RIO DE JANEIRO -- The proud man looked over the heads of the gathered reporters and then wistfully at the exit. Delino DeShields Jersey . He spoke slowly.Pau Gasol sounded tired. You would, too, after pushing a rock up the hill four times and then helplessly watching it roll back down to the bottom. This time, which marked the end of Spains dream of Olympic gold at the hands of Team USA yet again, the semifinal ended by a not-as-close-as-it-sounds 82-76.Our hearts are bleeding, said Sergio Scariolo, who coaches Spain but whose penchant for drama marks him as indelibly Italian.Beating Team USA in Fridays Olympic semifinal was always going to be a heavy lift for Spain, let alone for the 36-year-old Gasol. He was already forced to take on more responsibility to cover for the absence of his injured younger brother and fellow NBA All-Star star, Marc. Then Nikola Mirotic, Spains only other legitimate inside threat, picked up his fourth foul before halftime.What made it more frustrating still is that he was convinced the Americans looked more beatable than in any of the four Olympic tournaments in which theyve knocked him and Spain out.Thats just the way I felt, Gasol said. They are not playing as well as other times theyve played, but they are still a very talented team individually.If we had been a little sharper with our shots, if we would have moved the ball a little better, if we would have boxed out more, and make it a two- or three-possession game, then youre talking about a whole different story.Thats three very big ifs if youre keeping score at home. And even if somehow all three of those wishes were granted, it might not have made much difference.Team USA had hold of this game from the start and the last time Spain had a real chance to make it competitive came with two minutes left, down 61-55. But Sergio Rodriguez missed a 3-point shot and Kevin Durant made his on the other end, imposing order once more on what had been a herky-jerky game because of all the chippy fouls and technicals.Its the most different game Ive coached internationally. It was just a real different game today, said U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewski.He was loathe to say more about the referees, though he credited the crew with bringing the coaches and captains together at the start of the second half and telling them, `Lets just play basketball.Like Gasol, his coach cited a few could-have-beens that might have changed the outcome. Scariolo ticked off rebounding, blocked shots and intimidation.The first two were easy enough to quantify: the Americans had a 53-41 edge in rebounds and 7-1 in blocks; the intimidation factor is hard to measure, but easy to see. Like Gasol, a handful of his Spanish teammates have played in the NBA for several years. Unlike him, however, they took most of their chances from distance, rarely challenging the longer, quicker U.S. defenders one on one in the paint.Hes got back-to-the basket game and a face-up game and he can shoot the long ball, said DeAndre Jordan, the toughest U.S. defender in the post. Anything I could do to make his catches tough, play with length and physicality, I was just trying to make it as tough on him as possible.I tried to push him off the block and just play him with length, he added. I just wanted to make everything tough on him.Gasol scored a game-high 23, leading Spain as he has in nearly every climactic battle with the Americans. In 2004, he left Athens empty-handed and settled for silver both in 2008 and 2012. The best the Spanish can manage this time around will be bronze.Its been a tough tournament for aging international stars. Already, Argentinas Manu Ginobili and Frances Tony Parker announced the end of their Olympic careers and Gasol will be 40 when the next Tokyo Games convene in 2020.Asked about the possibility of his retirement from international play, Gasol only promised to assess his situation year by year.But at the end of this game, after exchanging handshakes and hugs with the friends and rivals he made over 16 seasons, he sauntered over to the USA bench and did the same with Coach K and assistants Jim Boeheim and Tom Thibodeau.Then Gasol stopped and looked into the crowd for a few long seconds, like a man drinking in a scene one final time.Paus a great player, Krzyzewski said. No one is going to stop him.But as Gasol answered his final question and began the long, slow walk down the hallway toward Spains gloomy locker room, there was a better-than-even chance he was wondering where hed find the strength after Sunday to climb back onto the international stage again.---Jim Litke is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at jlitke(at)ap.org and http://www.Twitter.com/JimLitke . Andrew Cashner Jersey . McCarthy, a player who played some games in the second tier for Wigan at the start of this season, would go on to shine inside Evertons midfield, outplaying the man he was brought in to replace, on one of the grandest stages in English football. On Saturday, it was fitting that Manchester Uniteds most recent dagger into the chest was delivered by Frenchman Yohan Cabaye, a wonderfully gifted central midfielder who put on an outstanding effort for Newcastle at Old Trafford. Nomar Mazara Jersey . -- Jonathan Drouin gave Halifax the boost it needed to edge host Sherbrooke Phoenix 3-2 in a shootout in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. http://www.authenticrangerspro.com/rangers-prince-fielder-jersey/ .com) - The game was all punts and field goals before Kodi Whitfields catch. He may be still smarting from being on the wrong end of an accident that sabotaged his Bathurst hopes.But Holdens Garth Tander still had no sympathy for Fabian Coulthard after the Ford star came off second best in their spectacular 265kph crash in the Gold Coast 600 opener on Saturday.Former Supercars champion Tander copped a drive through penalty and a 10 spot grid penalty for Sundays final 300km race for his role in the controversial Gold Coast incident.Yet Tander would have been forgiven for cutting Coulthard some slack while still reeling from his own Bathurst misfortune.Tander admitted he may never get his head around the now infamous lap 150 Mount Panorama drama with Jamie Whincup and Scott McLaughlin that left his Bathurst hopes in tatters.I dont know if you fully get over those sorts of things, Tander told AAP.However, the Holden veteran could not empathise with Coulthard who admitted he was fortunate to walk away after his Falcon was all but written off in their late Gold Coast tangle while vying for fifth spot.He practically took himself out across the front of myy car, Tander said. Texas Rangers Jerseys. Told of his hefty penalty, Tander said: Youre kidding?We probably need to go have a hearing and have a chat about that.Coulthards DJR Team Penske team were working through Saturday night in a bid to have his Falcon ready for Sundays final 300km race on the tourist strip.Asked about the incident, Kiwi star Coulthard said he expected more from an experienced driver like Tander.It was just unnecessary more than anything, he said.The disappointing thing is that it was probably easily preventable.But I am here and talking about it so that is fortunate.Coulthard was unsure whether his Ford would be ready for the next round in his native New Zealand, let alone Sundays final race.Its a short turnaround between now and New Zealand and I believe the cars have to be in Melbourne (for transportation) on Friday so they are going to have their work cut out, he said.The Gold Coast 600 concludes with a 102 lap race from 1525 AEDT. 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