Bryant, U.S. Olympic Team Find Motivation in Red, White, Blue and Gold

2008/08/01 19:24:43 @NBA.com: News

In NEW YORK DAILY NEWS, Frank Isola writes "does the rest of the world still respect the United States? Definitely. Fear the U.S.? No way. ‘When we played Brazil in 1992 they were taking pictures with our players and asking for autographs,' says NBA commissioner David Stern. ‘Over the years it has gone from awe to admiration to attitude. It is very interesting.' Argentina, the defending gold medalist, is still loaded while Spain won the 2006 World Championship despite not having Pau Gasol for the final game. The U.S. was placed in the same group with Spain and the host nation, China, which it will face in the opening game for both countries on Aug. 10. China's roster includes Yao Ming and new Nets forward Yi Jianlian. The competition in Beijing is strong, and the U.S. feels it has its best team since the original Dream Team of Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. "
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