[Memnoch]

Team USA wins nail-biter Close game vs. Greece more fun than '92 run By Ailene Voisin -- Bee Sports Columnist . Published 2:15 am PDT Wednesday, August 18, 2004 . ATHENS, Greece - Ancient times were certainly more theatrical, what with the mythical figures of Magic, Michael and Larry peering down on the masses like a trio of Greek gods. But if truth be told - and these early morning endings are as timely as any for a brief visit to the confessional - Team USA's basketball domination at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics was, well, boring. . The good guys always won. The good guys never even trailed. The only competition took place during heated scrimmages and late-night poker games, usually inspired by the wagering of francs and pesetas or a healthy offering of trash talk. . No, give me Greece, challenge and standing-room-only crowds over that love affair in Barcelona any day, even if it means enduring another atrocious outside shooting night by Team USA, the expected assortment of lousy calls by referees and a tipoff so late that it bumped up against late-night newscasts. Can't we all just be entertained at least once in a while? . Is it essential that the increasingly obvious flaws of Team USA - and of America's game - be picked at like so many grapes on the nearby olive trees? Does coach Larry Brown need to serve a fine whine every single night? . The game held Tuesday at emotion-soaked Helliniko Indoor Arena was an absolute delight, from feisty beginning to dramatic end, when Lamar Odom's deflection of Dimitris Papanikolaou's driving layup finally forced the Greek fans into their seldom-occupied seats. The spectators had an exhausting night, the scene almost upstaging the main event, a shaky 77-71 U.S. victory. . "The trip to Serbia and Istanbul probably prepared us for this," Odom suggested later, after revealing he had been stricken with severe stomach cramps at 3 a.m. the previous morning. "Hostile environment. Game being close. I credit our European (exhibition) tour with this win." . Kings fans are a white-gloved bunch compared to these Greeks. In a game that consumed the city after the U.S. was spanked by Puerto Rico in the tournament opener, more than 12,000 fans squeezed into seats, or more often, danced and swayed, jostling shoulder-to-shoulder. . Venue workers parked themselves in narrow aisles. Chants of "Hel-LAS, Hel-LAS, Hel-LAS" reverberated off concrete walls. Hundreds of blue-and-white flags were unfurled and waved over balconies. . When the Americans made their initial appearance approximately 20 minutes before the first jump ball, they were showered with boos, jeers and whistles. And after every questionable call, every flurry of three-pointers, every clever low-post move and the surprisingly quick dribble-moves of creative playmaker Theodoros Papaloukas, the fans let loose with the appropriate barrage. . According to a translator seated among international journalists, the refs were bashed as "bloody wankers," the Americans were serenaded with "I can't wait, I can't wait," while awaiting tipoff, and then, in perfectly clear English, reminded about "Puer-TO Ri-CO," in an obvious reference to Sunday's demoralizing loss. . For a while, Brown's young clankers in fact appeared on the verge of another defeat, one that would have seriously damaged their prospects for advancing into the medal round. . Zone defenses continued to befuddle his players, who once again unsuccessfully resorted to shooting jumpers instead of entering the ball to Tim Duncan. And in defense of Brown, the perfectionist coach, the numbers are numbing: 4 of 21 from three-point range; six field goals beyond 6 to 8 feet; two outside shots in the second half, none in the final 9:41 and none during an 18-minute stretch that enabled Greece to regain the lead with 7:31 remaining in the third quarter. . "Believe it or not, I think we'll make an outside shot sometime in this tournament," deadpanned the highly regarded Detroit Pistons coach, who added that in the future, the selection committee should consider more role players and fewer high-profile stars (see Carmelo Anthony). "Obviously if you watch the NBA, shooting is a lost art, and we accept a lot of bad shots, which is something that is troubling to me. With all that being said, we had a lot of turnovers on the break, and we had a chance to bury them, and we're trying to entertain sometimes rather than just play." . Clearly, those days are long gone. . But at least for one night, for the utter enjoyment of watching Odom, Duncan, LeBron James and the injured Allen Iverson (fractured right thumb) compete against increasingly formidable foes, there was something to be said for just playing the game. . About the Writer --------------------------- . Reach Ailene Voisin at avoisin@sacbee.com. Back columns: www.sacbee.com/voisin . Source: www.sacbee.com