Recap of FIBA America's Championship

Team USA never looked back as they left their competition in the dust. Led by Carmello Anthony,(21 ppg) Team USA managed to go undefeated while winning every game convincingly. Dare I say it, Team USA looked strikingly similar to the original "Dream Team" at times, simply dominating their opposition on both ends of the court. In the championship game, USA defeated Argentina 118-81, defeating them for the second time in the tournament. However, Argentina was playing without several of its better players, (Manu Ginobli, Fabricio Oberto, Andres Nocioni, and Walter Herrmann) resulting in a very onesided affair for the Americans. Under the FIBA America's Championship format, the top two teams (United States and Argentina) get an automatic birth to the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. Luis Scola,(Argentina) who recently signed with the Houston Rockets, was named tournament MVP. Prior to the championship game, Puerto Rico defeated Brazil to earn the bronze medal. Puerto Rico was led by Elias Ayuso, who scored 39 points. Carlos Arroyo( Orland Magic) had a sensational game scoring 30 points and dishing out ten assists. Unfortunately, the win is nothing more than a moral victory for the talented Puerto Rican squad. This should serve as a good momentum booster as they head into the next qualifying stage.