US routs Spain 119-82, not done yet

BEIJING - The U.S. says it still has room for improvement.

Where, exactly?

In its most impressive Olympic effort, the U.S. flayed defending world champion Spain 119-82 on Saturday night in a game billed as a possible preview of the gold medal matchup.

"They just played at their will," Spanish center Pau Gasol said.

The U.S. clinched first place in group B, and it rendered meaningless the Americans' game against Germany on Monday night. The U.S.' next meaningful game will be in the quarterfinals on Wednesday against the fourth-place finisher in group A, either Croatia or Australia.

When coach Mike Krzyzewski and his staff review film of this rout, they may be hard-pressed to find a flaw, aside from the 16 turnovers. And the U.S. was outrebounded 39-36.

But those numbers are unimportant in the big picture.

The big picture: the U.S. is motivated, and it is using every game in these Olympics to send the world a message.

"We're here to play," U.S. guard Kobe Bryant said. "I think that's something that a lot of teams were kind of hoping that maybe we'd get a little lethargic or a little complacent, but we're here to scrap. We're going to do the dirty work. We're going to do the things necessary to win this thing."

The Americans (4-0) did it to Spain with defense, forcing 28 turnovers against a veteran team that had averaged fewer than 15 per game.

And they did it to Spain with offense, hitting 12-of-25 (48 percent) of their shots from beyond the arc, ending their long-range shooting slump. The U.S. had eight players score in double figures, led by LeBron James with 18 points.

"We're not chasing perfection," said point guard Jason Kidd, who scored his first points of the tourney on a lay-up. "The small things are what win ball games."

Two nights ago, the U.S. drubbed Greece 92-69, easily passes the supposedly first test for them. The U.S. used that game to show it was capable of playing disciplined defense against the pick-and-roll.

Against Spain, the point was to assert the Americans' superiority.

"It was something for us personally to say, where do we measure up with the champion?" Bryant said. "This was a big game for us."

And how do they measure up?

"Pretty damn well," Bryant said.

Spain (3-1), which had defeated the U.S. in the 2002 world championships, was expected to pose the sternest test of this tournament for the Americans. The Spaniards' veteran backcourt was supposed to be immune to the Americans' defensive pressure.

It was a nice theory, anyway.

As they have throughout the tournament, the Americans used a ball-hawking defense to demoralize the Spaniards. Spain's offense is predicated on penetration, and at times the Spaniards were able to thread passes to their frontcourt.

But when Spain's passes weren't pinpoint, it looked like a scene from Shark Week as the American defenders swarmed to the ball.

"Our athleticism, our length, our speed - I don't think there's another team in this tournament that can play defense the way we do, in terms of the style of defense," Bryant said. "We can get after you. One through five positions are all athletic."

The onslaught began with the U.S. leading 16-13 late in the first quarter. Dwyane Wade stole a pass and dunked with both hands. That launched a 13-3 run that put the U.S. up 29-16.

At halftime, Spain was shooting 58 percent from the floor but went into the locker room down 61-45.

The Americans ended any thoughts of a Spanish rally by opening the second half with an 11-3 run. And they didn't relax even when the game was decided; with the U.S. up 80-60 late in the third quarter, Wade dove into Spain's bench for a loose ball.

Spain finished the game with the same number of turnovers as baskets: 28.

"Twenty-eight turnovers is a staggering number," said Gasol, who finished with 13 points.

Felipe Reyes led Spain with 19 points.

Long before this one ended, the Americans could start looking ahead. The U.S. will close pool play on Monday night against Germany, which lost to China in group B play.

The Americans are 3-0 all-time against Germany, winning by a combined 80 points.

Since the Olympics tipped off, the Americans have said they simply want to get better every game. Off Saturday's rout, it's hard to see how they can.

"It was a hell of a statement," U.S. forward Carmelo Anthony said.