By Eduardo Maisonet, IIIi / @edthesportsfan

For FOX Deportes

The Americans took care of business on Wednesday afternoon in their 119-86 quarterfinal victory over Australia and proceeded to the semifinals of the Men’s Basketball tournament in the 2012 Olympics.

The 33-point victory was a testament to the team play that Coach Mike Krzyzewski has instilled in his 12 superstars, the will of 12 teammates sacrificing and playing for each other, and most importantly…

…the fact that the LeBron Raymone James redemption tour is in full effect in 2012.

The world’s best basketball player? Check.

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By Eduardo Maisonet, III / @edthesportsfan

For FOX Deportes

Team USA went ballistic in the third quarter after Argentina played the Americans especially tough in the first half of their final pool A game, thus opening up a huge lead en route to a 126-97 victory.

The lead was just 60-59 as both teams went back to the locker rooms at halftime, however, a 42-17 outbreak by Coach Mike Krzyzewski’s squad in the third period ruined any chance at Argentina trying to stay in the game. LeBron James and Kevin Durant carried the torch for the USA in the second half, as James scored the first seven points in the third quarter for the United States, and Kevin Durant just kept raining threes from beyond the arc. Durant scored 17 points in the third quarter (including 5-of-6 from range) and led all scorers with 28 in the game. James chipped in with 18 points and 5 assists.

Of course, the two biggest plays of the third quarter had nothing to do with Kevin Durant and LeBron James, but rather a nut punch and an emphatic slam dunk.

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By Eduardo Maisonet, III / @edthesportsfan

For FOX Deportes

Team USA gathered up a total of 35 rebounds on Saturday afternoon in their 99-94 victory over Lithuania. They out-rebounded their opponent by just two. Their leading rebounder was an obvious one in Kevin Love, but their second-leading rebounder and the one who grabbed the most important deflection off the rim was much more compelling.

That would be Chris Paul, with 7 rebounds on his ledger (along with 7 points and 6 assists), along with a huge rebound late in the 4th quarter that prevented Lithuania from possibly taking the lead, and allowing the Americans to score on their next possession to put the game out of reach.

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By Eduardo Maisonet, III / @edthesportsfan

For FOX Deportes

It’s an analogy I’ve heard pundits and prognosticators lean on all the time when analyzing a team’s chances in an upcoming game…

“If (insert favored team here) players their ‘A-Game’ then they’re sure to win.”

Other than being a lazy analysis, its also problematic to thoroughly comprehend what in the heck exactly is someone’s A-Game. It reminds me of when Bobby Knight used to talk about showing a “gameface” then making funny contortions of his face. Cracks me up every time.

You know what didn’t crack me up? USA’s offensive explosion on Nigeria, as their 156-73 victory was as preposterous as the final tally looks. Here’s “The Five” from Thursday’s trouncing.

1. That Might Be The Greatest Shooting Performance From A Team Ever: Sometimes there’s nothing that needs to be said. This is one of those times. I’ll just let the stats tell the story.

Team USA’s field goal shooting: 59-83 (71.1%)

Team USA’s three-point shooting: 29-46 (63.0%)

Team USA’s free-throw shooting: 9-14 (64.3%)

Only 9-14 free-throwing shooting? That’s just unacceptable USA. *kicks an empty soda can in anger*

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By Eduardo Maisonet, III / @edthesportsfan

For FOX Deportes

Its funny how you can win by 47 points and still have people say that you “struggled” in a basketball game. Such is like for Team USA, as the 54-point favorites over Tunisia missed the mark by 7 on Tuesday in their 110-63 victory. Team USA was ahead with a shocking 46-33 advantage before the floodgates opened it up in the second half. The second unit turned it on with a 21-3 run and the nail was officially in the coffin.

So much so that the Tunisian players plotted on getting their shoes autographed by Kobe Bryant, and were successful.

Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Love led the Americans with 16 points apiece, and the team will have an impromptu day of rest before taking on Nigeria on Thursday. Here are some quotes from the players and coaches involved in Tuesday’s Pool A contest at the 2012 Olympics in London.

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By Eduardo Maisonet, III / @edthesportsfan

For FOX Deportes

That was fun, wasn’t it?

The USA Basketball team finally got the first one out the way, as a France team with six current NBA players were no match for Coach Mike Krzyzewski’s 12-man unit. The 98-71 victory in London was the first of five games for Team USA as their play in Pool A started on Sunday.

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By Eduardo Maisonet, III / @edthesportsfan

For FOX Deportes

Don’t look now, but the 2012 Olympics in London are just a week away from bringing us the beautiful spectacle that is the opening ceremonies. With those ceremonies, it symbolizes the beginning of the games in England where 205 nations will compete in over 300 events to determine who the best in world truly are.

One sport that has as big of a favorite as any to win is basketball and Team USA. As we draw near to seeing group play begin, a video captured the thoughts of many NBA players on who would be the strongest in a variety of olympic sports. A few hilarious points on this video before you watch the game “Sport Association” with NBA players and sports in the olympic games.

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By Eduardo Maisonet, III / @edthesportsfan

For FOX Deportes

The narrative has been exhaustive for the last couple of days, ever since Kobe Bryant was goaded into a dialogue that challenged the thought that the “Dream Team” of 1992 could never be beaten. That the 2012 Team USA squad currently constructed could possibly beat the Dream Team sounded preposterous, but then the writers, bloggers and fans took the narrative into the sports bars, the water cooler and the barbershop and now the narrative has gotten totally out of control.

So of course, after I tried to refrain from jumping into the discussion, in fear that I’d lose my mind and become a prisoner of the moment, have revisionist history, and distort my memory of that ‘92 team and what this ‘12 squad could truly be capable of….I decided to hop in the time machine and go back to the future.

Excuse me as I put on my NikeMags real quick.

Just hear me out on the list of players and their ages that could possibly make up the 2016 Team USA Roster:

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By Eduardo Maisonet, III / @edthesportsfan

For FOX Deportes

Adversity is a noun that’s thrown around all the time when it comes to describing our favorite athletes in overcoming hardship, misfortune, and downright calamity.

Overcoming adversity can come in many forms. While many associate it with the struggle of financial hardship, or the lacking of a family structure, or even dealing with issues of abuse, be it mental, physical or of the substance variety. These are the narratives that have been beat in the ground by writers and bloggers like myself since I can remember. Of course, the adversity that is relevant in my mind for this article is different.

Its the adversity of someone of whom you want their confirmation, their support, their belief in your personal ability to be accepted and appreciated.

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By Eduardo Maisonet, III / @edthesportsfan

On a team filled with superstars, hyper-athletes and quick-thinkers, there is one thing you will not confuse this particular entity known as the US Men’s National Basketball Team.

Big.

In fact, if you look at the 12-man roster that the godfather of American basketball has compiled to take on the world in London in the 2012 Olympics in three weeks, Team USA only has one center on the entire roster. That would be the NBA’s 2012 Defensive Player of the Year, Tyson Chandler.

While many (including myself) have already spotlighted the potential gold-medal matchup between the USA vs. Spain, whose three-headed hydra of a big man system that includes Pau and Marc Gasol, along with Serge Ibaka, will be a troublesome trio to deal with for the Americans, the one person whose expected to be on the frontlines bunkered down is Chandler.

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By Eddie Maisonet / @edthesportsfan

For FOX Deportes

This isn’t how it was supposed to end for Dwight Howard in Orlando.

This “Superman” was supposed to be in Central Florida for 15 years, place a few banners in the rafters and leave this game as one of the greatest big men in NBA history. Yet, with the ongoing shenanigans with Howard to his ownership, his coach and the media, the tailspin of drama has become more tragic than Carmelo’s exit from Denver to New York and LeBron’s exit from Cleveland to Miami.

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