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Melo scores 21 as U.S. one win from gold

By Chris Tomasson, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published August 22, 2008 at 10:19 a.m.

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Michael Redd, Jason Kidd, Kobe Bryant and Carmelo Anthony took a back seat to no one as the U.S. defeated Argentina 101-81 to advance to the Olympic gold-medal game.

Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Michael Redd, Jason Kidd, Kobe Bryant and Carmelo Anthony took a back seat to no one as the U.S. defeated Argentina 101-81 to advance to the Olympic gold-medal game.

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BEIJING — Carmelo Anthony gave his 2004 bronze medal to his mother. But he's making plans to keep the medal he gets handed Sunday.

That is, if it's gold.

There has been no indication so far it won't be. With the Nuggets star scoring 21 points, Team USA moved into the Olympic men's basketball gold-medal game with a 101-81 semifinal win Friday over Argentina, which played much of the night without injured star guard Manu Ginobili.

The finale Sunday (12:30 a.m. MDT) is against Spain, demolished by 37 points in pool play by the Americans. After the pairing was finalized, a Spanish journalist prefaced his questions to U.S. players, "Do we have any chance?"

"I can't wait to get a chance to play for that gold medal," said Anthony, who, along with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Carlos Boozer, remains from the 2004 team that got a disappointing bronze.

Beating the Americans in a semifinal in Athens was Argentina, which then won gold. Team USA was fired up for the rematch, with Wade saying, "Of course, you bring up the past."

In a game Anthony called "chippy," he and Argentina's Luis Scola, who scored a game-high 28 points, got tangled up in the third quarter. Then, after a hard foul by Fabricio Oberto on American center Dwight Howard, Anthony jumped in to defend Howard.

"I wasn't going to do anything," said Anthony, who went 13-for-13 from the foul line, setting American Olympic records for most free throws made in a game and highest percentage. "I just wanted to protect Dwight. He got smacked in the face really hard . . . He's still young, so I got to protect my little brother."

Four years ago, Anthony was one of the youngsters. But he has grown up, along with James, who scored 15 points and then gathered the players in a circle after the game to inform them their quest isn't over.

Most observers, though, don't figure on there being much suspense Sunday.

"I feel sorry for them," U.S. guard Deron Williams said of Spain. "We're going to be ready. We've been waiting for this moment for four years . . . Just wait until Sunday."

The Spanish, though, vow to be ready even though point guard Jose Calderon won't play because of a groin strain suffered in the quarterfinals.

"We learned a lot from that experience, guard Raul Lopez said of the 119-82 loss last Saturday to Team USA. "And we want to try to win in the final . . . We're going to play better."

Spain advanced with a 91-86 semifinal win over Lithuania, which will play in its fifth straight Olympic bronze-medal game Sunday against Argentina.

Lithuania was hampered by Nuggets forward Linas Kleiza going scoreless on 0-for-4 shooting and being ejected midway through the fourth quarter for a second unsportsmanlike foul.

Lithuania coach Ramunas Batautas said Kleiza was hampered by being matched against Lakers star Pau Gasol, who scored 19 points. He said Kleiza's hard foul on Gasol that got him ejected was "not intentional."

Meanwhile, hard fouls were the order of the day in the nightcap.

"It's just really part of the game," Scola said. "Congratulations to (the Americans). They were better."

But the Argentinians wondered what might have happened had Ginobili not been lost for the game with 3:39 left in the first quarter when he reinjured his troublesome left ankle. Argentina coach Sergio Santos Hernandez said Ginobili went to the hospital and his status for Sunday is uncertain.

"All of a sudden, you find out all of the hard work you did is going into the trash," Scola said of the injury.

Despite Ginobili being out, Argentina battled back from a 34-13 deficit early in the second quarter to close within 46-40. But Anthony then three free throws after being fouled on a 3-pointer with .09 of a second left in the half for a 49-40 lead, and Team USA survived a physical second half.

"I'm going to get an ice bath," Anthony said afterward.

He hopes Sunday to be part of a Gatorade bath.

U.S. 101, Argentina 81

UNITED STATES

C.Anthony 3-14 13-13 21, L.James 6-11 0-2 15, D.Wade 4-7 4-8 12, K.Bryant 5-14 0-0 12, C.Paul 4-5 3-4 12, C.Bosh 3-4 5-5 11, D.Howard 4-6 2-4 10, D.Williams 2-4 0-0 6, J.Kidd 1-2 0-0 2, C.Boozer 0-1 0-0 0, M.Redd 0-0 0-0 0, T.Prince 0-0 0-0 0, Totals 32-68 27-36 101.

ARGENTINA

L.Scola 13-21 2-2 28, C.Delfino 6-18 2-2 17, A.Quinteros 4-9 2-2 12, A.Nocioni 2-4 6-6 10, J.Gutierrez Llanas 2-2 2-2 6, P.Prigioni 1-3 0-0 3, E.Ginobili 1-4 0-0 2, F.Oberto 1-2 0-0 2, R.Gonzalez 0-1 1-2 1, A.Porta Pernigotti 0-1 0-0 0, L.Gutierrez 0-3 0-0 0, G.Kammerichs 0-0 0-0 0, Totals 30-68 15-16 81.

Argentina11 29 24 17 - 81

United States30 19 29 23 - 101

Three-point goals - Argentina 6-23 (C.Delfino 3-10, A.Quinteros 2-3, P.Prigioni 1-3, A.Nocioni 0-1, E.Ginobili 0-2, A.Porta Pernigotti 0-1, L.Gutierrez 0-3), United States 10-31 (L.James 3-6, C.Anthony 2-8, K.Bryant 2-9, D.Williams 2-4, C.Paul 1-2, D.Wade 0-1, J.Kidd 0-1). Fouled out - Argentina (F.Oberto). Rebounds - Argentina 32 (L.Scola 11), United States 43 (C.Bosh 10). Assists - Argentina 7 (P.Prigioni 3), United States 15 (J.Kidd 7). Fouls - Argentina 29, United States 21.

Comments

  • August 22, 2008

    11:40 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    kmeissner writes:

    Nice! One more game fellas! Don't get cocky yet

  • August 22, 2008

    11:53 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    Squatch writes:

    It looks like Team USA just has way too much fire power for the other teams. Every player on this team has played well and unselfish which is a huge difference fom the last games.

  • August 22, 2008

    1:14 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    SE7EN writes:

    They are playing as a team this time and taking it serious. I'm proud of the way they've conducted themselves this Olympics. They'll get Gold, no doubt.

  • August 22, 2008

    1:50 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    jmkratt writes:

    The switch from Larry Brown to Coach K was momentous - completely changed the attitude of Team USA, great move. The team looks awesome - 1 more game!