NEW YORK, 19 August 2003 — The United States will head to the Olympic basketball qualifying tournament of the Americas buoyed by a 101-74 victory over Puerto Rico in an exhibition game on Sunday.
The game was rescheduled from Friday after the blackout that affected 50 million people in the northeastern United States and Canada, but still Center Tim Duncan of the National Basketball Association champion San Antonio Spurs led the Americans with a game-high 21 points and 15 rebounds with forward Tracy McGrady adding 15 points and guard Ray Allen 14.
Despite the easy victory, Team USA came away from the Garden with increased respect for Puerto Rico, which hosts the FIBA Olympic qualifying tournament in San Juan. “They were great. They have been playing together for a while and they know what they are doing,” said Duncan, who played 28 minutes. “We have to make some adjustments right now, but we have come very far from when we started practicing. Things are falling into place in what we have to do.”
Coach Larry Brown praised Puerto Rico forward Jose Ortiz as a “smart player” and added that in international games big players “place pressure on you.”
Ortiz had nine rebounds while guard Carlos Arroyo, who plays for the Utah Jazz in the NBA, had a team-high 18 points and four assists. He was backed up by center Elias Ayuso with 14 points and forward Sharif Fajardo with 11.
The Puerto Ricans, who had several thousand fans at the Garden, left immediately after the game to board a flight home. Puerto Rico’s only lead in the game came when they scored the opening basket. But they narrowed the gap to as little as three points in the third quarter.
The United States largest lead was 28 points, and the hosts outscored Puerto Rico 42-32 in the paint.
“We’ve got better each day, not to mean that we’re satisfied where we are,” said US guard Jason Kidd. “We’ve still got to get better and get ready for Brazil (their first opponent in the qualifying tournament tomorrow).
“Puerto Rico is a good team, a team to be reckoned with at home. They clogged it up (in defense) and they also ran the ball well,” Kidd said. “This wasn’t our best game and we have to make adjustments.”
Brown, who has stressed the importance of his assembly of NBA stars playing as a true team and not a gathering of All-Stars, was praised guard Allen Iverson’s unselfish play, moving the ball, involving teammates and shooting only when he was open.
Iverson said he thought the team still had some way to go. “Me looking from the outside in, the chemistry’s still not there,” said the star guard of the Philadelphia 76ers.
Veteran forward Karl Malone will attend his mother’s funeral in El Dorado, Arkansas, today and will then talk with coaching staff about rejoining the team. The squad was to practice yesterday before leaving for San Juan. The top three in the 10-nation tournament, which will end Aug. 31, earn 2004 Olympic berths.
Mavericks to Get Jamison in Eight-Player Deal
Meanwhile, the Dallas Mavericks apparently have answered the rest of the National Basketball Association Western Conference contenders. The Fort Worth-Star Telegram reported that the Mavericks have landed forward Antawn Jamison in a blockbuster eight-player trade from the Golden State Warriors.
According to the report, the Mavs will receive Jamison, power forward Danny Fortson, small forward Chris Mills and guard Jiri Welsch from Golden State.
The Mavs will send guard Nick Van Exel, center Evan Eschmeyer, forward Popeye Jones and veteran point guard Avery Johnson to Golden State.
If the deal goes through, it would be a major move for the Mavs, who failed to make a splash in the free agent market while the Los Angeles Lakers, Sacramento Kings and defending champion San Antonio Spurs all were active. Dallas lost to San Antonio in the Western Conference finals last season.
Jamison, 27, is the key to the deal for the Mavs.
