Sure, it was 2:30 am on the east coast, and by the time the game was over it was almost time to wake up again, but watching the United States’ men’s basketball team reclaim gold in the early hours of Sunday morning was an unforgettable experience. With an 118-107 victory over Spain in the gold medal game, the “Redeem Team” put the disappointment of the 2004 Olympics in Athens, in which the U.S. took the bronze medal, on the backburner, and reminded everyone which country has the world’s best basketball players.
The hard work, the dedication, and the desire finally paid off for a team that was years in the making. USA Basketball Director Jerry Colangelo was the architect of the roster that included a balance of talent, youth, and veteran leadership. Additionally, the all-star coaching staff of Mike Krzyzewski of Duke University, Jim Boeheim of Syracuse University, Mike D’Antoni of the New York Knicks, and Nate McMillan of the Portland Trailblazers guided the team toward its ultimate goal of the gold medal.
Despite the USA’s 11-point margin of victory and leading for the majority of the game, it was neck-and-neck throughout. After getting blown out earlier in the tournament, Spain played with reckless abandon. Many of Spain’s key players have NBA experience as well, such as Pau Gasol (Los Angeles Lakers), Rudy Fernandez (Portland Trailblazers), Juan Carlos Navarro (formerly of the Memphis Grizzlies), Jorge Garbajosa (formerly of the Toronto Raptors), and Marc Gasol (will play for Memphis this season). Intimidation was not a factor for the Spaniards.
Dwayne Wade, arguably the USA’s best player in the Olympic Games, gave the team a much-needed spark, scoring 21 points in the first half after both LeBron James and Kobe Bryant got into foul trouble and had to take seats on the bench. Down 22-17 in the first quarter, Wade went to work slicing through the paint, knocking down jumpers, and wreaking havoc on the defensive end; he was the catalyst in a 21-9 run to close out the quarter and put the Americans up by eight. Wade also led the charge on a 10-2 run in the second to put USA up 14, 58-44. However, Spain wouldn’t go away and trimmed the lead down to eight by halftime, 69-61. The eight-point margin was the smallest halftime lead the USA had during the entire tournament.
In the second half, the battle continued. Thanks to Navarro’s runners in the lane and Fernandez bombing away three-pointers, Spain simply did not quit, and found itself down only two, 91-89, with just over eight minutes remaining in the game. With the game on the line, someone needed to step up, and Bryant was more than willing to take the challenge. After struggling through the first three quarters, he turned it on in the fourth, getting his teammates involved as well as scoring 13 of his 20 points.
The turning point of the game came at the 3:10 mark in the fourth, when Bryant drilled a three-pointer while being fouled in the process. As he stood there with his finger on his lips to silence the crowd, USA had the momentum as well as its swagger back—as the gold medal was now in reach. He completed the four-point play, and the foul on Fernandez put one of Spain’s top threats out of the game for good.
From there the U.S. never looked back. Wade drilled a three-pointer with just over two minutes left, stretching the lead to seven. The players began to celebrate, hugging each other during timeouts and substitutions as their dream was about to be realized, and when the buzzer finally sounded USA was on top of Spain 118-107, and on top of the basketball world.
Wade led all scorers with 27 points. Bryant had 20, while James netted 14. Chris Paul, who ran the point guard position brilliantly, and Carmelo Anthony, who drained a number of big shots, each added 13 to round out the double-digit scorers for the U.S. Fernandez was Spain’s high-man with 22, while Gasol scored 21 and Navarro chipped in with 18.
Watching with a friend who was willing to stay up while the remainder of the house was asleep, we cheered as if it were the NBA Championship, the Super Bowl, and the World Series all rolled into one. We felt the same passion and enthusiasm that the men’s basketball team embodied and played with, because it means something to represent your country. Everyone knew the USA could win the gold easily, if they worked for it and had the right mindset. Every man on the team contributed at one point or another and it didn’t matter who did the scoring. The group defined the word “team,” believed in each other, and had guidance from some of the brightest coaching minds in basketball. It was a blueprint for success and an intense journey from day one, but the USA men’s basketball team didn’t disappoint.
