Olympic basketball: U.S. easily beats Angola, but shows room to grow

BEIJING - When the permanent standard is the 1992 Dream Team's 68-point victory over Angola, it is just about impossible for any subsequent U.S. Olympic basketball team to win by what's judged as an adequate amount.

    Even so, the Americans continued to leave room to grow after Tuesday's 97-76 defeat of Angola in Group B preliminary play.

    "I still don't think we've played anywhere close to our best basketball," said Jazz guard Deron Williams.

    One of these nights, the U.S. team may need to start making some outside shots. Forcing turnovers and converting them into fast breaks has enabled the Americans to 

average 99 points in 40 minutes of basketball, but their outside game remains suspect - even with a 20-foot, 6-inch three-point line, considerably shorter than the NBA specifications.

    Three-point shooting was a problem in Athens in 2004 and nothing has changed in Beijing. After Kobe Bryant went 0-for-8 Tuesday, the Americans are 12-for-45 in the tournament.

    They still won convincingly, leading by 33 points before coasting. Dwyane Wade led the U.S. team with 19 points.

    Williams added seven points and four assists in 22 minutes and Jazz teammate Carlos Boozer posted two points and two rebounds in 11 minutes.

    Next up for the Americans is Thursday's meeting with Greece, which upset the U.S. entry in the semifinals of the 2006 World Championship. Williams and Boozer did not play for that team, but several of the U.S. Olympians did.