rogba, who went on as a second half substitute but was unable to score. It was the last home game the 38-year-old Chelsea legend will play in Montreal, although he has not yet said if he plan

RIO DE JANEIRO -- The proud man looked over the heads of the gathered reporters and then wistfully at the exit. He spoke slowly.Pau Gasol sounded tired. You would, too, after pushing a rock up the hill four times and then helplessly watching it roll back down to the bottom. This time, which marked the end of Spains dream of Olympic gold at the hands of Team USA yet again, the semifinal ended by a not-as-close-as-it-sounds 82-76.Our hearts are bleeding, said Sergio Scariolo, who coaches Spain but whose penchant for drama marks him as indelibly Italian.Beating Team USA in Fridays Olympic semifinal was always going to be a heavy lift for Spain, let alone for the 36-year-old Gasol. He was already forced to take on more responsibility to cover for the absence of his injured younger brother and fellow NBA All-Star star, Marc. Then Nikola Mirotic, Spains only other legitimate inside threat, picked up his fourth foul before halftime.What made it more frustrating still is that he was convinced the Americans looked more beatable than in any of the four Olympic tournaments in which theyve knocked him and Spain out.Thats just the way I felt, Gasol said. They are not playing as well as other times theyve played, but they are still a very talented team individually.If we had been a little sharper with our shots, if we would have moved the ball a little better, if we would have boxed out more, and make it a two- or three-possession game, then youre talking about a whole different story.Thats three very big ifs if youre keeping score at home. And even if somehow all three of those wishes were granted, it might not have made much difference.Team USA had hold of this game from the start and the last time Spain had a real chance to make it competitive came with two minutes left, down 61-55. But Sergio Rodriguez missed a 3-point shot and Kevin Durant made his on the other end, imposing order once more on what had been a herky-jerky game because of all the chippy fouls and technicals.Its the most different game Ive coached internationally. It was just a real different game today, said U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewski.He was loathe to say more about the referees, though he credited the crew with bringing the coaches and captains together at the start of the second half and telling them, `Lets just play basketball.Like Gasol, his coach cited a few could-have-beens that might have changed the outcome. Scariolo ticked off rebounding, blocked shots and intimidation.The first two were easy enough to quantify: the Americans had a 53-41 edge in rebounds and 7-1 in blocks; the intimidation factor is hard to measure, but easy to see. Like Gasol, a handful of his Spanish teammates have played in the NBA for several years. Unlike him, however, they took most of their chances from distance, rarely challenging the longer, quicker U.S. defenders one on one in the paint.Hes got back-to-the basket game and a face-up game and he can shoot the long ball, said DeAndre Jordan, the toughest U.S. defender in the post. Anything I could do to make his catches tough, play with length and physicality, I was just trying to make it as tough on him as possible.I tried to push him off the block and just play him with length, he added. I just wanted to make everything tough on him.Gasol scored a game-high 23, leading Spain as he has in nearly every climactic battle with the Americans. In 2004, he left Athens empty-handed and settled for silver both in 2008 and 2012. The best the Spanish can manage this time around will be bronze.Its been a tough tournament for aging international stars. Already, Argentinas Manu Ginobili and Frances Tony Parker announced the end of their Olympic careers and Gasol will be 40 when the next Tokyo Games convene in 2020.Asked about the possibility of his retirement from international play, Gasol only promised to assess his situation year by year.But at the end of this game, after exchanging handshakes and hugs with the friends and rivals he made over 16 seasons, he sauntered over to the USA bench and did the same with Coach K and assistants Jim Boeheim and Tom Thibodeau.Then Gasol stopped and looked into the crowd for a few long seconds, like a man drinking in a scene one final time.Paus a great player, Krzyzewski said. No one is going to stop him.But as Gasol answered his final question and began the long, slow walk down the hallway toward Spains gloomy locker room, there was a better-than-even chance he was wondering where hed find the strength after Sunday to climb back onto the international stage again.---Jim Litke is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at jlitke(at)ap.org and http://www.Twitter.com/JimLitke . Lanny McDonald Jersey . - Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie never doubted he would bring back coach Dennis Allen for a third year despite back-to-back 4-12 records. Flames Jerseys For Sale . 