USA Basketball wins gold in Beijing

US 118 - Spain 107

BEIJING: USA Basketball completed its extreme makeover Sunday with a totally new Olympic experience. In defeating Spain, 118-107, for the gold medal, the Americans persevered in their first wire-to-wire competitive game of the 2008 Olympics.

After two weeks of being so dominant that they bordered on boring, the United States and Spain engaged in an old-fashioned global shootout.

It was a game as aesthetically pleasing as it was engaging, as Spain's talented roster showed it was much better than the 37-point blowout they endured during pool play.

But the United States answered every run, as Spain cut the lead to as small as 2 points in the fourth quarter.

And after ending a tough test, the so-called Redeem Team ended the game with a fitting gesture. Starting with LeBron James, they approached the NBC commentator Doug Collins to slap five. Collins was a member of the 1972 American team that lost controversially to the Russians.

It feels good in my brain!

espn-

"We shot 45 percent from the 3 and we shot close to 80 from the free throw line, so that's a plus if we can do that," James said. "We know we're going to defend, we know we're going to get fast break points, but when we can shoot the ball from the outside like that and shoot free throws well it's going to be tough to beat us."

Every U.S. player scored -- even Jason Kidd for the first time in Beijing -- as the Americans turned the matchup of unbeatens into their easiest victory yet. Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony each finished with 16 points.

The Americans will face the No. 4 seed from Group A, either Australia or Croatia, in the quarterfinals. They also wouldn't have to face Lithuania, the other remaining unbeaten and top seed from the other side, or Spain again until the gold-medal game.

Felipe Reyes scored 19 points for Spain (3-1), the 2006 world champion. The Spanish have won eight of their last 10 Olympic games, but the two losses were against the Americans. They hope to get another crack next Sunday on the final day of the Beijing Games.

Stepbrothers