Taking care of business. That's what the USA men's and women's basketball teams are doing so far in these games. Both finished unbeaten in their pools. They blew people out. Both have disposed of a quarterfinal round opponents. Both are facing tough semifinals opponents.The women just disposed of a Russian team that for 23 minutes gave them their stiffest challenge yet. They expected a tough game from them and they got it.
It's a tradition with us and Russia. It's a rivalry with deep roots. The Russians upset Team USA 75-68 to end Team USA's 50 game international winning streak in the 2006 FIBA championship semifinals in Brazil. Russia, playing as the Unified Team in 1992 also handed the US women their last Olympic loss as well.
So with that history on the minds of several US players and basketball fans around the planet, it probably led to the sloppy start of this semifinal matchup. Team USA had the TransGriot and probably every USA basketball fan nervous as our girls trailed by as much as seven points. They turned the ball over 13 times, missed free throws and blew six layups until they settled down and turned up the defensive heat. Team USA went on a 10-2 run to go into halftime with a slim one point lead.
They started off the third quarter the same way they did the first two. They trailed the Russians 38-33 before they ratcheted up the defensive pressure and scored the next 12 points while shutting down the Russians (and Becky Hammon) for the next 7 minutes while limiting them to 8 points for the quarter and seizing control of the game. Thanks to Diana Taurasi's 21 points (with 15 of them courtesy of her sharpshooting from beyond the FIBA arc) and Tina Thompson's 15 points they defeated Russia 67-52 and secured not only their 32nd straight Olympic win, but their fourth straight trip to the Olympic gold medal game on Saturday versus the Australians. They dismantled China 90-56 in the other semifinal game with Penny Taylor sitting on the bench.
It'll be the third straight time since 2000 that they and the Opals have squared off in a women's Olympic basketball final and should be fun to watch.
