No Carnival for Brazilians in Vegas

"U.S.A. basketball is not a tropical storm, it is now a full-fledged hurricane."

At the end of the 1st quarter of U.S.A./Brazil, I was planning on writing up an article on how the two South American soccer powers were now part of world basketball elite.

That statement most certainly would have been premature, as the U.S. cruised to another easy victory over Brazil, 113-76.

Against a confident and physically capable Brazilian team, led by current NBA players like Leandro Barbosa, Nene Hilario, and soon to be NBA player, Tiago Splitter, Team U.S.A. seemed disoriented matched up against a substantially better international team.

But those first quarter uncertainties didn't linger for long, as Lebron James' playmaking in the 2nd quarter, opened up the floor for Michael Redd and Kobe Bryant to hit open threes. Carmelo Anthony was off to another fast start as he was the beneficiary of many easy buckets.

In the 3rd quarter, a series of spectacular plays courtesy of the NBA's best, sealed the deal for the U.S. Back to back threes by Kobe Bryant, followed by a Lebron- Carmelo alley-oop connect, and seconds later, a stolen inbounds pass led to a basket-count for Lebron James. They were up by 26 at this point.

The team would go on to stretch the lead at one point to nearly 50, with a combination of individual domination, and with less frequency, a seamless team operation.

But the story of the game was Kobe Bryant's lock-down defense on the leading scorer in the tournament, Leandro Barbosa, who entered this game with 27 points per. For much of the first 3 quarters, Bryant would play air-tight defense on Barbosa, as soon as he got the ball. This proved to be the key to setting the tone for Team U.S.A. Barbosa would finish with 4 points.

The first three games of the tournament for the U.S. were characterized by a high-octane offense that was largely led by Jason Kidd, Carmelo Anthony, and Lebron James in the open floor. I'm sure Mike D'Antoni has a hand in much of the fast-breaking inclinations of the team.

But tonight's game required team U.S.A. to play in more half-court sets due to the Brazilians' excellent help defense. This is where veteran players like Kobe Bryant excel. With a player like him in the mix, there are no wasted movements; everything is under control. And this is just the sort of subtle leadership that the previous teams were lacking.

In an example of veteran leadership and control, Coach K can watch with confidence as Chauncey Billups drains a pull-up three in transition. In past outings for the Bronze medal teams, these sort of shots would have been all too frequent and without promise. But the new additions to this team include some tough competitors that have endured 82 seasons in the premier league, and for those like Chauncey, have once or twice reached the pinnacle of basketball. In every definition of the word, these are veterans.

On another sequence, Lebron James threw a perfect pass to a cutting Kobe Bryant.

This is showtime.

There are resemblances of the former greats, like Magic and Michael.

Lebron to Kobe.

This is their generation. They are showing the world why America is still home to the best basketball players in the world.

If it's any indication after the first 4 preliminary games, the European powers like Greece and Spain better brace themselves. The former glory of the U.S.A. is returning, and although too early to call, this team is well on its way to shining brighter than those Las Vegas lights on the horizon.