Spain ripped off a 9-0 run to start the fourth quarter and pull within two at 91-89, with Bryant sinking a running jumper in the lane and Williams burying a 3 as the Americans set a pattern of withstanding every Spanish threat.

Gasol's basket with three and a half minutes left made it a five-point deficit with 3:30 to play, but Bryant one-upped his Laker teammate with a four-point play, being fouled after hitting a trey.

And when Carlos Jimenez drained a right-side 3, Kobe answered right back with his own 3-pointer to up the advantage back to seven with two minutes to play.

Spain managed only Marc Gasol's field goal the rest of the way and hurt its own cause with two two-shot technical fouls in the final half-minute.

By the end of the day, Boozer, Wade, James and Carmelo Anthony had gone from being bronzed-bummed as members of the '04 U.S. team in Athens to being part of the undefeated '08 team that served as "gold" retrievers.

"Now that I look back on '04, that experience has been a blessing to myself, to LeBron, Dwyane Wade and also Carlos Boozer," said Anthony at the postgame press conference.

"We were at America's lowest point in '04, and (now) to be sitting here in front of you guys tonight and be on top of the world," he added. "I think we did a helluva job putting American basketball back where it's supposed to be, which is at the top of the world."

---

E-mail: taylor@desnews.com