Team of stars earning its stripes

BEIJING - I'm starting to believe.

Understand that there was a good reason why I was reluctant to place my hand on that stove. I was there in Indianapolis. I was there in Athens. I was there in Tokyo.

I had borne witness to the shredding of America's basketball reputation. I had seen the confused, dysfunctional teams of NBA luminaries humbled by all those Argentines, Spaniards, Serbs, Lithuanians, Puerto Ricans, and Greeks while playing what is indisputably our game, the one invented in Springfield, Mass., 117 years ago, and never mind that it sprang from the mind of a Canadian.

I know, I know. We have a new approach. We appoint someone to be the national coach. We keep guys together for three years. We take role players, and we even go so far as to put a guy on the team (Tayshaun Prince) who's never been in an All-Star Game. It's all designed to eliminate any whiff of a "me first" mentality and give the United States a basketball T-E-A-M it can be proud of.

The team was on display yesterday and I am here to say it looks pretty good. Spain was expected to present a major test, but it did not happen. The US applied suffocating defense. The US shot well. The US placed eight men in double figures and demolished the reigning world champions, 119-82.

Someone asked Carmelo Anthony if the Americans had this game circled on the calendar.

"It's just one game more, but we did have this one circled," said Anthony, whose 16 points included four 3-pointers. "They are the world champs. I'd be lying if I said we didn't have it circled."

We can be sure they also had the Greeks circled, and when the time comes in next week's medal round, they will be primed to play defending Olympic champion Argentina, as well. There are guys on this team with some scars from lost battles in the international arena.

But there is a clear sense that this time things are different. Mike Krzyzewski's team is positively ferocious on defense. The US has the deepest collection of athletes in the tournament, and Coach K is utilizing that athleticism on the defensive end before he worries about anything else.

"We want to make it hard on the other team," says Anthony. "We enjoy shutting the other team down."

One measure of defensive efficiency and intimidation is the steals tally. The US has 58 steals in four games, 16 of them coming against Spain. Steals and turnovers set the tone from the beginning. By the time the US lead was 18-11, the Americans already had five steals.

When Spain actually got into an offense, it did fine. But it had to be discouraging to be shooting 6 for 8 and find yourself trailing, 23-16, because the US already had six steals.

Team USA was similarly impressive defensively in its previous games, but the added difference in this affair was the fact that the defense was abetted by some legitimate shooting. Perhaps it was an aberration, but the US was 12 for 25 on threes.

"We can get a good shot any time down the floor," maintained point guard Chris Paul. "I said after the first couple of games that those shots were going to fall."

Said LeBron James, "When we create the tempo of the game defensively like that, and then shoot this way, we have a good chance to win."

The defense is enhanced by the simple fact that no one has to play a lot. Coach K has a serious bench, and he's not afraid to use it. Then again, "bench" might not be the proper word to describe the people he can employ as substitutes. Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Paul, and Deron Williams aren't quite your archetypical subs.

"We don't have a starting five," declared Anthony. "We have a five who begin the game."

If you had never seen any of these people play before, and someone had told you there was a player on this team who is generally acclaimed as the best player in the game, you would find yourself asking why the man in question was coming off the bench. That's how well Wade is playing.

Perhaps it's just the international thing, but it should be pointed out that Wade was the team's best player in Tokyo two years ago. That was pre-injury, and there was a lot of question about his readiness for these Olympics. He has come back from his knee injury much stronger, and the new body hasn't taken anything away from his menacing game.

When he comes in, it's almost unfair. Within two or three possessions, he generally has a steal and then, of course, a sneakaway dunk.

"He might be the best transition player in the tournament," Paul said.

Another player who has been pretty much unstoppable here is LeBron. We all know about his talent, and now he has an awareness and maturity about him that makes for a formidable package. Reflecting on his limited service on the 2004 Olympic team, he said, "I'm a much better player now. I was too young then. I had never been in the playoffs and I had never really been in any big NBA games."

If you're wondering about Kobe Bryant, he seems to be in some kind of weird deferential gear on offense. Defensively, he is a huge part of the story.

The game with Spain was such a frolic that even Jason Kidd decided it was time to take a shot. No, seriously. I Kidd you not. The 35-year-old point guard has been taking his role as a facilitator to an extreme, eschewing all opportunities to shoot the ball during the first three games. But he found himself on the left wing of a third-quarter three-on-two orchestrated by James and he had little choice but to lay it in with his left hand.

That's the news from here. Germany is the next victim, and then the one-and-done medal round commences. You should feel good about their chances.

Bob Ryan is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at ryan@globe.com.