Old hands of Argentina prepare for Olympic tournament

Mixed fortunes for the Argentinian basketball squad headed to London for the Olympics. Last Friday saw them succumb to a twenty point defeat by Spain. Pau Gasol led the way with 17 points as the Spanish strolled to a 105-85 triumph.

San Antonio Spurs’ Manu Ginobili contributed 19 and Phoenix Suns’ Luis Scola 18 points but it was in vain as the Gauchos struggled against the Europeans. A somewhat better performance ensued on Sunday evening but still resulted in defeat against the USA in Barcelona. Veterans Ginobili, Carlos Delfino and Scola poured in 52 points between themselves to no avail as the ‘2012 Dream Team’ claimed an 86-80 success.

Kevin Durant top-scored with 27 for the US, who were sporting retro 1992 uniforms adorned with the initials CD in honour of late Coach Chuck Daly. The US led by as many as 20 at one stage, only for Ginobili to reduce the deficit in a game where there was no love lost between the two sides. The South Americans now head to London to see if their reliance on veteran talent will pay dividends in the medal stakes.