BEIJING — All game, Argentina banged Carmelo Anthony, shoving him, smacking him, hacking him, anything until they ran out of verbs.
But Team USA’s feisty forward played relentlessly today, continuing to get to the foul line, continuing the energizing of his team.
And when it was over, the Nuggets’ Anthony had a team-high 21 points, and America defeated its demon, 101-81.
“I’m sore right now,” Anthony said. “I’m going to get an ice bag in a minute.”
It was four summers ago when Argentina shocked Team USA in an Olympic semifinals game. Four years later, with a different attitude and sharper focus, America knocked off Argentina and will face Spain in Sunday’s gold-medal game.
Asked the difference between now and the miserable 2004 experience, Melo went to the old standby, flashed his famous grin and said: “Well, I’m smiling.”
Today, Anthony did lose his composure occasionally. He was banging hard with two NBA posts — Luis Scola and Fabricio Oberto — and in the third quarter, he threw a forearm at Scola, and a foul was called — and Anthony was lucky it wasn’t a flagrant. Earlier in the day, Lithuania played Spain, and Anthony’s Nuggets teammate Linas Kleiza was disqualified from the game after two separate physical fouls were called as technicals.
In Team USA’s game, Argentina was perpetually physical, trying to rattle the stoic superstars. At one point, it almost worked. A couple of minutes after Anthony hit Scola, American center Dwight Howard was hammered by Andres Nocioni, and Anthony jumped into the mix, jawing at the Argentines, until the U.S. players pulled Anthony out of the brewing rumble.
“They were trying to be physical, I was trying to be physical,” Anthony said. “It got a little bit chirpy out there, but nothing personal, nothing major.”
But Jason Kidd, the veteran American point guard, was wary. “We have to keep our composure, because we’re going to be tested,” he said.
Anthony’s shot really wasn’t falling – 3-for-14 – but he made up for it by attacking the basket. He got to the line 13 times and made all 13 shots. For the night, Argentina was 15-for-16 at the line.
After the U.S. jumped to a 30-11 lead in the first quarter, Argentina took advantage of America’s complacency in the second. “We put the car in cruise control, stopped playing defense, stopped talking,” Kidd said.
Anthony said the team let up a tad when, in the second, Argentina’s Manu Ginobili didn’t return to action due to a foot injury.
It was a six-point game heading into the final seconds of the half, but Anthony was fouled shooting a 3-pointer with 0.9 seconds left, and he made all three free throws.
Asked if he was fouled, Anthony again smiled and said: “They called it. That was a big play.”
Benjamin Hochman: 303-954-1294 or bhochman@denverpost.com
