19/07/2012

:00:55. > :00:59.Hello and welcome to the Manchester Arena. We have a great atmosphere

:00:59. > :01:03.and a full house for a basketball match between USA and Great Britain.

:01:03. > :01:06.Great Britain are on the return to the Olympic arena for the first

:01:07. > :01:11.time since 1948 and as part of their preparations for the Games

:01:11. > :01:16.they are taking on the best team in the world. Six members of USA

:01:16. > :01:20.Olympic roster won gold medals in Beijing and the squad is packed

:01:20. > :01:26.full of NBA All-Stars. Quite simply, this is the 2012 version of

:01:26. > :01:30.basketball's dream team. What does it mean to you to be in

:01:30. > :01:37.the UK ahead of the Games? looking forward to it thoroughly.

:01:37. > :01:41.It will be great for us. It is great to represent your country.

:01:41. > :01:46.You know, the NBA season does not matter right now. It is about how

:01:46. > :01:51.we focus as a group and get our goal. It is the beauty of the

:01:51. > :01:56.Olympics, I am really looking forward to it. It is fun, you have

:01:56. > :02:03.the best athletes in the world and you get off on it. What about the

:02:03. > :02:13.British team? Luol Deng? I know a couple of guys from their team.

:02:13. > :02:17.You know, I think it will be a fun game. We play them and see what the

:02:17. > :02:23.atmosphere is like. Basketball as a game where any given team can win

:02:23. > :02:26.on the night. Some of the best teams in the country get upset on

:02:26. > :02:33.any team in the night. We have to make sure we have to stay on top of

:02:33. > :02:38.it and bring it. Our biggest story is our next opponent and right now

:02:38. > :02:43.it is Great Britain. I know those guys have been working hard and

:02:43. > :02:48.waiting for us to come, to come here. Who do you think other teams

:02:48. > :02:54.that can possibly stop you from getting the goal? Anybody, you know.

:02:54. > :03:00.If we don't come out focused with the execution, you can be beaten. I

:03:00. > :03:05.like a group of guys, I like a focus, we will see what happens.

:03:05. > :03:08.are immensely excited about seeing some of the superstars around the

:03:08. > :03:12.world at Great Britain. We can't wait to see Luol Deng in action

:03:12. > :03:17.tonight up against the best of American, Luol Deng signing only

:03:17. > :03:22.group -- a lucrative contract for Chicago Bulls. LeBron James, one of

:03:22. > :03:27.the superstars for the States alongside the likes of Kevin Durant,

:03:27. > :03:32.guys who we have only seen on television. We are going to see

:03:32. > :03:36.them in person today. I have a superstar alongside me, John MDG,

:03:36. > :03:40.Commonwealth medallist for England and a former NBA star yourself. It

:03:40. > :03:43.is one of those special nights. How far has Great Britain basketball

:03:43. > :03:49.come since the days that you were winning medals at the Melbourne

:03:49. > :03:52.Games? What is amazing is that when I won a long time ago a medal with

:03:52. > :03:56.England there wasn't even a Great Britain team. We didn't have this

:03:56. > :04:01.kind of star power on the floor for Great Britain SOCA leaps and bounds,

:04:01. > :04:07.it is amazing. To be able to see for the fans here, the superstars

:04:07. > :04:09.from the NBA, Luol Deng but also the guys on the 2012 Dream Team,

:04:09. > :04:14.that is a real pleasure for everyone who is here in Manchester

:04:14. > :04:17.tonight? Yes, I have been talking to people in the stands and it is a

:04:17. > :04:21.huge inspiration to witness this kind of game, to see not only of

:04:21. > :04:25.the amazing stars of the USA team but watch how far the GB team has

:04:25. > :04:30.come. The gap that we are going to see, we are likely to see tonight,

:04:30. > :04:35.between Great Britain and the USA. This is the problem. GB has come a

:04:35. > :04:39.long tremendously but we still have a lot of work to do and the fact is

:04:39. > :04:42.the USA has had years and years in advance so they are the pinnacle

:04:42. > :04:47.right now. There are not many teams in Europe that come close and we

:04:47. > :04:50.are not at the head of the pack in Europe as yet. If you were sitting

:04:50. > :04:54.at home, who are the players you would like to see tonight, who you

:04:54. > :04:59.think are the special players in the world? Without a doubt for GB

:04:59. > :05:02.you're looking at Luol Deng, who is going to be outstanding. But for GB,

:05:02. > :05:12.people should be watching to see who else can step up. Who do you

:05:12. > :05:13.

:05:13. > :05:18.think? I think Nate Reinking has to. They beat him to augment what Luol

:05:18. > :05:22.Deng can do. People are talking about the American team at St --

:05:22. > :05:26.and saying that Kobe Bryant could give the dream team of 1992 a run

:05:26. > :05:29.for its money. Some people raised their eyebrows. I had a word with

:05:29. > :05:32.some Perkins, who was a member of that auspicious early dream team

:05:32. > :05:37.and he is not sure if they are at that level yet but they are

:05:37. > :05:41.remarkable. The real question is do they play as 12 individuals, or do

:05:41. > :05:45.they play as one amazing team? has been one of the criticisms

:05:45. > :05:49.about USA teams in the past, that they are all individuals,

:05:49. > :05:52.superstars on their own, so to gel is not that easy. That is the thing.

:05:53. > :05:56.It is one of the problems the USA has had. They don't often get

:05:56. > :05:59.defeated but when they don't play well it is when they play as

:05:59. > :06:06.individuals. If they can come together even then this Olympics

:06:06. > :06:10.they will be hard to beat. Thank you, you will commentate and

:06:10. > :06:18.alongside you is Mike Carlson, our resident expert in American sports.

:06:18. > :06:21.Good evening. Good evening. It is a jam-packed seen. Just a few short

:06:21. > :06:26.years ago it was an open question whether Great Britain's basketball

:06:26. > :06:30.team would claim their place as the host nation for London 2012 and how

:06:30. > :06:33.things have changed. They have made their way for the tournament and

:06:33. > :06:39.they are fresh from impressive performances against Portugal,

:06:39. > :06:43.Spain and France. They UC Chris Finch, who has taken the team and

:06:43. > :06:48.awful long way in the past three years. As John is fighting through

:06:48. > :06:52.the crowd to join us now, we are saying what a good job Chris Finch

:06:52. > :06:56.has done in elevating this team in the past four or five years.

:06:56. > :07:00.certainly has. Nobody was counting on this team doing anything at all.

:07:00. > :07:04.Now, all of a sudden, they are up here. We have seen remarkable games,

:07:04. > :07:08.not least with Spain recently, so they have really been doing a

:07:08. > :07:12.fantastic job. To put that into perspective, Spain at the last

:07:12. > :07:15.Olympics played a very good game and took the USA right to the end

:07:15. > :07:20.of that tournament. Britain did the same thing with the Spanish last

:07:20. > :07:23.week. That is right. I don't think it quite tells us that Great

:07:23. > :07:31.Britain is up to the level of USA when they are playing well but the

:07:31. > :07:34.fact is Spain did hold USA tour two point game and has been the USA in

:07:34. > :07:37.the past at world championships so they have proven, high-quality

:07:37. > :07:42.competition and for GB to be able to play one consistent game, that

:07:42. > :07:47.is something we will talk about in this game, can she be do it in more

:07:47. > :07:52.than just fits and spurts? He had a shot at Mike Krzyzewski earlier,

:07:52. > :07:57.very interesting that a coach from college would due to them.

