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Team USA, led by the NBA's two best in LeBron James and Kevin Durant, won the gold medal in the London Olympics, giving Deron Williams his second and putting him in an elite group of 15 players who have more than one and in an even more elite group of eight, all Americans, who've won back-to-back golds.
The Americans won 107-100, with Durant scoring a game high 30 and James dominating the fourth quarter, finishing with 19. Williams played 10 minutes, scoring six points on 2-for-2 shooting from deep and handed out a spectacular assist to Kevin Love early. The win put him in the elite of Olympic mens' basketball history. Williams also becomes the first Net to win an Olympic gold.
Williams, James, Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul join Karl Malone, John Stockton and Charles Barkley as the only Olympians to win back-to-back gold medals. The five also join 10 others, all Americans who've won two Olympic golds in any order. It's an elite group: Malone, Barkley, Stockton, Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing, Chis Mullin, David Robinson, Scottie Pippen, Gary Payton, and Jason Kidd.
Before today's win, only two Nets have won medals in the Olympics: Richard Jefferson won a bronze in 2004 and Drazen Petrovic won a silver in 1992 for Croatia. Jeff Turner, a member of the 1984 gold medal-winning team, had been drafted by the Nets prior to the Olympics, but had not yet played for New Jersey.
- Boxscore - Olympic Gold Medal Game - ESPN
- Kevin Durant, U.S. pull through in final as Spain can't rain on parade - AP
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USA Battles Spain For 107-100 Win To Capture Olympic Gold - USA Basketball
- Lebron James and United States Win Gold in Men’s Basketball - Greg Bishop - New York Times
- U.S. Men’s Basketball Team Wins Gold - Slide Show - New York Times
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Instant Analysis: Team USA 107, Spain 100 - Marc Stein - ESPN
- If only this were the end of the Dream Team era, it would've been fitting - Ken Berger - CBS Sports
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LeBron James reaches next level of coronation as U.S. streaks to gold in London - Chris Mannix - Sports Illustrated
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LeBron caps remarkable year with gold medal - Chris Tomasson - FOX Sports
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Golden Again! - The Official Site of Deron Williams