The United States have realised in the nick of time that team-work and not talent is going to win them Olympic basketball gold. And that is bad news for the rest of the sides in the tournament.

An embarrassing loss to Italy less than a fortnight ago was a big wake-up call for the Americans. Tipped to brush aside all before them in Athens, they slumped to a shock 95-78 defeat.

Since then, the likes of Dwyane Wade and Emeka Okafor have had time to reassess and to realise that individual brilliance is not enough to ensure they leave Greece as Olympic champions.

?We can?t go out there and think our talent is going to get it done, because it?s not,? said Miami Heat guard Wade.

Carmelo Anthony was one of the youngsters in the US line-up who perhaps got carried away, thinking the US only had to turn up in Athens to secure the gold medal.

In an interview prior to the Italian defeat, the 20-year-old Denver Nuggets forward guaranteed Olympic success. His remarks earned a mild rebuke from US head coach Larry Brown. And the player was further chastened when Italy recorded their now famous upset.

The US made amends for that reverse by edging past Germany 80-77 and then hammering world champions Serbia and Montenegro 95-78. They rounded off their six-match tour of Europe with another convincing win, this time over Turkey in Istanbul.

?We have a lot of guys that haven?t been through the Olympic experience,? said Wade. ?And a lot of our new guys didn?t really understand that the other countries have been dreaming about the Olympics all of their lives and play as a team.?

?But when we play the way the coaches want us to, we are a good team. In Serbia, we played a great game. When we play like that, nobody can beat us?, he added.

The current US squad is missing several of its big names following the decision of Shaquille O?Neal, Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady not to travel. But the illustrious tag of ?Dream Team? has still been attached to the 2004 outfit. Scotty Pippen and Michael Jordan were on the original Dream Team

Okafor is rightly wary of comparisons with the original 1992 Dream Team, which featured Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Scottie Pippen and Larry Bird.

?I remember the Dream Team of Bird, Jordan and Pippen and all the greats, but they were in a league of their own,? said the 22-year-old from Houston.

Having only just graduated to the NBA ranks following a successful college career, Okafor is not about to make any rash statements like team-mate Anthony.

?We are confident but we are not cocky? said the Charlotte Bobcats centre. ?We are going to work hard and do our best to bring the gold medal home.?

The Americans main rivals in Athens will be Argentina, Italy and Serbia and Montenegro. But few would bet against the US claiming their fourth straight Olympic title.

Phil Gordos