Team USA (Official Thread)

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

8/18/06

Americans gear up to reassert control of world basketball

Friday, August 18, 2006

Andrew Bagnato
ASSOCIATED PRESS

<!--PHOTOS--><TABLE class=phototableright align=right border=0><!-- begin large ad code --><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE align=center><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle></IMG> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=credit width=200>DAVID LONGSTREATH ASSOCIATED PRESS </TD></TR><TR><TD class=cutline width=200>LeBron James was named one of three captains for the U.S. team yesterday along with Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>


SAPPORO, Japan — After mowing down five exhibition opponents by an average of 34 points, the United States is ready to re-establish ownership of international basketball.
The exhibitions demonstrated that the Americans are treating the world championships as the start of a three-year mission. If all goes as planned, the mission will culminate in a gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
But first come the world championships, which have long been emphasized by foreign teams and overlooked in the United States.
"You have to understand to some of these players this is their NBA championship, this is their ultimate goal — to win these games," forward Elton Brand said. "This is as important as any game they have played, so we have to take it as that also."
The U.S. team flew to Sapporo yesterday from Seoul, where it wrapped up a 5-0 exhibition schedule with a lopsided 116-63 victory over South Korea. The Americans appeared loose during a light evening workout.
"We’re not overconfident," coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "We respect every one of these teams. Who’s to say who’s the best teams? We certainly haven’t seen all of them."
Opposing teams certainly will see plenty of Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade — named team captains yesterday by Krzyzewski.
"It’s a big responsibility for us three being captains and going out and representing our country in the right way," James said in a USA Basketball statement. "You’ve got to show leadership on the court and off the court, and you’ve got to show responsibility. We have to approach the game the right way and take care of business."
The first opponent is Puerto Rico on Saturday. The Americans are 7-1 against the Puerto Ricans in world championship play and defeated them 114-69 in an Aug. 3 exhibition.
The Americans made it look easy in a five-game exhibition sweep of China, South Korea, Puerto Rico and Lithuania (twice). China and Puerto Rico are in the Americans’ Group D, along with Senegal, Italy and Slovenia. After a week of roundrobin play, the top four teams advance to the knockout round.
"The level of play is going to pick up, intensity is going to pick up, and we have to do the same," guard Kirk Hinrich said.
Krzyzewski stressed defense during the exhibition tour, and the U.S. team limited opponents to 40 percent shooting from the field and just under 76 points per game.
Hinrich said the Americans are intent on "setting the tone defensively and forcing our will on every team we play."
And starting with James, Wade and Anthony, the U.S. team has plenty of players who can beat opponents off the dribble. But the Americans also have to prove they can score consistently against zone defenses.
That has been a weakness for the Americans in recent years, but this team has shot better. The Americans shot 41 percent from beyond the theee-point arc during the exhibition series. "I don’t think any of us will be satisfied until we can play well and hopefully win the gold," Shane Battier said.

Friday, August 18, 2006

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

8/19/06

U.S. ready to make it count

Quest to restore respect at FIBA World Championship begins against Puerto Rico

By Brian Windhorst

Beacon Journal sportswriter

<!-- begin body-content -->SAPPORO, JAPAN - In a cramped and sweaty ballroom in the basement of one of the few American hotels in Japan's northernmost province, Team USA squirmed with discomfort Friday night.
Their competition-to-be wore shorts and T-shirts, or even comfortable jumpsuits, during a bizarre and balmy opening ceremony for the 2006 FIBA World Championship. The Americans were in matching suits with blue jackets, red ties and white shirts.
When it came time to formally introduce the teams -- after the cheerleaders' awkward, Go, Fight, Win rendition but before the ``Hello Kitty'' memorabilia went on sale -- Team USA was the first to rise to its feet.
The real question, though, is whether they still will be standing, and looking spiffy, two weeks from now outside Tokyo, where the new champion will be crowned.
Though it is considered the most important title in the international basketball community, the world championship has never been held in much esteem in America. Perhaps that's why little attention was paid when Team USA failed to claim the title in 1998 or 2002.
This time around, after the embarrassing display in the high-profile 2004 Olympics, the heat is on for the revamped Team USA to make good on its promise to restore tradition.
With the new faces of the NBA -- LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony -- as captains, along with a rededicated preparation process that has been much ballyhooed, there isn't much wiggle room.
It starts with James, who moaned over his insignificant role in 2004. Now he has a huge part to play and all the expectations that come with it.
``It didn't matter to me if I was the captain, I just wanted to be a big part of the team,'' James said. ``There is going to be pressure, times where things are not going the way we want them to go.''
That is guaranteed. There's the spotty and often questionable FIBA officiating, a little quirk that forced Tim Duncan to swear off further competition after the Athens Olympics. There are the rules that make it easy to play zone defense, usually a thorn for the weak outside-shooting U.S. team. And there's the general loss of opponents' fear.
Team USA's pool, Group D, is considered relatively weak but not weak-minded. Puerto Rico, which opens with Team USA today, beat the Americans in Athens, as did Italy, who awaits next week. Another first-round opponent, Slovenia, has four NBA first-round draft picks on its roster.
Coach Mike Krzyzewski plans to reverse the trend with depth and athleticism, constantly subbing as the team presses and pushes the ball. Whether that will work against the top contenders, like reigning Olympic champion Argentina or Spain, who was 9-0 in exhibition warm-ups, is a matter of opinion.
``I think the guys understand the situation. They are reminded about it every day,'' Krzyzewski said. ``Our guys are ready to play games.''
Just how ready is about to be determined. Team USA's 5-0 exhibition record is meaningless, as are all the promises if they are not kept.
``We understand how big this is,'' James said. ``We'll see adversity and we'll react to it.

