Sept. 1
U-S-A, U-S-A, baby! We sent our best to the Olympic qualifying tournament and Team USA dominated once again. We went 10-0 and won by an average of almost 31 points a game. That's domination, baby!

More important than the talent level of this team was its sense of pride. These players wanted to be here, they wanted to represent their country.

Yes, there was one scare, an eight-point win over Argentina earlier in the tournament. That 94-86 win over Argentina was the only one of Team USA's 10 victories by a margin less than 15 points.

And a message was sent loud and clear in the rematch, as Team USA built a 53-19 lead in the gold-medal game on the way to a convincing 106-73 victory Sunday night over Argentina.

Coach Larry Brown did a great job with this group of superstars. There was a ton of talent for him to work with: NBA MVP Tim Duncan, Tracy McGrady, Allen Iverson (who missed the final two games with a thumb injury), Jason Kidd, Vince Carter, Elton Brand, Mike Bibby, Jermaine O'Neal, etc. But more important than the talent level of this team was its sense of pride. These players wanted to be there; they wanted to represent their country.

I've heard arguments that Team USA's best team wasn't at the World Championship last season, but I don't buy it. All but one member of that team was an NBA veteran and they still didn't medal. Their performance was a testament to the lack of cohesion on the team and the stunning growth of the international game.

This year's U.S. squad played well as a team, pulling away in the second half of most games, showing their superiority. It was clear they were proud to wear the red, white and blue. That's why America is taking home the gold from the Americas Olympic qualifying tournament in Puerto Rico.

Next stop: Athens in 2004, baby!