* U.S. take on Spain in basketball showdown
* Men's marathon and boxing among last medals up for grabs
* British pop royalty to sparkle in closing ceremony
LONDON, Aug 12 (Reuters) - The United States' Dream Team
will defend their Olympic men's basketball title on Sunday as
the London 2012 Games, blessed with the sprint pyrotechnics of
Usain Bolt and the record-breaking legacy of swimmer Michael
Phelps, draws to a close.
Peppered with household names from the glitzy world of NBA
such as LeBron James and Kobe Bryant, the U.S. will do battle
with a dangerous Spanish team looking for revenge in a repeat of
Beijing's final.
"We all know what's on the line," said U.S. player Kevin
Durant. "They're going to come out and give us their best shot.
We got out work cut out for us."
A victory on the court is likely to cement the Americans'
place at the top of the overall Olympics medals table. The U.S.
team has 44 golds so far, above China with 38 and Britain on 28,
well above their Beijing tally of 19.
The men's marathon, mountain biking, wrestling, volleyball
and a flurry of boxing finals will help to round off the
two-week extravaganza of sport before some of Britain's
best-known pop acts, including The Who and George Michael, close
the show.
The U.S. basketball team will find it hard to top Saturday
night's spectacle on the track when Bolt led a Jamaican quartet
to 4x100 metres gold in world record-breaking time and the
hosts' Mo Farah claimed another title - this time the 5,000m.
Bolt adds the relay title to the 'double double' he won in
the 100m and 200m, defending both after his Beijing triumphs and
writing his way into Olympic history as one of the finest - and
zaniest - sprinters the world has known.
As he crossed the line, Bolt cupped his hands in an 'M'
shape above his head - a nod to Farah who had earlier run away
from the pack to win Britain's first men's 5,000m gold.
Farah, contributing to the hosts' biggest medal haul in more
than a century, is the seventh man to win the 5,000m and 10,000m
titles at the same Olympics.
The final few moments of Olympic glory in track and field
brought a close to an eventful penultimate day of the Games in
which startling athletic prowess did not completely dominate the
headlines.
Syrian athlete Ghfran Almouhamad, who competed in the
women's 400 metres hurdles, was the 11th athlete to be thrown
out of the Games since the start of the Olympic period, which
began on July 16, after testing positive for a banned substance.
The 10-strong Syrian team has attracted considerable media
attention during London 2012, less for its sporting achievements
than the bloody conflict raging at home between rebels and
forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad.
CLOSING SHOW
The Spice Girls, One Direction, George Michael and The Who
are expected to perform in the closing ceremony as London
prepares to bid goodbye to what the Guardian newspaper dubbed
the "feelgood Games".
Games chief Sebastian Coe declined to compare London with
other Olympics, but said simply: "I'm pretty pleased with the
way we've delivered."
"Party, party, party," he told a news briefing when asked to
describe the closing concert ending a drama-filled few weeks.
After weeks of concerns about how the capital's creaking
transport system would cope with a huge influx of tourists and
fears that not enough security staff were being recruited, the
Games have so far passed by relatively trouble free.
A scandal over empty seats at several Olympic events also
blew over, especially once the track and field showcase kicked
in and drew in capacity crowds.
Forecasters point to a warm and dry day in London to bring
to a close a festival that has helped to lift the gloom in
recession-hit Britain.
Prime Minister David Cameron has tried to use the Games to
woo investment to Britain, hoping it would give the economy a
much needed boost, although some London businesses complained
that warnings about overcrowding from the Games had driven
customers away.
As well as a "hit list" of more than 30 popular songs, the
closing ceremony will feature thousands of athletes and
performing volunteers as well as a section devoted to the next
summer Olympic hosts, Rio de Janeiro.
"I think it's a gift that we've got Rio next because their
eight minutes is so wonderful and really full of that samba
beat," artistic director Kim Gavin said of the 2016 hosts.