USA secures spot in 2008 Olympics

USA 135
Puerto Rico 91

http://www.nba.com/news/usa_defeats_puertorico_070901.html

LAS VEGAS, Sept. 1 (AP) -- The United States has a ticket to Beijing — and a team capable of cashing it in for gold.

Carmelo Anthony scored 27 points, Michael Redd had 23, and the Americans clinched a spot in the 2008 Olympics by crushing Puerto Rico 135-91 on Saturday in the semifinals of the FIBA Americas tournament.

LeBron James added 19 points and nine assists, Kobe Bryant scored 15 points, and the three stars keyed a dominant third quarter stretch that showed why the Americans will arrive in China as one of the gold medal favorites. Then they headed to the bench, where they sat while fans chanted their names in the final minutes.

Anthony made four 3-pointers during the near-perfect period, when the Americans hit 14 of 16 shots (87.5 percent), including all eight 3-pointers while outscoring Puerto Rico 43-28.

The United States finished 23-of-36 (64 percent) from behind the arc. Redd was 7-of-8, Anthony hit 6-of-7, and Mike Miller was 4-for-6.

Team USA will face off against Argentina in the final of the FIBA Americas tournament. With Melo in top form while LeBron James and Kobe Bryant are consistently performing well, Argentinean coach Sergio Hernández has got a huge challenge on their hands, despite having players such as Carlos Delfino (Toronto Raptors) and Emanuel Ginoblili (San Antonio Spurs) on his roster.

Team USA by far have the strongest roster of any basketball team in the Beijing Olympics, however, they should take care to avoid getting too cocky. Some of the strong European countries (Spain, Greece etc) have quite strong teams and could possibly cause an upset. As long as the American team can keep their egos under control and continue their excellent form, they will be well on the way to winning the gold.