USA Basketball has more to prove

After beating Lithuania early Saturday morning, 111-88, the USA
Basketball team has won its four exhibition games by a combined 118
points as it continues to prepare for the World Championships later
this month.

Seems like everything is fine and a gold medal is a lock this
time around, right?

Excuse me if I withhold judgment until after the tournament.

Even though Team USA has looked mighty impressive in blowing out
Puerto Rico, China and an undermanned Lithuania, it struggled to
beat Brazil, requiring a last-second steal by Joe Johnson to secure
a four-point victory.

The players, coaches and executives have all said the right
things about building a truly cohesive team and restoring USA
Basketball to its winning ways, but the fact remains that the
United States is 11-6 in the last two major international events,
finishing sixth at Worlds in 2002 and winning only bronze at the
Olympics in 2004.

I think I’ll wait until after the gold medal game is
played on Sept. 3 before I actually believe what my eyes and brain
are telling me ““ that the United States is clearly the best
basketball team in the world.

Now they just have to go out and prove it.

E-mail Jonathan Lee at jlee3@media.ucla.edu.

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