Kobe Leads U.S. Team With 25

Led by Lakers guard Kobe Bryant’s 25 points, Team USA defeated Australia 116-85 in the Olympic quarterfinals.   Bryant chipped in nine points in a 14-0 U.S. run to start the second half, which allowed the team to pull away and seal the victory.  Bryant shot 10-16 overall, hitting 4-7 from deep.  Bryant has really found his touch in the past few games, especially from long range.  The whole team had been struggling with three point shooting until recently, which had some basketball pundits skeptical about the U.S.’s shot at the gold.  LeBron James chipped in 16 points of his own and added nine rebounds.  Carmelo Anthony scored 15.

The U.S. team is just two wins away from a gold medal, which is the only acceptable outcome in these Olympic Games.  Even if the squad comes away with bronze or silver, it will be considered failure.  The U.S. took down a confident Australian squad here and did well not to take them for granted.  They’re going to face two of the best teams before they can claim gold, but it appears that the U.S. team has remained focused.  Chris Bosh was recently quoted saying that these games feel more intense than the NBA playoffs.

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Posted in General on August 20, 2008

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