LAS VEGAS - Carmelo Anthony had a game-high 27 points and Michael Redd scored all 23 of his in the second half as the United States hammered Puerto Rico 135-91 to book a spot in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Once again the heavily-favoured US dominated their opponents and kept their perfect record intact in the FIBA America's Olympic qualifying tournament by winning their ninth-straight game in Las Vegas.
"It was a real yeoman's performance," American coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "We will be better prepared for China after being together these few weeks."
The United States moves on to Sunday's anti-climactic final to face Argentina which also booked its berth in next summer's Olympics by beating Brazil 91-80.
LeBron James had 19 points and nine assists as six Americans reached double figures against Puerto Rico in front of a crowd of about 7,000 at the Thomas and Mack Center arena.
"We are excited," said Kobe Bryant, who had 12 points. "We knew Puerto Rico would come out firing, so we wanted to apply lots of pressure. We got that halftime lead and then it was a matter of establishing ourselves in the third."
The US are the early pick to win the gold in Beijing, but have underachieved in recent major international competitions.
They finished sixth in the 2002 Worlds and third in the 2004 Olympics and 2006 World Championships.
But there would be no repeat on Saturday of Puerto Rico's miracle victory over the US at the 2004 Olympics.
"We had that memory in the back of our minds," Anthony said. "We are on the right path to our goal of winning the Olympics.
"In some ways I like the international game better than the NBA games."
Especially when you are winning. The United States shot 70 percent, including 23-of-36 from three-point range in posting their third most lopsided victory of the tournament. They beat the Virgin Islands 123-59 in the opening round.
After not attempting a single field goal in the first half, Redd took over in the second half. He shot 80 percent from the field and dished out three assists to nailed seven of eight three pointers.
The US took the lead for good almost from the beginning and led by as much as 47 points in the fourth quarter.
They came out with plenty of spark in the second quarter going on a 12-5 run in the first five minutes.
The Americans led 57-42 at halftime and by 30 points at the end of the third quarter.
The US would have liked to have earned an automatic berth to Beijing with a gold medal at the Worlds in Japan this summer, but a loss to unheralded Greece in the semi-finals meant they would have to come through the backdoor in Vegas.
"We would rather have won in Greece but this preparation helps us in our pursuit of gold," Krzyzewski said. "We are ecstatic about qualifying for the Olympics. Now we would like to finish off this tournament by playing well."
So far the US has met the high expectations as it strives to prove its supremacy in basketball at the international level. Players like Bryant, Anthony and James are not exactly playing with chips on their shoulders but they are focussed and determined.
"Nobody feels pressure to qualify for the Olympics," Bryant said.
Said Krzyzewski, "There is a sense of commitment from all these guys. I have been pleased with the way they blended together. There are a lot of preconceived ideas about who some of these players are. But they are the most unselfish group. I have not had one second of a problem."
Luis Scola scored 27 points and collected nine rebounds as Argentina beat Brazil earlier in the day to became the first to punch their ticket to Beijing.
Carlos Delfino also had 13 points, three steals and four assists for Argentina in front of a sparse crowd of about 2,000.
"It has been a long week," said Argentina head coach Sergio Hernandez. "I am very excited. Our third quarter today was our best."
Saturday's first semi-final was a rematch of Wednesday's second-round thriller won 86-79 in overtime by Argentina, who are missing most of their best players in Las Vegas.
But the depleted Argentina squad benefitted from a rest day on Friday after playing eight consecutive games through the first two rounds of the 10-team tournament.
"We needed that day of rest because our only other day off was the first day of the tournament," Hernandez said.

09/02/2007 02:08 GMT