US sinks Spain for men's basketball gold

Reuters

SLAM DUNK: Kobe Bryant of the US goes up for a basket past Rudy Fernandez of Spain during their men's gold medal basketball game, which the US won 118-107.

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Of the 36 golds the USA have won at these Games, this was one they really wanted.

Redemption is theirs and Kobe and co can throw away those disguises and return to their homeland with their heads held high.

It was that big - this men's basketball final against Spain, won 118-107 by the star-spangled Americans. They didn't dub them the Redeem Team for nothing, you know. They were men on the mightiest of missions, involving salvaging some much-needed pride for the so-called superpower of planet hoops.

Sure Michael Phelps won eight golds at these Olympics on his own, but it was this little biddy ol' one that America thirsted for as a nation. At the last Olympics they lost three times and settled for bronze and at the previous two world championships lineups of all-NBA talent finished, respectively, sixth and third. Talk about your auras well and truly shattered.

So they will be whupping it up over this one from Bakersfield to Boston, from Anchorage to Alabama, and all points in between. Their finest finally delivered on the ultimate sporting stage, and the equilibrium is finally back in the basketball world after six years of it being tilted on its axis.

Still, this was some final at the 18,000-capacity Wukesong arena, not to mention the event to be at on closing day of the Games – even David Beckham was in the house. Spain showed up to play and pushed the USA to the limit with a powerhouse performance that really did bring out the best in the Americans.

Led by a superb game-high 27 points from Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade (21 of them in the first half) and an ice-cool 20 from Kobe Bryant the US took the best shots from the Spanish and still found the pathway to gold.

They led 69-61 at the half, but saw Spain close to within four in the third quarter and two in the final period. Then Bryant nailed a four-point play and the momentum was with the Americans, try as the Spanish might.

And they tried plenty, right till the bitter end. The electric Rudy Fernandez and the towering Pau Gasol were huge for the gallant silver medalists.

Repeatedly, the likes of Bryant, Wade and LeBron James had repeated the mantra that this was bigger than anything they'd done in the NBA. This was for their country, they said, and that made it so.

After six long years, the USA finally rules the basketball world again. It will be some closing-night party in Beijing.

Argentina, even without injured star Manu Ginobili, were too good for Lithuania in the bronze playoff with an 87-85 victory giving them their second straight Games medal after they had won gold in Athens.

USA 118 (Dwyane Wade 27, Kobe Bryant 20, LeBron James 14, Chris Paul 13, Carmelo Anthony 13, )

Spain 107 (Rudy Fernandez 22, Pau Gasol 21, Juan Carlos Navarro 18, Carlos Jiminez 12, Marc Gasol 11, Felipe Reyes 10).

Ht: 69-61.  

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