Team USA to play Lithuania Sunday in exhibition

[ducks]

Team USA to play Lithuania Sunday in exhibition
Team USA to play Lithuania Sunday in exhibition
August 12, 2006

SEOUL, Korea (Ticker) - Team USA plays two more exhibition games before the World Championships begin on August 19.

The first of those will come on Sunday against Lithuania, which lost to the United States, 104-96, in the bronze medal game at the 2004 Olympics.

Team USA will then face host Korea on Tuesday.

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After those games, USA coach Mike Krzyzewski is expected to make two cuts to reduce the roster to 12.

Krzyzewski also must select a captain and indicated that LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat and Carmelo Anthony of the Denver Nuggets - members of the NBA's Class of 2003 - will receive strong consideration.

Anthony suffered a hyperextended right knee in the second quarter of the Americans' 90-86 win over Brazil on Tuesday. But Anthony practiced at Hong Kong University the last two days and is expected to play on Sunday.

"My knee feels good," said Anthony, who averaged 17.3 points in Team USA's first three exhibition wins. "I really didn't feel any soreness at all in practice."

At the outset of training camp in July, Krzyzewski - the first college coach put in charge of the national team since the advent of the NBA era in 1992 - said the goal was for the Americans to re-establish themselves as the dominant team in international basketball.

Team USA did just that in the first two exhibition games, routing Puerto Rico, 114-69, in Las Vegas on August 3 and China, 119-73, in the Far East last Monday.

But the second game in the Far East against Brazil on Tuesday was a different story as the Americans needed big plays in the final minute by James, Elton Brand and Joe Johnson for the victory.

The U.S. held just an 87-86 lead before James, the superstar swingman of the Cavaliers, drove the left baseline and banked in a shot with 34 seconds left.

Brand, the All-Star forward of the Los Angeles Clippers, blocked a shot on the other end. Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets grabbed the rebound and was fouled with 20 seconds to go but missed both free throws, giving Brazil a chance to tie.

However, Johnson, a guard for the Atlanta Hawks, stole the ball from Marcelo Machado and was fouled with 3.4 seconds left, then split two free throws to ice the contest.

Kirk Hinrich of the Chicago Bulls scored 14 points, Johnson added 12 and James 11 for the U.S., which was outrebounded, 41-25.

Team USA then left for Hong Kong to train before departing for Seoul for its final two exhibitions.

In the World Championships, Team USA is in Group D with Puerto Rico, China, Senegal, Slovenia and Olympic silver medalist Italy, which routed the Americans in an exhibition prior to the 2004 Games. The Americans will open against Puerto Rico on August 19.

In 2002, the U.S. finished an embarrassing sixth at the World Championships, losing an astonishing three times despite the presence of NBA stars. It was more of the same at the 2004 Olympics, where the Americans lost three more games and settled for the bronze medal.

The fall from the top prompted wholesale changes within USA Basketball, including the appointment of managing director Jerry Colangelo and a tryout process which had not been used since the 1980s.

Only the winner of the 24-team World Championships and the Olympic hosts automatically qualify for the 2008 Games in Beijing. If Team USA does not win the World Championships - which it has not done since 1994 - it must qualify through the 2007 FIBA Tournament of the Americas in Venezuela.

[spurschick]

Game televised live tonight on NBA TV
12:00 am CST

[ALVAREZ6]

Why can't it be on national TV...

[NuGGeTs-FaN]

Kleiza will own Melo

[timvp]

If Javtokas explodes, so will the heads of many a Spurs fan.

[T Park]

mr body has his "Told ya" response written out and ready to be cut and pasted on here, at a moments notice.