By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohops.net
While during most of tournament USA faced enough challenges, in the end got the gold medal, remained unbeaten and got a 30 points difference in the final.
This was the 15th gold medal in 19 Olympic basketball tournaments, having lost the top only in 1972 by Soviet Union in a historic game and also in 1980 when USA boycotted the Moscow Games, in 1988 in Seoul and in 2004 in Athens. The 96-66 defeat over Serbia was the most lopsided since the 1992 Dream Team and in total the 5th biggest in an Olympic Games final.
And USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo once more urged the rest of the world to catch up with USA: “I’m all for raising the bar for global basketball. The more interest in basketball on all levels, I’m for. I’m a lifer of the game. Basketball is the No.2 sport in the world. We just need to see these other countries get their acts together and become more competitive. I’m not going to be making any excuses. One of the officials said to me, ‘You oughta play with four.’ I said, ‘No, maybe the other teams oughta get their act together and compete.’ We’ve been helping in basketball around the world for 50 years. We’ve taught the world the game. We’ve taught their coaches. Look at the number of players in the NBA. Look at the number of international players in college today in the states. We’re all for that. I want to see their level raised.”