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

yahoo.com

8/19/06

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=yspsctnhdln>US 111, Puerto Rico 100</TD></TR><TR><TD height=7><SPACER width="1" height="1" type="block"></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>By ANDREW BAGNATO, AP Sports Writer
August 19, 2006
SAPPORO, Japan (AP) -- The U.S. basketball team arrived in Asia two weeks before the world championships tipped off so the players could adjust to a different time zone. However, early in their opener against Puerto Rico Saturday, the Americans looked as if they had just stepped off a flight from the United States. FIBA's top-ranked team trailed No. 11 Puerto Rico 36-32 midway through the second period.
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>The Americans eventually woke up and rolled to a 111-100 victory. Afterward, they acknowledged they'll have to improve if they hope to bring home the U.S.' first world championship since 1994.

"We didn't get off to the start we wanted to," guard Kirk Hinrich said. "We played in stretches. A lot of that is a credit to Puerto Rico and the way they played and the effort they gave. Moving forward, I think we're just going to have to play a lot more consistent and play better for longer periods of time."
Carmelo Anthony scored 21 points, and LeBron James and Hinrich each added 15. Chris Paul had 11 points, nine assists and five steals for the U.S., which outrebounded Puerto Rico 36-27.
Carlos Arroyo scored 23 points to lead Puerto Rico, and Elias Ayuso added 14.
The U.S. improved to 8-1 against Puerto Rico in world championship play, but the opponents weren't intimidated. Puerto Rico led 24-23 after one quarter and cut a 22-point deficit to 12 in the final 4 minutes.
However, the Puerto Ricans couldn't overcome the Americans' physical superiority.
"We crashed against a genetic wall in every sense of the word," Puerto Rican coach Julio Toro said through a translator.
The Americans' talent carried them through lengthy bouts of listlessness.
"We didn't have the energy," U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "We were ready to play, because we respect them. But we needed to create energy."
Krzyzewski has stressed defense during training camp. And defense helped create a spark in the first quarter. Trailing 12-9 with 6 minutes to go in the opening period, the Americans came up with steals on three consecutive possessions.
First, Paul stole a pass and fed James, who dunked. Then, Dwyane Wade snagged a pass and went the length of the court for another jam. After Dwight Howard made it three steals in a row, he blocked Ayuso's shot, setting up Shane Battier's 3-pointer.
The sequence led to a 9-0 run that put the U.S. ahead 17-12 with 3:49 to play in the first quarter.
"That's the way to get in the passing lanes," Krzyzewski told his players during a timeout.
The U.S. finished with 14 steals, but struggled to contain Puerto Rico's scorers -- allowing them to shoot 54 percent from the floor and 63 percent from beyond the 3-point arc.
"I think we played defense in spurts," Krzyzewski said.
Toro said the U.S. defenders "have to keep growing and getting better in their man-to-man matchups, the matchup zones, closing lanes."
The U.S. closed out the first half with a 15-7 run capped by back-to-back 3-pointers by Joe Johnson to take a 57-51 lead into intermission.
The Americans were never threatened after halftime, opening the third quarter with a 12-2 run on their way to an 87-74 lead heading into the fourth. They snuffed Puerto Rico's hopes for an upset by scoring the first seven points of the final quarter.
"They did a tremendous job of moving the ball," said Arroyo, who plays for the Orlando Magic. "Playing as a team, that's what basketball is all about."
The U.S. faces China Sunday in the second of its five Group D games. The Chinese are ranked 14th by FIBA, but that doesn't mean the Americans can take them for granted. "We're aware we're going to have problems with anybody," Krzyzewski said. "We respect everybody."

