Kobe Bryant had a huge explosion in the second half to lift the United States into the semifinal with a substantial victory over Australia. The Aussies gave them everything they could for three quarters before Bryant started scorching from downtown and the all-around playmaking of LeBron James pushed them over the top.
It's very likely everyone on the United States will have to pick up their game in this next round, because Argentina is a far more formidable opponent. Both Bryant and Chris Paul had solid games while Kevin Love continued his all-around excellent play in this tournament. All of those great performances helped carry the USA away (along with excellent Kevin Durant shooting and regular LeBron James creating).
The key to beating Argentina will probably rely on stopping Manu Ginobili and the Argentinian guards from creating and opening up opportunities for wide open threes for their shooters off the dribble. Perimeter discipline will be crucial in this contest, as the USA will have to rely on making a lot of three pointers of their own to try and blow this game open.
The game starts at 1 p.m. PT, with coverage available on TV on NBC Sports Network and the NBC Olympic Basketball channel as well as NBCOlympics.com for streaming online.
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