They got game — and the gold: U.S. team topples Spain in finale

It was the team’s 13th gold medal — and maybe the most important.

BEIJING (AP) — After cruising for two weeks at the Olympics, the U.S. was challenged for 40 minutes.

And it was worth every last one.

The U.S.’ riveting 118-107 victory against Spain in Sunday’s gold medal game showed how good the Americans could be under pressure, and it capped a three-year mission to put the U.S. back atop the basketball world.

“This team has come a long way, and we had a lot of blowouts those first few games,” point guard Chris Paul said. “So it was fitting that this one would be a close one. It really tested us to see what we were all about, and in the end, we showed we’re the best in the world.”

And hokey as it may sound, the Americans learned the value of teamwork.

This was the Americans’ 13th gold medal, but none of the others were anything like it. There had been bouncebacks before — after Munich, after Seoul. But no U.S. men’s basketball team ever worked harder for the ultimate Olympic prize.

It was more than a bit symbolic when they locked arms and stepped atop the medal platform before accepting the United States’ first gold medal since 2000 in the sport it invented.

“It wasn’t so much individual stuff and individual talent,” said Spain’s Pau Gasol, who scored 21 points. “It was more teamwork, probably well-directed by their coaching staff.

“I’ve seen the guys hungry and want to get back to the top,” Gasol said. “That’s what they’ve done. They were able to get to the top again and show that they should be in first place, but they had to work for it.”

Dwyane Wade scored 27 points to lead the Americans and Kobe Bryant added 20.

Afterward, the entire U.S. team appeared at the postgame news conference, many of the players draped in American flags.

“If it wasn’t for the determination and the willpower that we have in each other, we wouldn’t have pulled through and gotten this win,” said LeBron James, who emerged as the leader of this team. “Much respect to Spain, but the U.S. is back on top again.”

Now the trick is staying there.

The U.S. may have taught the world how to play basketball. But it took the U.S. eight long years — and several embarrassing losses — to understand what it takes to rule in the 21st century.

After the bronze-medal finish in the 2004 Olympics, the Americans realized that a hastily assembled team of NBA All-Stars can’t always beat a finely tuned foreign team.

USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo addressed that by requiring a three-year commitment that began before the 2006 world championship.

That commitment paid off Sunday, when the Americans had to pull together as the resilient Spaniards whittled a 14-point deficit to four with 2:22 to play.

The U.S. had hammered Spain by 37 points in pool play. But Spain didn’t go so quietly with a medal on the line.

“I think this is a testament to the system that Mr. Colangelo put in place,” Bryant said. “What you saw today was a team. Everybody wants to talk about NBA players being selfish, being arrogant, being individuals. Well, what you saw today was a team bonding together, facing adversity and coming out of here with a big win.”

Skeptics said this team was too small. They also questioned its shooting, a trouble spot in past Olympics. As for the defense, would NBA stars commit to both ends of the floor for 40 minutes?

Colangelo heard the questions and shrugged.

“I never doubted,” he said. “I believed in who we had selected.”