Humble U.S. look to charm their way to gold
By Alastair Himmer, Reuters
Wed Jul 23, 12:58 AM EDT
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BEIJING — Loaded with outrageous talent but mindful of past mistakes, the United States men's basketball team will be checking egos at the door at the Beijing Olympics.
Boasting Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, the NBA's Most Valuable Player and its leading scorer, the Americans are among the gold medal favorites along with Spain and Argentina.
Spain won men's gold at the 2006 world championships behind inspired play from Bryant's Los Angeles Lakers team mate Pau Gasol, who will be key to Spanish ambitions in China.
The sharp-shooting Argentines, who usurped the U.S. as champions at the 2004 Athens Olympics, will also be a serious threat to American hopes of redemption.
In the women's competition, American Becky Hammon's controversial defection to Russia not only triggered dismay but could give her adopted nation a vital edge in Beijing.
The U.S. have won 12 Olympic men's titles but their supremacy has waned in recent years. They finished with bronze four years ago and were third at the 2006 world championships.
The arrogance of old has been replaced by humility, individualism by team chemistry, and head coach Mike Krzyzewski preaches respect to his players.
"For too long we've been saying it's our game," he told reporters on naming his 12-man squad. "It's really the world's game. You can't be arrogant and win."
The dirty dozen who bulldozed and trash-talked their way to gold at the 1996 Atlanta Games, in particular, did little for the image of American basketball.
PUBLIC RELATIONS
The current crop, who open their Olympic campaign against hosts China on August 10, have worked hard to ensure similar public relations disasters are not repeated.
"Dream Team" labels, first bestowed on the U.S. team featuring Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird which won gold at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, are not welcome.
Basketball will be one of the hottest tickets at the Beijing Games, the host team having been given a huge boost by the return of towering Houston Rockets centre Yao Ming after he broke a foot in an NBA game in February.
While an ambush of the explosive U.S. team appears a tall order, home court advantage and the Yao factor could give China an outside hope of a first Olympic medal in men's basketball.
Russia, who stunned Spain in last year's European championship final in Madrid, and a three-times Olympic bronze medalists Lithuania will also be strong medal contenders.
Hammon, a 10-year veteran of the WNBA, has been called a traitor for opting for Russian citizenship in order to play at the Beijing Games.
SWITCH 'UNPATRIOTIC'
U.S. coach Anne Donovan blasted Hammon's decision as "unpatriotic."
"The jersey that I wear has never made me who I was," Hammon told ESPN. "I'm absolutely 100 percent still an American. This is an opportunity to fulfill my dream of playing in the Olympics."
Donovan is bidding to lead the U.S. to a fourth successive Olympic gold after they were relegated to bronze at the 2006 worlds.
Australia underlined their pedigree by taking the title in Brazil, raising expectations of a first Olympic gold after taking silver behind the U.S. in 2000 and 2004.
Led by arguably the world's best player in Lauren Jackson, the "Opals" have the talent but they can expect a backlash from the Americans, whose pride was stung by their Brazilian flop.
Hosts China will be an outside bet for a medal, although recent history suggests Australia, the U.S. and Russia have a stranglehold on the podium places.
(Editing by Robert Woodward)
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