:07:57. > :08:00.reason, the popular reason out there that we have college coaches

:08:00. > :08:04.coaching these dream teams is that it is the college mentality of

:08:04. > :08:07.bringing a group of talented people together to play as a team that is

:08:07. > :08:12.required in order to succeed in European competition and in this

:08:12. > :08:19.kind of Olympic competition as well. They used see the Great Britain

:08:19. > :08:24.starting five out there, Nate Reinking, Mike Lenzly, Luol Deng,

:08:24. > :08:29.Joel Freeland and Pops Mensah-Bonsu. That will be the fight. The key is

:08:29. > :08:34.how that backwater can play, how the two guards than before. Yes, we

:08:34. > :08:38.saw yesterday, the US women's team put on great pressure in the back

:08:38. > :08:42.court of GB and we will see a copy of that today. It is how Great

:08:42. > :08:47.Britain handles the pressure, if they can break the press and make

:08:47. > :08:51.smart decisions that is going to be their success. For the US it is

:08:51. > :08:54.almost a small bald line up. Tyson Chandler will be the centre of the

:08:54. > :09:02.two forwards, LeBron James and Kevin Durant, they are small

:09:03. > :09:07.forwards. Kobe Bryant, the shooting guard, Deron Williams as well. --

:09:07. > :09:11.Deron Williams. They can do almost anything, they will not be many

:09:11. > :09:15.switches. It is an immensely talented group of athletes who have

:09:15. > :09:19.great skills. How likely is it that Great Britain and indeed a lot of

:09:19. > :09:25.the teams that the US played -- will play in the Olympics will

:09:25. > :09:31.plague defence against the I think they will. Maybe a couple

:09:31. > :09:35.of Olympics ago zone defence confused the Americans, they did

:09:35. > :09:39.not see it. Alone -- there is a legal defence, to prevent their own

:09:39. > :09:46.defence. Now they are used to it, they have college coaches making

:09:46. > :09:51.them aware of the zone. You saw Pops Mensah-Bonsu, a little chest

:09:51. > :10:01.but with LeBron James, he has one of the four players with the NBA

:10:01. > :10:12.

:10:12. > :10:22.It is Freeland underneath. Freeland puts Britain in front. A great

:10:22. > :10:33.

:10:33. > :10:37.The British are breaking. That will be a foul on Durant. I don't think

:10:37. > :10:42.that was intentional. Pops Mensah- Bonsu was under the basket for the

:10:42. > :10:48.layout. He stumbled over. It is surprising to see this being

:10:48. > :10:58.allowed by the USA. They have to get a man back. It is surprising to

:10:58. > :11:15.

:11:15. > :11:25.This is a tough match for RGB. Durant stuff sit through. A great

:11:25. > :11:44.

:11:44. > :11:54.Williams, three. That is to open, to open for the shooters the USA

:11:54. > :11:57.

:11:57. > :12:03.has. You can't leave them open on Pops Mensah-Bonsu driving to the

:12:03. > :12:09.Hook, foul does he went in. Good impressing driving down the lane,

:12:09. > :12:19.the defence is a step too late. It was just a swipe of the arm. Kobe

:12:19. > :12:26.

:12:26. > :12:31.Five fouls and you are out of the game in the international

:12:31. > :12:41.basketball game. The NBA give you six. It makes all the difference.

:12:41. > :12:41.

:12:41. > :13:48.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 66 seconds

:13:48. > :13:52.You should know. You use all six of Kobe Bryant goes up for the shop.

:13:52. > :14:00.You see the spin move baseline, arm off, superstars going to get away

:14:00. > :14:08.with that. Once again, I think the defence is going to be crucial. Can

:14:08. > :14:13.they get that to them quickly enough to stop those 111 please?

:14:13. > :14:23.has to like the poor movement they have shown. It has been lovely. The

:14:23. > :14:44.

:14:44. > :14:53.ball Burghley -- barely touching Kobe Bryant's father, Jelly Bean,

:14:53. > :15:01.played in Europe for years and It is just token pressure to slow

:15:01. > :15:08.the offence. Doing a really good job, James, not allowing GB to get

:15:08. > :15:11.an easy pass. Durant anticipated the past two Deng, knocked it away.

:15:11. > :15:18.That is going to be another sub- plot, how often will they be able

:15:18. > :15:28.to get the ball to Luol Deng. game-plan must involve keeping him

:15:28. > :15:32.

:15:32. > :15:37.They extended themselves past the 24-second Clarke, you only have 24

:15:37. > :15:41.seconds to shoot the ball. That is a telling sign. They are already

:15:41. > :15:48.playing enough to cause shot clock violations. They have not really

:15:48. > :15:51.turned the screws yet. And it is a shame, because Freeland had what he

:15:52. > :16:01.wanted. Andrew Lawrence has come into the game for Great Britain,

:16:02. > :16:21.

:16:21. > :16:24.The ball goes out of bounds, to Great Britain. We said in the

:16:24. > :16:29.introduction, are the USA going to play as an outstanding team or as

:16:29. > :16:33.individuals? In the early plays, it was an outstanding team, but these

:16:33. > :16:43.last couple of shots, one-on-one efforts, more like a bunch of

:16:43. > :16:46.

:16:46. > :16:56.Rankin hits for the three! Nice penetration. Really good job of

:16:56. > :17:05.

:17:05. > :17:09.As it is going to be blocking foul. Well, Joel Freeland was trying to

:17:09. > :17:13.draw and a sense of foul there. cannot sh see his feet to see

:17:13. > :17:20.whether he was inside the circle or not. The half circle on the floor

:17:20. > :17:29.that you can say, inside it is automatically a block. Just

:17:29. > :17:34.sweeping round that circle now to The USA, not the kind of start that

:17:34. > :17:38.they would have expected, more akin to what we saw yesterday with the

:17:38. > :17:42.GB women's team. It was when the second unit came in for the West

:17:42. > :17:48.that they started playing as a team. The frightening part here, when you

:17:48. > :17:58.look at the USA, their second unit is as good as anybody else's first

:17:58. > :18:30.

:18:30. > :18:39.He spun left, he spun right, and he hits the two. The defence was not

:18:39. > :18:44.bad, in fairness, but really impressive feat. Deron Williams

:18:45. > :18:48.just schooled Andrew Lawrence. What Kobe Bryant here. He got

:18:48. > :18:53.everybody's head turning, leaving him with a relatively uncontested

:18:54. > :19:03.jump shot. If you watch Kobe Bryant, that is a shot he makes a lot.

:19:04. > :19:08.

:19:08. > :19:15.Oscott four or five inches on rank Was that a shot or was it a pass?

:19:15. > :19:21.At the end of the day, he will take The second time we have seen that

:19:21. > :19:27.cannot play into the middle, GB after the care of. Swatted away by

:19:27. > :19:31.Tyson Chandler! The thing is, although it is spectacular to put

:19:31. > :19:34.the ball out of bounds like that, the reality is that getting into

:19:34. > :19:40.the heart of the defence, it is going to cause good things as long

:19:40. > :19:50.as they make the shot or pass out. Chandler takes the opportunity to

:19:50. > :19:54.

