Carmelo Anthony angry over a low blow from Facundo Campazzo – NBA Update
There are many sporting rivalries in the world, but none like the one Argentina and team USA have in international basketball as the South Americans were the first ever team to beat a team comprising of NBA players in 2002 at the
FIBA World Championships.
Two years later, the Argentineans went a step further and knocked out USA at the semi-final stage on their way to winning gold in the Athens Olympics 2004.
The Americans took that defeat hard and completely restructured their administrators and coaching staff. Since then, under coach Mike Krzyzewski Team USA has lost one match in the 60 odd played.
So when these two sides faced off against each other in the last preliminary round game of the London Olympics, there was bound to be some kind of bad-blood between. The first half was thrilling and saw the Argentines match the
Americans shot for shot. But the Americans were eventually able to hand out a 29 point drubbing to their counterparts courtesy of Kevin Durant, and the hot three point shooting of the Americans.
Argentina fought well throughout the game nevertheless, but their performance was overshadowed by Facundo Campazzo’s blatant punch to Carmelo Anthony in the groin region. Campazzo allegedly punched Anthony while he rose to deliver
a buzzer beating three right at the end of the third quarter.
The act left the New York Knick forward frustrated and he made sure to talk about it post game.
"It was definitely a cheap shot," Anthony said. "Something like that, I don't play like that.
"If you're going to foul somebody, foul them hard but you don't take a shot like that. Nobody takes a cheap shot like that.”
Campazzo later apologized to Kobe Bryant but claimed that he was punched by point guard Chris Paul earlier. The shot on Anthony was apparently a reaction to what CP3 started.
No apologies were made to Anthony.
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