Team USA whips Spain 100-78 final Olympic Tune-up

Team USA whips Spain 100-78 in their final exhibition match before the London games.

BARCELONA, Spain –Of all of the “friendly” exhibition games that have led up to things getting real at the London Olympic Games, Tuesday’s matchup against Spain was said to be Team USA’s truest challenge.
The Spaniards are ranked second in the world and they also host a roster full of NBA-caliber talent.

This was considered to be a gold-medal preview matchup and if that proves to be indeed the case, the United States sent a message that they are not resting on their hype.

The first period saw center Tyson Chandler get in early foul trouble which threw the Americans off their stride.

Spain’s Serge Ibaka was ruthless in the first period as he savagely threw down hammer after hammer until the U.S. had to call a timeout to get it together.

As soon as the second period was underway, it was Spain’s turn to figure out a way to stop the bleeding and they could not find a tourniquet.

Carmelo Anthony scored 27 points, LeBron James put down 25 points, and Kevin Durant chipped in 13 points.

Durant scored 10 of his points as he went on a tear in final minutes of the third quarter.

Spain’s Marc Gasol commented on how they could have performed better.

“Well, it was definitely a game that we would have loved to play better as a team,” Gasol said. “We made too many mistakes which they capitalized and they played their game. They’re a quick unit, very athletic and once they were able to convert a few fast-break opportunities due to our turnovers, it was hard for us.”
It certainly was not made easier by the absence of Ricky Rubio who perhaps would have helped the game remain more competitive throughout.

Both PG Chris Paul and James understood the value of this game and what lies ahead of them.

“We knew that this was a big game,” Paul said. “When Coach K talked to us, he told us this was probably the biggest game here in Barcelona since the ’92 team was here, so we approached it like that and it was a good win for us.”

“It was a good test for us tonight, but the exhibition games are over, the friendlies are over and we look forward to the real challenge of going to London,” James said.

Kobe Bryant feels that this team is battle-tested and ready to take it all.

“We played against two very tough teams in Argentina and Spain, so I think it made us a better team,” Bryant said. “I think it showed us some things that we want to do differently, some things that we’re doing right, and I think because of it we feel pretty good about our chances.”

I don’t think Kobe is the only one that feels that way.

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