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The United States defeats Spain 118-107 to take the men's basketball gold medal at the Beijing Olympic Games on Sunday. [Xinhua]
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"It is more important and more special than any championship that any of us will ever win," he added.
Wade, who had 12 points in the first 10 minutes, missed an opportunity to make it a 40-point first quarter when he stole for the second time for an apparent dunk. But he lost the control of the ball on his way to the basket when the clock clicked off.
Both teams shot their perfect match as the scoreline in the first half was 69-61 to the U.S.. The U.S. bettered off with eight 3-pointers, three from Wade, when each team shot above 60 percent in the field with identical 14 baskets.
Juan Navarro scored eight points when the Spaniards never fell behind to the fast-stepped Americans in the third quarter, which ended by 91-82.
Fernandez, who will play for the Portland Trail Blazers next season, rested for most of the third quarter due to foul trouble and came up in the fourth period to explode with a 7-0 run as Spain cut the lead short on 91-89.
Bryant answered by initiating a 12-3 run to extend the leading margin to 11 points by 103-92. Fernandez kept Spain into the game one-handedly in the next four minutes as he made another 3-pointer and a three-point dunking play on the head of U.S. center Dwight Howard.
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![The United States defeats Spain 118-107 to take the men's basketball gold medal at the Beijing Olympic Games on Sunday. [Xinhua]](http://images.china.cn/attachement/jpg/site1007/20080824/001ec94a26ba0a1b7e4411.jpg "The United States defeats Spain 118-107 to take the men's basketball gold medal at the Beijing Olympic Games on Sunday. [Xinhua]")
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The United States defeats Spain 118-107 to take the men's basketball gold medal at the Beijing Olympic Games on Sunday. [Xinhua]
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