All right, so this happened over the weekend, but since it involved a round ball instead of an oval-shaped one, chances are pretty good that you might have missed it. Team USA, a perfect 8-0 heading into the final gold medal game against Turkey--in Turkey--easily trotted to the finish line, winning every quarter and finishing with an 81-64 victory that was never in doubt as of halfway through the first quarter. It's the first gold that the US has taken in FIBA world competition since 1994, and their second straight in international play.
Our Andre Iguodala was predictably solid, posting a typical stat line of four points (2-4 FG), five rebounds and three assists in 26 minutes of play. But the real story, as it has been nearly all tournament, was young Kevin Durant.
The Sonics-cum-Thunder superstar has improved somewhat exponentially in each of his first three years in the NBA, but scary as the thought may be, Durant seems to have taken yet another in what should be a recurring series of Next Steps this summer. As the team's most proven scorer, Baby Ice was looked to be the team's go-to guy from the get go, but initially, Durant showed hesitancy in the role, wanting to blend in and not overshadow his teammates.
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After being more forcefully told "Score the goddamn ball" by Coach Mike Krzyzewski a few games into the tournament, though, Durant began to take over--a scary and beautiful thing. KD went off for a Team USA record-high 38 points in the semifinal game against Lithuania, and followed it up on Sunday with a 28 point, 10-17 FG effort against Turkey for the Gold. He didn't even look like he was sweating it much, either--just pouring in stepback jumper after stepback jumper, undaunted by any kind of defensive effort. Splash.
In an upcoming NBA season that looks like it will be dominated by subplots involving its megastars, it would be foolish to discount Durant's place in all of this. After his performance these last few weeks, he now officially has to be looked at in that Kobe/LeBron strata, and arguably still with more potential to grow as a player than either of those two. He might not make the Thunder a title contender on his own (though point guard and Team USA teammate Russell Westbrook might be able to help with that a little), but at the very least, he's gonna be a must-watch just about any time he's on the court.
And hey, gold medal. Can't ever get too sick of winning those, can we? Congrats to 'Dre and the rest of our homeboys, and thanks for tiding me and my fellow hoops junkies over for those horrifying months between the Summer League and pre-season.