The USA men open up Day 16 with some hard-earned payback for what Brazil's women did to them in volleyball. Meanwhile down at the Wukesong Indoor Stadium, the only low point of the first quarter for their counterparts is KObe Bryant missing a slam dunk with a few seconds remaining.
Aghast. Please let this not be a sign of things to come. And please, fates, let this be the ONLY low point for the Redeem Team this game. Ugh.
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Curse you Fates. They didn't listen. At the end of the first half, it's a high-scoring affair, but the USA is ONLY leading Spain by 8, 69-61.
Time for some adjustments.
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Um, hello? Where the bloody hell are the adjustments I've been asking for? Why is it that we can't capitalize on our last two buzzer-beating shots, and Juan Carlos Navarro does it on his last shot?
Bastards. USA 91, Spain 82 through three.
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I'll give Spain this: they should be the #2-ranked team in the country. They have the best team in Europe, and they have players that will be helping our clubs in the NBA>
Final score: USA 118, Spain 107.
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Obviously, we can't win them all, but USA Men's Water Polo and USA Women's Volleyball escaped an article of praise from me on Bleacher Report. It's a 14-10 goal festival for the Hungarians who get the gold medal. The women's water polo team should be in the same league with the softball team in terms of futility. They come undefeated...only to lose their last game. There will be goats. On the men's side, it's the soccer and baseball teams. On the women's side, water polo and softball have been the biggest letdown in the team sports.
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In spite of it all, the USA's stock in men's volleyball, men's water polo, and women's volleyball will see a strong resurgence. Lloy Ball has waited four Olympiads for a medal. It was worth the wait, and it was a gold. The men's water polo team wasn't even supposed to contend for a medal, let alone the gold. But even the Hungarians have to admit that they have been impressed by the likes of Tony Azevedo and then-unheralded company. And what about the women. Even though they equal their best finish from Los Angeles, their resurgence will do wonders for them in London.
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All in all, this was a great Olympics. USA will finish with the most medals, with China grabbing the most golds. This was a Games that will be remembered for generations to come. See you in Vancouver in 2010.
As well as Singapore.
We finish with 36 golds, 38 silvers, and 36 bronzes for a total of 110 medals.
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