The Olympic Games: the place where dreams are made and conversely, shattered. Unfortunately, there are only three medals in every event and by that very fact, there are generally more dreams in tatters than those realised.

The Men's Basketball tournament displayed a mixture of both fortunes. Let's recap the winners and losers of these Games, both at a team and individual level.

WINNERS -- TEAM: RUSSIA

The Russians entered the month leading up to the Olympic Games unsure as to whether they would even be in London. Rather than steadily preparing for the Olympics as many of the other top teams did, the Russians were one of twelve teams that competed in the July Qualifying Tournament in Venezeula, after failing to get through the 2011 Eurobasket tournament.

As a last minute addition to the Games, expectations were relatively low for Russia. Their cornerstone, Andrei Kirilenko, has been quiet in recent NBA seasons and even returned to CSKA Moscow during the lockout-shortened 2011/12 season. Two of the other key pieces for this team are relatively young in Aleksey Shved and Timofey Mozgov. Yet somehow the Russians flew out of the gates to crash their way through Pool play into the medal knockout rounds.

Ultimately, the Russians made it to the bronze medal game and took on the more fancied Argentina. To the surprise of many, the much less experienced Russia took out the Bronze -- a fine performance from a team that had a great 2012 Olympic campaign.

LOSERS -- TEAM: ARGENTINA

Conversely, the Argentine squad would have had very real aspirations to not only medal, but potentially push Team USA as they have over the past decade at times.

To walk away from London empty handed must be a very hollow experience for a team that boasts the talents of Manu Ginobili, Luis Scola, Carlos Delfino, Andres Nocioni and Pablo Prigioni, just to name a few. Both Ginobili and Scola showed absolute brilliance at times -- including in that final game for the Bronze -- however it was for nought,

Anything less than a medal is a severe disappointment for a team like Argentina.

WINNER -- INDIVIDUAL: PATTY MILLS 

The Australian point guard entered the London Olympics as the necessary key cog of the Boomers offence, particularly with the absence of star centre Andrew Bogut. Mills did not disappoint, as he not only led the Australians on the court and paced their scoring, but led the entire tournament in scoring at 21.2ppg.

Australian head coach Brett Brown was impressed with the play of Mills, who will also once again be under Brown's watchful eye in San Antonio next season, where Brown acts as assistant coach for the Spurs. Having just turned 24 years old this week, an accomplishment as top scorer in an Olympic tournament is not to be sneered at for Mills, who has many FIBA tournaments ahead of him.

As a volume scorer, there are always going to be times where Mills' shot does not connect. Notwithstanding this, Mills' highs were very impressive. His 39 points against Great Britain, followed by a buzzer-beating three against Russia were definite highlights, as were his 26 points against Team USA in the Quaterfinals. 

Future Olympics alongside the likes of Matthew Dellavedova, Joe Ingles, Brad Newley and Aron Baynes will be interesting for this young Aussie guard.

LOSER -- INDIVIDUAL: KOBE BRYANT

When you are as fine an athlete as Kobe Bryant, with as storied a career as he has had, your measures of success are different to those of most others. "Loser?" you may rightly ask...

Despite taking out the Olympic Gold Medal, Bryant had a subpar Games by his usual lofty standards. Whilst he was certainly not required to take on a huge load with the superstar lineup collated around him, Bryant failed to make much of an impact throughout his London campaign.

Outside of the Quarterfinal against Australia, where the Lakers star certainly exploded in the fourth quarter with a string of three-pointers to put the game out of reach, Bryant's scoring output was relatively meagre and at a much lower clip than he would usually hope. The all-rounder put up averages of 12.1ppg (4th on team), 1.8rpg (9th) and 1.3apg (7th) but committed the most fouls on the team (2.2 per game), whilst shooting only 42.9% from the field. He also committed the second most turnovers on the team, after point guard Chris Paul. 

It should be said that Kobe played a vital role as a team leader as elder statesman on and off the court, but to focus on that is to not know Kobe Bryant. The Mamba thrives upon dominating both ends of the basketball court and he will no doubt be fiercely critical of his own on-court performance during the Games. Look out Laker opponents when the NBA season rolls around.

