And swipes

last year’s World Cup. They’ve got a handful of guys playing NBA. Of course, the US has got some talent that, when they get on a roll, things will start clicking and they can blow some teams out.

“But it’s not possible for them to expect to win every game by 30 or 40. It’s just not going to happen. There’s too much talent on the global stage now.”

Gaze remembers similar hype surrounding a loaded US side heading into the 2004 Athens Olympics. The Americans – led by James, Dwayne Wade, Tim Duncan and Allen Iverson – were redhot favourites but lost in the semi-finals to Argentina in one of the biggest boilovers in Olympic history.

It left the US fighting for the bronze medal, and while they beat Lithuania, the campaign was deemed a devastating failure.

After the disappointment of Athens, the Americans unleashed a potent squad dubbed the “Redeem Team” for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

The late Kobe Bryant joined the likes of James, Wade and Carmelo Anthony to go undefeated, beating Spain in the gold medal game.

Gaze was courtside and remembers the clash being a battle down the stretch, before the Americans held on to win 118-107.

“That USA team in 2008 was just as significant and the games they played against Spain in the finals, it could have gone either way,” he said. “There were other games along the journey that were tests.”

FIBA basketball is also vastly different to the NBA’s ever-growing individual superstar style. It’s more team-focused and structured at both ends of the floor, meaning less shots, which will be an adjustment for the US’s gifted side.

“The USA’s challenge is to combine all that talent into the FIBA style of play and that is a challenge, especially if you just try and play iso ball,” Gaze said. “That doesn’t always hold up, and it gives the opposition a chance.”

SALARY

AU$71m

AU$71m

AU$77m

AU$48m

AU$54m

AU$54m

AU$71m

AU$65m

AU$62M

AU$65M