USA captures FIBA Americas crown

The Americans averaged 116.7 points in the tournament.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony finally earned the reward that used to await U.S. players.

James scored 31 points, most by an American player in an Olympic qualifier, and the United States capped its dominance in the desert by beating Argentina 118-81 Sunday to win the FIBA Americas championship.

Then James and Anthony climbed the podium and were given gold medals — a first for the two players whose international careers had consisted of nothing but bronze.

First gold

“I’m tired of bronze,” Anthony said. “I’m speechless right now. This is my first time ever winning the gold medal.”

Dwight Howard made all seven of his shots and scored 20 points, and Anthony added 16 points for the Americans, who were never challenged while winning 10 games in 12 days and will head to Beijing next summer as one of the favorites.

The Americans averaged 116.7 points in the tournament.

The game was largely meaningless, because both teams had already clinched spots in the Beijing field by winning semifinal games Saturday. But the Americans didn’t let up, remaining perfect in four Olympic qualifiers, including 7-0 against Argentina.

James and Anthony played on teams that finished third in the 2004 Olympics and ’06 world championships. The latter disappointment forced the Americans to play in the qualifying tournament this summer, but it proved to be just a minor roadblock.

“I learned that players can throw their egos and personal accolades out the window,” James said. “We came here for one reason and that was to get the gold medal.”

Shooting percentages

James finished the tournament shooting 76 percent from the field — his percentage actually dropped from 76.5 after he made 11 of 15 shots. He was 8-of-11 from 3-point range — another U.S. record — and also led the tournament in that category, hitting 62 percent.

“You don’t like to single guys out, but LeBron’s performance today was one of the best ones in an international game that a U.S. player has had,” U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “He was big-time today.”