As the USA team continues their Olympic appearance vs. Australia this morning they are doing what many did not expect and some doubted; for them to win and do it in a professional manner which speaks volumes of thier growth. Let’s throw away all of the doubt that lead up to this Olympic appearance and see it for what it really is. They are a team with one goal and are set on one path; the path to redemption.

The USA team has continued to dominate their opponents on the court and have demonstrated that they are worthy of the Olympic gold medal. At this point the members of this team understand that this is a one and done situation so taking teams for granted due to their recent success on the court shouldn’t be of any interest.

Australia has also demonstrated that they are a force to be recon with and have gained the attention of the American team more so now than during the exhibition games. They can score and have proven that they can come back (lost first 2 games in Beijing and won the last 3 averaging 102.3 points). We know that anyone can be beaten on any given day. The Germans had their opportunity which resulted in their lost and according to Dirk Bauermann, the German coach about the American team, “I think they’re unbeatable…..I would be surprised if anyone can even give them a game.”

A win for the US would create a match up with Argentina or Greece. Stay tuned.

USA vs. Australia: Watch the Game Live

The Washington Wizards announced their seven-game 2008 preseason schedule today.

The Wizards’ 2008 preseason schedule is highlighted by NBA Europe Live presented by EA Sports, which will feature two games against the New Orleans Hornets. The O2 World in Berlin, Germany, will host the first matchup between the Hornets and the Wizards on Oct. 14 and the two teams will play the second contest in Barcelona, Spain, at the Palau Sant Jordi on Oct. 17. The Wizards’ 2008 preseason schedule also includes one home game at Verizon Center on Friday, Oct. 10, against Detroit at 7:00 pm.

“We are very proud to represent Washington D.C., our fans and the NBA as part of NBA Europe Live, and we’re looking forward to the experience of playing overseas,” said Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld. “We’re also looking forward to seeing our fans at Verizon Center for our preseason game against the Pistons.”

In addition, Washington will travel to Dallas (Oct. 7), Memphis (Oct. 8), San Antonio (Oct. 22) and Columbus, Ohio, for a matchup against Cleveland at The Ohio State University on Oct. 24.

All preseason games will be broadcast on ESPN 980 (WTEM) and the Wizards Radio Network.

The Wizards’ 2008-2009 regular season begins on Wednesday, Oct. 29, when the team hosts the New Jersey Nets at 7:00 p.m., while the road schedule begins on Nov. 1 with a trip to Detroit to meet the Pistons.

Fans looking to see the Wizards in action at Verizon Center can purchase a variety of ticket plans for the 2008-09 season. Full season and partial plans are on sale now with prices as low as $31 for lower level seating and $16 for upper level seating. For more information on these special plans, fans can call the Wizards sales office at 202-661-5050 or visit WashingtonWizards.com. Individual game tickets will go on sale at a later date and will be made available through all Ticketmaster outlets, at the Verizon Center Box Office and online at WashingtonWizards.com.

Last month, after a year of not shaving, DeShawn Stevenson received the good news that Drew Gooden had finally decided to shave off his beard giving Stevenson the victory in the beard growing contest. We finally got a chance to see Stevenson earlier today and not only is he clean shaven but he also has a new hair cut as well.

(Andrew Rosen/Wizards Photos)

UPDATE: We also were able to grab some behind-the-scenes photos of a commercial that Adidas was shooting with Gilbert, click here to check those out.

Heading into the 2008 Olympics I still had my doubts about the “Redeem Team” and their quest for the gold medal. Following back-to-back wins against China and Angola those doubts grew bigger as team USA cruised to easy wins but still showed several of the same issues that had led to their losses in the 2006 World Championship and 04 Olympics.

So when I woke up this morning and turned the TV on at 8:00am I was very interested to see how Team USA would perform against a medal contending team in Greece. As I walked out the door to head into the office at halftime every doubt that I had about this team had basically disappeared and here are the two main reasons why.

Defense: Two years ago I watched this Greece team run circles around the Team USA defense to the tune of 101 points. In that game the Greeks were able to get whatever they wanted on every possession, shooting over 60% from the field in the win. Today the ball hawking USA defense frustrated the Greeks into 25 turnovers and countless deflections which completely took Greece of their offense. Team USA held Greece to just 4 of 18 shooting from behind the line and 41% from the field.

Playing through adversity: In 2006 and in 2004 when the USA fell behind in a game, whether it was in the first quarter or the third quarter there was a sense of panic with the team. So When Jason Kidd picked up three very questionable fouls the first 85 seconds followed by a Kobe Bryant “Intentional” foul, it looked as though Team USA was in for a long night. However, while previous teams might have panicked at the officiating, the “Redeem Team” took out their anger and frustration on the Greeks, outscoring them 11-3 over the final four minutes of the first quarter. The USA would continue the momentum in the 2nd quarter allowing them to take a 51-32 lead into the half. This won’t be the last time that Team USA faces adversity in the tournament especially with their biggest foe Spain coming up next, but if they can fight through tough stretches like they did today this team just might be unstoppable.

Despite the win Team USA still has a couple issues that need to be resolved with the top two on the list being free-throw shooting and three-point shooting. For the third straight game Team USA struggled from the outside making just 7 of 20 three-pointers while also going just 13 of 23 from the FT line.

Against a team like Spain the Americans must make every opportunity count and making free throws will be very important if its a close game in the final minutes.

Team USA will take on Spain on Saturday at 10:15 am.

A couple quick notes on this Wednesday afternoon

Tomorrow Team USA will face by far their biggest test of the olympics playing a Greece team that knocked them off 2 years ago. Greece is an extremely disciplined and physical team. I remember watching the game two years ago where Greece was just unstoppable on the pick and roll while also hitting several big three-point attempts. The Greeks are coming off of a 23 point win over Dirk Nowitzki and the Germans. A lot of people believe Spain will be the Americans biggest threat but one big factor Greece has is they were the last team to beat the Americans since they changed their picking process in 2006.

While the Redeem Team is over in Beijing three other teams decided to make some moves to their roster as the Cleveland Cavaliers, Milwaukee Bucks and OKC ? swapped some players.

Cleveland Trades - Damon Jones and Joe Smith and receives Mo Williams
Milwaukee trades - Mo Williams and Desmond Mason and receives Luke Ridnour, Damon Jones and Adrian Griffin
OKC trades - Adrian Griffin and Luke Ridnour and receives Smith and Mason

By far the biggest name is Mo Williams who averaged 17.2 ppg last year but comes with a hefty long term price tag of around 43 million dollars over the next five years (including his player option)

And on one last note the Spurs announced their preseason schedule and the Wizards will play them in San Antonio on October 22nd.