Bryant was not a loser in the true sense of the word, but by Mamba standards, he was.

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A regular season MVP. A Finals MVP. An NBA championship. And now a gold medal. That’s 2012 for LeBron James. Anyone else having that good of a year?

LeBron is just the second person ever to get all four of those in the same year. The only other person was the great Michael Jordan. If LeBron somehow lands a Nobel Peace Prize this year, he’ll probably be promoted to “God” status.

“It has been a great ride for me,” James said. “I could have never scripted it this way. I've had many dreams about it, winning an NBA championship and then following it up with a gold medal.”

We all watched LeBron get over the hump in June when he finally got himself a title. He had a lot of help from his supporting cast on the Miami Heat, but he played outstanding. He was dominant, scored when he needed to, passed when he needed to and rightfully earned that Finals MVP.

In the Olympics, it was a different story. He didn’t need to take over every game, but he made sure everyone knew he was on the team. He threw down some emphatic dunks when the U.S. needed some momentum and hit some big shots when they needed some points. He posted the first ever triple-double for the Americans in an Olympic game, which just goes to show you that he was out there doing it all.

LeBron has come a long way since the infamous “decision.” He’s been shaking off haters ever since and in the process of winning a championship and bringing home a gold medal, he may have finally converted a good majority. I’ve never had a problem with LeBron, but I understand the people that do. Now, I’m hoping all those people have come over to his side, because there isn’t much to dislike about him anymore.

Even after one of the greatest sports years of all time, there’s no time to rest for LeBron James. He’s got to defend his title, now against some even greater competition from the Lakers, who some are already handing next year’s championship. He’s also going to have to put in work if he wants to get past MJ’s six rings, which you know he does.

And while he’s doing all that, he can start thinking about whether or not he wants to defend his gold medal in 2016 in Rio.

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Not many people and some players at the Olympics were very fond of the Spanish team and their flopping ways during the 2012 Olympic Games. It all come to a boil in Spain's matchup against Team France where Rudy Fernandez led a flop-fest which led to France's Nicolas Batum giving Juan Carlos Navarro a shot to the groin out of frustration.

But if you think Spain and in particular Fernandez maybe learned a lesson about obvious flops, think again.

During Spain's loss to the U.S. in the gold medal game, Fernandez gave one of his greatest flops ever! Check it out. It's Oscar-worthy!

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Some of the sideshow buzz in the Olympic men's basketball tournament was about the NBA's desire to change the rules and impose a 23-and-under rule.  As expected, FIBA passed on the idea, but it's not necessary for the NBA to accomplish what it wants to do internationally.

The NBA wants to emphasize a new basketball "World Cup" style tournament because the league would benefit financially from its superstar participation.  NBA owners hate seeing their stars in the Olympics because they are risking injuries without any financial benefit. In a world cup that the NBA runs independent of the IOC, the owners can now see some of the money the tournament generates flow into their own pockets.  

To do that, they need to make a change.  So they proposed the 23-and-under rule in an effort to continue the USA's dominance in the Olympics while saving the superstars for their own tournament.  It was a nice try by the NBA, but the reality is the idea never had a chance because there isn't a single international team that could compete under those rules.  The biggest advantage international teams have over the United States is their years of experience together. No one is going to give that up in the Olympics, which is more heavily emphasized around the world than in the U.S., just so Mark Cuban can add to his bottom line.  

But a new rule isn't necessary at all.  USA Basketball can accomplish its goal, and the NBA's, by simply fielding two separate men's national teams.  It could actually be a blessing for USA Basketball, because they could actually field a properly constructed international team for the Olympics without worrying about offending any of its superstars.  It also keeps the option open of perhaps one or two of the superstar players to play in multiple tournaments if they so choose.

It was a close game for the Americans against Spain but Team U.S.A. was able to get past the Spaniards 107-100 to capture the gold medal at the 2012 Olympics for the second time.

This was the matchup everyone wanted to see and the game delivered. Both team's made runs throughout the game, the game saw physical exchanges (Tyson Chandler and Sergio Rodriguez), and was a nail-biter each quarter. 

The U.S. was led by Kevin Durant's 30 points while LeBron James and Kobe Bryant finished with 19 and 17 points respectively. For Spain, they were led by Pau Gasol with 24 points and Juan Carlos Navarro finished with 21 points.

