Additional Quotes >> USA 101, Argentina 81

Aug. 22, 2008 - Beijing, China

USA head coach Mike Krzyzewski (Duke University)
On the game:
It's always a great honor to play Argentina. Internationally, over the last decade, they have been as good as anybody in the world. They play with the heart of champions and we knew we were in for a tough game today.

After we had a great quarter, I thought we played our worst defensive quarter in the second quarter. I don't know why … we fouled early. We just didn't have the focus defensively in that second quarter. Whether it was because of Ginobili being out or they're good or a combination of all those things, that was our worst defensive quarter. I thought we played much better in the second half. We played a great first quarter. Our guys were ready to play and we feel really good to beat Argentina by 20 points. I'm pleased with that. I'm certainly pleased with playing in the gold medal game.

Can you speak about Bosh's role in your defense and your overall impressions of him?
Well, he's been as valuable a player as we have on our team. He has played with such maturity and smarts. You can see his play, but if you could hear him talk to our team and talk to the other big guys, in practice and in the game on the bench. I just think he's taken his game to another level. I think in this tournament, we're seeing an already outstanding player raise his game to another level. I'm very proud of him, and I think he's been a real man for us. And, we're going to need him to do that again on Sunday.

The zone seemed to give you problems , were you moving the ball like you wanted to?
I think their zone gave us more problems because we weren't playing good defense. I think our defense leads to good offense, not just in turnovers but in an attack mode. I thought we didn't attack the zone, but were attacking defensively either. You've seen us play here the whole time, the real heart of our team is playing defense. In the second half, we attacked the zone very well and whatever, but in that second quarter, it showed that when we let up or just don't play well defensively, it has an impact on the other end of the court. I think that's been the character of our team.

That's why we're in the gold medal game and hopefully that'll give us the best chance of beating Spain on Sunday if we get back to playing the defense like that for a full 40 minutes.

On Jason Kidd:
He's the first guy I went to in the locker room as they were coming in, I said ‘that was by far you're best game'. He really was a great leader for us. What he was doing against the zone in moving people around and moving the ball, he played his best game. That third quarter, especially the start of the second half was critical for the win. And, I think Jason was the primary guy making that happen.

On the referees:
The refereeing, I think, has been excellent. It's been even. One thing coming into the tournament and even last summer we learned is that the international game is a beautiful game. It's administered a little bit differently and just try to learn from it and adjust, and we've tried to do that. So, the officiating is fine.

On Spain:
They're the world champions. We got a great game against them in pool play but pool play does not win you a gold medal. It just gets you into the medal round. We expect the same type of the heart of a champion as we played against tonight in Argentina. I think in Pau Gasol, you have one of the great players in the world. Rudy (Fernandez) is … Nate McMillan's happy he's coming to Portland … let's put it that way. Rubio is going to be a rising star and Reyes played a great game against us, and I think he's been kind of an unsung hero on their team. He's just been a really tough player and he's scoring, and they're deep. We just have the utmost respect for Spain. We expected to play either Argentina or Spain for the gold medal so we're playing almost two gold medal games by playing Argentina and Spain. So, we hope to have a great game against them. We're going to need to in order to beat them.

Carmelo Anthony (Denver Nuggets)
On the game:
Tonight's game, I thought we started off pretty well. That first quarter, to go up 30-9, we had a heck of a quarter. I think second quarter, we kinda let down and took a little of the pressure off of them. Once we saw Ginobili go down, once we saw their best player go down, we kinda relaxed a little bit and then we picked it back up in the second half and we never turned back.

When you saw Ginobili was out, did you think the game was over?
We got up 30-9 in the first quarter so we just wanted to keep the pressure on them, keep the pressure on them. Coach K kept telling us that they weren't going to give up, that they weren't going to quit, which they didn't. They cut to lead to nine, six, or something like that going into the half. But, we weren't worried; we just wanted to keep our composure.

We knew they weren't going to quit, that they were going to make a run. And, once we saw Ginobili go out, we really wanted to get after it a little bit.

You beat Spain already. Do you have to do it differently or do you just have to turn it up?
We got to play better than we did tonight. Not saying that we played bad, but we just want to be better than we were tonight. The game against Spain … we did have a large victory over Spain. Sunday's game, we expect that game to be different and tougher than tonight's game.

Was this one of the more physical games you've played in?
There was a lot of banging tonight. I'm sore right now. I'm going to get an ice bath in a minute. Playing Scola, Oberto and Gutierrez, it was a lot of banging down there. I enjoyed it … I like playing like that. They were calling it a little bit tonight but it was to our advantage a little bit.

