Men’s Basketball Semifinals Preview: U.S. vs. Argentina

Mark Ralston/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesPablo Prigioni of Argentina after his team’s quarterfinal victory over Brazil on Wednesday.

With a spot in the gold medal game at stake, here is a look at how Argentina and the United States are faring and where their semifinal matchup might be decided:
ARGENTINA
• Spain has its size and the United States has its depth, but Argentina has Manu Ginobili, who may be the most unguardable player in the Games. This is nothing new; Ginobili has put up tournament averages of 19.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists for an aging Argentine team that refuses to go quietly into that good night. He’s a wonder to watch on the N.B.A. stage, but there’s an even more charismatic freedom to Ginobili’s game when clad in Argentine blue. The wardrobe shift accompanies the slightest change in on-court style, and a fully enabled Ginobili incorporates a familiar guile in breathtaking ways. If this really is Ginobili’s last Olympic trip, he’s certainly making it memorable