Ham Express

Kidd and Anthony happy as they advance to the finals

The U.S. defeated Argentina on Friday 101-81, advancing to the finals. They defeated the team that knocked them out of the gold round in ‘04. They have passed their ultimate redemption test.

Team USA went on a hot streak of baskets, going on a 18-0 run. It seemed like nothing could stop them as they kept draining baskets after baskets. Nothing stopped what seemed like a never-ending run, especially with Manu Ginobli getting injured in the first quarter and sitting out for the remainder of the game.

Dwight Howard had 10 points and 9 rebounds

However, Argentina quickly fought back in the second quarter with a 11-0 run. By the end of the first half, Argentina had cut the U.S.’s lead to only 9 points. During halftime, the score was 49-40 (U.S.). For a moment, the same feelings came back from ‘04 as Argentina was slowly creeping back. It felt like the U.S. were not respecting the Argentinians after the exit of Ginobli and a huge lead. They committed unnecessary fouls; and Argentina were 93.8% on the foul line [15-for-16]. They had outscored Team USA in the second quarter 29-19.

Third quarter remained a close game as well. I felt the strongest factor that kept the Americans ahead was Carmelo Anthony’s free-throws. Melo attempted 13 foul shots, and made every single one of them. He scored 8 points in the third. By the fourth quarter, the USA extended their lead back to health. King James shot two threes to stabilize their lead. All the fear of Argentina repeating their run in ‘04 vanished. The USA were going to the finals.

Carmelo Anthony scored 21 points and grabbed 4 boards. But the most impressive part about his stats were his foul shots. He didn’t miss any of his free throws which were important after Argentina started to catch up. Remember when I kept saying how D-Wade kept missing many of his free throws. Well this is an example of why making all the free throws are crucial. I wasn’t surprised that either Melo, Wade, or James were going to be the top scorers of the game. The three probably had an exceptionally strong desire to beat the Argentinians. They were especially disappointed with their results in ‘04, and were not going to sit back and let it happen again.

Team USA advances to the finals against Spain

But for me, the biggest surprise wasn’t from Melo. It wasn’t from King James who had 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists. It was Luis Scola. He scored a game-high 28 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and had 2 assists and steals. If I had to choose the player of the game for either sides, I would have to give it to Scola. He was the reason why Argentina put up such a strong fight in the first three quarters. After Manu sat out, he had to step up and lead the team. He did an impressive job and shocked me personally. Although Ginobli is the star of the team, Scola certainly put on a superstar performance in today’s game against the U.S.
The road to redemption is nearly complete. Team USA just has one more team to beat–which we already have once. They face Spain on Sunday (2:30 am EST). Many were skeptical that the U.S. could lose. Perhaps they were right. But many, including the U.S. roster, underestimated their opponents in ‘04. Hopefully they do not repeat their mistakes. But if you don’t mind me saying, I like our chances very much as well. I think we should defeat Spain to bring back home the gold. All we can do now is just wait and see.