RIO DE JANEIRO -- It had the sound, from an omen perspective, of the flat-out wrong address. A booking gone bad.Housing all those famous faces from the NBA on a luxury cruise liner called The Silver Cloud?At the Olympics?You were moved to question the wisdom of that choice once or twice in the early stages Sunday, when stubborn Serbia managed to hang with mighty Team USA for a quarter at Carioca Arena 1. You couldnt help but think: Imagine the storms and ridicule that would greet the Americans if they only managed to bring silver home from these Rio Games.And then Kevin Durant, turning ruthless in the last game well see him play before he starts his new under-the-microscope life with the increasingly villainous Golden State Warriors, staged a hostile international takeover to make you laugh at yourself for wasting any brain cells on the idea.There would be no storms, or lasting fears of silver, on this afternoon. The Americans ultimately rolled in a 96-66 rout, with Durant erupting for 24 of his 30 points by halftime -- 15 of them in the second quarter -- to turn an edgy 19-15 game after a period into a 23-point laugher at the break.Five mostly d-e-e-p 3s from Durant in the first half, with a couple of memorable dunks thrown in, put KD on a path to match his 30 points from the gold-medal game in London 2012, essentially clinched a record third gold medal for teammate Carmelo Anthony before the second half and ensured that Mike Krzyzewski would bid farewell to the international game with a 76-game winning streak to take back to Duke.Best of all, Durant made the Americans final hours on Brazilian soil their most comfortable of the whole trip.What followed after the break was a predictable in-game party for the Americans, with Durant eventually serving as head cheerleader at the end thanks to a lead that stretched as high as 41 points, all of which banished the memories of those nervy three single-digit victories in their first seven games here.We were pissed going into the locker room, Durant said the other day, reflecting on Serbias near upset of the tournaments overwhelming favorites in group play on Aug. 12. Not because we wanted to blow every team out. Just because we didnt play well at all.But now Im just like, Hey, man, if we lose this game, we lose it. If we win it, then great, we move on. That helps me. It may not help other players, but it helps me. Ive just embraced who I am as a basketball player.He truly couldnt have looked more comfortable in his last act on the Rio stage. A summer that began with U.S. players loathing the Molten brown-and-white ball used in international play and struggling to adjust to the slightly shorter 3-point line came to a close with Durant routinely squaring up from far beyond NBA range and hitting triple after triple.This one changed completely once Krzyzewski put reserves Paul George, Kyle Lowry, Jimmy Butler and DeMarcus Cousins around Durant. The Serbs couldnt cope with their length and athleticism and pressure on the ball, then watched helplessly as Durant sailed in for a slam and a 45-25 cushion when multiple defenders rushed out to try to crowd him on the perimeter.Making 3s was the Serbs only realistic shot of hanging in?, but they were hounded into fatal 4-for-24 shooting from deep. Any remaining hope was snuffed out by Team USAs crushing 54-33 edge on the boards.As Durant said after the Yanks semifinal win over Spain: Weve got two lineups -- guys who can just score and we got energy lineups -- and we mix them together pretty well.Team Energy doomed the runners-up this time, with Cousins (11 of his 13 points in the first half) causing plenty of trouble himself while his Serbian boss -- Sacramento Kings general manager Vlade Divac -- watched helplessly himself from the stands.Anthony was scoreless in the first half and managed just seven points in the finale, but it never mattered. The rout was on and allowed Team USA to fly home Sunday night with a passable average victory margin of 22.5 for the tournament after its struggles in pool play.We never said we was gonna run through everybody, Anthony told ESPN earlier in the tournament. We never said that we was gonna win every game by 30 or 40. The games that we do, we do. The games that we dont, we dont.Serbia, truth be told, was surely fearful that it would fall in the do category of routs, since many international teams quietly subscribe to the theory that, in tournaments such as these, youre only going to get one real shot to beat the Americans. No matter who they bring.Its why there were certifiable murmurs that Australia, after such a great start in Group A, was legitimately weighing the prospect of playing its NBAers limited minutes in the second half of its Aug. 10 encounter with Team USA, believing that it might be better to save its supposed best for a potential rematch in the medal round.Turns out that the Aussies never got that second chance after getting unexpectedly smoked by Serbia in the semis, while the Serbs went on to validate the one-shot-only theory by steadily fading away once Durant got hot, turning this into a virtual rerun of the 2014 FIBA World Cup final in Spain that Team USA won by 37.How will this incarnation of the