe and co - the RedeemTeam as they've been dubbed - a couple of anxious moments in the second semifinal the USA eventually won 101-81. World champions Spain got up 91-86 in a tight and tense encounter against Lithuania earlier in the night to earn a chance to claim an exalted double.

But to have any chance of victory against what many pundits are saying is the finest collection of basketball talent since the original Dream Team was launched on the Olympics, Scola is adamant the Spaniards must roll their sleeves up and get the Americans into a style of basketball they detest. For Bryant, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Dwight Howard and their team-mates the basketball court is their canvas. They like to paint a beautiful picture.

Scola says Spain must bring the opposite of art to the court at the 18,000-capacity Wukesong arena on Sunday afternoon.

"You've got to play ugly," said Scola who ducked and dived his way to a game-high 28 points as Ginobli-less Argentina gave the Americans a few anxious moments in the second quarter before running out of puff. "If you try and play showtime the way they play, you're going to get it.

"They jump higher, they run faster, they're stronger. You've got to play ugly, play physical and you've got to make them feel uncomfortable. That's the only way."

It's a long shot. Spain, who will be sweating on the fitness of key point guard Jose Calderon, were walloped 119-82 by the Americans in pool play, and after seven USA players posted double-figure scoring in their semifinal victory, their focus appears to be spot on.

Superstar Cleveland Cavaliers forward James reaffirmed the team policy that this is bigger than anything they have done back home as they seek to end a run of three straight failures at major international tournaments. "Being a part of this game on Sunday is the biggest game for me. Ever. I got to the [NBA] Finals and I thought that was pretty big, but winning an NBA championship will never compare to winning a gold medal for my country," said James after the semi.

I then asked the player many rate the finest on the planet what made this USA team different to 2004's under-achievers of which he was also part.

"We weren't a team in 2004, just a bunch of individuals put on a basketball team. We didn't have much time to prepare, and we didn't take care of business and look at it like it was our last game every game we play. It hurt us."

Wade, who won an NBA title with the Miami Heat, concurs: "I'm very excited. [The Argentina] game was the biggest game I've played in. I've played in a championship game in the NBA, but the way I felt getting ready for this it's the biggest game I've felt in my career.

"We're very excited, we know our job is not done yet. We've all been in positions where we've been let down before, so we know we've got a job to finish."

Only Pau Gasol, Rudy Fernandez, Jorge Garbajosa and the scrappy Spaniards stand in their way now. Only they can deny this US team true redemption.

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