Highlights and Analysis From the Men’s Basketball Title Game

 

Chang W. Lee/The New York TimesKevin Durant and LeBron James after winning the gold medal in men’s basketball. Durant carried the United States’ offense in the first half.

The journey to the gold medal game for the United States men’s national basketball team started with a simple question to Kobe Bryant about whether the current team could beat the Dream Team from 1992.
Bryant said that yes, in any given game it would be possible. In a record-setting win against Nigeria, and a convincing semifinal win over Argentina, the current team seemed to back up that idea. A close game against Lithuania earlier in the tournament, however, showed the team was vulnerable if the right opponent presented itself.
For the second consecutive Olympics, the United States had to go through Spain, the defending European champion, to stand atop of the gold medal podium. While not as poetic as it would have been to face Russia on the 40th anniversary of the disputed 1972 gold medal game between the United States and the Soviet Union, Spain offered the best chance for a competitive game.