After losing to the USA, 81-101, and Manu Ginobili during the semifinals, Argentina was set to face another contender in the 2008 Beijing Olympics Men’s Basketball. Despite losing in the first round to Lithuania, the Argentines gave it their best shot and managed to win 87-75 and taking home the bronze.

When asked about winning the bronze, Sergio Hernandez expressed that he was not disappointed but was actually proud with the achievement of his team. Any coach would have definitely been proud after his team battled and survived against teams like Greece, USA, and Lithuania. The hardest opponent for the balanced team of Argentina would probably be the USA. It was the Americans stiff defense and the turnovers that left the Argentines in defeat.

The game against Lithuania was the only hope that South Americans have in taking home a medal. And it was a dramatic victory for the Manu-less Argentina since they have to play tougher on both ends. In the end, it was their offense that stifled the Lithuanians and sealed them the win.

During the first quarter, Argentine forward Luis Scola took over by tearing down Lithuania’s defense and giving his team the chance to take the lead. And by the next quarter, the Argentineans displayed their 3-point shooting spree. The Lithuanians, on the other hand, were missing a lot of crucial free throws that could have made a difference in their game. Carlos Delfino topped the scoreboards with 20 points and 10 boards. Ramunas Siskauskas and Rimantas Kaukenas dished out 15 and 14 points respectively.

The hard work of the Argentinean team paid off despite the adversities during the final games. The loss was pretty overwhelming for the Lithuanians though because it seemed like the other team wanted the bronze more which showed up to the remaining seconds of the game.

The Spanish team led by Lakers player Pau Gasol was no match for the stronger US basketball team. The win by the Americans was their fourth win in as many outings and this sends them at the top of their group. This means that they will be seeded first in the quarterfinal round. Four games won for the Americans and another four games to win in order to secure the gold medal in the men’s basketball.

The world champions Spain was no match for the Americans right from the start. The US players meant business at the start by making a number of three point shots and this set the tone for the rest of the game as the US basketball team posted an easy 119-82 win.

LeBron James converted 18 points on the floor, and all members of the team contributed on the scoreboard. Dwayne Wade and Carmelo Anthony added 16 points each. With the win by the Americans, they will next face the Number 4 seed from Group A and that team could either be Australia or Croatia. This means that the team will not face Lithuania, another unbeaten team and Spain until the gold medal game.

The Spanish team was a stronger team at least on paper. Spain is the 2006 world champion, and the team has won eight of their last 10 Olympic games. The two losses of the team were dealt by US. Felipe Reyes led the Spanish team and scored 19 points on the floor. In order for the US team to win the medal, they have to play four more games. The Spanish team tried to neutralize the US players by opting for the zone defense. But the plan was foiled as the Americans made sure that ball movement was good and the US players shot a number of three pointers that helped sealed the game for them.

China was considered as the ideal opening foe, and the US basketball team responded by delivering an A-one game. It was a blow-out as the ‘Redeem Team’ made sure that its first game in the Beijing Olympics mattered. The score was 101-70 against the Yao Ming-led team of China. Dwayne Wade was the top scorer for the team, leading the US team with 19 points. Wade said;

This is the biggest one, by far. The excitement of it. The anxiousness of it. The anticipation was just crazy. I’m glad it’s out of the way now.

Kobe Bryant, the star of Los Angeles Lakers added another 13 points.

President Bush was in attendance with the Secret Service watching the President intently. The President and his entourage sat in the private seats around thirty minutes into the game. When the people noticed that the President was in the area, cameras started to flash.

The game between the two teams was played in the new 18,000-seat venue and the site was filled to the rafters. Yao Ming led the Chinese in front of the boisterous crowd. Yao Ming netted 13 points for his team and added 10 rebounds and another 3 blocks.

The game started with a bang courtesy of a three-pointer coming from Yao, and the crowd and the US team responded positively. China took the early lead after Sun Yue hit another three pointer and opened a 6-2 lead for his team. The efforts of the Chinese players proved to be not enough as the US team posted a 11-5 run and ended the first quarter with the score of 20-16.With just a four point lead, China was more than motivated to continue its game and move on to upset the visitor.

China tied the game 29-all courtesy of the three pointer of Sun with 6:05 left. But that was the first and the last time that China evened the score as the US team once again raced ahead and took the second half with a score of 49-37. After that point, there was no stopping the US team. When the score stood at 84-50, Yao was taken off the game and the audience responded with a standing ovation for their star.