10 VCU 85-67 on Thursday night at the Puerto Rico Tip-Off. The Seminoles (4-0) have scored at least 80 points in each of their games. http://www.authenticflamesshopnhl.com/jarome-iginla-jersey/ . "It was nerve-wracking, but we pulled through," said Collaros, who threw four touchdown passes to lead the Toronto Argonauts (8-4) to a 33-27 win over the Calgary Stampeders (9-3) in front of 28,781 fans at McMahon Stadium. Tanner Glass Jersey . Now, correct me if Im wrong but I saw one official distinctly pointing at the net indicating a good goal but after an inconclusive review they overturned the goal. Shouldnt the ruling on the ice (good goal) stand after an inconclusive review? Why was this overturned? James Veaudry Pembroke, ON -- Hey Kerry, Youll get a lot of these, but why was the Montreal goal against Nashville Saturday night overturned? Eller puts the puck on net and the on ice ruling from the ref behind the net is a Montreal goal. TJ Brodie Jersey . In the response filed Wednesday to the complaint by 30-year-old Alexander Bradley, attorneys say the former University of Florida player is invoking his Fifth Amendment right that protects people from incriminating themselves. MONTREAL -- The Montreal Impact have the lead, though it may be Toronto FC that has the advantage.The Impact had the sellout crowd of 61,004 at Olympic Stadium in a roar on Tuesday night as they built a three-goal lead over 53 minutes but they almost threw it away in a 3-2 victory over TFC in an Eastern Conference final that was delayed 30 minutes by a groundskeeping error.Dominic Oduro, Matteo Mancosu and Ambroise Oyongo put Montreal in front, but Jozy Altidore and Michael Bradley answered back with goals for Toronto.While Montreal will take a one-goal lead into the second leg of the two-game total goals series, Toronto picked up two all-important away goals that can serve as the tiebreaker. A 1-0 or 2-1 TFC win in the second leg at home would win Toronto the series.And they have momentum going into the second leg.The two away goals are big, TFC coach Greg Vanney said. Theres a lot of soccer still to be played, but our guys should feel good about how they got themselves back into this.It wasnt looking good there for a while. We made some adjustments and started winning balls in better areas and finished off some chances. No ones doing any congratulating yet because theres a big game left.The winner of the series goes on to the MLS Cup final on Dec. 10.Montreal coach Mauro Biello was glad just to get the win at home.They have to beat us, thats all, Biello said. We have to prepare for what we need to do to stop them and to score.Thats our season. It seems like it always has to be difficult for us.The Impact looked safely on the way to thumping TFC in a playoff match for a second year in a row, having beaten their closest rival 3-0 in the single-game knockout round in October 2015 -- a result Toronto players vowed to avenge.Now the return leg promises to be a thriller.It was a bit of a downer, Oduro said. But were a very good road team.They will have to be. Torontos BMO Field is to be boosted with extra seats and a sellout of over 30,000 is expected.The next game is at our place and thats the only thing well tie our hat to, Vanney said. We love our fans and itll be more full than its ever been and the noise will be in our favor this time.The match got off to an embarrassing start for the home side as the lines for the 18-yard boxees were too narrow and had to be repainted.dddddddddddd Fans cheered as each new line was drawn.They got louder as Montreal used two quick attacks against the flat-looking TFC to take the lead.In the 10th minute, Hassoun Camara fed the ball ahead to Patrice Bernier, who slipped it past defender Nick Hagglund to send Oduro in alone on the right side. Oduro fired a low shot inside the far post for his first of the playoffs.Two minutes later, Oduro intercepted Steven Beitashours pass and lofted it to Ignacio Piatti on the left wing. The Argentine put a hard pass into the box, where Mancosu stepped in front of a defender to redirect the ball past goalie Clint Irwin.In the 53rd, Oyongo striped the ball from Sebastian Giovinco near the halfway line and took it in on a solo run to the edge of the Toronto box, cut left and shot across his body inside the right post.With Montreal still in control a few minutes later, Vanney substituted midfielders Jonathan Osario and Armando Cooper with forward Tosaint Ricketts and midfielder Will Johnson. It looked to give his side a spark.In the 69th, Ricketts put a ball off the post, but Beitashour got it to Altidore for a header from close range.Four minutes later TFC was again buzzing inside the Montreal box. Altidore looked to push defender Victor Cabrera to the ground to open up space to slip a pass to Ricketts, who fed Bradley for a shot from directly in front.After the game, the Impact honored veteran striker Didier Drogba, who went on as a second half substitute but was unable to score. It was the last home game the 38-year-old Chelsea legend will play in Montreal, although he has not yet said if he plans to retire.The positive is we scored three goals and we won, Drogba said. There are 90 minutes left to play and lot can happen in 90 minutes.Toronto reached the conference final with a convincing 7-0 aggregate win over second-place New York City, while Montreal upset the top-seeded New York Red Bulls 3-1. Both are farther into the playoffs than theyve ever been before.With last weeks FIFA international break, it had been 16 days since either team last played a match. 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