"We knew it wasn't going to be easy. We didn't want it easy," James said. "A lot of teams have won gold easy. We didn't want it that way. We're a competitive team and we love when it gets tight. That's when our will and determination kind of shows. It was the same way in '08."

With the win, records were made. Anthony Davis became the youngest player to win Olympic gold also earned himself a spot as one of the few players to win an NCAA title and earn a gold medal. Head coach Mike Krzyzewski matched Hank Iba as the only coaches to lead the U.S. to consecutive gold medals - though this was probably his last time around to lead the U.S. in Olympic play after finishing with a 62-1 record. LeBron passed David Robinson as the all-time scorer for Team U.S.A. and the game also marked Bryant's last time with the Men's National Team as he stated post game.

Now the team must find a new coach and begin assembling a team to qualify for the 2016 Rio Games.

Rounding out the medal winners, Spain finished with silver while Russia goes away with the bronze.

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Coming into London, the clear favorites for the gold medal (no, duh?) were Team USA. The big contenders to create some type of upset were Spain, Argentina and France -- pretty much in that order. However, pre-tournament predictions are just those, predictions. This is why we play the games.

We have just witnessed the bronze medal game, where Russia, somewhat of a fairtytale team, went on to defeat Argentina, taking out the medal. Russia, having only gained entry to the Games via the Qualifying (aka "Wildcard") tournament, were never expected to be one of the big players. Of course, they surprised many experts by combining the skills of Andrei Kirilenko, rising star Aleksey Shved and Timofey Mozgov into a four-point winning bronze medal team, over one of the most successful teams of the past decade.

Argentina is loaded with talent. They are also a proven thing, having won big games with essentially the same team they have right now. Had a late Andres Nocioni three rattled in, rather than out, we possibly would've seen the team in white and sky blue walk away with the medal. Manu Ginobili's usual clutch play would have been deserving of it. 

Instead, we see Russia pull off an upset. This will no doubt inspire Spain, as they amble into the gold medal game against the superstar-laden Team USA. 

Contrastingly to Russia, Spain have entered the Games with high expectations, but a record of underachievement in the Pool games. They turned that around with a nutcracking victory over highly-fancied France and now look to use every inch of their size advantage against the Americans.

Pau and Marc Gasol are a fanastic combo of versatile centres. They are the type of big men that any team would kill for. They are also the type of pivots that Team USA doesn't really have. In really the only "weakness" for USA, they lack a dearth of quality big men, instead relying on their plethora of athletic swingmen to get the job done, as they have done in recent FIBA tournaments.

Tyson Chandler and Kevin Love will hope to somewhat neutralise the talents of the Gasol brothers and Serge Ibaka (Oklahoma City Thunder), but realistically, the game plan for USA will be to create some turnovers and get out into the open court where their athleticism can cause havoc.

LeBron James, Chris Paul, and Russell Westbrook are just a few of the numerous names that can turn an errant pass into an instant highlight reel and a demoralising dunk that is hard to reverse the tide of.

Team USA leader veteran Kobe Bryant sees the brother of his Los Angeles Lakers teammate Gasol as a key player that the Americans need to contain:

"Marc (Gasol) is really the big difference," Bryant said.

"He's improved tremendously from the last time we played them.

"His confidence has improved, his skill has improved. And that's one major difference."

The fact remains: in order to beat Team USA, you need every player on song -- not just a couple. Where the Gasol brothers need to take this team on their backs, the likes of Jose Calderon, Juan Carlos Navarro and Rudy Fernandez need to play near to the games of their lives to make the weight on those big shoulders not too heavy.

Can Spain pull off the upset? Who knows. This is why we play the games.

Either way, I'm predicting plenty of passion and entertainment.

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It was a "spirited" matchup between Team Spain and France as things got chippy in their quarterfinals contest.

However, "chippy" wouldn't be the right word to use. Perhaps the game was a flop-fest mainly from the Spaniards. Time after time, we saw Rudy Fernandez sell hits, other players flop which led to Team France's Nicolas Batum clocking Juan Carlos Navarro in the groin to "give them a reason to flop" according to Batum.