:19:54. > :19:59.go to the bench. Carmelo Anthony is Pabst takes advantage and goes in

:19:59. > :20:05.for the score. The split the Double team on the baseline, did a great

:20:05. > :20:15.job. He took that extra European staff. We have got three players

:20:15. > :20:15.

:20:15. > :20:22.that we could call small forwards A great fast break finished by Pops

:20:22. > :20:32.Mensah-Bonsu! Good job again, GB taking advantage. So great that you

:20:32. > :20:41.have got Luol Deng on the floor, he Pops Mensah-Bonsu came in for the

:20:41. > :20:47.steel, and he will get called for Highlight the aggressive play, but

:20:47. > :20:57.you have to be careful with the reaching end. -- I like. The USA

:20:57. > :21:14.

:21:14. > :21:19.Basketball brings us together, it is great to come down and see this.

:21:19. > :21:22.I have been into basketball or my life, it is a great opportunity.

:21:22. > :21:29.could see when Kobe Bryant was pulling out some of his tricks, you

:21:29. > :21:34.were getting out of your seat, are you a big fan? The athleticism is

:21:34. > :21:39.great to watch. We know that Manchester is the home of football,

:21:39. > :21:44.the two best sides in the country here, but what about the two best

:21:44. > :21:48.basketball sides here? We are just lucky people, I am sure everybody

:21:48. > :21:52.in this crowd is, a great opportunity to come down and see

:21:52. > :21:57.this. Football is one of the main sports, but we will get a chance to

:21:57. > :22:03.see a lot of different sports over the coming months. Back to work on

:22:03. > :22:07.Monday, we have got a chance to watch some great basketball. Let's

:22:07. > :22:12.and back to Mike and John. I love seeing football players wearing

:22:12. > :22:16.basketball hats! It looks out of place somehow. It is interesting

:22:16. > :22:26.that you watch football players, a completely different type of

:22:26. > :22:28.

:22:28. > :22:35.athlete, tiny! And you are what, 6 ft 8? Maybe I don't count! We saw

:22:35. > :22:39.GB taking advantage of mistakes by the USA defence, really porous.

:22:39. > :22:45.Pops Mensah-Bonsu splitting the defence for the dunk. We need more

:22:45. > :22:48.of those easy baskets. Kobe Bryant playing some great events at there,

:22:48. > :22:53.on the smaller players, but I'm sure the US must have been talking

:22:53. > :22:57.about stopping Britain getting the quick passes and breaks. Yes,

:22:57. > :23:00.nobody here was calling the idea that it would be Great Britain

:23:00. > :23:06.leading the USA in terms of fast break points. That is something

:23:06. > :23:16.they have to do something about, because I imagine they will try to

:23:16. > :23:19.

:23:19. > :23:29.A foul before Pops Mensah-Bonsu swatter that one away. Foul called

:23:29. > :23:30.

:23:30. > :23:36.Dan Clark is going to come in and replace Joel Freeland. What you

:23:36. > :23:42.have with Joel Freeland, he is mobile, he can get up and down the

:23:42. > :23:52.floor. We saw him receiving the ball from Luol Deng. Now we have to

:23:52. > :23:59.

:23:59. > :24:05.see if they can maintain that fees. LeBron James, his Miami heat took

:24:05. > :24:09.the NBA title, it seems like just a week ago. The way the season went,

:24:09. > :24:15.the truncated season we have had, 60 games instead of 80, or

:24:15. > :24:23.compressed together, it seems like everything just ended. I imagine if

:24:23. > :24:33.you are plain, it feels like it's just ended. Maybe a week's back --

:24:33. > :24:34.

:24:34. > :24:44.The Deng, it does not bother him, and he tries through, and

:24:44. > :24:57.

:24:57. > :25:01.Surprise in to see this really Good ball moment, Durand, three

:25:02. > :25:11.points. Amazing passing, lovely to see, that is what the young players

:25:12. > :25:28.

:25:28. > :25:33.Deng hits! Really good ball moment, That is going to be on Lawrence for

:25:33. > :25:38.bonding Chris Paul. The US line-up, basically two point guards and

:25:38. > :25:47.three small forwards. Now we are getting a substitution. Lawrence is

:25:47. > :25:52.out. Kevin Love, you know, big by most definitions, and Andre

:25:52. > :25:55.Iguodala, they are both in. Driving right down the middle, not really

:25:55. > :26:04.the best pursued by Kevin Durant, and certainly no help from the

:26:04. > :26:12.If you want a prediction, Iguodala is going to pick up Luol Deng.

:26:12. > :26:22.Yeah! He is known for being able to defend any player on the court.

:26:22. > :26:26.

:26:26. > :26:35.Chris Paul makes the second. We are Westbrook knocked it away, and GB

:26:35. > :26:45.will keep possession. That pressure was not a press, it is simply heavy

:26:45. > :26:56.

:26:56. > :27:01.Carmelo Anthony gave Dan Clark a um band took the ball away from him.

:27:01. > :27:05.Iguodala slams at home. That is where the USA is great, getting the

:27:05. > :27:15.turnovers in the open floor for the easy twos, a mirror image of what

:27:15. > :27:16.

:27:16. > :27:19.You can see Chris Finch screaming at the referee about the chest bump

:27:19. > :27:24.on Dan Clark, he is saying, you called it when it happened in the

:27:24. > :27:29.middle of the court. One of the eternal frustrations of players and

:27:29. > :27:35.coaches, you do not always get equal calls on both sides. And this

:27:35. > :27:38.is just a great fast break. You see, I mean, again, for players watching,

:27:38. > :27:48.every player does not feel the need to put the ball on the floor, they

:27:48. > :27:50.

:27:50. > :27:53.get it, they look for the next open The ball moves faster through the

:27:54. > :27:58.air than it does Underwood. One of those messages you wish that teams

:27:58. > :28:05.would understand. Get it moving through the air, you get the easy

:28:05. > :28:09.buckets. Kyle Johnson has come into the game for Great Britain. He has

:28:09. > :28:13.had 21 points against Portugal, 18 against Lithuania. Chris Finch is

:28:13. > :28:23.rotating his guards, try to find a combination which will give them

:28:23. > :28:23.

:28:23. > :28:28.what they need to sustain the work It goes inside to Carmelo Anthony

:28:29. > :28:38.for an easy hook. Again, just floating around the baseline, an

:28:39. > :28:48.

:28:48. > :28:53.Pops Mensah-Bonsu was fouled as the hit the bottom of the backboard.

:28:53. > :28:58.His unconventional underneath, you see the Pope fake, there, and if he

:28:58. > :29:00.had not been fouled, he was too far under the basket to make that shot.

:29:00. > :29:10.Sometimes, in the heat of the moment, he cannot resist reaching

:29:10. > :29:13.

:29:13. > :29:17.Kieron Achara and Robert Archibald are both losing out on the side.