U.S. national team be remembered? Too soon to say.Yet it was clear on the U.S. bench at the end, amid a hearty round of hugs for Anthony once the expected medal shade of gold began to sink in, that Krzyzewski was as fond of this group as any of the squads that preceded it.Its been the ultimate honor of my life in coaching, Coach K said this week, and Ive coached for 41 years. Discount Balenciaga Shoes NZ . Aaron Harrison scored a 22 points for Kentucky (6-1), which has won four in a row following a Nov. 12 loss to current No. 1 Michigan State. Julius Randle overcame a scoreless first half and added his sixth double-double in as many games with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Balenciaga Shoes NZ Online . In Europe, top teams seem to be largely happy with their squads after spending nearly $1 billion in the off-season. And although English league clubs are unlikely to splash cash in January, Arsenal and Chelsea could be tempted to strengthen their squads with new strikers. http://www.discountbalenciaganz.com/ . LOUIS -- Rookie Tavon Austin has missed another day of practice, lessening the odds hell be ready for the St. Cheap Balenciaga Shoes NZ . -- The boos poured down on Tom Brady and the New England Patriots at the end of a horrible first half. Wholesale Balenciaga Shoes NZ . Scott Kazmir allowed four hits in seven shutout innings, Michael Brantley hit a two-run homer in a three-run first inning and the Indians maintained their hold on an AL wild-card spot with a 4-1 win over the Houston Astros on Saturday night. CHICAGO -- With nine new players, including three starters, the Chicago Bulls seemed likely to struggle with cohesion early in the season.However, one of those newcomers -- Rajon Rondo -- has been credited by his teammates with fueling Chicagos fast start.Doug McDermott had 23 points, Jimmy Butler added 16 on 6-of-9 shooting and Rondo had 13 assists to lead the Bulls to a 118-101 rout of the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night, Chicagos second straight victory to open the season.McDermott scored 11 points in the fourth quarter as coach Fred Hoiberg gave his veteran starters -- Butler, Rondo and Dwyane Wade, who had 14 points -- the rest of the night off after the third quarter.Rondo, who has 22 assists in the two games, likely could have racked up a much higher number if he wasnt limited to 25 minutes.He pushes the ball up the floor and he gets it out, so he makes you run to get in front of him, Wade said.Playing with Rondo means you have to be alert at all times.I always tell those guys to understand that, `If you dont think I see you, I probably see you, so be ready for the pass, Rondo said.Who doesnt want the ball? Everybody wants the ball and everybody wants to score.Taj Gibson had 12 points and eight rebounds, and Robin Lopez added 12 points for the Bulls.Paul George and Myles Turner had 20 points apiece to lead the Pacers (1-2), who were coming off a loss at Brooklyn on Friday.The message is loud and clear: we need to get to work, Indiana coach Nate McMillan said.We have a talented team, George said, but its going to take us a couple games to get our chemistry. Well get through our battle wounds early.The Bulls had a 24-20 lead at the end of the first quarter before breaking things open with a dominant second. They scored 38 points on 14-for-18 (77.8 percent) shooting in the quarter to race out to a 62-41 halftime lead.Indiana seemingly ssleep-walked on defense throughout much of the second quarter -- especially in transition where the Bulls had a 19-0 edge in fast-break points.dddddddddddd McDermott had seven points in seven minutes, and five players scored at least five points. Rondo added six assists.Chicago maintained its intensity in the third quarter and stretched the lead to 92-67 entering the fourth.The Bulls lead by as many as 29 points in the final quarter (102-73) before Indiana made a futile run in garbage time to trim the deficit to 112-101 with two minutes to play.TIP-INSPacers: Aaron Brooks (sore right knee) and Rodney Stuckey (right hamstring) sat out with injuries. Stuckey is scheduled to undergo an MRI on Monday.Bulls: Wade said hes feeling fine but sat out Fridays practice after playing 32 minutes in the opener on Thursday. The 13-year veteran said he will take regular days off to stay healthy and fresh. Certain days (are) better to be mental days than physical days, he said.BENCH WOESThrough three games, the Pacers have been outscored by a total of 33 points in the second quarter. Thats mainly an indictment of the reserves.Our benchs got to get some chemistry. McMillan said. We need to get that (second) team some time on the floor, and they just havent had it.CUBS FEVERWith the Bulls idle Friday night, Wade attended Game 3 of the World Series at Wrigley Field.I noticed that everybody in my family that was at the game, everybody had on Cubs gear -- and I know everybodys not a Cubs fan, he said. But its just about being a part of the moment. Its a historic thing for the city of Chicago and a lot of people just want to say theyve been to a World Series.UP NEXTPacers: Host Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday.Bulls: At Brooklyn on Monday. ' ' '