Olympic basketball: Americans blow past Canada

Olympic basketball: Americans blow past Canada

Judging by the first game on the Redeem Team's road to the Beijing Olympics, the Jazz's Deron Williams is going to play just as big a role in the pursuit of a gold medal as coach Mike Krzyzewski insisted he would.
Carlos Boozer, maybe not so much. The Jazz power forward scarcely played in Team USA's 120-65 victory over Canada in its only exhibition on American soil at the star-studded and sold-out Thomas & Mack Center on Friday night, but his teammate enjoyed a terrific debut.
Williams scored 14 points with five assists in 21 minutes, suggesting he indeed will play a pivotal role in China next month.
"We know we have a lot to prove, for us as well as our fans and for our country," Williams said. "And that's what we look to do when we step out on the floor."
Needless to say, the Americans did not even need forward LeBron James - who sat out to rest a sprained ankle he suffered during training camp Tuesday.
After a shaky start that Krzyzewski attributed to opening-game hesitancy, they pulled away in the second quarter and spent most of the second half enjoying roaring "USA!" chants and throwing down equally thunderous fast-break dunks.
Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Michael Redd led the Americans with 20 points each, while Kobe Bryant added 15 points. And after working all week on defense and rebounding, the Americans
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held Canada to 33 percent shooting - getting a good start in fixing what had been a fatally weak link at the Athens Games four years ago, when they managed to claim only a bronze medal.
"Guys are committed to playing defense," Krzyzewski said.
Krzyzewski did not take sides in the Williams or Chris Paul debate, though, inserting both rival point guards into the game at the same time in the first quarter and using them almost identically as a backcourt pair.
Both played more minutes than scoreless starter Jason Kidd, and both had some sensational moments - with Williams putting together behind-the-back and crossover dribbles on his way to one fast-break layup. Paul had 11 points and eight assists, and combined with Williams for 9-for-13 shooting.
"When those two guys are in together, either one of them can bring the ball up, and either one of them can pressure the ball," Krzyzewski said. "They seem to like to play with one another, and the intelligence of your team is at the highest level when you have two guys like them on the court."
Meanwhile, Boozer played only 7 1/2 minutes - five of them in the blowout second half. He did have a massive swat on Canada's Rans Brempong in the final minutes, and contributed four points and four rebounds. Utah's Tyler Kepkay played five minutes for the Canadians in the first half, making 1 of 5 shots but otherwise looking respectably poised against Williams, Paul, Kidd and Redd.
"It was one of the funnest times I've had playing basketball," he said.