HoopsHype.com Rumors

The U.S. men’s basketball team faces Argentina Friday night in the Olympics semifinals at North Greenwich Arena and bad blood still festers from Saturday’s showdown during which Anthony was belted in the groin by Argentina backup point guard Facundo Campazzo. Prigioni, battling a kidney stone that has weakened him, rested during that game, but stuck up for his countryman after Anthony — and Tyson Chandler — called Campazzo’s actions “a cheap shot.’’ “I don’t know, this is part of the game,’’ Prigioni told The Post. New York Post

New York Knicks, USA Basketball, Argentina, Olympics, Pablo Prigioni, Facundo Campazzo 

The U.S. advances to face Argentina in a Friday semifinal, three days after the teams tussled and Facundo Campazzo punched Anthony in the groin. "It's going to be a physical game," Kevin Durant said. "But we're a physical team too." Chicago Tribune

Oklahoma City Thunder, Kevin Durant, USA Basketball, Argentina, Olympics, Facundo Campazzo 

Still USA forward Carmelo Anthony thinks Argentina forward Facundo Campazzo sank to a new low by hitting him in the groin as he was shooting a three-pointer. "It was definitely a cheap shot," Anthony said. "Something like that, I don't play like that. "If you're going to foul somebody, foul them hard but you don't take a shot like that. Nobody takes a cheap shot like that." Philadelphia Inquirer

Carmelo Anthony, USA Basketball, Argentina, Olympics, Facundo Campazzo 

Frank Isola: Kobe Bryant, multilingual superstar & UN Peacekeeper, says of Argentine hitman Campazzo: "He apologized to me so he apologized to my guys." Twitter

Kobe Bryant, USA Basketball, Team USA, Argentina, Olympics, Facundo Campazzo 

Carmelo Anthony, who’s 6-8, rose for a long jumper, and 5-10 Argentine point guard Facundo Campazzo hit him in the groin. Melo mellowed out on the floor in agony. That’s cheap. That’s cheesy. U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewski said of Anthony’s drop to the hardwood as if poleaxed, ‘‘He wasn’t celebrating the shot.’’ It was an angry moment in a hard-fought game, and the ensuing scrum put even more fever into the Americans’ goal of winning every game in London by as much as possible. ‘‘It was wrong,’’ Kobe Bryant (11 points in 21 minutes) said angrily of the jab. ‘‘We told him, ‘You don’t do that.’ ’’ Chicago Sun-Times

Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony, USA Basketball, Mike Krzyzewski, Argentina, Olympics, Facundo Campazzo 

“I think it is important we do good things in this tournament,” Campazzo said. “We will have to make changes later, but we are not thinking about that. We are thinking about winning now. The players on this team, they deserve that.” Sporting News

Manu Ginobili, Luis Scola, Argentina, Olympics, Facundo Campazzo 

Frank Isola: Tyson Chandler on Facundo Campazzo punching Carmelo Anthony in the groin: "It was a cheap shot." Twitter

Carmelo Anthony, Tyson Chandler, USA Basketball, Team USA, Argentina, Olympics, Facundo Campazzo 

Frank Isola: Carmelo joked that he "just fell down" but later told me "it was a cheap shot but we move on." Hope he dosen't take it out on poor Prigioni Twitter

Carmelo Anthony, USA Basketball, Team USA, Argentina, Olympics, Facundo Campazzo 

Frank Isola: Kobe Bryant, who speaks Spanish and Italian, told Facundo Campazzo he was "wrong" for what he did to Carmelo Twitter

Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony, USA Basketball, Team USA, Argentina, Olympics, Facundo Campazzo 

Frank Isola: Campazzo apologized to Kobe but not to Melo because "Chris Paul didn't apologize to me." Campazzo accused Paul of punching him in 1st half Twitter

Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony, USA Basketball, Team USA, Argentina, Olympics, Facundo Campazzo 

Sean Deveney: Luis Scola, on the groin shot that Team USA's Carmelo Anthony took: "(Facundo) Campazzo got hit in the nuts, too. That stuff happens." Twitter

Carmelo Anthony, Luis Scola, USA Basketball, Team USA, Argentina, Olympics, Facundo Campazzo