:29:17. > :29:22.Luol Deng will get a little bit of a break with just two minutes to go

:29:22. > :29:26.in the period. Again, I cannot imagine he is going to get too many

:29:26. > :29:30.breaks. I know this is technically an exhibition game. It is one of

:29:30. > :29:37.the classic things you do, give him an extra couple of minutes between

:29:37. > :29:43.periods. Instead of taking him out for four. You get the break at the

:29:43. > :29:49.end of the court as well. Now the question for GB, without that kind

:29:49. > :29:56.of pivotal person on the floor who has been taking a lot of defensive

:29:56. > :30:06.attention, can everyone else step And Pops comes out after making a

:30:06. > :30:14.

:30:14. > :30:23.shots, Archibald, second generation The pass goes straight out of

:30:23. > :30:33.bounds. Iguodala, kind of like, what was that? Yes, the same

:30:33. > :30:40.

:30:40. > :30:49.movement against the zone that got Chris Paul commits a foul. That

:30:49. > :30:53.will send to Kyle Johnson to the line. A really good job by GB,

:30:53. > :30:57.maintaining their composure. Despite the fact they are not

:30:57. > :31:04.really firing on all cylinders in terms of their offence, it is still

:31:04. > :31:10.fits and starts, they have had great individual efforts by Pops,

:31:10. > :31:13.Mensah-Bonsu and Luol Deng. They haven't had that storm moment that

:31:13. > :31:23.the women had yesterday. That is the big difference between the men

:31:23. > :31:48.

:31:48. > :31:58.Anthony's hence it -- Anthony Slams They are so quick. Russell and

:31:58. > :32:08.

:32:08. > :32:13.Achara looking for some help now. There is a tug going through.

:32:13. > :32:20.tell you what, USA picking up their defence, GB catching the ball

:32:20. > :32:30.further and further out of bounds. We see this, the first dunk.

:32:30. > :32:32.

:32:32. > :32:36.watch this, this is just There is no shame with the dunk at

:32:36. > :32:42.this level of basketball. People think this is a moment that should

:32:42. > :32:52.stay with you forever. The truth is if you have never been dumped on

:32:52. > :33:15.

:33:15. > :33:25.you were not playing at a high The USA have slowed down for the

:33:25. > :33:30.

:33:30. > :33:34.It is Anthony, for three. I don't think exactly what you would have

:33:34. > :33:37.called coach drawing up destroying up the play, rather a pass for an

:33:37. > :33:44.exceptional shot on the wing but still did the trick, pushed the

:33:44. > :33:46.lead ahead. Anthony's three. To Exit 33-20 at the end of the first

:33:46. > :33:50.period and it was that collapse in the last couple of minutes when the

:33:50. > :33:55.pressure came up. It is exactly right, we talked about it and we

:33:55. > :33:59.may have jinxed it, the fact is they had that collapse and they

:33:59. > :34:05.can't afford this in the second quarter. Let's go to the courtside.

:34:05. > :34:09.We have more guests. Thank you, Mark. The USA stretching their lead

:34:09. > :34:14.at the end of the first quarter. The two guys are big basketball

:34:14. > :34:20.fans and have been watching a game alongside me. You guys met in

:34:20. > :34:24.Melbourne. That is how you became friends? Yes, we met at a festival,

:34:24. > :34:30.the Future Music Festival in Melbourne and stayed in contact and

:34:30. > :34:33.we have been out a few times and got to know each other well. Harry,

:34:33. > :34:39.2006, Commonwealth champions, Australia. This is a game you

:34:39. > :34:43.considered taking up? No, I am missing one or two in the

:34:43. > :34:48.department. I am a massive and fan, I love watching it. I'd want a

:34:48. > :34:52.chance to watch a live game in -- at Christmas. My team played in

:34:52. > :34:57.Chicago which I was happy with. I am just a fan watching the sport.

:34:57. > :35:01.week and a half until the Olympic Games, this is a taster. What are

:35:01. > :35:05.you expecting when the Olympics come to the country? For this sport

:35:05. > :35:12.for the hall? General. It will be massive it. There will be traffic

:35:12. > :35:17.jams but... Is that the only thing you can think about?! Hopefully I

:35:17. > :35:21.can get down to a few events. It is great to see his great sportsman in

:35:21. > :35:30.the country doing the stuff they are greater. It will be great,

:35:30. > :35:34.thank you for talking to us. Traffic jams! Traffic jams, is that

:35:34. > :35:40.what you are looking forward to in the Olympics? I am very glad that

:35:40. > :35:47.where I am staying is very close to the Olympic Park. The second

:35:47. > :35:50.quarter coming up now. Britain down by 13 after playing quite well for

:35:50. > :35:55.probably 80 out of the ten minutes. There is Luol Deng, coming back on

:35:55. > :35:59.court. What can they do to try to slow down the US attack? It is the

:35:59. > :36:04.turnovers. This is some of the outstanding player. You split the

:36:04. > :36:10.Double team. This is when GB was at their best, running the floor,

:36:10. > :36:15.forcing the USA to take their chance. They were penetrating with

:36:15. > :36:19.Deng. Uncontested to the basket, almost unheard of. In the season he

:36:19. > :36:23.has just played he will not have had shots like this wide-open.

:36:23. > :36:33.Deng, right in front of our position. Starting the second

:36:33. > :36:50.

:36:50. > :36:55.It is Carmelo Anthony. With the Pops, but the -- Pops, but there is

:36:55. > :36:58.a foul called. This is the problem. How do you cope with the pressure

:36:59. > :37:03.in the back court? It has been one of the weaknesses of Great Britain

:37:03. > :37:07.basketball, not just this Great Britain team. Finding point guards

:37:07. > :37:13.especially, guards who can handle this kind of intense pressure and

:37:13. > :37:18.get the ball into the attack zone. We have had this second quarter

:37:18. > :37:28.running, GB has not been able to get the basketball into the attack

:37:28. > :37:55.

:37:55. > :38:05.We saw the beard again. I love it. Harden has been growing it since

:38:05. > :38:13.

:38:13. > :38:18.GB needs to maintain their composure. So get the run that is

:38:18. > :38:28.happening to them. -- forget the run. Try to break it and a good

:38:28. > :38:33.

:38:33. > :38:43.Chris Paul off the front of the ring. A great rebound by Russell

:38:43. > :38:55.

:38:55. > :39:05.Harden takes the pass from Paul and don't sit through. -- and dunks it

:39:05. > :39:19.

:39:19. > :39:23.It is amazing, Luol Deng, he can't do it on his own. He can't take the

:39:23. > :39:30.ball into his hands and fight against five people. He needs the

:39:30. > :39:34.rest of his team to stay put. Britain have taken a time out. Luol

:39:34. > :39:37.Deng was talking to the referees as he came off and we are about to see

:39:37. > :39:47.Anthony Davis come on for the US, the only player on the US team who

:39:47. > :39:47.

:39:47. > :39:51.has not played in the NBA. Of course, he was the first overall

:39:51. > :39:57.track man on the NBA. He is a replacement for Great Britain,

:39:57. > :40:00.people are quite disappointed that he is not here but it is good to

:40:00. > :40:05.see fresh talent that is going to be plying their trade in the NBA

:40:05. > :40:14.next year. Only 19 years old, the youngest player on the court.

:40:14. > :40:17.Frightening to think they have such amazing depth. Let's go back to the

:40:17. > :40:22.point we made coming out of the first quarter. What does Great

:40:22. > :40:25.Britain do against the pressure? They did not do anything to change

:40:26. > :40:30.what had been happening in the last two minutes of the first quarter.

