Strategiebereich » FLPA Rookie Premiere in May, which was the first time

RIO DE JANEIRO -- The U.S. mens basketball team expected this.Whether it was for the gold medal, as in the last two Olympics, or just along the road to gold, the Americans figured they would see the Spanish again.No doubt in my mind, Kevin Durant said.Well, here they are.The worlds top teams meet again Friday in the semifinals, with Spain getting another chance to finish the job against the U.S. after being oh-so-close in the last two gold-medal games.Weve been battling against them for a long time, Spain point guard Ricky Rubio said. Weve always come up short. It would be a dream for us to beat them. I really think we can do it, but we have to have the perfect game.They played superb ones in 2008 and 2012, but not good enough.The U.S. pulled away to win 118-107 in Beijing, then fought off an even fiercer challenge in London, winning 107-100. And when the Spanish opened this tournament with two straight losses, it was easy to think they wouldnt get another shot at the Americans.Spain never discounted its chances.Neither did the U.S.Weve always felt Spain, theyd have a gold-medal chance, and why wouldnt we think that? U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewski said. The last two gold-medal games weve played were against them and they were great, great games.The Americans couldnt relax until the final minute of the last one, when Krzyzewski leaped triumphantly in front of the bench -- nothing approaching the Olympic high jump record, but the best he can do.Now 69 and coming off knee, hernia and ankle surgeries this spring, Krzyzewski might show he still has some hops if the Americans win more gold.If we win, Im sure Ill jump around a little bit, he said.Age hasnt slowed Spain down, either.Surging into the semifinals with American-esque dominance, the Spanish have won four straight to stave off elimination. Spain beat Nigeria 96-87, crushed Lithuania 109-59 and topped Argentina 92-73 to battle back for a quarterfinal spot, then ran away from France 92-67 on Wednesday.I think the first couple of games we were close to, but we couldnt get to the next step, veteran guard Jose Calderon said. Sometimes its the pressure, sometimes its whatever it is, but we click again.The winner plays Australia or Serbia on Sunday.Already without Marc Gasol, who broke his foot during the NBA season, Spain had to go portions of its training camp in July without Pau Gasol and Sergio Rodriguez while they handled free agency. So the Spanish arrived in Brazil a little more disjointed than precise, but thats over with now.We couldnt play any better in the tournament, Spain coach Sergio Scariolo said.The Americans were dominant again in their quarterfinal after three close calls, beating Argentina 105-78.When we lock in, I dont think anybody can stop us, Carmelo Anthony said. When we focus in and we kind of dedicate ourselves to playing the right way, its a scary sight out there.Anthony noticed the competitiveness of Group B, where the top four teams all finished 3-2, and wondered if Spain could dig its way out of its early hole. But the rest of the American contingent that has been around for all the matchups with the Spanish never believed the talk that Spain, even with Gasol, Calderon and five-time Olympian Juan Carlos Navarro nearing the end of their brilliant careers, was too old for another run.I never said they were too old. I never said any of those things. Other people are making comments. All weve said is we have great respect for them, said USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo, adding that Spain was one of the models he looked at when he took over the program in 2005.Added Krzyzewski: They show up and they show up big time.Now this generation of Spanish players, which won a world championship in 2006 and has carried its country to the No. 2 ranking in the world, is probably getting its final opportunity to win Olympic gold.The Americans have turned them away twice.Now they need to do it again to take the next step toward their goal.I know for us, its one game or nothing. Its all or nothing for us, Anthony said. Thats our mindset and we dont plan on letting anything come between us.---AP Basketball Writer Jon Krawczynski contributed to this report.---Follow Brian Mahoney on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Briancmahoney Cyber Monday Soccer Jerseys . That gave fans outside Joe Louis Arena another chance to ask for autographs from the 19-year-old whose stardom in the NHL has arrived earlier than most expected. Cheap Soccer Jerseys . JOHNS, N. https://www.fakesoccerjerseys.com/ . -- An ugly goal by Nick Bonino helped the Anaheim Ducks overcome the defensive-minded Phoenix Coyotes on a night when their ragged power play continued to struggle. Cheap Soccer Jerseys China .com) - Manchester City midfielder David Silva is expected to miss the next four weeks because of a calf problem. Wholesale Soccer Jerseys . -- The Missouri Tigers might not have a roster full of superstars. In the past three full months, Ezekiel Elliott has sold more jerseys than any other NFL player.Thats an impressive stat for the current Dallas Cowboys and former Ohio State running back, given that players who were already in the league had a 27-day jump on Elliott, who was drafted fourth on April 28. Elliotts home and away jerseys were available for preorder later that night.Based on sales from April 1-June 30 on NFLShop.com, the leagues official online site, Elliott beat out New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, who despite the focus on Deflategate finished in the second spot, followed by New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton and Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski. Carson Wentz, who was picked second in the draft by the Philadelphia Eagles, finished sixth.Elliott undoubtedly had quite the momentum coming into the league, given Ohio States huge fan base. In January 2015, Elliott ran for four touchdowns in the teams 42-20 victory over Oregon, giving the Buckeyes the first College Football Playoff title.Thats why its no surprise that after Dallas, Columbus is the city that has ordered the most Elliott Cowboys jerseys, according to data from Fanatics, which runs the leaagues site.ddddddddddddBut Elliott also has done his part by attracting plenty of additional attention with his crop top look, appearing on the draft day red carpet showing his abs and rolling up the jersey for the NFLPA Rookie Premiere in May, which was the first time he wore the full Cowboys uniform. Elliott wont be able to do that in the league, as rules stipulate that a jersey must be tucked into pants and cant be cut off.Sales on the official online store do not include sales from the Cowboys store, which is run separately from the leagues teams. The Cowboys are the only team to distribute its own merchandise and control the sales channels for the products. Therefore, the team does not split revenue on the sales it generates in its own channels.In May, the Cowboys signed Elliott to a deal worth $24.9 million that included a $16.3 million signing bonus. Elliott also has a separate endorsement deal with Nike.The highest a Cowboys player was on the best-selling jersey list last season (from April 1, 2015-Jan. 30, 2016) was No. 9 (wide receiver Dez Bryant). Tight end Jason Witten finished 10th. ' ' '