Tuesday Bolts – 8.7.12

Chris Mannix of SI.com: “This one was all James and Durant, who put on an offensive clinic in the third quarter. James set the tone, posting up twice to open the second half, attacking the rim for nine quick points that swelled the lead to double digits. Then Durant, the NBA’s three-time scoring champion, took over. Playing pop-a-shot behind the international three-point line, Durant knocked down five of his six threes in the third, when the U.S. outscored Argentina 42-17. The second-half surge took Argentina completely out of its game; the disciplined offense devolved into a bunch of let’s-catch-up jump shots as the U.S. built an insurmountable lead.”

Adrian Wojnarowkski of Yahoo! Sports: “Nevertheless, Argentina can poke and prod the Americans, and there will be more of that in medal round. The Americans were angry and took extreme pleasure in trying to humiliate Argentina in the fourth quarter. Russell Westbrook dribbled to the rim, leaped into the air for a one-handed dunk over Leandro Gutierrez and stood and stared at him until the referee called Westbrook for a technical foul. Westbrook didn’t care, nor did the U.S. coaching staff. They were searching for some swagger to bring with them into the medal round, and the Americans left the Olympic basketball arena full of it.”

Kelly Dwyer of Yahoo: “This team is different. This team is fun. This team is Kevin Durant pulling up from 31 feet away from the rim for jumper he actually made. This team is the aging Kobe Bryant, betraying those knees because he wants it more than anyone else. This team is LeBron James, saying “[forget] it” to a three-pointer just minutes after telling Doug Collins he settled for too many jumpers in the first half. This team is getting hit in the junk and getting up. This team takes some damn chances. It’s Team USA, and we’ve got a few more days to enjoy them. Tune in.”

KD says this to Andre Iguodala in this fake scene by Chris Ryan of Grantland: “You look like you own Police Academy 2 on LaserDisc and you know remote control shortcuts to get to all of the Michael Winslow scenes.”

Gregg Doyel of CBSSports.com: “So I guess what I’m saying is, I don’t know what realistic alternative I’d rather see. But I don’t want to see this, so maybe I should just quit watching. Oh, wait — I already have. This isn’t 1992 when we watched our motivated NBA stars prove, as if anyone doubted it, that we had the best basketball players in the world. Of course we had the best basketball players in the world in 1992. We do in 2012. And we will in 2096. We’re IBM. We’re the Yankees. We’re too big to fail, though somehow we manage from time to time. Maybe we’ll manage again during the 2012 Olympics, which would be mortifying, but that’s where we are with Team USA. That’s where I am, anyway — can’t enjoy blowouts, can’t appreciate anything less. Dream Team? Wake me when it’s over.”

Are athletes as good as they’ll ever be?

Matt Moore of CBSSports.com: “With every game, Durant and James, who worked together in offseason workouts last year and who faced off against one another in the NBA Finals, seem to develop more and more of a chemistry. In the midst of Team USA’s crushing run, James sped down the lane in transition and manipulated the defense into collapsing to the center of the lane. A drop-off to Durant for the finish. It was one of several plays we’ve seen as Durant’s perimeter assault mixed with James’ bruising inside pounding he’s giving smaller opponents combined with his adept passing. It makes for an extremely difficult combination to stop.”

NBA.com has OKC No. 2 in its mid-summer power rankings: “As the Thunder work to get back to The Finals, we have to wonder if this is their last season with James Harden or Serge Ibaka, or if extension talks will keep the team distracted. Some of the shine came off this team (especially Harden) in The Finals. Now, anything short of a championship is not enough.”

Ian Thompson of SI.com: “On a night when they were inspired by the outrageous shooting of Kevin Durant and incited by a variety of skirmishes that simply outraged them, the American men were reminded of the most important of all lessons as they looked ahead to the medal round: The gold medal for basketball must be won by playing through LeBron James.”

Sam Presti on his player playing in the Olympics: “Just the level of mental endurance that Kevin and Russell have been exposed to and conditioned themselves to, I think has really helped us in our playoff series. That’s a real benefit. I think Serge’s experiences with the national team, again just being in different situations and adjusting to different styles of play, I only makes him a more well-rounded player. And James now is also getting that level of experience. I really feel like we’ve benefited from all of the exposures that the players have been given, and I think they’re all very grateful for the opportunity too. It’s fun to watch them in these situations.”

Aaron McGuire for HP on Russell Westbrook: “I’m neither Russell Westbrook’s biggest fan or biggest detractor. I find myself often taking his side in one argument only to slam him to the same people days later. Very high variance stuff. On one side, you have good Russell — the position-challenging trailblazer that’s redefined what a point guard can put on the table. On the other, you have bad Russell — the team-challenging jerk that’s redefined what a point guard can take off the table. It’s very fluid, and Westbrook seems to exist in some constant state of flux, jetting between the two poles with little time spent between them. It’s very black and white. High contrast. Clear. But how do you describe a player for whom that’s true?”