BEIJING — The Dream Teamers were there - J Kidd, King James, Kobe and the others. So, too, was President Bush. The Beijing Dream Dancers provided the halftime entertainment.

But the stars were Diana Taurasi, Sylvia Fowles, Cappie Pondexter and the rest of the Dream Queen Team.

They (still) are as good as it gets in the Olympics.

Despite a slow start Saturday night, the U.S. women's basketball team plastered the Czech Republic, 97-57. It wasn't that close, even though the Americans fell behind 8-0 and 13-2.

"Not every game is going to be like that," said Fowles, who scored 16 points. ". . . We have to take every game as we go, and we can't take anybody lightly, because everybody has something to prove against the USA."

The Americans will tell you the rest of world has closed the gap on them. They say anybody can beat them on any given game day. After their 40-point victory, it was hard not to laugh and call them Lou Holtz.

Sure, Russia and Australia are capable of beating the United States but only on a very bad day by the Americans.

The Australians won the FIBA World Championship in 2006 and have the best player in the world in Lauren Jackson. The Russians beat the United States, 75-68, in the 2006 world championship semifinals and have the traitor, U.S. citizen Becky Hammon.

But the United States didn't have its best post players, including starting center and team captain Lisa Leslie, against Russia two years ago in the world championship. And, only a few days ago, the Americans beat Australia, 71-67.

The gold medal is the Americans' to lose.

"We're always expected to win gold," Leslie said. "Anything less is failing. It's a lot of pressure to do it, but it's what we have to do."

The Dream Team sitting in the stands got more applause, more stares, more chants, more pictures taken of them and needed more security than their women counterparts. That was nothing new.

But what they saw on the court might not have looked all that familiar.

For one thing, on one basket, the U.S. women had eight passes before Fowles scored. For another, Tina Thompson returned from halftime with freshly applied lipstick.

Then, there was the victory.

The 2004 men's team was the bronze bust, losing three times on their way to third place.

The U.S. women have won three consecutive Olympic medals. They entered the 2008 Games with a 39-1 record over the previous six Olympics, with the only loss a 79-73 loss to the Unified Team in 1992.

"Our goal," Katie Smith said, "is another gold medal."

They'll tell you this isn't going to be easy. They'll talk about the need to take it "one game at a time."

For the U.S. women, winning the gold medal is going to be easier done than said.