This U.S. basketball squad breaks the mold

People have begun to compare the U.S. basketball team's performance in FIBA Americas tournament play to the inaugural Dream Team of 1992. No question, the squad that's been taking the court in Las Vegas is extremely dominant. Nevermind the tandem of Lebron James and Kobe Bryant alternately soaring toward the basket: The likes of Puerto Rico, a 117-78 loser yesterday, and Uruguay, today's opponent, have not even in their nightmares imagined anything like Amare Stoudemire and Dwight Howard powering through the trapezoid international lane. The nightmare-come-to-life gets worse when Stoudemire steps out to take a three-point shot, as he did against P.R.

These Americans are awesome, alright. Yet something feels different this time. That first Dream Team, which debuted paid professionals, lorded its superiority over opponents. And there were numerous great moments along the way to the shocking loss to Puerto Rico in 2004's Olympics.

No, this is thrilling because the United States is actually fielding a team. Tyson Chandler, a big puppy of an underachiever in the NBA, plays with focus in this setting; he has run up and down the floor as if his life depends on these preliminary contests. Jason Kidd, a guy I interviewed back when he was a soft-spoken, surprisingly brawny Cal freshman, has been amazing at orchestrating Coach Mike Krzyzewski's offense. The U.S. is attacking the basket, and when the rare occasion comes that an open shot isn't available, sharp-shooters like Mike Miller are draining outside shots.

Kobe's made no bones about his long-held desire to play for Coach K. Now that his dream is being fulfilled, the swingman is making the most of this opportunity. Kobe's made it his job to shut down each opponent's primary scorer. He's done this at the expense of his own scoring average, contributing just under 13 points per game. That's nearly half of Carmelo Anthony's team-leading numbers.

The original Dream Team could be distasteful. "You hit me, I'll hit you, even if it doesn't look like he's eaten in a while," Charles Barkley crowed after the U.S. drubbed an overmatched Angola team. Later down the road came the Larry Brown-coached losers who had insufficient shooting and even less leadership. (Unforgivably, Brown hardly played James, Stoudemire, and Anthony!)

As the Americans seemingly head toward a showdown with Argentina, this trip feels better. Let's be real: Bryant's probably no better a man than Barkley. But there is in this collection of hoop stars a sense of shared commitment that restores — dare I say it? — faith in the commitment to team play. It's something other than shock-and-awe.

Bejing is a year away, and I can't wait.

dEA