Column - 'The Sports Trail': '08 Olympics a fascinating blend of cultures and teams

The USA Basketball men's team is on a roll in pre-Olympic tuneups as they travel across China playing exhibition games before the main action on Aug. 8.

I'm excited about these summer Olympics and particularly about this team. They pounded Turkey 114-82 in their first outing in Macau, and did it with team play and defense. Then they beat Lithuania 120-84 on Friday the same way.

With China 13 hours ahead of our time, I'm not sure which day the games are being played, so I'm going with when the games are shown here on television.

On Sunday night ESPN carried the game with Russia in Shanghai and it was amazing to watch. Here were America's professional players not complaining about the calls, not getting called for walks, and passing the ball around.

But in spite of having LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard and other prolific scorers, it was defense that shut out the Russians, 89-68, and the rest.

I"m from a generation that was introduced to the world via the Olympics, both winter and summer versions. With ABC's Wide World of Sports treking all over the globe, it became a must-see and the most exciting time in sports.

Many dream of competing in the Olympics, meeting the other athletes while winning medals for your country. Few make it, and if you can't the next best thing is to watch as much as you can.

This Olympics is doubly fascinating because it is held in China, a country where 90 percent of the population is Han Chinese and foreigners stand out like blinking red lights.

With visitors from 100 countres and an estimated 500,000 Olympic visitors expected, Beijing will be a hopping sports venue, for sure.

So does USA Basketball have a chance to win the gold medal? Well, they've got Hall of Fame Coach Mike Krzyzewski, who is smart enough to treat the pros like equals.

When asked, he said if he sees something, he tells them, and if the players see something, they tell him. Face it, these players are all millionaires and highly successful grown men who are volunteering their time.

Krzyzewski has their respect because he is also a millionaire and has stood the test of time as a coach, winning year after year at Duke.

One fascinating tidbit about this team concerns the former Dream Team, coached by Chuck Dailey. During their Olympic run to gold, Dailey never called a time out. Not one.

During the USA-Russia game on Sunday, even when Russia came back from down 20 to cut the lead to nine, Krzyzewski didn't call a time out. Is that an ego thing for this team?

A short break might have let the Americans regroup sooner, but they eventually quit taking bad shots, played some defense and ran the lead back up to 20 and coasted to the win.

It won't be that easy against Spain or Greece, who are champions in Europe, or host China and Yao Ming, who plays in our NBA.

In fact, most teams have players from our NBA or other countries on their rosters, including two Americans who compete on the Russian teams.

Think that's weird? Well, just remember, the Olympics really are all about bringing different cultures together and competing.