Some of you may remember Athens in 2004: Argentina 89, US 81. It was the semifinal round of the Olympics, and the US would settle for bronze. Four years later: New setting, same opponent.

Argentina is playing pesky defense at the Olympics, and has committed the fewest turnovers. But plunge further into the scouting report, and few are giving Argentina a chance: It has played mostly with a six-man rotation due to depth issues, and forward Andres Nocioni (Bulls) was slowed against Greece with a knee injury. Argentina star Manu Ginobili has given his country virtually no chance to win.

Two matchups should be familiar to NBA fans: Kobe defending Manu Ginobili (Spurs) and Dwight Howard inside banging with Luis Scola (Rockets). Carlos Delfino is a capable scorer, but nothing LeBron – who should save his defensive gambling for the second half, when the game is decided – can’t handle. We’ll project a 98-74 US victory (it is favored by 19.5). It is the first time we’re sensing an easy victory for the Americans. Hopefully, Coach K is taking Argentina much more seriously than we are.

Game starts at 10:15 am Friday, and we’ll follow the action live with a post. The Gold medal game, oddly, is taking place at 2:30 am Sunday morning. Not sure if lame NBC is showing that one live or what.