[ScriptOhio]

U.S. rolls over Yao Ming, China 121-90 <!-- END HEADLINE -->
<!-- BEGIN STORY BODY -->By BRIAN MAHONEY, AP Basketball Writer 30 minutes ago
SAPPORO, Japan - Yao Ming is back, and the United States was ready for him. Using a swarming defense and their huge advantage in depth to make life miserable for China and its All-Star center, the Americans rolled to a 121-90 victory Sunday night to remain unbeaten at the world championships.
"We knew that they wanted Yao to be a big factor, so we wanted to take him out and make them take difficult shots," U.S. forward Antawn Jamison said.
Dwyane Wade scored 26 points for the Americans, who needed less than four minutes to build their first double-digit lead and led by as many as 36. Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard had 16 points each and Chris Paul 13.
LeBron James, Joe Johnson and Elton Brand all had 11 points while Paul added eight assists and Howard 11 rebounds.
"We were trying to share the basketball, share the defensive rotation and just be a team," Brand said. "There are a lot of individuals out there, especially on their respective NBA teams. We're trying to be a team out here, get assists and do the extra things."
The Americans, averaging 116 points through two games, next play Slovenia on Tuesday. They headed into Group D's off day tied with Italy at 2-0 for first place. China (0-2) is tied with Senegal at the bottom. The top four teams in the six-team pool advance.
Yao led China with 21 points, but the Americans made him work for all of them. He had only one field goal in the first half, when the game was decided, and finished 5-of-8 from the field before fouling out with 6:08 remaining.
"We worked very hard to defend Yao," U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "He's a terrific player."
Yao didn't play in the Americans' 119-73 victory in this month's exhibition game at Guangzhou, China, because he was recovering from a broken left foot. His return in time for this tournament gave plenty of hope to the Chinese, who had a large contingent of fans at the game waving flags and holding large pictures of Yao.
The 7-foot-5 center predicted China would advance out of pool play — he was quoted in a story in the China Daily before the tournament as saying, "China will enter the last 16, I promise." Then he scored 30 points in China's opening loss to Italy.
But the U.S. never let him be a factor when the game was still in doubt, delivering a couple of hard fouls when he had a clear path to the basket and even playing two centers together at times. Still not fully fit, Yao didn't even make it across midcourt at times after Chinese turnovers.
"It is a little bit different from playing Yao in international ball than NBA ball," Howard said. "Yao is the main focus for the Chinese team. Playing with him in America he has Tracy McGrady on his team, so Yao kind of gets some rest."
After coming off the bench in the Americans' victory over Puerto Rico in the opener, Howard drew the starting assignment Sunday and responded underneath.
"Dwight would take any center from any team," Krzyzewski said. "The guy who's been our best center has been him."
Meanwhile, the Americans displayed the balance that makes them one of the tournament favorites, with Krzyzewski using all 12 players in the first half.
Leading by 14 points midway through the second quarter, the Americans used a 12-0 run to break open the game and build a 54-28 lead.
Wade then scored the Americans' final 11 points of the half, including a drive just before the buzzer that gave the U.S. a 63-38 lead. China had more turnovers (12) than baskets (11) in the first 20 minutes.

China coach Jonas Kazlauskas said all teams facing the United States have the same problem: "Turnovers, transition and rebounds — and we had the same problems today."
The Chinese finished with 25 turnovers — an improvement from their 34 in the exhibition game — which helped the Americans to a 29-8 cushion in fast-break points. The U.S. outscored China 20-3 on turnovers.
Yao hit a jumper to open the third period and Wang Shipeng scored the next eight points as the Chinese pulled within 63-48. But James scored seven points during a 10-3 surge that pushed the lead back to 22, and the Americans were never threatened again. The United States improved to 5-0 in world championships play against China, the Asian champion. Wang added 17 points for China, which next plays Puerto Rico.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060820/...lds_china_us_3

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Yahoo.com

8/21/06

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=yspsctnhdln>Balanced U.S. wins second straight at world championships</TD></TR><TR><TD height=7><SPACER type="block" width="1" height="1"></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>By ANDREW BAGNATO, AP Sports Writer
August 20, 2006

SAPPORO, Japan (AP) -- One day Carmelo Anthony leads the U.S. in scoring. The next game, it's Dwyane Wade's turn. Wade scored 26 points Sunday night to lead the U.S. to a 121-90 rout of Yao Ming and China, the Americans' second victory in as many games at the FIBA world championships. Someone else may lead the way against Slovenia on Tuesday.

