When Jerry Colangelo was handed the keys to USA Basketball in April 2005, he was entrusted with the task of rejuvenating a program that had been knocked from its perch as the most dominant force in international basketball. A bronze medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens showed that the post-Dream Team practice of simply throwing together 12 All-Stars would no longer work against international teams that were improving and spending more time together playing in international competition.
One of Colangelo’s first moves was to hire Mike Krzyzewski as his head coach, and since that point USA Basketball has strengthened its position as the best in the world. Sunday, the Americans won their third consecutive Olympic gold medal with a 96-66 win over Serbia in Krzyzewski’s final game as head coach.
Against a team that they beat by just three points in pool play, the U.S. grabbed control of the game in the second quarter and didn’t look back. Kevin Durant got going offensively, finishing the game with 30 points on 10-for-19 shooting from the field, and Paul George’s defense on Serbian guard Milos Teodosic kept the silver medalists from getting much of anything done on the other end.
The U.S. led by 23 points at the half and by 36 after three quarters, leading by as much as 41 before Serbia managed to close the margin in the game’s final minutes. Nemanja Nedovic led Serbia, which had never won an Olympic medal in basketball as an independent nation, with 14 points.
DeMarcus Cousins added 13 points and Klay Thompson 12, and Carmelo Anthony scored seven points in his final game in international play as he announced his retirement from USA Basketball following the win.
But it was the defense, which was much-maligned during pool play, that turned what had the potential to be a competitive game into a rout. All three opponents in bracket play shot less than 40 percent from the field after the U.S. allowed their last three opponents in pool play (Australia, France and Serbia) to shoot better than 50 percent from the field. When the chips were down the U.S. raised their level of play, ensuring that one of the men responsible for the program’s resurgence would go out on top.
With Krzyzewski (88-1 as head coach; 24-0 in the Olympics) moving on, Colangelo will work with San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich to ensure that the U.S. not only remains on top but doesn’t take that status for granted. And given the work that’s been done over the last 11 years or so, it’s hard to imagine USA Basketball taking a step back anytime soon.