:40:30. > :40:34.What is frustrating me and will be frustrating Chris Finch, the coach,

:40:34. > :40:38.is the idea they are being trapped in the same place every single time.

:40:38. > :40:42.It is very tempting for players when they are under pressure to

:40:42. > :40:45.turn their back but if you do that against a defence that is over. The

:40:45. > :40:50.moment you turn your back, there pressure will get you and you can't

:40:50. > :40:54.see the floor to see -- to make a good pass. Think back to last night

:40:54. > :40:59.when the US put pressure on the British women, Amy steward came up

:40:59. > :41:03.from the back quarter, came across the half line and they may be easy

:41:03. > :41:07.passage time. Exactly right. The thing that is hurting G B is they

:41:07. > :41:11.are -- is the turnovers are happening so quickly and the

:41:11. > :41:15.transition is quick, they can't stop that easy break points.

:41:15. > :41:19.crowd are being entertained during that time out was Great Britain

:41:19. > :41:23.trying desperately to get their moment back as they have fallen

:41:23. > :41:27.behind by 17. There is the great Britain's women team that we're

:41:27. > :41:33.talking about. They did a great job last night. I was really pleased to

:41:33. > :41:43.see the development of that programme. Nice to see she has let

:41:43. > :42:00.

:42:00. > :42:10.In and out. For GB that is the kind An ice feed into Luol Deng, he puts

:42:10. > :42:28.

:42:28. > :42:38.it through for an easy two. -- a Dan Clark hits. This is what

:42:38. > :42:42.

:42:42. > :42:49.Britain needs. Big forwards hitting Clark is mobile, big. Archibald

:42:49. > :42:53.drew a foul. Iguodala running into him as he came across the middle.

:42:54. > :42:58.Archibald took position, went down and drew the offence. Archibald as

:42:58. > :43:08.in the middle. You see it here, smart play. It is not pretty but it

:43:08. > :43:23.

:43:24. > :43:32.This game is not non-contact. fate high into the air and Druze a

:43:32. > :43:40.foul. Harden knew he had been faked or stock yes, make sure that Deng

:43:40. > :43:46.did not have anything easy. You see how Deng moves forward. Make sure

:43:46. > :43:49.he draws the contact. The reality years, we mentioned earlier, if

:43:49. > :43:53.Luol Deng is going to spend an entire Olympic tournament working

:43:53. > :43:59.this hard for almost every point it is going to be exhausting. If you

:43:59. > :44:04.look at the team's the debt to -- if you look at the depth of teams

:44:04. > :44:14.like the USA, Argentina, Spain, even Turkey, they do rely on one

:44:14. > :44:38.

:44:38. > :44:44.person. -- they don't rely on one It doesn't look like the USA

:44:44. > :44:48.offences running smoothly. There is a little -- whistle, Deng went up

:44:48. > :44:55.and Harden has drawn another foul. A slap on the elbow. It is a

:44:55. > :45:03.foolish foul. Any time Fowler shooter. It is a foolish waste of

:45:03. > :45:06.foul. A especially when he is that far out. Just an elbow lift.

:45:06. > :45:12.Sometimes you get away with it in which case you are a genius, that

:45:12. > :45:17.time, not so. LeBron James and Kobe Bryant coming back on the court.

:45:18. > :45:23.Harden goes to the bench. indication that USA is not taking

:45:23. > :45:30.this game lightly. Getting the normal rotation back on the floor

:45:30. > :45:40.quickly. Chris Finch has a big line up in there. Clark, Archibald, Deng

:45:40. > :45:40.

:45:40. > :45:46.and Pops Mensah-Bonsu, all make. -- Big. He has done a better job

:45:46. > :45:56.bringing the ball to floor, adding pressure. Deng shooting three shots

:45:56. > :46:02.

:46:02. > :46:08.because he was fouled behind the He makes it 39-30, the lead cut to

:46:08. > :46:18.nine. 4GV, those easy points, and contested points, when the clock

:46:18. > :46:20.

:46:20. > :46:27.stops, important to make those. -- James and Archer bought collide,

:46:27. > :46:31.and the foul will be on Robert Archibald. The USA team may have

:46:31. > :46:34.interchangeable people, but Robert Archibald is certainly not the

:46:34. > :46:38.person you want switched out to LeBron James. I could feel that

:46:38. > :46:48.collision, and we are 20 ft away. LeBron James did not look pleased

:46:48. > :46:58.

:46:58. > :47:03.about it either. That might be a His I have to say, Durant looks

:47:03. > :47:10.last lustre. He stopped the fast break, because he knew that would

:47:10. > :47:14.be an easy two. That is a smart Spa. Durant does look lacklustre. It is

:47:14. > :47:19.a smart move. LeBron James, with a full head of steam, that never ends

:47:19. > :47:29.well for the opposition. They are not in the penalty situation yet,

:47:29. > :47:35.

:47:35. > :47:45.five fouls in a quarter before you Good effort on the board by Davis,

:47:45. > :47:48.

:47:48. > :47:54.It is an offensive foul on Pops. On Kobe Bryant, rather, but the foul

:47:54. > :47:58.is on Pops Mensah-Bonsu. I wouldn't mind seeing the replay, seeing if...

:47:58. > :48:08.Pops looks like he was done an injustice. The crowd does not like

:48:08. > :48:18.

:48:18. > :48:28.Again, the pace of the game is very As foul inside on Archibald. Sorry,

:48:28. > :48:34.it is on Deng. Good interior Let's take a look at that one that

:48:34. > :48:40.was called on Pops. Oh, yes, Kobe Bryant is quite famous for a move

:48:40. > :48:42.they caught pulling the chair at, putting pressure on the offensive

:48:42. > :48:47.player so he thinks there's something to lean against and then

:48:47. > :48:51.just walking away so that you fall over. It is embarrassing. It is not

:48:51. > :49:01.normally a call for an offensive foul. Clearly Kobe pulled the chair

:49:01. > :49:06.

:49:06. > :49:16.Anthony Davis misses the second. Anne looking backwards for Reinking.

:49:16. > :49:18.

:49:18. > :49:24.Look at the matter of time it takes for GB to get into their offence. A

:49:24. > :49:30.great pass into Pops, who misses the short shot but get the foul.

:49:30. > :49:38.Good interior play, frustrating that he did not make the shot. But

:49:38. > :49:46.none the less good pressure. It is a great move by Deng, he keeps his

:49:46. > :49:56.Exactly the kind of interior passing we have seen from the USA,

:49:56. > :50:03.

:50:03. > :50:08.Pops played for four different NBA teams. He is no stranger to that

:50:08. > :50:18.competition. He currently plays in Turkey with Besiktas. They won the

:50:18. > :50:20.

:50:21. > :50:30.Turkish championship this year. Reinking is going to shoot from

:50:31. > :50:31.

:50:31. > :50:35.three, in and out. Durant, a basket hanging, he dunks. Durant had a

:50:35. > :50:39.look of relief on his face there after a couple of misses, finally

:50:40. > :50:46.at easy opportunity, he made no mistake of that one. We are under

:50:47. > :50:56.the five-minute mark of the first half. Deng's shot is blocked.

:50:57. > :50:57.

