by James De VeraHeavyweight match ups await as global powerhouses collide for basketball supremacy in the semi-finals of the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics Men’s Basketball on Saturday. The stage is set for what is promised to be a blockbuster battle of hardcourt monarchs.
USA versus Spain Team USA hasn’t been as impressive as most of us thought they’d be in the group stages of the Rio Olympics. After dominating China (119-62) and Venezuela (113-69) in their first two games, the star studded American team had a hard time in finishing their next assignments. USA had to dig deep in their victories against Australia (98-88), France (100-97) and Serbia (94-91)before crushing Argentina in the quarterfinals, 105-78, to stay unbeaten in the Olympics. Meanwhile, the Spaniards started their campaign with back-to-back heartbreaks after dropping their first two tasks to Croatia (70-72) and Brazil (65-66). Since then Spain has transformed into a dominant force beating Nigeria (96-87), Lithuania (109-59), Argentina (92-73) and their European rivals France, 92-67, in the quarters. With the gold medal at stake, expect the world’s top two teams to give their all in their do-or-die semifinals game on Saturday, 2:30 a.m. PST. Serbia versus Australia Though winning only two matches in the preliminaries, Serbia proved that they should not be treated as an underdog. The FIBA World Cup 2014 runner-up eliminated a young Croatian team in a very thrilling quarterfinal battle, 86-83. The Orlovis (Eagles), captained by their prolific point guard Milos Teodosic, started their campaign with a win against Venezuela (86-62) before losing their next three games to Australia (80-95), France (75-76) and United States (91-94). Serbia bounced back from their losing streak by winning against China, 94-60, in their last match of the group stages. Australia on the other hand has been a big revelation in this Olympic Games. Led by their NBA calibre guards Patty Mills and Matthew Dellavedova, the Aussies shocked the basketball world by stunning four of their five preliminary group opponents. The team ousted France (87-66), Serbia (95-80), China (93-68) and Venezuela (81-56) before shutting down the world number four Lithuania in a 90-64 quarterfinals win. Their only loss came from the Americans, 88-98. The intensity of this battle should be at full flow as both nations aim to capture their first Olympic gold in Men’s Basketball on Saturday, 6 a.m. PST.
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