Kobe, Lebron, and Co. have cruised to a 5-0 record in the group stage section of the London 2012 Olympics. After defeating the third-FIBA-seeded Argentina, the U.S. men's basketball team now advances to the quarterfinals, where it will play Australia on Wednesday, August 8, at 5:15 p.m. EDT.
The Australian team went 3-2 in the group stages and is ranked 9th in the world by FIBA. The United States is 1st, but by a whopping 628 points. Australia does have some nifty ball handlers that might wake up the seemingly-lazy U.S. defense, but they have no answer to an offense that includes Kevin Durant, Lebron James, Kobe Bryant, and Carmelo Anthony.
The U.S. men's basketball team drew attention before the games even began when Kobe Bryant made a comment that he thinks the 2012 basketball team could defeat the 1992 Dream Team featuring Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Charles Barkley.
While many disagreed, the current 2012 team is showing the world why the United States is far ahead of the rest of the world in basketball.
They began by defeating France in the opener 98-71, going on to rout Tunisia 110-63. In a record-setting game, the United States then destroyed Nigeria 156-73. Their fourth game was their closest yet, with the United States winning by only five points against Lithuania, 99-94. The U.S. team then solidified their unbeaten run by humbling Argentina 126-97 with a 42-point third quarter.
The United States is the only team to come out of the group stages unbeaten. Not only that, they did it by winning by an average of 38 points.
If the United States defeats Australia, they will advance to the semifinals, which will be played on August 10. The gold medal match will take place on Sunday, August 12, at 3:00 p.m. EDT. If things keep going the way they are, that's exactly where the U.S. men's basketball team will end up.
Schedule + Live Streaming and TV listings:
Quarterfinals: United States vs. Australia
Time: August 8, 5:15 p.m. EDT
Watch Online at NBC's official website
See local TV listings here at NBC's online TV guide
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