This is how the Americans were assembled. Unlike many teams in the world championships, they don't have to rely on one or two stars to carry the scoring load.
"We have to be unselfish because of the caliber of players that we have," captain LeBron James said. "There's no reason for us to be selfish. Guys can make shots. Guys can make plays at any given moment of the game. I go out there to be unselfish and it kind of rubs off on everybody else. That's the kind of team that we have."
James averaged 31.4 points per game last year for Cleveland. He's averaging 13 in the first two games here.
"The dimensions we have on our team, I don't need to score at all," said James, who has eight assists in two games.
The Americans have averaged 116 points against lightweights Puerto Rico and China. And they haven't relied on any single player.
Anthony scored a team-high 21 points in the opening 111-100 victory over Puerto Rico, and nine of the 11 Americans who played scored at least two baskets.
On Sunday night, Wade had 26 points on 9-of-13 shooting. And he didn't even start.
The U.S. spread the ball around from the start. Shane Battier, who took only two shots in the opener, opened the game with a 3-pointer from the corner, then drove for a basket.
Dwight Howard made two free throws. Then Anthony and Chris Paul each hit 15-footers.
The only starter who didn't score in the first four minutes was James.
"We've got 12 guys on this team who can make shots," Anthony said.
It certainly looked like that Sunday night. The only players who didn't score were Chris Bosh, who missed two shots, and Brad Miller, who didn't shoot.
With so many options, it makes the Americans tough to stop. As Slovenia prepares its game plan, will it try to neutralize Anthony or Wade? Or will it focus on James, who has yet to put up the big numbers he's capable of? But it can't ignore Paul, who is 8-for-15 from the floor and is averaging 12 points.
"For one, you can't key in on one player," James said. "You've got to play team defense. You can't just worry about a Dwyane Wade or a Carmelo Anthony or a big man like Dwight Howard or myself. You've got to try to key in on everybody and try to stop us, which is very hard to do."
For many of the Americans, the team-first attitude represents a change from the NBA.
"There are a lot of individuals out there, especially on their respective NBA teams," forward Elton Brand said. "So we're trying to be a team out here and get assists and do the extra things."
Although the U.S. has been potent in the first two games, it has been plagued by poor long-range shooting. The Americans have posted the two worst 3-point shooting percentages in Group D's first six games.
The U.S. shot 33 percent (9-for-27) from 3-point range against Puerto Rico. The U.S. was even worse from beyond the arc Sunday night, shooting 30 percent (6-for-20).
Anthony and Paul have each gone 2-for-7 from 3-point range. James and Wade are each 0-for-3.
"Three-point shooting is a funny business," said Battier, who has hit two of five 3-pointers. "We have guys who can make those shots, obviously. We're not concerned about that.
"The quality of the 3-point shot has been good for us," Battier said. "It's a whole different ballgame if we take shots under contest and under duress. We've had wide-open shots, and our guys will hit them."
On Sunday, there was no reason for the Americans to shoot from long range. They were at their best when they were attacking the basket against the overmatched Chinese, especially when Yao was on the bench. He played 27 minutes before fouling out with a team-high 21 points. As the blowout wore on, the U.S. brought the otherwise sedate Sapporo Arena crowd to its feet with a series of slam dunks. Howard dunked so hard in the fourth quarter that the ball bounded off Anthony's head. "We take the shots the defense gives us," Battier said. "We want to attack."

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

[ScriptOhio]

U.S. cruises past Slovenia

Wade scores 20, James 19 for 3-0 Americans


Dwyane Wade salutes the effort of the U.S. squad in its rout of Slovenia.

