On Sunday, Team USA crushed Serbia, 96-66, finishing with an unblemished 8-0 record in Rio and winning the program’s third straight gold medal. America has finished first in six of the last seven Olympic Games.
While other superstars said no to going to Rio de Janeiro, Kevin Durant said yes — and the Golden State Warriors’ new star shined brightest on this international stage. Durant’s 30 points led all scorers and his 19.4 points-per-game scoring average in the tournament ranks highest in Team USA Olympic history.
Durant drilled 5-of-11 from the three-point arc, pulled down three rebounds, dished four assists and added three steals to cement himself as the alpha dog of the national team.
During a post-game interview with NBC Sports, Carmelo Anthony, 32, teared up over his final appearance in the Olympics.
“This is the end. This is it for me,” Anthony said.
“I committed to this in ’04. I’ve seen the worst and I’ve seen the best,” he continued, referring to the 2004 Athens Games when the U.S. surprisingly finished with the bronze. “I’m excited for me but also for the other guys who have never experienced anything like this.”
In his final international game, Anthony finished with seven points and seven rebounds. He departs with the most gold medals of any player in Olympic men’s basketball history (three).
Center DeMarcus Cousins played one of his better games on Sunday, giving a boost to the Americans. Saddled with foul trouble through the tournament, Cousins produced 13 points and 15 rebounds as the reserve big man. The U.S. outclassed Serbia on the boards with a 54-34 rebounding margin.