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Olympic Hardwood

A comprehensive analysis of the Men's Basketball tournament at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, detailing teams, standings, key games, and results.

View Teams โ›น๏ธ See Game Results ๐Ÿ“Š

Qualified Teams

Host Nation

China secured its spot automatically as the host nation, marking its 7th consecutive Olympic appearance.

Reigning Champions

The United States, seeking redemption after a bronze medal in 2004, qualified as Americas champion.

World Champions

Spain, the 2006 FIBA World Championship winners, earned their place through that victory.

Defending Gold

Argentina, the reigning Olympic gold medalists from Athens 2004, qualified as Americas runner-up.

European Powerhouses

Greece (European champions) and Lithuania (European third place) secured their berths via EuroBasket 2007.

Asian Champions

Iran qualified as the FIBA Asia Championship 2007 winner.

Oceania Champions

Australia claimed the Oceania Championship title to qualify.

Wildcard Entries

Germany, Croatia, and Angola secured the final three wildcard spots through the 2008 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

Tournament Dates

The men's basketball tournament took place from August 10 to August 24, 2008.

Venue

All games were held at the state-of-the-art Wukesong Arena in Beijing.

Final Outcome

The United States ("Redeem Team") captured the gold medal, defeating Spain in the final. Argentina secured the bronze.

Tournament Format

Structure

Twelve national teams competed, divided into two preliminary groups (Group A and Group B) of six teams each. The top four teams from each group advanced to the knockout stage (quarterfinals).

Knockout Stage

The quarterfinals featured cross-group matchups (e.g., A1 vs. B4). Winners proceeded to the semifinals, with the victors playing for gold and the losers competing for bronze.

Tie-Breaking Rules

In case of tied records within a group, the following criteria were applied sequentially:

  1. Head-to-head results between tied teams.
  2. Goal average (total points scored divided by total points conceded) between tied teams.
  3. Goal average for all games played within the group.

Preliminary Standings

Group A

Final Standings - Group A

Pos Team Pld W L PF PA PD Pts Qualification
1  Lithuania Lithuania 5 4 1 425 400 +25 9 Quarterfinals
2  Argentina Argentina 5 4 1 425 361 +64 9
3  Croatia Croatia 5 3 2 399 380 +19 8
4  Australia Australia 5 3 2 457 405 +52 8
5  Russia Russia 5 1 4 387 406 โˆ’19 6
6  Iran Iran 5 0 5 323 464 โˆ’141 5
Notes: Head-to-head record: Lithuania 1โ€“0 Argentina; Croatia 1โ€“0 Australia.

Group B

Final Standings - Group B

Pos Team Pld W L PF PA PD Pts Qualification
1  United States United States 5 5 0 515 354 +161 10 Quarterfinals
2  Spain Spain 5 4 1 418 369 +49 9
3  Greece Greece 5 3 2 415 375 +40 8
4  China China (H) 5 2 3 366 400 โˆ’34 7
5  Germany Germany 5 1 4 330 390 โˆ’60 6
6  Angola Angola 5 0 5 321 477 โˆ’156 5

Key Preliminary Games

vs Spain Spain

United States vs Spain 119โ€“82

Date: 16 August 2008

Venue: Wukesong Indoor Stadium, Beijing

Attendance: 11,083

Scoring Summary:

USA: P. Gasol 31, Fernández, Rubio 3 assists

ESP: James 18 pts, Bosh 7 rebs, Paul 8 assists

Quarter Scores: 31โ€“22, 30โ€“23, 25โ€“18, 33โ€“19

vs Russia Russia

Argentina vs Russia 91โ€“79

Date: 18 August 2008

Venue: Wukesong Indoor Stadium, Beijing

Attendance: 11,083

Scoring Summary:

ARG: Scola 37 pts, Nocioni 9 rebs, Prigioni 10 assists

RUS: Kirilenko 23 pts, Kirilenko 9 rebs, Holden 5 assists

Quarter Scores: 27โ€“16, 18โ€“23, 27โ€“25, 19โ€“15

vs Russia Russia

Lithuania vs Russia 86โ€“79

Date: 14 August 2008

Venue: Wukesong Indoor Stadium, Beijing

Attendance: 11,083

Scoring Summary:

LTU: Kaukฤ—nas 20 pts, Kleiza 11 rebs, Jasikeviฤius 5 assists

RUS: Holden 25 pts, Khriapa 9 rebs, Kirilenko 6 assists

Quarter Scores: 23โ€“24, 21โ€“17, 25โ€“21, 17โ€“17

vs Spain Spain

China vs Spain 75โ€“85 (OT)

Date: 12 August 2008

Venue: Wukesong Indoor Stadium, Beijing

Attendance: 11,083

Scoring Summary:

CHN: Liu 19 pts, Yao, Yi 9 rebs, Liu, Sun 3 assists

ESP: P. Gasol 29 pts, P. Gasol, Fernández 8 rebs, Fernández 6 assists

Quarter Scores: 20โ€“19, 28โ€“17, 15โ€“10, 11โ€“25, OT: 3โ€“13

vs China China

United States vs China 101โ€“70

Date: 10 August 2008

Venue: Wukesong Indoor Stadium, Beijing

Attendance: 11,083

Scoring Summary:

USA: Wade 19 pts, Bosh 8 rebs, Paul 6 assists

CHN: Yao 13 pts, Yao, Yi 10 rebs, Chen, Liu, Zhu, Sun 2 assists

Quarter Scores: 20โ€“16, 29โ€“21, 25โ€“11, 27โ€“22

vs Spain Spain (Final)

United States vs Spain 118โ€“107

Date: 24 August 2008

Venue: Wukesong Indoor Stadium, Beijing

Attendance: 11,083

Scoring Summary:

USA: Bryant 20 pts, Howard 10 rebs, Paul 9 assists

ESP: P. Gasol 21 pts, Reyes 7 rebs, Calderón, Navarro 4 assists

Quarter Scores: 31โ€“25, 29โ€“31, 30โ€“25, 28โ€“26

Key Player Rosters

United States ("Redeem Team")

Notable Players: Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Dwight Howard.

Coach: Mike Krzyzewski

Spain

Notable Players: Pau Gasol, Rudy Fernández, Marc Gasol, Juan Carlos Navarro, Ricky Rubio.

Coach: Aito García Reneses

Argentina

Notable Players: Manu Ginóbili, Luis Scola, Andrés Nocioni, Fabricio Oberto.

Coach: Sergio Hernández

Lithuania

Notable Players: Linas Kleiza, Ramลซnas ล iลกkauskas, ล arลซnas Jasikeviฤius, Kลกyลกtof Lavrinoviฤ.

Coach: Ramลซnas Butautas

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References

References

A full list of references for this article are available at the Basketball at the 2008 Summer Olympics โ€“ Men's tournament Wikipedia page

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Important Notice

This page was generated by an Artificial Intelligence and is intended for informational and educational purposes only. The content is based on a snapshot of publicly available data from Wikipedia and may not be entirely accurate, complete, or up-to-date.

This is not professional sports analysis or commentary. The information provided on this website is not a substitute for consulting official Olympic records or seeking expert analysis from qualified sports journalists or historians. Always refer to official sources for the most current and accurate information.

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