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Aussie star wants rich NBA stars to clean up their act
SYDNEY, Australia, Sept 11 (AFP) - Australian basketball star Andrew Gaze called for the United States "Dream Team" to clean up its trash-talking act and dismissed the notion the American multi-millionaires are unbeatable. "They can lose," Gaze said here Monday at the Olympic Village. "Beating the Dream Team is possible, but not likely. There is a glimmer of hope. You need a physical presence." The Aussies displayed that in an 89-64 exhibition loss to the US collection of wealthy National Basketball Association (NBA) stars Saturday at Melbourne. A scuffle nearly broke out when Gaze fouled US guard Vince Carter to prevent a breakaway. The NBA slam dunk champion stood over a fallen Gaze, glared at him and delivered a warning about stopping his "Showtime" jam opportunities again. "You can be physical and intense without having a blue with someone," Gaze said. "There's a certain Olympic spirit you have. That doesn't include going out and hitting people." It nearly came to that when Aussie guard Shane Heal ran to challenge Carter much the way he did at Atlanta in 1996 by testing US tough guy Charles Barkley. Carter had to be restrained but was mellow about the incident which had fans chanting "Carter's a wanker." "It's finished," Carter said. "I've got no hard feelings toward him." Gaze demands the Americans hold the Olympics to a higher standard than a typical NBA game. "In the club matches, the mind games - the little stuff that goes on off the court - are part of the competition," he said. "Hopefully that's not the case here. Hopefully the strategy for success doesn't include the mental things that go on off the court." But clearly it does. Just look at accommodations. You won't find the Dream Team in the Village. They have luxury rooms at the Pacific International Hotel with 24-hour room service, extra big beds, private elevators and telephones in the toilets at 260 dollars a night. In the village, there are no private rooms. Beds are singles. Athletes eat in a dining hall that seats 5,000. Four Olympians share a phone-free toilet. Gaze regrets the US stars will not get the chance to better understand the Aussie "Boomers" and their other rivals by sharing life with the world's athletes in the village atmosphere. "We respect and admire them," Gaze said. "The way Australians are, we have a good crash on on the court. We give 110 percent, then afterwards we kick back and talk about how great or how stupid we are. We haven't that chance with them yet." Gaze said this year's edition of the "Dream Team" has equal talent to past versions but lacks the reputation and aura of prior squads, having not accomplished what the likes of Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O'Neal and Hakeem Olajuwon have done. That opens the door for hope, even though US NBA talent is unbeaten in Olympic play and wins by an average of 32.3 points a game. "You have got to believe. If you don't believe, you have no chance," Gaze said. "That's the attitude we have. In a given set of circumstances, we can beat them. I know it's highly unlikely we can beat them. I would rather go in and believe we have a remote chance than no chance.
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