It looked like it got a little bit angry with you and a couple Argentina players?
No, I didn't get angry. I was just playing the game. They were down there trying to be physical and I was trying to be physical back with them. It got a little bit chirpy (chippy) out there but nothing personal and nothing major out there. They were trying to win and we were trying to win.

Did you get hit on the last play of the first half?
They called it. I believe I got it. They called it. But, like you said, that was a big play at the end of that quarter.

Chris Bosh (Toronto Raptors)
(Question inaudible)
Nobody likes to be embarrassed. Spain is going to come out with an edge, they're gonna play hard. They don't want to get beat again by us. Plain and simple. I know that's how I feel when I play. If a team beats me once I'm going to come back and play as hard as I can and make sure they don't win again.

On playing against Garbosa:
I like being on the court with my friends. They're more than my former teammates, they're my friends. I want them to be successful and I want them to be as healthy as possible, not matter what happens.

It looked like Argentina was trying to be really physical with you tonight:
They're physical. They don't look it, but they're some strong guys. They're going to do the little things to try to make us lose our cool and we have to keep that in mine. They're good at that, they have a lot of experience.

We can't lose our cool in those situations because that's how they're going to keep the game close. If we get technical fouls, anything that will swing the momentum in their favor we have to watch.

If Spain tries to slow you down, what's your strategy to counteract that?
Defense. Because if you play defense, solid defense, you stand between your man and the ball, you don't let them get easy baskets, you rebound the basketball and that turns into transition points. When they see that's not working, they kind of get a little frantic and they get worried.

Anything about Kobe you didn't know before?
He's a maniac about basketball. He's watching games, films, video, he's just a student. He loves to play basketball. He gives it his all. When you see a guy playing like that on defense, you can't slack down, you feel like you're letting them down.

What about playing against Spain for the gold?
We know they're a good team and it's hard to beat teams twice. We know that Spain is smart and that they're going to study that film a lot. They're going to come in with a chip on their shoulder because they have something to prove now.

Do you think they gave you their best shot or is that still coming?
I think that's still coming. They kind of hung there a bit and we can't expect that in the gold medal game. This game is for the championship so they are going to play until the final buzzer goes off.

What does it mean to have the opportunity to play for what you came over here for?
It means a lot. We started this thing in 2006. This is what you sacrifice your summers for, we've sacrificed being with our families. Been away from home for a long time now. It'll be sweet to have a chance to play for the gold medal.

Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers)
On the Game:
They're a tough team. They're mentally tough. They don't give up. They continue to play hard, which we knew. It was a great game for us because we played well, had a big lead. The hardest thing about giving up a big lead is to then push it out again which we were able to do. I think that shows what Colangelo has been trying to do for the last three years, is build a team because when you have a team that is that tight and that close and plays so well together, then you are able to withstand huge runs from a great team like Argentina.

Could this be playing out any better: first the defending Olympic Champion and now the World Champion?
This is what it's about. It's fun. I had so much fun playing today because this opposition that competed and played hard. They weren't fazed by being down 30-9 or anything like that. They just continued to compete and play hard and I enjoy that so much. It was fun and the next game should be even more fun.

How has Pau Gasol played in this tournament?
I think he's been fantastic. I'm very happy for him. I'm proud of him. It should be a fun game on Sunday.

How much do you think Spain will be affected by the first game you played?
I don't think any. I think they'll make adjustments. We'll probably see a lot of zone. We just have to make sure we're ready for it.'

Is it hard to focus on Spain since you beat them by 37 points in the first game?
No, it's not hard to focus. Our focus is the gold medal. That's what we're focused about. Not who we play.

If you win on Sunday, what would the gold medal mean to you?
It would mean everything. It would mean everything to me because you are representing your country and you're representing so many hopes and dreams of future athletes. I had a chance to see our U.S. women's soccer team win the gold medal yesterday and just stayed for the reception and saw how special that was. Just waiting for the moment that we can have the same experience.

You got inspired by what you saw there?
This whole week I've been out here, it's been that way. From Phelps and our USA swimmers to Misty (May-Treanor) and Kerry (Walsh) to our soccer team to our women's indoor volleyball team, it's been great.

Do you remember when you first thought about winning a gold medal?
First time I thought about it is when I was 13 years old, watching the Dream Team. That's when I first thought about it. Prior to that, it was always collegiate athlete being selected and you didn't really see any of the games on TV. There wasn't that much emphasis placed on it. Ever since '92, it became something was extremely important to play in and became something that was talked about consistently so that was the time that I really had my sights set on playing for our country.

Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic)
On going to so many events at the Olympics:
We just want to show people we're not into ourselves. We're regular people too. We want to have fun and go do stuff. I know for myself, I'm a big fan of a lot of the athletes here. Just coming out and supporting them.

On players sacrificing for the team:
You have to put aside your ego for something of this magnitude. We're playing for our country. We're playing for USA, not for Dwight Howard or Kobe Bryant or whoever it is. We're playing for all the people back home who watch us every day and support us. It's not about ourselves. There is no ego. We all want to win. We all want to show that we can play together. Like I said, this is bigger than ourselves.

LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers)
What about Spain on Sunday?
We have to continue to control the interior, get out the shooters. They have very good interior guys in Pau and Marc Gasol. They have good players in Rudy Fernandez and Garbajosa and Raul Lopez and Rubio. They can play the game of basketball really well. I'm looking forward to the challenge and we're going to take care of business.

Is this work or pleasure for you being here?
Both. It should be pleasure because we're not just representing ourselves or our family, we're representing the whole United States of America. It should be exciting because it's what we all dreamed about for four years, getting back to this point. This is something that we practiced and worked for and thought about.

Was there any conversation about the loss four years ago?
No, we already knew. We got to this point four years ago and we took a loss. So we were in this position before. Like I've been saying, we're a different team now and we know that.

Are you now a team?
We've been a team for the last 2 years, It started last summer in Las Vegas in the FIBA Americas tournament and it's carried on to the Olympics. We're taking care of business and taking nothing for granted and we play pretty well.

Is there a sense that Spain took it kind of easy on that first game here?
Who, Spain? they took it easy on us?

Is there a sense that they didn't show you everything?
We didn't show them everything either. We have a lot more.

Do you think many guys will sign up for this again?
I think so. It's been a great experience for all 12 of us. Not all 12 of us are going to be together again 2012, but I think we can tell other guys this is one of the best experiences I ever had in my life. This is great. You're playing basketball and you're representing your country. It doesn't get any better than this,

How would you compare winning this to winning an NBA championship?
This is bigger. Being a part of the game on Sunday is the biggest thing for me, ever. When I got to the Finals and I thought that was big, but winning an NBA championship would never compare to winning a gold medal for my country.

Are you concerned about overconfidence, especially because of the way you won the last game?
We don't think about what we did to Spain last time. It's a brand new game and we're going to push it like it's a brand new game. We are not an overconfident team, but we are confident in our abilities and we look forward to the challenge.

Jason Kidd (Dallas Mavericks)
How big of a difference does it make having the team together for three years?
It's huge to be together. But I also think it's huge to see the maturing of a 19-year-old in '04 to '08. You talk about LeBron, you talk about ‘Melo, you talk about the guys that were on that team that lost, they've all matured and they've all gotten better at the game. That's a big part when you're playing against different countries because they've been together for a long time and they play together. A two- to three-year program is definitely working.

How does it feel to be back playing for a gold medal?
We really haven't done anything but hold serve. We've worked hard and now we've put ourselves in position to play a very tough team in Spain. We're going to have our hands full, but we haven't accomplished anything yet.

Is there anything special the team to do tonight to keep your poise in this game?
Early on we were going in the right direction and then we kind of flipped the car in cruise control. We stopped playing defense, we stopped talking and we started fouling and the momentum kind of shifted to them and they started going to the line. We put a little pressure on ourselves in the sense that we had to make every shot at that point. We missed a lot of threes.

When Manu got hurt, did that affect anything for you guys?
Sometimes that does happen, but Argentina is a team that doesn't quit no matter who they have playing. They always play for 40 minutes. They're well coached. You've got to give those guys who stepped in credit because they made a game of it there in the first half. But, again, we made the adjustments in the second half to control the game.

Was this the most physical game you have played here?
The Australia game was a little bit more physical. There were some hard fouls on Dwight, but we have to keep our composure because we're going to be tested and they want to get us off our game where we start to go 1 on 5, but guys stepped in and made sure everybody was safe and then everybody kept the game plan. We just tried to pound the ball inside and we made our free throws.

What do you think about Spain?
Spain is good. I think they'll be even more dangerous with Calderon out because it gives the young kid more playing time and he gets comfortable and he likes the spotlight. Gasol and those guys get another chance at us. They're a dangerous team.

Chris Paul (New Orleans Hornets)
On other sports he's following in the Olympics:
Race walking. I never knew that was an Olympic sport. That's a lot of walking.

