Summer Olympics 2012
BY GEORGE DICKIE
In Olympic basketball, the games are similar to the NBA’s, except games are divided into four 10-minute quarters instead of 12. The tournament follows the established format of 12 teams divided into two pools of six, with each team playing every other team in its group, and the top four squads from both groups qualifying for the quarterfinals. Gold medals are awarded in men’s and women’s basketball. In the men’s game, it’s all about the United States. As in years past, the American squad brings everything: scoring (Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Kevin
Page 11 Durant, Carmelo Anthony), rebounding (Tyson Chandler, Chris Bosh, Anthony Davis, Blake Griffin), playmaking ability (Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, Deron Williams), defensive presence (Chandler, James, Paul, Bryant) and highlight-film potential (Blake Griffin, Dwyane Wade). And they’ll have a legendary coach, Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski, blending all the parts into what they hope is a seamless package. In fact, ever since Olympic basketball allowed professionals to compete beginning with the 1992 Dream Team, the Americans have dominated the Games, winning gold in four of five Olympics – the lone exception being the 2004 bronze flameout in Athens. Teams vying for podium space alongside the Americans include Spain (with NBA players Pau Gasol, Juan Carlos Navarro and Rudy Hernandez), Brazil (Leandro Barbosa, Nene, Anderson Varejao), Argentina (Manu Ginobili, Carlos Delfino, Luis Scola) and China (Yi Jianlian). Lithuania, Serbia and France also are expected to be competitive. At the 2008 Games in Beijing, Team USA defeated Spain in the gold-medal game, 118-107.
If there’s been a team more dominant at the Olympics than the USA men’s basketball squad, it’s been their female counterparts. Since 1984, the American women have been out of the gold only once, in 1992, when they took the bronze behind the Unified Team and China. Like the men, the USA women’s team is a heavy favorite and loaded with WNBA All-Star-caliber talent, including Tamika Catchings, Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Swin Cash, Tina Charles and Candace Parker, and they’ll be coached by Geno Auriemma, a Hall of Famer who has won seven national titles with the University of Connecticut. As for other teams expected to be in the running for hardware, look for Australia (with three-time WNBA Lauren Jackson and All-Star Liz Cambage), Russia (featuring six-time WNBA All-Star Becky Hammon), Belarus and Spain to be competitive.
Kobe Bryant
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