LONDON — It was a deeply disappointing end to the Olympics for Knicks point guard Pablo Prigioni of Argentina, who barely missed out on a medal after which he displayed a flash of his temper.
After Russia nipped Argentina in the final 30 seconds yesterday to post a 81-77 victory in the bronze-medal game, Prigioni kicked over the timer clock sitting on a table by the bench before Manu Ginobili restrained him from doing more damage. Argentina was angry over a non-call in the final frantic seconds and surrounded referee Bill Kennedy at the final buzzer.
Prigioni came up with a loose ball along the sidelines amid a mad scramble, the ball got knocked away and another scramble ensued with bodies flying. No whistle blew as Russia regained possession.
Prigioni blew through the mixed zone press area without stopping to talk after what is likely his last Olympics at age 35. Earlier, he told The Post he will report to New York in early September to start voluntary workouts at the team’s Westchester facility as the oldest NBA rookie in history.
In a tweet later on in Spanish, Prigioni wrote, “I don’t wish anybody the pain and the sadness I feel today. I prefer 10 colics. The only relief will be to stay with my teammates and family.’’
Prigioni, a Spanish League stalwart, signed last month a one-year, $500,000 contract to form a brand-new Knicks point-guard triumvirate that includes Raymond Felton and Jason Kidd.
Prigioni, battling kidney stones that forced him to miss two prior games, finished with 3 points, 7 assists and 3 steals in 36:44 but was often hesitant to shoot. Ginobili finished with 21 points and made a terrific driving reverse layup that put Argentina up one in the final minute. But it couldn’t hold the lead and an open 3-point miss by Andres Nocioni in the final seconds sealed the loss.