:50:57. > :51:07.His penetration right into the middle of the key, that is always

:51:07. > :51:14.Archer Board stepped up, he cannot get his body directly in front,

:51:14. > :51:19.foul on him. -- Archibald. And I like what Archibald has done on the

:51:19. > :51:23.floor, in fairness. He has been physical, and frankly that was an

:51:23. > :51:27.important thing. GB needed someone to step up and match the

:51:27. > :51:33.physicality of the USA team. have to let him know that you're on

:51:33. > :51:37.the court. He has done that, he has hit Kobe, he has hit LeBron, is

:51:37. > :51:42.making sure that every superstar in that team knows that he is there.

:51:42. > :51:46.Joel Freeland comes in for Archibald. He picked up two quick

:51:46. > :51:49.fouls in the first period. It will be interesting to see how he

:51:49. > :51:59.responds to that, sometimes it is difficult to get thrown back into

:51:59. > :52:06.

:52:06. > :52:15.Can you make sure that you catch up 43-31 as Kobe misses the second.

:52:15. > :52:21.Again, noticeably the pressure has Freeland fighting for position

:52:21. > :52:25.inside our LeBron James. Dan Clark finally gets to give him the ball.

:52:25. > :52:35.Freeland tried to get it inside, it was tipped away, Carmelo came up

:52:35. > :52:39.

:52:39. > :52:42.No hesitation to put it in the air, what great hands, what a great play

:52:42. > :52:46.by Pops Mensah-Bonsu, but what quick hands inside to stop it. It

:52:46. > :52:53.was a good look from Reinking, but the ball cannot get through.

:52:53. > :52:57.talked about that yesterday, Howard is great to move your feet, but

:52:57. > :53:07.really important to get your hands away. The fake got in the extra

:53:07. > :53:13.

:53:13. > :53:21.It is a very physical game. men's game at this highest level,

:53:21. > :53:31.sometimes it is like playing a rugby match. Get the rugby players

:53:31. > :53:46.

:53:46. > :53:52.back and asked them! They may The I have to say, if you are GB

:53:52. > :54:00.and his point, you cannot be displeased with the scoreline. --

:54:00. > :54:04.You have got to track those down, you do not want to give away the

:54:04. > :54:12.second shot, always a higher percentage chance of the offensive

:54:12. > :54:19.rebound. Chris Paul bringing Reinking way away from the basket,

:54:19. > :54:29.James just lays it in. Easy, easy play, and again the simple pressure.

:54:29. > :54:36.

:54:36. > :54:41.Reinking was tried to turn the Durant was outside and stepped on

:54:41. > :54:45.he and line. He is having one of those games that you have in your

:54:45. > :54:50.nightmares. He is not playing terrible basketball, but so many

:54:50. > :54:58.easy things, he is just not getting it. That would just went out of

:54:58. > :55:02.The cross-court passes are really difficult to make against them.

:55:02. > :55:08.Especially in transition, as you are running and moving. Those

:55:08. > :55:12.passes lead to interceptions, as we saw there, or at least deflections.

:55:12. > :55:16.It is great awareness, the players are playing off the man they have

:55:16. > :55:21.got and anticipating those passing lanes. They are sagging, and a

:55:21. > :55:31.dragon on the floor, there is really one great shooter. -- Nate

:55:31. > :55:32.

:55:32. > :55:41.Deng fighting for the ball, he had bodies hanging on him. He's still

:55:41. > :55:51.at the strength to get the ball up to the basket. -- he still had.

:55:51. > :56:01.Possession stays with Great Britain. Deng will be unbounded. -- will in

:56:01. > :56:10.

:56:10. > :56:14.Dan Clark into Pops, Carmelo is on Finished by Kevin Durant. Once

:56:14. > :56:21.again, the quick hands on the one end, transition, the ball barely

:56:21. > :56:31.touching the floor, easy lay-up, dunk in that case. 47-33. Again,

:56:31. > :56:33.

:56:33. > :56:41.tipped away on the pass by Kobe Two passes, dunk by James, time-out

:56:41. > :56:47.Great Britain. Two minutes and 12 seconds left in the first half, the

:56:47. > :56:57.USA is a 49-33. A mirror of the first quarter, sustaining some kind

:56:57. > :56:58.

:56:58. > :57:04.of effort, giving the USA team continuity, but then a breakdown

:57:04. > :57:08.really hurt them. A breakdown in his last three minutes of the game

:57:08. > :57:14.leading to a layer after layer up. Demoralising. In fairness, what it

:57:14. > :57:18.is, the US is there in -- the US is lifting the defensive intensity.

:57:18. > :57:25.That is key, that is when we start seeing highlights like these, and

:57:25. > :57:31.it becomes essentially a dunkvest. Run and shoot! Yes, and it is not

:57:31. > :57:36.the kind of basketball that GB can beat the USA, and with the Olympics,

:57:36. > :57:40.the idea of GB running the ball up and down the floor in transition

:57:40. > :57:43.and beating teams is unrealistic. They have got to play controlled

:57:43. > :57:47.basketball, run opportunistically, as we saw in the first quarter, but

:57:47. > :57:52.for the most part get the ball safely up the court in as short a

:57:52. > :57:56.time as possible and run an open offence. I think you have made a

:57:56. > :57:59.good point. The problem with that kind of offence is that it takes

:57:59. > :58:04.them so long to get the ball over halfcourt that you do not have time

:58:04. > :58:07.to run it efficiently. That is what every coach will tell you. You need

:58:07. > :58:13.your point guard to bring the ball up in about three seconds so that

:58:13. > :58:17.you have got 21 seconds, the maximum amount of time are in your

:58:17. > :58:20.offence. GB has been taking the full 10 seconds to get the ball

:58:20. > :58:25.across the Harcourt Line, meaning that they have to rush into some

:58:25. > :58:31.kind of offence, often ending up with a one-on-one effort, or as you

:58:31. > :58:35.saw with Luol Deng, a one on two effort. If you have not watched a

:58:35. > :58:39.lot of basketball, this may look like a horse race, but the game can

:58:39. > :58:44.be very tactical in the halfcourt, and there are lots of things you

:58:44. > :58:48.can do to get your players open four shots. Mike Krzyzewski never

:58:48. > :58:55.looks at the exclamation I it is his trademark, if you look at his

:58:55. > :59:00.face, you would imagine his team is down by 50. It is a good way of

:59:00. > :59:10.masking, I think. They are up by 16, two minutes and 10 seconds

:59:10. > :59:22.

:59:22. > :59:28.Deng puts it on the floor and comes up short. James Sweet sit-in. Look

:59:28. > :59:36.at Durant running, he is fouled. That is a good, sportsmen like,

:59:36. > :59:39.intentional foul! Deng did not want that lay-up to happen. UCU Freeland

:59:39. > :59:46.having a word with the referee, there is a lot of contact going on

:59:46. > :59:52.down there. At this level, what the referees have said, we are going to

:59:52. > :59:57.let you play. At both ends, we have seen Archibald for GB, certainly

:59:57. > :00:00.LeBron James giving Friedland a hard time. It has happened in two

:00:01. > :00:05.of the last three possessions, he has had the ball poked away from

:00:05. > :00:10.behind. It is the difference between the NBA and the European

:00:10. > :00:14.game, that in the NBA people think you make a lot of dribbles and then

:00:14. > :00:18.go, but it is really one trouble and then you go. When you start

:00:18. > :00:28.pounding the ball, you attract a lot of attention, you end up losing

:00:28. > :00:30.

