BEIJING — Four years ago in Athens, Carmelo Anthony and his youthful USA teammates were the anti-Olympians.
They lived on a cruise ship, carried a sense of entitlement and failed to win the admiration of the Greeks, or much of the world at all, for that matter.
"In Athens, we got booed early on," Anthony said.
Oh, and the Americans took home a bronze - two shades away from what they anticipated.
Sunday, the Redeem Team stepped onto the Olympic Basketball Gymnasium floor and was received just as enthusiastically as the host Chinese team. Gone from this Team USA is the attitude and immaturity, replaced with an appreciation for the Olympic experience and a perspective on just how difficult winning gold has become.
Four years removed from Athens, this Olympic team has all the makings of a dominant, yet likable, U.S. squad. And they showed both attributes in a 101-70 trouncing of China with more than a billion people presumably watching on television.
Playing to the crowd that was torn between patriotism and a desire to be entertained, the U.S. team dazzled with the usual array of fancy dishes, powerful finishes and demoralizing defensive plays. Making it all more significant was the stage on which it was played and the audience that was watching. President George W. Bush and former president George H. Bush were on hand, along with the eager Chinese fans.
"I played in a Finals and it was unbelievable," Dwyane Wade said. "But this today, this feeling - I mean, I haven't been this anxious to play a basketball game since I was a kid. I couldn't sleep. I couldn't even rest today. I was up all day just thinking about the game."
The lack of sleep didn't seem to affect Wade's performance on that grand stage. Wade, who was Team USA's leading scorer through its five-game pre-Olympic exhibition schedule, led all scorers with 19 points Sunday, and he did it without missing a shot from the field (7 of 7) or the free-throw line (5 of 5). He added two assists and two steals, and did it all as a reserve playing just 20 minutes.
LeBron James added a powerful 18 points, six rebounds and three assists, and Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard put up 13 points apiece.
It took the Americans until the third quarter to truly pull away from the Chinese team, which hit eight of its 16 three-point attempts in the first half to keep the game close. But the U.S. opened the second half on a 16-8 run to extend its lead to 65-45, and the rest of the game resembled more of an exhibition than an Olympic competition.
Had the 2004 U.S. team run into a hot-shooting team like China was in the first quarter-plus, it likely would've panicked and resorted to the me-first type of game that forced it off the top of the medal stand.
"We might have, I don't know," Anthony said. "I know this team ain't panicking - for nothing."
No, this U.S. team simply ratcheted up the defense, which resulted in more easy baskets that easily made up for the poor 7 of 24 shooting performance from beyond the arc.
"We give ourselves a chance defensively every night," Wade said of his latest Olympic team.
Wade has noticed plenty of differences between the squads of 2004 and 2008. Most evident, though, is the experience this group has and how valuable it has proven to be. The Dream Teams of 1992, 1996 and 2000 were veteran-laden groups. The 2004 squad was made up mostly of up-and-comers who hadn't actually experienced much at the NBA level, much less the international scene.
With four more years of seasoning, as well as a sprinkling of grizzled veterans like Jason Kidd and Bryant, this team is almost a complete contrast.
"Thinking about that, I was 22 years old then, I'm 26 now," Wade said. "That seems like forever ago. And it was. None of us wanted to go through it, but we went through it for a reason. It made all of us better and appreciate what we're doing today more than we probably would have."
It doesn't hurt that the U.S. players are back to playing in front of fans that appreciate them, rather than resent them.
"We were just perceived different (in 2004)," Wade said. "Coming to China helps, for one. Our game, the NBA game, is very big over here. Everywhere we go, they show their excitement for us. It wasn't like that in Greece. We were looked at as cocky athletes, overpaid and this and that. Here they really appreciate the game of basketball we play."
There was plenty to appreciate Sunday, and the Chinese in the crowd displayed their gratitude throughout.
One of the Americans in the stands, President Bush, sent his message personally to the U.S. team. He did that in a pre-game meeting with the team.
"We've seen President Bush about three times already," Carlos Boozer said with a smile. "We see him everywhere we go.
"That's our homey. He's on our side."
In these Beijing Games, the new-and-approved U.S. team is finding it has a lot more folks on its side.
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