It didn't take long for Team USA to pick up where they left off from their quarterfinal win over Australia. They got off to a fast start in Friday's semifinal against Argentina, raining three-pointers from the very beginning to take a double-digit lead. However, Argentina rallied by the end of the quarter to cut USA's lead to 24-19 after one quarter.
Kobe Bryant was on fire, much like he was in the second half against Australia. He had 11 first-quarter points, shooting 3-5 from downtown, to get Team USA going. He drove baseline and dunked for his first basket, then continued his hot shooting after that. It didn't matter whether Argentina was guarding him closely.
But Argentina rallied like the experienced team it is, calming down offensively and attacking Team USA's switches. The Argentinians also switched to a zone that slowed Team USA's offensive onslaught, at least about as well as they could. Luis Scola and Manu Ginobili, as expected, are leading the way with six and five points.
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