:00:30. > :00:34.Kevin Durant makes them both. USA pulls off the pressure, which

:00:34. > :00:40.is surprising. I am surprised they don't force more turnovers but they

:00:40. > :00:50.have pulled off the pressure for the moment. Luol Deng for three.

:00:50. > :01:01.

:01:01. > :01:11.A beautiful little move. crossover, the pullback, great jump

:01:11. > :01:37.

:01:37. > :01:47.Look at the pressure to keep the Kevin Durant. He is the player

:01:47. > :02:15.

:02:15. > :02:25.And King brings a touch. -- Kobe Bryant is going to the

:02:25. > :02:30.

:02:30. > :02:32.pensioner. Iguodala was back in the game, as is Westbrook. Again, this

:02:32. > :02:42.two. Card competition -- combination with West Brookend

:02:42. > :02:52.Chris Paul and three small Fords. - - Westbrook and Chris Paul. With

:02:52. > :03:03.

:03:03. > :03:11.Pops makes the second. Another substitution, Tyson Chandler, it is

:03:11. > :03:21.now a two small Fords, two point guards and a centre. Joel Freeland

:03:21. > :03:31.

:03:31. > :03:38.which -- Joel Freeland goes to the And when there is a foul. He was

:03:38. > :03:46.going for Russell Westbrook, much as they did earlier in this period.

:03:46. > :03:52.He just put it up for Russell Westbrook. Now Kyle Johnson comes

:03:52. > :04:02.back in the game. Luol Deng will get a little bit of extra rest,

:04:02. > :04:24.

:04:24. > :04:34.with 12 seconds slower. -- 12 Westbrook makes both foul shots.

:04:34. > :04:51.

:04:51. > :04:58.55-37. GB to inbound the ball with Westbrook misses and that ends the

:04:58. > :05:08.first half was as a score USA 55, G B 37, pretty much like the women's

:05:08. > :05:11.

:05:11. > :05:17.game yesterday as the British men fell behind. John has gone to talk

:05:17. > :05:21.to Whishin. Let's hear what they have got say. It is the scoreline

:05:21. > :05:24.we would have expected. How well do you think Britain have coped with

:05:24. > :05:28.the class from the USA? I think they came out really strong, I

:05:28. > :05:32.think they came out and played and surprised the USA with their

:05:32. > :05:36.composure. What has been the difference is the USA's transition

:05:37. > :05:40.has been remarkable. When Great Britain misses, the USA grab the

:05:40. > :05:44.ball without the ball dribbling sometimes, just hand to hand to

:05:45. > :05:48.hand, to easy basket at that has been the difference. We know the

:05:48. > :05:52.USA has a number of high-class players and it was amazing to see

:05:52. > :05:56.at first time some of the skills on show. Kobe Bryant come we have seen

:05:57. > :06:01.him so many years at the NBA doing it, we have seen it here tonight.

:06:01. > :06:06.Exactly, he has a remarkable athlete. He makes extraordinary

:06:06. > :06:09.shots look easy. This is a fake, a term, he got everybody on the court

:06:09. > :06:14.looking the wrong way including some of the people in the stands

:06:14. > :06:18.and made one of his trademark jump shots. The great thing is he is not

:06:18. > :06:23.the only player in the American team capable of that sort of skill?

:06:23. > :06:27.No, the fact is there are eight All-Stars on the floor and any one

:06:27. > :06:32.of them can break out. The USA is doing well and is up by double

:06:32. > :06:36.figures without Kevin Durant really having had a good game. He hasn't

:06:36. > :06:41.missed several easy shots. He has been back in the flow with a few

:06:41. > :06:45.lay-offs but he is not as he was in the finals. Great Britain have a

:06:45. > :06:49.player in Luol Deng, more than just a glimpse of his enormous class?

:06:49. > :06:53.Absolutely, Luol Deng has been remarkable. The problem is he has

:06:53. > :06:59.to be outstanding every single play and team has to work so hard to

:06:59. > :07:04.estimate the shot. Everything he does, he finds himself surrounded

:07:04. > :07:10.by three or four people. Here he is coming down, this was his and

:07:10. > :07:17.O'Meley and contested shot for the entire half. -- it was his only

:07:17. > :07:22.uncontested shot. If you watch the way the players who are not

:07:22. > :07:28.guarding, inviting anybody else on the floor score apart from Luol

:07:28. > :07:32.Deng, it puts pressure on Luol Deng to make remarkable shots, or give

:07:32. > :07:35.the ball up and hope one of his team mates can get the job done.

:07:35. > :07:40.What you would like to see is one or two of his team-mates stepping

:07:40. > :07:43.up. Any evidence of that in the first half? One of the things that

:07:43. > :07:46.I would like to see his Robert Archibald has been hitting of real

:07:46. > :07:51.start on the USA team and it is important. Sometimes you have to

:07:51. > :08:00.say look, we are here, we are strong, we will not back down and

:08:00. > :08:04.that has been a good sign. Reinking has made a couple of jump shots. We

:08:04. > :08:10.need to bring the ball up the floor. Let's look at the half-time

:08:10. > :08:14.statistics. What they are going to show is that America has dominated.

:08:14. > :08:19.Is there anything you can see that Great Britain here has held their

:08:19. > :08:23.own? I think there are some areas where Great Britain has done a good

:08:23. > :08:28.job. They haven't allowed too many offensive rebounds, which has been

:08:28. > :08:31.key. There have been a couple more on the run. They have controlled

:08:31. > :08:36.the backboard, which is vital but it is the fast break points

:08:36. > :08:40.differential. Britain had a couple of early fast breaks but the USA

:08:40. > :08:44.running away with fast breaks in the for late first underly second

:08:44. > :08:48.quarter. Before we joined the half- time shows, I was watching Deron

:08:48. > :08:53.Williams at close hand, he said where is the scoreboard? The

:08:53. > :08:58.scoreboard is up behind us, but high. The players on cop can't see

:08:58. > :09:02.it, can they? It is very unusual. It is the first thing I looked up.

:09:02. > :09:12.You are used to scoreboards being everywhere so you can't miss them.

:09:12. > :09:18.

:09:18. > :09:23.It is time for the half-time show How are you doing? Trying to be a

:09:23. > :09:33.superstar like everybody else, listen, but being myself is

:09:33. > :09:49.

:09:49. > :09:59.# Whatever you do, Lord, Lord, do # Manchester, express yourself. I

:09:59. > :10:00.

:10:00. > :10:10.# It is not what you look like when you are doing what you're doing,

:10:10. > :10:47.

:10:47. > :10:54.# Here we go now. Labyrinth, come # Ladies and gentlemen, this is

:10:54. > :11:04.something like caller ground breaker. So let me first apologise,

:11:04. > :11:19.

:11:19. > :11:29.to the shops and the ties beyond # Sake, I predict an earthquake. #

:11:29. > :11:53.

:11:53. > :12:03.# Ladies and Gentlemen, what you # HAI, Simon, everybody rock, let's

:12:03. > :12:09.

