The United States proved once again that it is the best basketball nation in the world on Sunday from London, as Team USA's men's squad reigned supreme over Spain in the gold medal game, 107-100.
Against a tough Spanish team featuring a number of dangerous interior players, Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kevin Love once again proved pivotal in the victory with nine points and nine rebounds. Matching his output from Friday's semifinal victory over Argentina, Love was strong on the glass en route to snatching three offensive rebounds despite playing just 18 minutes in the contest.
After wrapping up the first quarter with an eight point lead, the Americans played dead even basketball with the Spaniards over the following two quarters, and held a narrow 83-82 lead heading into the fourth. In the end, though, Team USA's scoring trio of Kevin Durant (30 points), LeBron James (19 points) and Kobe Bryant (17 points) was simply too much firepower for Spain to overcome down the stretch.
To cap off an impressive tournament where they quite literally roughed up teams from the perimeter, the Americans drained 15 three-pointers on Sunday compared to just seven for Spain. With a gold medal in both the men's and women's events this year, it's clear that the United States remains a step ahead of the rest of the world on the hardwood.
Stay with this StoryStream for more coverage of local athletes in London, and be sure to check out SB Nation's Olympic hub for more news from the Summer Games.