Redeem Team puts on show in opener

BEIJING – Four years ago in Athens, Carmelo Anthony and his youthful USA teammates were the anti-Olympians.

They lived on a cruise ship, carried a sense of entitlement and failed to win the admiration of the Greeks, or much of the world at all, for that matter. They also took home a bronze medal – two shades away from what they anticipated.

Sunday, the Redeem Team stepped onto the Olympic Basketball Gymnasium floor and was received as enthusiastically as the host Chinese. Gone from this Team USA is the attitude and immaturity, replaced with an appreciation for the experience and a perspective on just how difficult winning gold has become.

This Olympic team has all the makings of a dominant, yet likable, U.S. squad and they showed both attributes in a 101-70 trouncing of China.

The U.S. team dazzled with the usual display of fancy dishes, powerful finishes and demoralizing defensive plays. President George W. Bush and former president George H. Bush were on hand.

“I played in a Finals and it was unbelievable,” Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade said. “But this today, this feeling – I mean, I haven’t been this anxious to play a basketball game since I was a kid. I couldn’t even rest today. I was up all day just thinking about the game.”

Wade, who was Team USA’s leading scorer through its five-game pre-Olympic exhibition schedule, led all scorers with 19 points Sunday. He was 7 of 7 from the field, 5 of 5 from the line and added two assists and two steals – all as a reserve playing just 20 minutes.

LeBron James added 18 points, six rebounds and three assists, and Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard put up 13 points apiece.

It took the Americans until the third quarter to truly pull away from the Chinese team, which hit eight of its 16 three-point attempts in the first half to keep the game close. But the U.S. opened the second half on a 16-8 run to extend its lead to 65-45.

Had the 2004 U.S. team run into a hot-shooting team like China was in the first quarter-plus, it likely would’ve resorted to the me-first type of game that forced it off the top of the medal stand.

“We might have, I don’t know,” Anthony said. “I know this team ain’t panicking – for nothing.”

This U.S. team simply ratcheted up the defense, which resulted in more easy baskets that easily made up for the poor 7-of-24 shooting performance from beyond the arc.

“We give ourselves a chance defensively every night,” Wade said.

Wade has noticed plenty of differences between the squads of 2004 and 2008. Most evident, though, is the experience this group has and how valuable it has proven to be. The Dream Teams of 1992, 1996 and 2000 were veteran-laden groups. The 2004 squad was made up mostly of up-and-comers who hadn’t actually experienced much at the NBA level, much less the international scene.

With four more years of seasoning, as well as a sprinkling of grizzled veterans like Jason Kidd and Bryant, this team is almost a complete contrast.

“I was 22 years old then, I’m 26 now,” Wade said. “That seems like forever ago. And it was. None of us wanted to go through it, but we went through it for a reason. It made all of us better and appreciate what we’re doing today more than we probably would have.”

There was plenty to appreciate Sunday, and the Chinese in the crowd displayed their gratitude throughout. One of the Americans in the stands, President Bush, sent his message personally to the U.S. team. He did that in a pre-game meeting with the team.

“We’ve seen President Bush about three times already,” Carlos Boozer said with a smile. “That’s our homey. He’s on our side.“

In these Beijing Games, the new-and-approved U.S. team is finding it has a lot more folks on its side.