Report Card: USA 109, Argentina 83

USA

109

Final

83

Argentina

STARTERS

	Chris Paul, G 3-4 FG | 2-3 3PT | 2-2 FT | 2 REB | 7 AST | 10 PTS After a slow start to the summer, Paul has really come on strong in the last four games. He was a wizard yet again in this one, controlling the offense and making reads I didn't even know were possible. He also did a nice job of hassling Pablo Prigioni all game.
	Kobe Bryant, G 5-10 FG | 3-6 3PT | 0-0 FT | 4 REB | 1 AST | 13 PTS Kobe's hot streak from the fourth quarter of the Australia game carried over into the first quarter against Argentina. He took smart shots and played well within the offensive structure. He cooled off after that initial burst, but also got quite a bit of rest time.
	Kevin Durant, F 7-14 FG | 5-10 3PT | 0-0 FT | 4 REB | 0 AST | 19 PTS He didn't shoot his usual 60 percent from deep, but KD did go absolutely nuts in the third quarter again, which was fun. He didn't look to go to the basket much and didn't hit the boards, but those criticisms are small potatoes when he's playing like this.
	LeBron James, F 8-12 FG | 0-2 3PT | 2-2 FT | 7 REB | 7 AST | 18 PTS This exercise of grading LeBron every game is really getting silly. It's almost useless. The guy has brought it every single night, and when the best player in the world is fully locked in, the results are predictably awesome. (P.S. He was great in this one, too.)
	Tyson Chandler, C 2-2 FG | 0-0 3PT | 0-1 FT | 3 REB | 0 AST | 4 PTS Tyson got more minutes, but didn't make much out of them. I feel like he should be owning the glass more than he is — next to Love, his rebounding numbers are pretty pedestrian. He also got called for three seconds in the key twice, which baffled me.

Pre-Game Primer: USA vs. Argentina

North Greenwich Arena
London, England

Time: Friday, 4:00 p.m. EDT

TV: NBC Sports Network

And here we are again. If it feels like it was just a few days ago that were preparing for a slugfest with Argentina, that's because it was. In fact, today's game will mark the third time these two teams have faced each other in as many weeks. Team USA won the first two meetings — the first in a close one, the second in a blowout — and remain substantial favorites to do so again here. However, if I were a betting man, my money would be on tonight's final score being much closer than Monday's game would indicate. This is Argentina's last hurrah with its celebrated core group of Manu Ginobili, Luis Scola, Carlos Del Fino, and Andres Nocioni, and those guys are going to give the United States everything they've got left. They're not afraid of the Americans — they've beat them before, on their way to a gold medal in 2004 — and they're going to go down swinging. (Perhaps literally in Scola's case.) While the odds still favor a U.S. victory, it certainly won't be easy. We should all be a little uneasy about this one.

Report Card: USA 126, Argentina 97

USA

126

Final

97

Argentina

STARTERS

	Chris Paul, G 6-7 FG | 5-6 3PT | 0-0 FT | 4 REB | 7 AST | 17 PTS Now that's the CP3 we've been waiting for. Paul controlled every facet of the game from the opening tip, and he was an absolute wizard. Passing, scoring — you name it. His on-ball defense was also crucial in keying Team USA's third quarter run. Masterful stuff.
	Kobe Bryant, G 3-10 FG | 1-4 3PT | 4-4 FT | 0 REB | 1 AST | 11 PTS Kobe indulged his worst instincts in this one, clogging up the offense, repeatedly looking for his own (contested) shot, and constantly getting burned on D. He simply isn't the Kobe of yesteryear anymore, and he's not the focal point. This is no longer his team.
	Kevin Durant, F 9-12 FG | 8-10 3PT | 2-4 FT | 4 REB | 4 AST | 28 PTS KD's best game of the summer. Not only did he literally light London on fire in the third quarter, but he also led the team in steals, dropped a few dimes, and just generally took over the game. Only a few too many turnovers kept him from A+ territory. Wow.
	LeBron James, F 7-12 FG | 1-3 3PT | 3-3 FT | 3 REB | 5 AST | 18 PTS Despite struggling with some (mostly bogus) foul trouble in this one, LeBron still found a way to decide the outcome of the game. His dominating start to the third quarter undoubtedly set the tone for Team USA's big run. Durant just finished the job.
	Tyson Chandler, C 1-2 FG | 0-0 3PT | 1-1 FT | 5 REB | 0 AST | 3 PTS If this team's main weakness is lack of defensive focus, Chandler covers up a lot of that by simply protecting the rim. His presence allows perimeter defenders to play more aggressively and take more chances. That approach becomes much riskier sans Tyson.

Pre-Game Primer: USA vs. Argentina

Olympic Basketball Arena
London, England

Time: Monday, 5:15 p.m. EDT

TV: NBC Sports Network

If Team USA was planning on dropping a game at any point in these Olympics, this would be the last acceptable time to do so. All the games have mattered up until this point, but once the knockout round begins on Wednesday, every time they step on the court becomes a win-or-go-home proposition. So if the Americans were going to no-show for a game, they should pick this one. Then again, there's also a No. 1 seed and an (ostensibly) easier path to the gold medal game on the line here, so it's probably best to just take care of business. That being said, Argentina is an elite team, ranked third in the world, and they hung right with Team USA a couple weeks ago in Barcelona. They are playing for seeding as well, so they likely won't be laying off. Any way you slice it, this will be a tight contest, so if you were planning on exhaling after that Lithuania game, don't do it just yet.

Report Card: USA 86, Argentina 80

United States

86

Final

80

Argentina

STARTERS

	Chris Paul, G 1-3 FG | 1-2 3PT | 2-2 FT | 3 REB | 5 AST | 5 PTS Look, I love Chris Paul. I do. I think he's the best point guard in the world. But I can't give him a higher grade than this. Because he's not being normal CP3 — just slightly above average CP3. Too many fouls on D, not quite enough wizardry on O in this one.
	Kobe Bryant, G 6-12 FG | 3-7 3PT | 3-4 FT | 4 REB | 1 AST | 18 PTS Other than KD, Kobe was really the only guy making jump shots tonight. He also got into people on the perimeter defensively, which was a nice reminder of his capabilities there. He may not be the Kobe of three or four years ago, but he can still ball.
	Kevin Durant, F 10-15 FG | 7-11 3PT | 0-0 FT | 2 REB | 6 AST | 27 PTS Durant dropped in a massive 27 points on a scorching-hot 7 long balls —but it still left something to be desired. Of his 15 shots, 11 were threes. That works out fine when you're shooting this well, but KD will likely have to get to the rim more going forward.
	LeBron James, F 6-11 FG | 0-1 3PT | 3-9 FT | 7 REB | 5 AST | 15 PTS Not LeBron's strongest effort. I mean, 15-7-5 is a pretty solid game for anyone, but we've come to expect more from him. He struggled with turnovers and shot an abysmal 33 percent at the line. LeBron's better than that — and he will be on Tuesday.
	Tyson Chandler, C 0-0 FG | 0-0 3PT | 0-2 FT | 8 REB | 0 AST | 0 PTS Chandler struggled with foul trouble again in this one, playing only 13 minutes. Argentina doesn't have a dominant center, so he wasn't necessarily needed for more than that. But if he can't guard Luis Scola without fouling, I'm nervous for the Gasols.