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US basketball 'Dream Team' out
Athens, Greece - For the first time since 1988, the Olympic men's basketball gold medal will not go to the United States.
Argentina won the semifinal 89-80 on Friday, meaning bronze is the best the Americans can do, and the reason was simple: in a team game - an Olympic sport not about individuals or superstars - they got beaten by a better team.
Manu Ginobili scored 29 points to lead his nation to another historical victory over the country that used to dominate the sport.
Argentina, with almost the exact same roster that made history in 2002 by becoming the first team to defeat an American squad of NBA players, will compete for gold against the winner of Friday's late game between Lithuania and Italy.
The Argentines were the better passers, shooters and defenders, and they didn't need any gimmick defences to prove it.
They confronted the Americans with a mixture of man-to-man and zone defences and confounded them with an assortment of back picks that turned the start of the second half into a layup drill.
Argentina's players celebrated wildly when the game with the crowd yelling "Ole!" and US coach Larry Brown walked over and gave a handshake and hug to his Argentine counterpart, Ruben Magnano, who played for Argentina against the 1992 Dream Team in Barcelona.
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