Redemption Complete: U.S. Wins Gold

By John Schuhmann

BEIJING, August 24, 2008 -- Three years of commitment had come down to 40 minutes of basketball.
And on Sunday, the U.S. Men's Senior National Team needed all 40.

But in the end, the commitment, the sacrifice and the hard work paid off, and the Road to Redemption reached its golden destination.

In one of the best gold medal games ever played, the U.S. held off a spirited Spain squad 118-107 at the Wukesong Culture and Sports Center to reclaim Olympic gold and their spot atop the basketball world.

From the start, Spain made it clear that they weren't at their best in their 37-point, pool play loss to the U.S. last week. On Sunday, they went toe to toe with the U.S., trailing by as many as 14 midway through the second quarter, but fighting back and using a 7-0 run at the start of the fourth to close to within two.

"Both teams never gave up the entire game," Tayshaun Prince said.

Redemption Complete: U.S. Wins Gold....