SAPPORO, Japan (AP) -- The United States had the two best teams on the floor Tuesday night.
Using two units to wear down and outrun Slovenia, the Americans rolled to a 114-95 victory, remaining unbeaten and clinching a spot in the round of 16 at the world championships.
Dwyane Wade scored 20 points for the U.S. (3-0), which meets fellow Group D unbeaten Italy on Wednesday night. LeBron James added 19 in his most impressive performance of the tournament.
James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, Chris Paul and Shane Battier started the game, but U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewski sent Wade, Elton Brand, Antawn Jamison, Kirk Hinrich and Joe Johnson out together midway through the first period.
The second unit put a stop to Slovenia's strong start, and both groups contributed to the big run that blew open the game in the second quarter.
Brand finished with 16 points and Anthony had 14. All but one of the U.S. players scored.
Slovenia, with four NBA players on its roster, was widely considered the second-most talented team in the group. But the Slovenians have lost consecutive games to the group co-leaders after beating Senegal on Saturday in their world championships debut.
Sani Becirovic led Slovenia (1-2) with 18 points. Primoz Brezec and Bostjan Nachbar each added 15.
Running its offense crisply to get open shots, Slovenia led 21-16 after Rasho Nesterovic's follow shot with 2:47 left in the first quarter. Wade and Brand then each had four points in an 11-0 burst, and the Americans were ahead 30-27 after one.
Slovenia was within four points early in the second before the Americans blew it open with an 18-4 run, fueled by steals and dunks. Antawn Jamison's basket after Joe Johnson's steal made it 55-37 with 4:20 left in the half, and the U.S. led 66-49 at the break.
Slovenia shot 52 percent in the first half, but the U.S. turned 16 turnovers -- the Slovenians had only 15 field goals -- into 22 points.
James and Howard were among the U.S. players who drew "Oohs" and "Aahs" from the crowd with a series of pregame dunks. Then the game started, and the Americans really put on a show.
The Americans had little trouble getting the game at the fast pace they wanted, and had few problems even when they were forced to slow down. Wade got behind the zone to dunk an alley-oop pass from Paul on one play, and the U.S. was 7-of-11 from 3-point range in the first 20 minutes.
Slovenia coach Ales Pipan sat Nesterovic, Nachbar and Beno Udrih, three of his NBA players, to open the second half. They watched as the Americans pushed the lead to as much as 29 points in the third quarter.
The Slovenians got within 11 in the final minutes. They face Puerto Rico next.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200....ap/index.html

[ScriptOhio]

LeBron, U.S. team not making guarantees <!-- END HEADLINE -->
<!-- BEGIN STORY BODY -->By ANDREW BAGNATO, AP Sports Writer 45 minutes ago


SAPPORO, Japan - After the United States whipped Slovenia 114-95 Tuesday night, LeBron James was asked if he would guarantee a FIBA world championship. "No way," James said with a chuckle. "It's too far away."


But after three double-digit victories, the idea of the U.S. winning its first world championships since 1994 isn't far-fetched.
The U.S. has won its first three Group D games — against Puerto Rico, China and Slovenia — by an average of 20.3 points. It hasn't trailed after halftime.
The Americans face their sternest test in group play Wednesday night against Italy, which improved to 3-0 with a comeback victory over Senegal on Tuesday.
"We're improving every game," forward Shane Battier said. "If we can continue to play the defense we've shown in stretches for longer stretches, we're going to be in very good shape for this championship."
The victory over Slovenia clinched a trip to the second round, which was seen as a foregone conclusion.
Captain Dwyane Wade had 20 points to lead the U.S. in scoring for the second game in a row. Wade is the team's top scorer, averaging 19.7 points per game.
LeBron James added 19 points, Elton Brand 16 and Carmelo Anthony 14 for the Americans, who shot 56 percent from the floor.
Point guard Chris Paul had nine assists and two turnovers. Kirk Hinrich led the U.S. with seven rebounds.
Sani Becirovic scored 18 points to lead Slovenia, which had five players in double figures.
The U.S. used a potent combination of defense and 3-point shooting to blow the game open.
Three-point shooting had been one of Team USA's few flaws in the first two games. The Americans shot 33 percent from beyond the arc against Puerto Rico and 30 percent against China.
On Tuesday night, their long-range shots finally started to fall. The U.S. went 7-for-11 on 3-point shots (64 percent) in the first half and finished 10-for-20 (50 percent).
Battier went 3-for-3 from beyond the arc and James and Antawn Jamison each hit two of four.
"It's a totally different thing when they're hitting 3-point shots," Slovenian swingman Bostjan Nachbar said. "When they make 3s, you can't pull the defenders in and hope for rebounds. That opens the lane, and then they're really tough to stop."
At the defensive end, the U.S. struggled to stop the Slovenians in the early going but quickly adjusted. Slovenia had its biggest lead — 21-16 — with 2:45 to play in the first quarter when the Americans went on an 11-0 run. During the spurt, the U.S. forced three turnovers in less than two minutes.
With four NBA players, the Slovenians weren't awed by Team USA. But they needed to take better care of the ball to have any hopes for a massive upset. They also needed to hit 3-point shots to stretch the American defense.