And if flopping wasn't an issue among Team Spain, many felt they threw the game against Brazil to get an easier path to the finals and a chance to get gold. It got so bad, that even Manu Ginobili's brother called Spain out for that alleged tactic.

So needless to say, Team Spain isn't well-liked among international team right now.

Going back to Batum, as if hitting a guy in the nuts wasn't enough, he went on to say he feels Spain doesn't deserve to win a medal and that France did because of their alleged tank job versus Brazil.

So it was only a matter of time before someone from the Spanish team will fire back at Batum and France and that would be Jose Calderon.

"(The French) say they deserved to win because of the Brazil thing? They can play for places fifth to eighth, that's what's up."

Bam! That just happened.

Say what you will about flopping and tanking games, as much as those tactics might be looked down upon, who has the last laugh right now? That be Spain. Spain is still in the tournament going for an Olympic medal while France and Batum are not.

Think about it, would you do anything to help your team win? Would you f

As we reach the Semi-finals of the Men's Olympic Basketball tournament, which game should you focus your gaze on? The simple and persistent answer is both of them.

All of them. 

Anything that you get the opportunity to watch.

Why the insistence? The reality is, if the NBA and it's owners get their way, we quite literally have four games of legitimate, high standard international basketball left. Possibly ever.

All of that may sound dramatic, but if FIBA succombs to the mighty lobbying power of David Stern and his cronies, Argentina vs USA, Spain vs Russia and the two medal games will be the last opportunity we get to watch the best of the best battling it out in their national colours. If the NBA gets their way in moving to a restriction against over-23 players in international competition, we have to be resigned to the fact that a return to the current rule may never eventuate -- or at least not for a very long time.

In short, the NBA owners want to destroy the greatest international competition of basketball for the sake of their own corporate greed. That may sound harsh, but that is the nutshell summary of the forces behind their intentions to restrict their key "assets" from representing their nations. The potential loss of revenue to their franchise rates of higher importance than the amateur coming together of the world once every four years.

"Faster, Higher, Stronger."  -- Olympic motto

"Richer, Richer, Richer." -- apparent intention of the NBA and it's owners.

Team U.S.A. is certainly a young squad. Players like James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony, Anthony Davis, Kevin Love and others make up the core and they are leading the way to a possible gold medal for the U.S.

But this team isn't without its on-court issues. The team does tend to stand around too much, offensively they can rely too much on the three-point shot and have let teams like Lithuania and Argentina stay in the game for longer than they should.

Luckily for the U.S., they have a savvy veteran who will be there in a pinch - Kobe Bryant.

Bryant is the elder statesman of the team and although he hasn't put a huge stamp on the team, he has been there to put teams away like Australia when he went crazy from the three-point line, or be the level-headed player when things get chippy on the court as it did with Argentina when Melo got nut-punched by an Argentinean player.

So as a player who has seen it all, done it all, and continues to do it all, is there anything else the former NBA MVP can learn from his younger teammates? Absolutely nothing if you ask him.

"Can you learn anything from these young guys?" he was asked.

 

 

Bryant: "No."

 

 

"You know everything?"

 

 

Bryant: "I don't know if I know it all, but I know more than they do."

Of course you might read that and think he is being just the cocky player he is seen as throughout his career but he is right. Bryant has won multiple championships, played in past international games for the U.S., and much more.  Think about it, what can possibly Harden, Westbrook, Anthony Davis, Chris Paul or even James teach him?

He has won scoring titles, been an All-Star, and has a resume all of his teammates would want. If anything, he can teach his teammates a thing or two.

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In a matter of minutes, Nicolas Batum went from frustrated, to defeated, to scorned on Twitter, to apologetic on Wednesday night.

But he can't escape the footage from the 2012 Olympics in London.

With 24 seconds left in France's quarterfinal game against Spain, Batum went to foul Juan Carlos Navarro and essentially used a closed fist to give Navarro a low blow to the groin. 

The Portland Trail Blazers small forward was given an unsportsmanlike foul but was not ejected from the game, which went in Spain's favor, 66-59, to advance to face Russia in the semifinals. 

A day later, he'll have to move on from the backlash as the video clip rolls on.