MEN’S BASKETBALL
At long last, Dream Team II.
The Dream Team’s successors outlasted Spain, 118-107, to take home their first gold medal since Sydney in 2000.
Kobe Bryant scored 13 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter, but this was a collaborative effort.
“We were at America’s lowest point in ’04,” said Carmelo Anthony, one of four players on this team who took part in the debacle at Athens, where the U.S. lost three games. “I think we did a hell of a job of putting America back where it’s supposed to be, which is at the top of the world.” l.a. times
MEN’S VOLLEyBALL
The first major news story of these games was the knife-wielding attacker who killed a man and wounded two women. The victims turned out to be the in-laws of the U.S. men’s volleyball coach.
Hugh McCutcheon missed the first three games dealing with the tragedy.
In the finals against defending champion Brazil, the U.S. lost the first game then won the next three for a gold that would have been spectacular even without the emotional layer. It was certainly there, though, and when the game ended, McCutcheon buried his head in his hands and walked off the court. ap
MEN’S WATER POLO
In their last chance for a gold medal, the U.S. came up just short, losing 14-10 to a Hungarian team that became the first country to win three straight gold medals in the sport since Britain in 1920.
An American team that came in ranked ninth in the world that surprised just about everyone by getting to the final kept it close early and had it tied at 9 in the third quarter. But the Hungarians pulled away down the stretch, scoring five unanswered goals and turning a close match into a blowout.
Nonetheless, the Americans (5-2) were content with returning to the medal stand for the first time since 1988. ap
Kobe Bryant
Dwayne Wade