Slovenia made only two of six 3-point shots in the first half and finished 6-for-15 (40 percent).
"Tonight in the first half, our defense was the best it's been," U.S. assistant coach Jim Boeheim said. "We held them to two 3-point shots in the first half. That's a big statistic, I think, for us. That and forcing turnovers. Those two things are why we were ahead at halftime. And when you force turnovers you get easier shots at the other end."
The U.S. harried Slovenia into 16 first-half turnovers, which led to 22 points, many of them on dunks. Slovenia finished with 25 turnovers.
In the first three games here, the Americans have forced 64 turnovers.
The Americans led Slovenia by 29 points in the second half before falling asleep and letting the Slovenians pull within 105-94 with 2:15 to go. Wade's putback ended the run. "They didn't go away," Battier said. "There's something to be said for that."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060822/..._slovenia_us_3

[akronbuck]

I watched it and its been a long time since team USA has played like a true team. If they don't win it out , its because, not enough big bodies, Battier starting at PF . I know they can't have 5 stars as the starters because, that would cause bad team playing but, I could name 10 americans that I would put at PF before him.

ONly 2 centers
Brand is good but, a poor man Karl Malone
All the other players are SF/OG players with 2 PG

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

8/23/06

American tag team wears down Slovenia

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Brian Mahoney
ASSOCIATED PRESS

<!--PHOTOS--><TABLE class=phototableright align=right border=0><!-- begin large ad code --><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE align=center><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle></IMG> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=credit width=200>MARK J . TERRILL ASSOCIATED PRESS </TD></TR><TR><TD class=cutline width=200>USA’s Chris Paul checks on his injured lip as he sits on the bench while LeBron James, center, and Carmelo Anthony look on during their first-round game against Slovenia. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>


SAPPORO, Japan — LeBron James and the rest of the U.S. starters were yanked less than halfway through the first quarter.
They hadn’t done anything wrong; it was just time for the second team to come in.
That one was better than Slovenia, too.
Using both units to wear down and outrun the Slovenians, the Americans rolled to a 114-95 victory yesterday, remaining unbeaten and clinching a spot in the round of 16 at the world basketball championships.
"It seems to favor our team," Elton Brand said. "You don’t have to pace yourself at all because you know you’re going to get a certain amount of minutes. You know you’re going to be in there, and you know you’re going to play. So once you’re out there, you play hard, and you can try to wear down teams."
Dwyane Wade scored 20 points for the U.S. team (3-0), which plays Italy, also unbeaten in Group D, today. James added 19 in his most impressive performance of the tournament.
James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, Chris Paul and Shane Battier started the game, but U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewski sent Wade, Brand, Antawn Jamison, Kirk Hinrich and Joe Johnson out together midway through the first quarter.
The second unit put a stop to Slovenia’s strong start, and both groups contributed to the big run that blew open the game in the second quarter.
Brand finished with 16 points, and Anthony had 14. All but one of the U.S. players scored.
Slovenia, with four NBA players on its roster, was widely considered the second-most talented team in the group. But the Slovenians have lost consecutive games to the group co-leaders after beating Senegal on Saturday in their world championships debut.
"We did our best, but once the Americans started playing their defense very strongly, that was our problem," Slovenia’s Saso Ozbolt said.
Sani Becirovic led Slovenia (1-2) with 18 points. Primoz Brezec and Bostjan Nachbar each added 15.
Running its offense crisply to get open shots, Slovenia led 21-16 after Rasho Nesterovic’s follow shot with 2:47 left in the first quarter. Wade and Brand then each had four points in an 11-0 burst, and the Americans were ahead 30-27 after one quarter.
"We had to wake up a little bit. We came out a little flat," Wade said. "They came out very aggressive early in the first quarter. We’ve got a deep team. We can bring different guys at them. Once we had the lead at the end of the first, we kind of took it from there."
Slovenia was within four points early in the second before the Americans blew it open with an 18-4 run, fueled by steals and dunks. Jamison’s basket after Johnson’s steal made it 55-37 with 4:20 left in the half, and the U.S. team led 66-49 at the break.
"It’s a game of adjustments," Brand said. "They were executing very well. Once we stepped up our defense and adjusted, we played better. Much better."
Slovenia shot 52 percent in the first half, but the U.S. turned 16 turnovers — the Slovenians had only 15 field goals — into 22 points. The Americans had 17 steals and forced 25 turnovers overall, leading to 28 points.
James and Howard were among the U.S. players who drew "Oohs" and "Aahs" from the crowd with a series of pregame dunks. Then the game started, and the Americans really put on a show.
The U.S. team had little trouble getting the game to the fast pace it wanted and had few problems even when forced to slow down. Wade got behind the zone to dunk an alley-oop pass from Paul on one play, and the Americans were 7 of 11 from three-point range in the first 20 minutes.
Slovenia coach Ales Pipan sat Nesterovic, Nachbar and Beno Udrih, three of his NBA players, to open the second half. They watched as the Americans pushed the lead to as much as 29 points in the third quarter.
Pipan said his team played well but "our mind was already on our next game that is tomorrow against Puerto Rico." The Americans shot 56 percent from the field and were 10 of 20 from behind the arc. They are averaging 115.3 points in the tournament.

