A dream fulfilled. Team USA got the job done by besting Spain 118-107 to win their first gold medal since 2000. It wasn’t easy – the team had to dig deep, persevere, and fight through a determined opponent hell bent on revenge from an earlier shellacking, but in the end the true colors and character of this unit displayed their immense qualities.  

The road back to the top of the basketball universe was a long one. There was the sixth place finish at the 2002 World Championships, the bronze medal finish at the 2004 Olympics and another bronze at the 2006 World Championships. The amount of negative press that Team USA has endured over the years is ridiculous. You would’ve thought that the United States had been sending convicted killers over to represent us – according to the never satisfied media corps and plenty of irrational bloggers.

Yet in the end, Team USA was too dynamic, deep and motivated to allow their moment in the sun to be ruined. See this was much more than just a basketball game. To see young studs like LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Carmelo Anthony get the international basketball monkeys off of their backs was beautiful.

To witness Kobe Bryant, one of the best scorers ever, willing to play the role of defensive stopper should shut  up the masses that believe today’s athletes are spoiled and can’t play together. Carlos Boozer is a bona fide star in his own right and rarely left the bench in the team’s quest for gold – same for Michael Redd.

The gold medal game was possibly one of the best in Olympics history and at one point had plenty of journalists salivating at the demise of Team USA. See in America there is always the build you up, to tear you down mentality and that tactic would’ve surely been used if the team had collapsed – they didn’t.

Bryant haters were ready to spew their normal venom when he took some ill advised shots as Spain trimmed into the lead. James haters were ready to say he choked in a key moment again after a couple of late turnovers down the stretch.  

Yet in the end it was Bryant’s late game heroics and willingness to keep gunning, regardless of the situation that helped propel the team. Weaker minds fall victim to what everyone else is saying and doing – Bryant showed why he’s the best player in the world by not caring. Success sometimes means stepping out on a limb, be willing to take the heat – the ability to be a man.

But this wasn’t just Bryant’s game, Dwayne Wade took over with 21 first half points when the team needed a spark off the bench – finishing with 27 for the game. Dwight Howard had two monstrous dunks in the fourth quarter that helped keep momentum on Team USA’s side (even though he did miss some crucial free throws late).

Chris Paul stepped up – so did Chris Bosh. Jason Kidd didn’t sulk on the bench after Coach K decided to go with all offense to end the game.  

Watching the game I felt a sense of pride, not just for my country – but for those guys that weathered the storm and got their gold. To achieve dreams after numerous setbacks shows true grit and character.  

While this team shouldn’t be compared to the original Dream Team, they shouldn’t be dismissed as irrelevant either. Their mark and legacy will always be preserving through adversity and returning the gold to the United States.

Lang is the senior writer for HoopsVine.com

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