If the U.S. men’s basketball team was trying to save face, it barely did.
Two days after an embarrassing loss to Puerto Rico, the U.S. survived its second test Tuesday night, 77-71.
Before a wild, hostile crowd of whistling Greek fans, the U.S. led only 72-68 with 69 seconds to play.
“We won the game and that’s all that counts,” said Carmelo Anthony, held scoreless (0-for-4) in five minutes. “The Puerto Rico game was a wake-up call for us. We can’t take anybody lightly. In college it was loud, but here, the whole world is against us.”
Still, this American team of NBA stars shouldn’t have had this much trouble with the host team.
“I was not happy with our shot selection,” U.S. coach Larry Brown said.
“Shooting around the NBA has become a lost art. We accept a lot of bad shots, and I don’t like that. I think that we try more to entertain than really play basketball.”
Even in the fourth quarter, the U.S. couldn’t put Greece away, and it never led by more than five points until the end.
As the final seconds ticked away, it looked like almost everyone in the crowd had a blue-and-white Greek flag. They were still chanting long after it ended.
“Nobody wants us to win,” U.S. forward Richard Jefferson said. “If we go through here and win every game by 20, there’s no story. You guys won’t sell papers if it says ‘Dream Team wins a game.’ We know that.”
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On the air
What to watch for Wednesday at the Olympics:
Men’s gymnastics
With one silver medal already in hand, defending world all-around gymnastics champion Paul Hamm goes after his first individual medal.
Track & field
The U.S. shot put team gets fired up for the first athletic event at the Olympic Stadium in Olympia since 393 A.D.
Swimming
Natalie Coughlin and Jenny Thompson lead the Americans in the 800-meter freestyle relay.
