by Jim Slater
ATHENS, Aug 27 (AFP) - In the most humbling moment of American basketball history, Argentina dethroned a United States squad of National Basketball Association stars 89-81 here Friday to reach the Olympic finals.
The first collection of NBA talent in four Games not to claim Olympic gold shot a dismal 42 percent from the field and the US dynasty was dethroned by a hot-shooting South American squad with an NBA star of its own.
"We fought as hard as we could," US co-captain Allen Iverson said. "We just couldn`t get it done."
Emanuel Ginobili, a guard for the NBA San Antonio Spurs, scored 29 points to spark Argentina, which sealed a first-ever Olympic basketball medal by booking a date in Saturday`s gold medal game against either Lithuania or Italy.
"We proved to the world we`re a very tough team, and we made it against the professionals," Ginobili said. "Now we have to rest and concentrate on our big target - the top place and the gold medal. This is what we deserve."
An American domination that produced 12 gold medals and a 109-2 record ended in Athens, where the US men have lost three times - once more than all US teams combined in the previous 68 years.
"It hurts," US center Amare Stoudamire said. "Everyone knows we have the youngest team here. We`re going to come back for that gold medal. You can count on it."
The only prior US men`s basketball losses in Olympic history were to the Soviet Union in a controversial 1972 Munich final and a 1988 Seoul semi-final.
Argentina was the first team to defeat an NBA select US squad in a global event, taking an 87-80 victory at the 2002 World Championships in Indianapolis. The Americans later lost to Yugoslavia and Spain at the same event.
"We dominated from beginning to end," Argentina coach Ruben Magnano said. "We didn`t let them play to their strengths. That was the key to our success."
US coach Larry Brown ripped referees for forcing US center Tim Duncan, a San Antonio teammate of Ginobili, to the bench early with foul touble.
"I`m proud of my team. They played hard under some difficult circumstances," Brown said. "It`s difficult when Duncan is on the bench every game. I didn`t see any pattern except the fact he never got to play.
"They shot the ball well. That was a huge factor. We didn`t shoot the ball well. For us to have a chance we had to have an inside presence. I`ve never seen him foul out in 19 minutes in our league."
This US NBA lineup had struggled since being assembled a month ago, starting with a 95-78 loss to Italy in a pre-Olympic tuneup.
Puerto Rico inflicted the first Olympic defeat upon a US NBA squad by 92-73 in their Games opener and Lithuania outdueled an improved US team down the stretch for a 94-90 triumph.
The US struggled to subdue Spain 102-94 in a quarter-final where defeat would have made them the first US men`s squad without any medal - something they might yet become.
The US team will play for bronze Saturday against the Italy-Lithuania loser.
"We need to understand that if we`re not fighting for the gold medal, we still represent our country and fight like it was a gold medal game," Iverson said. "It`s important to make the people back home proud of us."
That might not be possible after their golden flop, but the US team was set up for failure when a dozen top stars rejected Olympic overtures. Iverson had a message for them - get yourselves into USA uniforms for the 2008 Bejing Games.
"You are supposed to approach it as an honor," Iverson said. "Not many people get a chance to be part of this. It`s an honor to be selected. You should cherish this.
"It`s something I will cherish the rest of my life even without winning the gold medal."
Ginobili, only 15 when Michael Jordan led the 1992 US Dream Team to Olympic gold, hit 9-of-13 shots, inclufing 4-of-6 3-pointers. As a team, Argentina shot 54 percent, hitting 11-of-22 3-pointers.
"The NBA title we won with the Spurs is very big," he said. "But to win a gold medal in the Olympics, when you represent your country and have 35 million people back home cheering you, is really special. I don`t have words for it."
Ginobili scored 15 points in the third quarter, including three 3-pointers in a 13-2 Argentina run to open the second half and seize their biggest lead at 56-40. The Americans never climbed within six points again.
"Ginobili is a great player. He`s an even better competitor," US assistant coach and NBA San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. "He combined both and did a great job."
At the finish, fans chanted "Ole" as the Argentina team danced with joy while the Americans dejectedly walked out.