Statement game
BEIJING – Lisa Leslie was not interested in diplomatic relations before the U.S. women’s basketball semifinal against Russia on Thursday.
As the teams took the court, guard Becky Hammon – a South Dakotan who chose to play for Russia in the Olympics – slapped Leslie’s hand.
The U.S. center ignored her. Hammon, Leslie said, was a Russian for the next 40 minutes. But a cease-fire was quickly reached after the Americans’ 67-52 victory at Olympic Basketball Gymnasium, which propelled them to the gold medal game for the fourth consecutive time.
Hammon made clear that she is an American first and foremost and that playing for Russia was strictly business. Her two biggest critics – Leslie and U.S. coach Anne Donovan – cooled their rhetoric.
Hammon scored just three points as the Russians kept pace until midway through the third quarter, when a 10-0 run put the United States ahead for good. The Americans will try for gold Saturday against Australia. Hammon will play for a bronze, then support her U.S. countrywomen.
“This was a game that was bigger than me and that whole fiasco,” said Hammon, who had little impact in her 24 minutes.
“I’m very thankful for where I came from. I’ve been around the world, and if you’ve even been on the outskirts of some of these countries, you know we have it very good in the United States. The national anthem was no different from the thousands of times I’ve heard it before. It meant just as much today.”
The longstanding tensions between the United States and Russia, exacerbated recently by the Russian invasion of its neighbor Georgia, lent an edge to the pregame hype.
The theme from “Rocky” played after the anthems, and Russian fans – who vastly outnumbered the tiny pockets of American supporters – were in no mood for sportsmanship.
They booed and whistled derisively whenever the Americans had the ball. They cheered the plentiful turnovers and missed shots that hindered the United States in the first quarter. They waved flags, they danced, they sang songs and chanted “Rossiya!” as their team seized an early five-point lead.
Aided by 10 U.S. turnovers, Russia led 16-13 at the end of the first quarter and stretched the margin to 30-23 late in the second. But the United States, sparked by Diana Taurasi’s pair of 3-pointers, outscored the Russians 10-2 in the last 2 minutes, 28 seconds to take a 33-32 lead into halftime.
Russia rallied to regain a 38-33 lead in the third quarter before a 13-2 U.S. run gave the Americans a lead they did not surrender.
“We were rushing a little bit on offense and not taking care of the basketball,” said U.S. guard Katie Smith. “We hung our hat on our defense. And we knew if we got a little bit of a run and got a cushion, we’d maintain it.”
Before the game, the Americans lively discussed the idea of playing for another country. Hammon plays professionally in Russia as well as in the WNBA, and she took the nation up on its offer to put her on its Olympic team when she thought she would not make the U.S. roster.
Leslie said she would not make that choice. But she denied saying Hammon was “un-American” – a remark widely attributed to her – and said she would greet Hammon when she next saw her.
Donovan, who last spring called Hammon’s decision “unfathomable,” backed off that statement.
“I don’t know that I have strong thoughts on it anymore,” she said. “Becky made a great business decision. This was a great opportunity for her to get to the Olympics. I hold no grudge.
“What I’ve learned since my first strong statement is that I’m an old-timer. Generations have changed, and the Cold War is a distant memory, if it’s a memory at all for our players. Our players are going to Russia to play. Chinese players are coming to the WNBA. There are no borders anymore.”