Analysis: After Vegas preparations, Team USA nearly unstoppable

By Rob Miech

Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2008 | 12:17 p.m.

Three years of summertime preparations in Las Vegas consisting of extended seasons, shortened holidays and a renewed national commitment are on the line in Team USA’s next three games.

So far, the Olympics have mirrored the FIBA Americas tournament last summer at the Thomas & Mack Center, where the hosts red, white and blew away all foes.

It’s been no different in Beijing. It’s been the varsity vs. the Jay-Vees. Everyone without “USA” on the front of his jersey has been the junior varsity.

In the Americans’ five Group B preliminary games, they won every quarter against every opponent except one -- Angola managed to win the fourth quarter, 23-16, against the U.S.

That success won’t change, and that’s why the most compelling game of the Beijing Games will be the Friday semifinal opposite the U.S. team in the bracket. That will pit Wednesday’s Croatia-Spain winner against the China-Lithuania victor inside Wukesong Indoor Stadium.

We’re taking the Spanish to win their quarterfinal because center Pau Gasol has been heating up as the tournament has progressed. He’s second in the Olympics, with 19.4 points a game.

The Croats lead the Olympics with a team 3-point shooting percentage of 47.5. How good is that? Team USA has been sinking 3-pointers at a paltry, by comparison, 36.2 percent clip.

Plus, Spain’s on a hot streak, with its national soccer team winning Euro 2008 and Rafael Nadal scorching tennis courts.

China has Yao Ming, who is fourth in the tournament with 19 points a game. We also like the steady Chinese at the line. They lead everyone with a team free-throw percentage of 80.2.

But we don’t like the mind games that were played Monday when China somehow lost to Greece and avoided the possibility of playing the U.S. in a semifinal.

China can only play the Americans in the title game, but Yao was ticked for being relegated to the bench. The Wukesong crowd didn’t like that, either. Bad karma.

Lithuania and sweet-shooting Linas Kleiza advance, and in the game of the Beijing Games, surprises Spain in a tight one -- maybe even overtime -- because of Sarunas Jasikevicius.

Jasikevicius has punched out Team USA before, almost twice, and another chance to deck the Americans should fuel him to power his team by Spain.

Oh, almost forgot. The Americans play Australia in a quarterfinal Wednesday.

Yeah, Andrew Bogut didn’t play in the exhibition in Shanghai, where the Aussies gave Team USA its only test of the past two years.

Yeah, Bogut had that monster dunk the other day. Maybe he’ll continue to blossom as the games get more important. And, yeah, Australia is second in the tournament with 91.4 points a game.

And it’s been much better than the U.S. in 3-point shooting (.444 to .362) and free throws (.783 to .670).

Finally, it’s true that each of the top four Americans -- Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard -- are nearly shooting better from the field than they are from the line.

For the record, only Bryant, of that quartet, has a higher free-throw percentage than field-goal touch (60 to 58.1).

So foul them. Slow the game down. Send them to the line. Don’t turn the ball over yourself, hit some 3s of your own and don’t let those red, white and blue jerseys scare you.

Maybe then you’ll have a chance to defeat Team USA.

Much, much easier said than done.

The U.S., with its dizzying depth and overwhelming talent and power, belts Australia by 33. Then it beats Argentina and Manu Ginobli by 31.

That ignominious streak of not even playing in the championship game of a record three consecutive global tournaments is over for the U.S.

For gold, Jasikevicius gets whiplash as the U.S. hangs triple digits on Lithuania, in a 25-point victory, and restores the international hoops power base to America.

To Las Vegas, that is. Team USA managing director Jerry Colangelo more than hinted that the squad’s offseason relationship with Las Vegas has been so beneficial that he’d be shocked if it doesn’t continue.

Whoever says the city doesn’t have a major professional sports franchise has it all wrong. The best basketball team in the world likely will continue to call Las Vegas home.

Those first three summers were just the beginning of a beautiful relationship.