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Dream Team narrowly escapes becoming Olympian "ghosts"
SYDNEY, Sept 30 (AFP) - Had Lithuania's Sarunas Jasikievicius made his last-second three-point shot to defeat the United States "Dream Team", 12 stars might have started the next National Basketball Association season in exile. "Hell no, I don't think we would want to even go home," US guard Jason Kidd said. "We would definitely be the ghosts of the Olympics." The Americans squandered a 14-point lead and nearly handed Lithuania a "Miracle on Wood" -- to match the 1980 US Olympic hockey "Miracle on Ice" upset of the Soviet Union -- before clinging to an 85-83 semi-final triumph. "If we didn't stay composed, it could have been ugly, but we stayed composed and kept running our offense and it worked out," US guard Steve Smith said. "We weren't scared. Nervous, but not scared. We couldn't imagine what would happen if we had lost this game." Jasikievicius scored 27 points as Lithuania set picks and used teamwork to perfection against a US all-star lineup together barely a month. His final shot missed left, but the scare Lithuania put into the US team will last for years. "We were fighting for our lives," US guard Ray Allen said. "I had a sigh of relief when I saw that the ball didn't touch anything and the time had expired off the clock. It would not have been any fun to play for a bronze medal." The US team faces upstart France for the gold medal on Sunday trying for a third consecutive title with NBA talent and the 12th US crown since 1936. Before facing the Gauls for gold, US players showed some gall of their own by spewing more rubbish about how any win is a win, stealing the glory of an amazing moment in sport from their more than worthy foes. "The American public might be upset because we won by two, but we won," US forward Kevin Garnett said. "The reality is we won. Everything is totally positive for us." "Whether it's by two or 32, it's still a win," said US center Alonzo Mourning, who two weeks ago said of losing "It can't happen. That's not even thought of. We can't lose. Our greatest competition is going to come when we play each other in practice." That attitude nearly got them beat in a game that turned out to be a primer for rivals worldwide on how to beat a US team. "There are high expectations. Everyone expects the US team to win and that's a lot of pressure on you," US forward Antonio McDyess said. "They expect us to go out and win by 30 and a lot of people are going to be disappointed because we won by two. "As long as we got the win, I'm happy. But I feel like we put a lot of heat on ourselves to go out there and win by a large margin, and we don't play our game. When we step on the court, we realize we're the world's best and we will win. We never discuss losing." The French won their only prior men's basketball medal, a silver, in 1948 and coach Jean Pierre de Vincenzi has confidence after losing only 106-94 to the Americans in a qualifying round game. "In France, we have the self-flagellation. As soon as one is happy, the press starts to criticize," said French coach Jean Pierre de Vincenzi. "We're happy. I'm sick of the masters of self-flagellation telling us, 'Don't be too happy. A catastrophe is coming.' It will not be a catastrophe coming." The catastrophe arrived for the "Dream Team" when Antonio McDyess fouled Ramunas Siskauskas, who made only 1-of-3 free throws but put Lithuania up 81-80 with 43 seconds to go. "The weight of the world is right on you and it's tough in that situation," US coach Rudy Tomjanovich said. "You dream about it but it's not the most comfortable place in the world." Lithuania tries to claim a third consecutive bronze medal by beating an Australian side missing star centre Luc Longley, a three-time NBA champion with the Chicago Bulls, who is out with a knee injury. Aussie flag bearer Andrew Gaze will lead the Boomers in their quest for first men's basketball medal. Five-time Olympian Gaze will try to end a 40-year family quest that began with his father Lindsay, a player from 1960-1968 and coach from 1972-1984. Dreams of gold died with a 76-52 semis loss to France. "The loss has left a bad taste in our mouth," Gaze said. "But all is not lost. Our goals are still achievable. Clearly we have a lot of work to do. I'd like to think we still have a realistic chance.
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