SAPPORO, Japan - After mowing down five exhibition opponents by an average of
34 points, the U.S. is ready to re-establish ownership of international
basketball.
Team USA forward
LeBron James shoots the ball during practice for the FIBA World
Championship of basketball, Thursday, Aug. 17, 2006, in Sapporo, northern
Japan.[AP] |
The exhibitions demonstrated that the Americans are treating the world
championships as the start of a larger mission that, if all goes as planned,
will culminate in a gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
But first comes 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. flew to Sapporo on Thursday from Seoul, where it wrapped up a 5-0
exhibition schedule with a 116-63 victory over South Korea. The Americans
appeared loose during a light evening workout at Sapporo Arena.
"We're not overconfident," coach Mike Krzyzewski said after Thursday's
practice. "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 on Thursday 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."
The first order of business will be Puerto Rico in Saturday's opener. The
U.S. is 7-1 against the Puerto Ricans in world championship play and defeated
them 114-69 in an Aug. 3 exhibition in Las Vegas.
The Americans made it look easy in a five-game exhibition sweep of China,
South Korea, Puerto Rico, Brazil and Lithuania. China and Puerto Rico are in the
Americans' Group D, along with Senegal, Italy and Slovenia. After a week of
round-robin play, the top four teams advance to the knockout round at Saitama,
near Tokyo.
"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. limited
opponents to 40 percent shooting and just under 76 points a game. The Americans
had 74 steals and 17 blocked shots.
Hinrich said the U.S. is intent on "setting the tone defensively and forcing
our will on every team we play."
The best defenses develop over time as players learn to work as a team. The
Americans are still adjusting to each other on defense, but Krzyzewski is
pleased with the effort.
"Our guys have not had one minute where we haven't played hard defensively,
so that's there," he said. "There's a little bit of familiarity to be developed.
I would like our guys, if they are beaten on the drive, to rely a little bit
more on our shot-blocking ability. Hopefully we won't get beaten too much by the
dribble."