Is there anything about Kobe Bryant that surprised you?
You hear a lot about him. This is my first time actually getting to know him. He's a great guy. Just like everyone else on the team, he's a basketball junkie. You can tell that he watches film just like the rest of us. We've been joking a lot about this move I do a lot and he's started to do it and stuff like that.

Kobe seems to bring a defensive intensity to the game:
We know going into games like this, he wants to guard (Manu) Ginobili. He wants to guard the best player on the other team and we really needed that.

On Mike Krzyzewski:
Coach has been great. He's been a great motivator for us. I think the thing that's helped us out so much with Coach K is that we understand that he wants to win just as much as we do. It's not about just coaching or him sitting on the bench saying ‘I coach Team USA.' He has a lot invested in this. Just like this defines us, it defines him. Even though he has a lot of accomplishments as a collegiate coach, he feels that he has to win just like us.

It's great that we have a coach who feels he has as much invested in this as we do.

Did you feed off the intensity and physicality of this game?
Yeah, we loved it. A few of our games have been blowouts but when it's intense like that, the passion comes out of us. Both teams are playing hard, not being dirty, it's just the competitive nature in us, understanding what the results of this is.

Luis Scola was saying that in order to beat you Spain has to play ugly. How do you counteract that?
We just try to be smart. We understand that some teams are going to throw different tactics at us. They tried to take Melo out of the game tonight, but that's where we all step in and communicate with each other. If they take us out of our game, mentally, we're in trouble. But as long as we stick to our game plan, we have too many weapons. We don't have seven or eight players who can play the game, we have 12.

Was there any concern when the lead got cut to six?
Not really because we understood that we had to play better. But the problem was defensively. They got into the bonus real early, we started getting ticky tack fouls. And when we're fouling we can't run. I don't think there's any team that can play with us when we get out in transition and we defend.

Tayshaun Prince (Detroit Pistons)
On tonight's game:
The guys were really anxious to play this team. I think you saw that by how we came out of the gate. I think when Ginobili got hurt, we kind of let up a little bit. They made some shots, went into a zone, played a soft zone there. We didn't penetrate or do anything to get in the gaps. We were just settling. Then we were also fouling, we put them in the bonus with 8:07 left in the second quarter and all they did was hit free throws, they're a great free throw shooting team. That's what got him back in the game.

On the second half:
At halftime coach said to settle down a little bit, push the ball up a little bit more, get into our sets quicker. Don't let them set their defense up, like we did previously. We responded real well coming out of the second half.

On playing Spain:
We didn't get a chance to watch the game (tonight). I know some of the guys watched a little bit of it. Obviously, we know as far as Pau is their main inside threat and their perimeter guys, Fernandez, Calderon, Lopez and the rest of the guys; they really have done a tremendous job of leading their team. Like I said previously, even though we're playing them for a second time, it's really on us to look forward to what we have to do. Play our style of defense throughout 40 minutes and then the offense will come to us. I felt tonight we missed some easy shots, we got down on ourselves and it showed on our defense in the second quarter. We started fouling, gambling, trying to make the tough play and not the easy one. So when we play in this gold medal game against Spain, I'm pretty sure we'll watch some tape on some of the things we did against them the first time, but we have to be ready for what they try to counteract with and I know the coaches will do a good job setting that up for us. It's a gold medal game.

We're all looking forward to it. This is one of the big stages, if not the biggest stage in our life and I feel our guys will be ready.

Michael Redd (Milwaukee Bucks)
On playing Spain for the gold medal:
We're happy we're playing in that game, but ultimately the goal is to win a gold medal and that's what we're going to celebrate. It's going to be a good game. We expect it to be a hard-fought game against Spain and we're ready for the challenge.

On Argentina coming back in the second quarter:
They played well. This is a team that has a big heart. Scola played well and Delfino did also. We knew they weren't going to give up.

Spain will probably play you different this time around. How will you combat that?
We'll make adjustments tomorrow in practice. We'll scout things that they did well against Lithuania, try to adjust so we can get that gold medal.

Dwyane Wade (Miami Heat)
On the team's shooting selection in the first half:
There were a couple of bad shots taken. The one thing we understand with each other is that we all have each other's backs. We all support each other. We went through tough times together, we're going to go through tough times in Sunday's game. But as long as we continue to stick with it and stick with it over the course of 40 minutes we'll be fine.

