Argentina enters Monday’s game (5:15 p.m. ET, NBCSN), the pool-play finale, with a history of toppling the U.S.
USA's Lebron James reacts after an official's call during a preliminary men's basketball game against Lithuania at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 4, 2012, in London. By SEAN DEVENEY
Sporting News
LONDON -- Lithuania entered Saturday’s game against Team USA with a history of giving the Americans trouble on the international stage. Argentina enters Monday’s game (5:15 p.m. ET, NBCSN), the pool-play finale, with a history of toppling the U.S.
A decade ago, it was Argentina that dealt the first body blow to USA Basketball in Indianapolis, when a poorly constructed team of American stars was knocked off by Argentina’s “Golden Generation.” Two years later at the Athens Olympics, Argentina again beat the U.S., this time in the semifinals on their way to a gold medal. Of the seven losses that Team USA has suffered since the ’92 Dream Team, Argentina is the only team that has given them two.
“We know that they’re a good team and that they’re a dangerous team,” U.S. forward Carmelo Anthony said. “They have a lot of experienced guys, a lot of NBA guys who have played together a long time. I think the thing that stands out about them is they never quit. You’re always going to get a great effort when you play against those guys. They’re going to come out and be physical with you.”
The U.S. is obviously aware of that. Two weeks ago, Team USA met Argentina for a training game in Barcelona, and things got chippy early on when Kevin Durant and LeBron James scuffled with Luis Scola and Andres Nocioni. The Americans nearly blew a 15-point fourth-quarter lead in that one, with Argentina cutting the deficit to four with 2:50 to go. The U.S. held on for an 86-80 win, but Argentina figures to carry some confidence into Monday’s game.
Part of that confidence, of course, comes from having NBA veterans like Scola and Nocioni, as well as the team’s star player, Manu Ginobili. Sure, Ginobili is 35, but he has been brilliant in the tournament so far, averaging 21.0 points with 6.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists. Scola, too, figures to be a problem for the Americans, averaging 22.5 points.
Argentina enters the game at 3-1, having suffered a close loss to France. But Scola said he expects the team to play better as it goes along.
“We didn’t want to show nothing to nobody early on,” Scola said. “We weren’t playing well in the preparation. We weren’t feeling well, we got this feeling that it’s not going well, we need to do something, we’ve got to play better, we’ve got to move faster, we’ve got to have a little bit more of a spark.”
That’s something for Team USA to keep in mind — historically, nothing seems to spark Argentina quite like facing the U.S.