[scarletngrey11]

Down by 12 at the beginning of the second half.

[ScriptOhio]

Anthony's 35 leads U.S. over Italy
<!-- END HEADLINE --><!-- BEGIN STORY BODY -->By BRIAN MAHONEY, AP Basketball Writer
SAPPORO, Japan - The Americans survived their toughest test yet in the world basketball championships, overcoming a 12-point deficit in the second half to beat Italy 94-85 Wednesday night. Carmelo Anthony scored 19 of his U.S.-record 35 points in the third quarter, when he played extensive minutes with fellow captains Dwyane Wade and LeBron James. U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewski was forced to scrap his two-unit rotation after an anemic offense in the second quarter.
Wade added 26 points, helping the Americans (4-0) finally seize control for good midway through the fourth quarter with six points and an assist during a 10-2 spurt that gave the U.S. a 13-point lead.
Anthony broke the previous scoring record set by Kenny Anderson, who scored 34 points in a 1990 world championships game — a team also coached by Krzyzewski.
The U.S. clinched the top seed in Group D and will face the fourth-place team from Group C on Sunday in Saitama in the round of 16.
The Italians (3-1), done in by a five-minute stretch without a field goal in the third quarter, can still earn Group D's No. 2 seed by beating Puerto Rico on Thursday.
But they were thinking big after controlling the first half to the delight of a group of fans chanting "Italia! Italia!"
Marco Belinelli scored 25 points for Italians, the 2004 Olympic silver medalists. They defeated the U.S. 95-78 in an exhibition game prior to those games, and clapped as they walked off the floor Wednesday even though they fell short.
The Italians were expected to take a step down from that level after turning to a younger team following a ninth-place finish in the 2005 European championships that forced them to need a wild card from FIBA to qualify for the world championships.
But they hit 30 3-pointers in their first three games, and the Americans tried to negate that by extending their defensive pressure further away from the basket. But the Italians took advantage with dribble penetration while working their offense expertly in the first half, when they shot 58 percent.
Elton Brand scored the last five points of the first quarter as the U.S. took a 25-19 lead, but the Americans then made only two field goals in the second — and made matters worse by missing five of 12 free throws — during a dismal 11-point period.
The Italians capitalized with a 12-4 spurt to close the half, with Matteo Soragna scoring the final five points of the half to give Italy a 45-36 lead at the break.
The Americans, who came in averaging 115.3 points, shot only 39 percent in the first half.
U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewski scrapped his two teams and put James, Wade and Anthony together to start the second half with Brand and Chris Paul.
A three-point play by Belinelli 15 seconds into the half gave Italy a 12-point cushion. The Americans finally started running, battling back to seize a 53-52 lead when James found Wade down the floor for a basket to cap a 17-4 surge.
The U.S. increased the lead to eight later in the period during Italy's drought and were up 71-64 after Anthony drilled a 3-pointer in the closing seconds.
The U.S. gets a breather Thursday, facing winless Senegal (0-4) in its final game of pool play. They'll be paying attention to Hamamatsu, where Lithuania, Australia and Brazil after still battling for the last two spots. The Lithuanians and Brazilians play Thursday.
Brand finished with 16 points. Fabio Di Bella and Stefano Mancinelli each had 12 for Italy.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060823/...lds_us_italy_2

[ScriptOhio]

Updated: Aug. 24, 2006, 1:12 PM ET
U.S. finishes unbeaten in pool, will play Australia

SAPPORO, Japan -- Dwyane Wadee rose from his seat to acknowledge the crowd chanting for him in the closing minutes of the United States' victory.
That was the only work Wade put in all night.
Wade had the night off, and the rest of the Americans essentially got a breather, too, in a 103-58 victory over Senegal on Thursday night at the world championships.
Even if his team didn't miss him, the fans did, and began chanting for the NBA finals MVP with less than 4 minutes to play. Wade eventually stood and waved, drawing a roar.
"That was a first for me," Wade said. "It was a great experience, though. We play our heart out here to entertain. We gained some fans on this trip."


AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill
Chris Bosh took advantage of rare minutes, scoring 20 for the U.S.




Chris Bosh scored 20 points and LeBron James added 17 in limited duty for the U.S. team, which remained unbeaten.
The Group D champions depart Friday morning for Saitama, where they will face Australia, the fourth-place team from Group C, on Sunday in the round of 16.
That will surely be more difficult than this one, where the U.S. led by as many as 45 against the overmatched African runner-up.
"It's the medal round," Wade said. "Everyone is good. We've got to come in and prepare for them like we've been doing every other game and take it from there."
James scored 15 points in 13 minutes of the first half, then sat along with Carmelo Anthony for the first seven minutes of the third quarter and returned for only a few minutes. Anthony finished with 12 points and played only 14 minutes, one night after setting an American record with 35.
Elhadji N'doye scored 25 points for Senegal (0-5), the last-place team in Group D.
"We've got players, so we just need to reorganize," Senegal's Makhtar N'diaye said. "Our team's going to do that, and our future is pretty bright."
The Americans were coming off their toughest test of the tournament, needing huge second halves from Anthony and Wade to help them rally from a 12-point deficit to beat Italy 94-85 on Wednesday.
But Wade, who appeared to land on his hand after a hard foul during that victory, wasn't needed this time. He showed up on the court a little more than 15 minutes before the tip and stretched, but otherwise just watched his teammates.
Anthony started the game alongside him on the bench. With nothing at stake, U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewski sent out a lineup that included Brad Miller -- who had played in only two of the first four games -- along with usual reserves Joe Johnson, Kirk Hinrich and Antawn Jamison.
The Americans got off to a bit of a slow start and trailed by one midway through the first quarter. A 19-0 run gave them a 31-13 lead early in the second, and after that Krzyzewski was able to mix and match while making sure his stars didn't play too much in his team's fifth game in six nights.
The extra rest will come in handy starting Sunday.
"There are no grand illusions that this is going to be an easy road," Shane Battier said.
Every U.S. player except for Elton Brand, who played only 3 minutes in the first half, had scored by the break. Anthony's 3-pointer with under 4 seconds to go gave the Americans a 58-24 lead at the break.
"It was great for other guys to get minutes that haven't played a lot and play well," Brand said.
Bosh, seeing limited time in Krzyzewski's 10-man rotation for most of pool play, scored 15 points in the second half. He made a pair of free throws to give the Americans a 101-58 lead with 2:04 remaining, and Jamison followed with a bucket 30 seconds later to give the Americans their largest lead.
"Chris has been a guy, who when he has played, has done a good job for us on the offensive glass," Wade said. "But it's 12 guys on the team, so I think Coach, like he told everybody coming in, he doesn't know who he's going to play any given night so everyone has to continue to be ready."
Johnson had 11 points for the U.S., which shot 51 percent. Bosh grabbed 10 rebounds, leading the Americans' 53-32 advantage on the boards.
http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/wbc200...ory?id=2559528

[buckeyeboy]

Not too happy to hear Bosh crying about lack of playing time. The guy needs to grow up and realize he's playing on what is essentiallly an all-star team.

[OHSportsFan9]

Originally Posted by buckeyeboy

Not too happy to hear Bosh crying about lack of playing time. The guy needs to grow up and realize he's playing on what is essentiallly an all-star team.

Where did he cry about playing time? There aren't any quotes from him in the article. Only the author mentions his limited playing time.

I'm excited for this team. They are in a tough situation. If they win- it's expected, if they lose- well, everyone's on them. They have a lot to prove and they've been playing well. Good for them. Go USA!

[buckeyeboy]

Originally Posted by OHSportsFan9

Where did he cry about playing time?

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/insid...26id%3d2559606

SAPPORO, Japan -- If Chris Bosh knew several months ago what he knows now -- that he'd be buried along with Brad Miller on the end of the bench -- would he still have been willing to join Team USA?

"That's a good question. I'm not sure," Bosh told Insider on Thursday night after the U.S. wrapped up preliminary-round play with a 103-58 rout of Senegal. "I can't say that I would, but I don't think anyone would have told me that."

*********

The rest of the article is only available if you're an ESPN insider, which I am not. But the beginning of the article sure sounds like bellyaching about playing time to me.