You're playing Spain again. Does the margin of victory from your first game matter?
It doesn't matter. That was pool play. I'm sure they could have played better. It's going to be a tough game. They're not in the championship game for no reason. This team won the championship in '06 and now they're back to the championship (game). They're improving. We're going to have to go out there and beat them. Just like Argentina. We're going to have to go out there and knock them off. They're not going to give us anything, they're not going to lay down for us. We know it's going to be a tough game but we're prepared.

Which team has been the toughest you've faced so far?
Tonight. Tonight was the toughest game. We had to overcome a lot in the game. This team made a run, (they're) a very physical team, we had to keep our heads, but we pulled it out.

On playing Argentina:
It's no secret that they beat us in this game four years ago in Athens. Of course, you bring up the past. We had to get it. We knew that they were going to come at us. We knew they weren't going to beat themselves and we had to go out and beat and I think we beat them over the course of the game.

What are the next two days going to feel like getting ready to play for a gold medal?
It's going to feel great. It's just us against Spain … the last two teams. Arguably, the best two teams. We're both in the finals. We're going to prepare the same way. We're going to do the same things we've done, but we're going to be very excited and can't wait to get that game going. This is going to be the biggest game for everybody on the team up to this point in their careers.

Does Spain have a chance on Sunday?
Spain is a very good team. We respect them. At the same time, we know they are going to play better than they did the first time against us. They are in the championship for a reason. They're the '06 champs of the World (Championship) so we got to come with our hard hats.

What would you tell other guys about this experience?
The experience is great. We have built something here. With three years of really knowing each other, really respecting each other, all the trials and tribulations you can go through on the court. The three years have been great for this team.

Are you looking forward to Sunday?
Yeah, it's my forst Gold Medal game. I am very excited. I think today's game was probably the biggest game I played and I've played in the championship game of the NBA Finals. The way I felt getting ready for this game, it was probably the biggest game of my career so far. And now next is the Gold Medal game and I'm looking forward to it. Sunday at 2:30 we'll be ready.

Did it feel like you didn't want to get bronze once again or was this something you were expected to do?
We were expected to do it, but then we were expected to do it in '06. You have to go out there and do it. It was great to get it done. I loved the way we came out, no letdown early on. We knew that Spain was going to make a run. They're a good team and of course you expect them to make a run. We held our composure when things looked tough and got a convincing win.

You guys seemed a little out of sorts when they made that run. What was going on?
They played well in that run. They played very physical, very hard. They played with a lot of pride. One thing about the Argentina team is they have big hearts. They really played with their heart out there. We got out of synch a little bit. You don't want that to happen, but it's kind of expected in a game that you're going to go through a little drought. We went through a drought, but I think still being up 9 at half-time, Melo getting all those free throws at the end really pushed into the second half.

Deron Williams (Utah Jazz)
On letting Argentina back in the game in the second quarter:
We got away from what we wanted to do in the first half. Defensively we softened up a little bit. I think we relaxed when we saw Ginobili go out. We got it back in the second half and ended up winning pretty good.

You're right where you want to be, heading into the gold medal game:
It's amazing. We were talking about how special this is. It's probably more exciting than winning an NBA championship. I know that D-Wade has won an NBA championship and he says this is over the top. I've been waiting for this for two years. Guys from the '04 team have been waiting for this for four years. It's finally here and we have to make the most of it, go out and dominate Spain.

You said you've never won a basketball championship at any level and now you're one win away:
I look forward to it. I can picture myself up there on the podium getting my medal and in the locker room spraying champagne. I'm excited.

There's not much turnaround before the gold medal game:
It doesn't matter. We can play right now. That's how ready the guys on this team are. We're hungry for it. We came here with one goal in mind and that's the gold medal. We've stuck with that plan. We've played the ultimate team basketball. We sacrificed for the greater good of this team and it's paying off.

How do you motivate yourself to come out and play a team you blew out earlier in this tournament?
The motivation's the gold medal. That's what motivates us every game. That and we're playing for our country.

What about playing Spain?
We're going to be ready. We've waited for this moment for 4 years. If you think we played hard the last 7 games, just wait till Sunday.

Have we seen the ultimate game from this team?
Close, close. The Spain game the first time we played them. Greece we played well, but we still haven't shot lights out yet. And we can still play better.

What did the team do in the first quarter that made you start like that?
It was our defense. Our defense keys everything for us. That's the way it's got to be. We get steals, we get turnovers. We feed off that energy and get easy baskets. When we started missing shots in that second quarter I think our defense slacked off. We let our offense determine what we did on defense and it can't happen like that. It's got to be the other way around.