Clan-Members » against me after that AD play,

LOS ANGELES -- The ball. Thats what Team USA coach Mike Krzyzewski came up as part of a list of things that are going to be challenging for the Americans during this five-game exhibition tour before they head to Rio de Janeiro for the Summer Olympics.It takes some time to adjust to the Molten basketball, which is used in international competition and is said to be a bit slicker than the Spalding basketballs used in the NBA, Krzyzewski said on Sunday after his teams 106-57 rout of China.Even with superstars such as Stephen Curry, Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, James Harden, Russell Westbrook and LeBron James pulling out of consideration for this Olympic team, Team USA is so much better than the teams theyll be playing during these warm-up games, its hard to assess just where the American team is.I hope were never challenged, Krzyzewski said after Team USAs second straight rout. But there have been challenging points in each game. A huge thing is for us to just get to know one another [on this tour]. ... The rules and the ball. You can tell with some of our guys, they dont have the feel yet. Its a challenge to adapt to the game.The challenging points Sunday came, um, in the first quarter when Team USA led just 10-7 with 3 minutes, 10 seconds to go. But then Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson came in and started raining 3-pointers and the Americans went on a 16-6 run to close the quarter.I dont think theres any coach that likes not to see the ball go in, Krzyzewski said. Because theres a part of you that says -- Will it?I dont care what team youre coaching, you would feel that way.Still, this is what constitutes worry for Team USA at this point.And it basically went away as soon as Durant and Thompson started making shots.For all the talk of the lack of experience and leadership on this years team -- only Durant and Carmelo Anthony played in the 2012 Summer Olympics -- the talent gap, particularly against the teams the Americans will play on this exhibition tour, is still virtually insurmountable.There are teams that are capable of challenging the U.S. once it gets to Rio -- Spain, France, Serbia to name a few -- but right now the Select Team would probably push them harder than Argentina, China or Nigeria during this tour.In the meantime, Krzyzewski said hes putting the team focus on building a defensive identity because of the versatility and athleticism it has on that side of the ball.This group has been a fabulous group to coach, Krzyzewski said. None of the groups weve coached have worked harder defensively.Sunday he tried out lineups with Indiana Pacers swingman Paul George defending the point guard position and loved the pressure he was able to put on the ball. Then, theres the dimension Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan gives them.Jordan began the game with a thunderous block on Chinas Wang Zhelin, then raced down the court to slam home an alley-oop, which got the home crowd out of its seats early.Coach told me if I didnt do anything in the first 30 seconds I was coming out, said Jordan, who finished with 12 points, 5 rebounds and 3 blocks in just 17 minutes.Team USA will face this same Chinese team Tuesday at Oracle Arena, then finish out the tour in Chicago and Houston.A lot of the times were thinking about the opponent, Jordan said. But with only five games, all we really need to work on is ourselves. 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Nemanja Bjelica Kings Jersey .Y. - New York City has been selected to host the NBA All-Star weekend in 2015, with the game played at Madison Square Garden and the slam dunk contest and other skills events held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. NEW ORLEANS -- Things were a little fuzzy for Phoenix Suns coach Earl Watson after watching Devin Booker tie the game with a tough shot at the regulation buzzer.I remember the shot, but honestly I dont remember the play, he said. Im going to watch (the game) tonight on the plane. I will collect my thoughts and will try to see what I was thinking.I know we ran that play for him for sure.Good idea.Booker scored 38 points, including the improbable jumper that tied it at the buzzer, and the Suns beat New Orleans 112-111 in overtime Friday night, keeping the Pelicans winless on the season.T.J. Warren added 18 points on 4-of-17 shooting for the Suns (2-4), while Eric Bledsoe had 17 points and Tyson Chandler had 12 points and 18 rebounds.Anthony Davis had 22 points and 11 rebounds for the Pelicans (0-6), while forward Terrence Jones, starting in place of the suspended Dante Cunningham, had 19 points. Though the Pelicans outshot the Suns 46 percent to 43 percent, they managed to shoot just 53.6 percent from the free throw line (15 of 28). The Suns finished 24 of 28 at the line.The win was second in a row for the Suns who started the season with a four-game losing streak. The Pelicans started 0-6 for the second straight season.Its good that were able to get these wins, especially as a young team, Chandler said. Well start trying to close these teams out earlier, but it does build character in the long run.I thought we were on the right track before, but unfortunately we got a couple of losses. But I definitely like the way weve been playing all season.Booker tied the game at 102 with a fadeaway jumper from the side as time expired. He had made a 3-pointer to tie the game at 100. With 11.7 seconds remaining, Lance Stephenson took the entry pass down the left side of the lane and threw up a fall-away floater, which he watched go in as he fell to the court, leaving 2.1 seconds to play.He made a great shot, a contested jump shot, Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said. Hes a great player.A back-and-forth overtime ended with Pelicans guard ETwaun Moore making two free throws with 8.6 seconds left after being fouled by Booker, who fouled out. But Warren took an inbounds pass from P.J. Tucker, cut through the lane and dunked, giving the Suns a 112-111 lead. Moore missed a jump shot as time expired.I thought we became too cautious at times, Gentry said. You cant play that way. If it doesnt work out, it doesnt work out, bbut you cant be cautious.ddddddddddddIt was the second straight overtime game for both teams. The Suns beat Portland 118-115 on Wednesday night in Phoenix, while New Orleans fell 89-83 at Memphis the same night.TIP-INSSuns: Booker had three of the Suns 8 3-pointers for the game. ... Bledsoe led the Suns with four assists.Pelicans: F Dante Cunningham was suspended for the game by the NBA after pleading guilty to operating a motor vehicle in a negligent manner while exhibiting the effects of having consumed alcohol in Washington state, according to a league press release.The NBA just let us know (today), Gentry said before the game. Its no big deal. Its something that happened and he regrets it.No other information was available from Pelicans team officials.Jones, his replacement, made the most of his first start for the Pelicans, finishing with 18 points, seven rebounds, six assists and four blocks. ... Buddy Hield and Langston Galloway combined to go 4 of 7 from 3-point range in the first 4 minutes and finished a combined 6 for 16 for the game.PELICANS SCARE:With 4:19 left in the fourth quarter Booker bumped Davis as he raced down the court to receive a long pass from Stephenson. Davis remained on the court for some time. He returned to the game and Booker was charged with a common foul.Booker said he wasnt fazed by the boos he received after he knocked down Davis.The crowd turned against me after that AD play, but I embraced it and had fun with it, Booker said. I talked to him afterwards about it and he said that he wasnt hurt or anything by it. He did tell me I overdid it though.OVER/UNDERGentry praised Suns small forward Jared Dudley, whom he coached for four years during his tenure in Phoenix, though not without a dash of his good-natured humor.Hes the least athletic (small forward) in the history of the game, said Gentry, laughing. Hes just really smart. He found his game to be effective in this league and sometimes thats tough to do.Still, Gentry doesnt expect Dudley to transform into a rim-crashing machine this year. Asked if he thought Dudley would achieve his promise of throwing down five dunks this season, Gentry replied, Id take the under on that one.UP NEXTSuns: visit the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night.Pelicans: visit the Golden State Warriors on Monday. ' ' '