Team USA's road to victory in Turkey
They came to Turkey as the favourites, and they did not disappoint. It was mission accomplished for Team USA as they emerged victorious in the 2010 FIBA World Championships, which concluded on Sunday.
The Americans defeated hosts Turkey, 81-64, in the gold medal game at the Sinan Erdem Dome in Istanbul to claim their fourth world title. It was Team USA's first world title since 1994.
Coached by multi-titled Duke mentor, Mike Krzyzewski, there were high hopes for the United States following their gold-medal finish at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Though there were no returnees from their star-studded Beijing squad, Team USA fielded a young but formidable team in Turkey. Leading the squad was Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant, who led the National Basketball Association in scoring last season. The other youngsters in the team were Derrick Rose (Chicago Bulls), Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder), Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors), Eric Gordon (Los Angeles Clippers), Kevin Love (Minnesota Timberwolves) and Rudy g*y (Memphis Grizzlies), all under 25 years of age. The veterans in the roster were Chauncey Billups (Denver Nuggets), Andre Iguodala (Philadelphia 76ers), Danny Granger (Indiana Pacers), Lamar Odom (Los Angeles Lakers) and Tyson Chandler (Dallas Mavericks).
Team USA was drawn in Group B with Brazil, Slovenia, Croatia, Iran and Tunisia. In their opening game, the Americans crushed Croatia, 106-78, at the Abdi Ipekci Arena in Istanbul. Team USA led by only two points after the first period but outscored their opponents, 26-6, in the second period to cruise to an easy win. Gordon top scored for the Americans with 16 points, while Durant had 14 points and eight rebounds.
The Americans maintained superb form in their second outing as they walloped Slovenia, 99-77. The defending Olympic champions made a strong start and never looked back to claim their second win in as many games. Durant had another outstanding performance of 22 points, four rebounds and four assists to lead Team USA. Love had 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Team USA was finally tested in their third game. The Americans were pushed to the limit before pulling off a 70-68 win over Brazil. The Brazilians led after the first half before the Americans rallied to preserve their unbeaten slate. Leandro Barbosa had a chance to force the game into overtime, but the NBA veteran missed a lay-up at the buzzer. Durant was the top performer for the Americans with 27 points and 10 rebounds.
Frustrated by their near loss to Brazil, Team USA vented their ire on Iran in their next game. The Americans waxed hot in the second period to wallop the champions, 88-51, to claim their fourth win in a row. Love topscored for the Americans with 13 points and grabbed six rebounds.
USA had a slow start against Tunisia in their final group game, but waxed hot in the final two quarters to post a 92-57 victory. Gordon fired a game-high of 21 points, including four treys. The Americans claimed the top spot in the group with a perfect 10 points from five games.
The Americans faced Group A fourth placers Angola in the Round-of-16. In an expected result, Krzyzewski's wards demolished the multi-titled African champions, 121-66. Billups was the top scorer with 19 points while Durant, g*y and Gordon added 17 each.
Team USA battled Russia in the quarterfinals. The Russians finished second to Turkey in Group B and reached the last eight with a 78-56 victory over New Zealand. The game was close in the first two quarters with the Americans ahead only by five points at the break. But Billups and Westbrook combined forces in the third quarter as the Americans pulled away. Durant led all scorers with 33 points as Team USA posted an 89-79 win.
Awaiting the Americans in the semi-finals was Lithuania. Like Team USA, Lithuania finished the group stage with an unblemished record. The Lithuanians posted wins over China (78-67) and 2004 Olympic champions Argentina (104-85) to reach the last four. The much-awaited encounter between the two unbeaten teams turned out to be a one-sided affair. A strong start was all the Americans needed to coast to an 89-74 victory. Durant erupted for 38 points and hauled down nine rebounds.
The last hurdle in USA's quest for the gold was Turkey. The Americans encountered hardly any resistance in defeating the erstwhile undefeated home team. After falling behind by three in the first quarter, the Americans answered with an 11-0 run that gave them the lead for good. Durant top scored for the Americans with 28 points. He was later named the tournament's Most Valuable Player after averaging 22.1 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. Joining Durant in the All-Tournament team were Syria’s Milos Teodosic, Turkey's Hedo Turkoglu, Lithuania's Linas Kleiza and Argentina's Luis Scola.
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