:12:09. > :12:19.# Say, I predict an earthquake. Everybody say, say I predict an

:12:19. > :12:44.

:12:44. > :12:54.# I predict an earthquake. Let me # Because we threw bombs on it, HAI,

:12:54. > :13:02.

:13:02. > :13:12.# Manchester, and I want to know # If you came here to see some slam

:13:12. > :13:18.

:13:18. > :13:28.dunking basketball I want to hear # Everybody say, yeah. I predict an

:13:28. > :13:41.

:13:41. > :13:51.# I predict an earthquake. Here we # Now we can make an earthquake.

:13:51. > :13:52.

:13:52. > :14:02.Come in. Ladies and gentlemen, let's hear it

:14:02. > :14:19.

:14:19. > :14:29.The best team on the planet are starting to make themselves known.

:14:29. > :14:33.The best players on the planet's, but we have got some massive stars

:14:33. > :14:38.here, NBA p last night, you did not get much of their reception last

:14:38. > :14:43.night, are you able to appreciate the crowd now? Absolutely, it is

:14:43. > :14:47.just fun to be in a building with so much energy, so much talent and

:14:47. > :14:51.excitement for basketball. You are quite used to getting the President

:14:51. > :14:56.coming down to watch your warm-up game against Brazil, he was

:14:56. > :15:05.watching you take on Brazil, you did very well in that game, quite

:15:05. > :15:08.intimidating, what about 17,000 people watching you? I love it!

:15:08. > :15:12.Playing for the University of Connecticut, it reminds me of this

:15:12. > :15:20.building, the atmosphere, it is so packed, and people just want to see

:15:20. > :15:24.good basketball, so I love playing in those conditions. You were not

:15:24. > :15:29.intimidated by Tamika Catchings, what was it like taking her arm?

:15:29. > :15:33.was amazing, it was the first time we faced the USA, so the

:15:33. > :15:36.opportunity was fantastic, a great bunch of athletes, phenomenal. We

:15:36. > :15:41.are taking it one step at a time, but we are making strides. Enjoy

:15:41. > :15:46.the rest of the game, second half to come, thank you for talking to

:15:46. > :15:50.us. Amazingly, it is just eight days until the start of the

:15:50. > :15:54.Olympics, the opening ceremony, and it just seems like it is going to

:15:54. > :16:04.happen tomorrow, it is so close. Two of Britain's biggest stars are

:16:04. > :16:05.

:16:05. > :16:10.looking ahead to the London Games, Basketball is fun because it is not

:16:10. > :16:19.a slow game, it is amazing at least, you have got to show your skills.

:16:19. > :16:23.It is an up-tempo game. important is the Olympics to you?

:16:24. > :16:32.It is a great opportunity for us to show British basketball can compete

:16:32. > :16:35.with the rest of the world, but also, for me, I know important it

:16:35. > :16:40.is for the basketball community, it is a special time for us and all

:16:40. > :16:50.the kids that love basketball to finally stand proud and say, you

:16:50. > :16:58.

:16:58. > :17:03.Luol Deng is the NBA star on the team, do you click with him, or is

:17:03. > :17:07.there a clash of egos? No clash whatsoever, he does not have an ego,

:17:07. > :17:13.I don't. You would think somebody of his talent, his calendar could

:17:13. > :17:18.easily have won, but I think the one thing that defines him as a

:17:18. > :17:23.person is the fact that he is so down-to-earth. There could not be a

:17:23. > :17:27.clash of egos, because I'm probably his biggest fan. He is a south

:17:27. > :17:32.Londoner and an Arsenal fan, I am a north Londoner and a Tottenham fan,

:17:32. > :17:37.that is the only time we clash. had a fantastic season in Turkey,

:17:37. > :17:43.straight into the Olympics, surely you should be asking yourself, is

:17:43. > :17:47.this really the pinnacle? By far, by far. I had a great season in

:17:47. > :17:52.Turkey this year, one of the best clubs seasons that I have had, but

:17:52. > :17:59.it is the London Olympics! Just that is a big deal, but the

:17:59. > :18:04.Olympics in my backyard is huge. How well can you do? As well as God

:18:04. > :18:08.permits. Everybody has got to win one game at a time, nobody is going

:18:08. > :18:13.to win 6 in a row, you have to go one at a time, and we will take it

:18:13. > :18:17.from there. We will try to win the first game, then the next game, and

:18:17. > :18:21.at the end of the tournament you look back and see how you have done.

:18:21. > :18:25.Once the anthem comes on, I might shed a little tear, then I'm going

:18:25. > :18:30.to get ready to compete for my country. It will be one of the

:18:30. > :18:39.biggest on as I have had in my life up until this point. -- honours

:18:39. > :18:44.forced Doctor Who guys looking forward to what could be a fabulous

:18:44. > :18:48.Olympics for Britain. It is one of the strengths of the GB team that

:18:48. > :18:53.they have players who can step up, but one of the weaknesses that

:18:53. > :18:57.every team knows, if you can stop Luol Deng, it is a huge part of

:18:57. > :19:03.slowing down the GB team. We have seen that today. The focus of the

:19:03. > :19:08.USA team has not just been to play a tough defence but made it hard

:19:08. > :19:14.for Luol Deng. It is a fascinating story, how he came to the UK from

:19:14. > :19:17.Sudan, how he makes it in America, �47 million contract for the

:19:17. > :19:21.Chicago Bulls, fascinating. They are mind-boggling numbers, and the

:19:21. > :19:26.reality is that we like to see stories where good people have

:19:26. > :19:31.overcome adversity against all odds and rise to receive their just

:19:31. > :19:34.rewards, and Luol Deng is a prime example of that. And how much of an

:19:34. > :19:39.example is the two youngsters in Great Britain wants to take up

:19:39. > :19:45.their game? How much of an inspiration can he be? I hope he

:19:45. > :19:49.will be a remarkable one. There are many athletes, you might say, I

:19:49. > :19:52.could not possibly be that good, whereas Luol Deng is not so

:19:52. > :19:56.remarkable that people you would think that is the only reason he is

:19:56. > :20:00.good. He has worked on his game, he has focused on the scale elements,

:20:00. > :20:03.and every young player watching can do that. Hopefully there will be

:20:03. > :20:08.one or two watching tonight he may take up the game and maybe the next

:20:08. > :20:15.Luol Deng. You can now rejoin might as we start the second half of this

:20:15. > :20:19.match, Great Britain trailing USA Thank you, Rishi, and I think John

:20:19. > :20:24.Amaechi is being a little bit modest, a player who made the most

:20:24. > :20:29.of his abilities or throughout his career, that was John Amaechi. At

:20:30. > :20:34.half-time, 55-37, USA over Great Britain, and looking at those half-

:20:34. > :20:40.time statistics, there is one that really jumps out at you, 12 steels

:20:40. > :20:43.for the US team, led by Chris Paul's 3, zero for Great Britain,

:20:44. > :20:51.and that is what makes those turnover points that John was

:20:51. > :21:01.talking about so much at half-time. The leading scorer for Great

:21:01. > :21:01.

:21:02. > :21:05.Britain with 15 is Deng, Pops has John Amaechi, he is just sitting

:21:05. > :21:10.down to read join us, putting the headphones on so he can hear what

:21:10. > :21:14.I'm saying, but I just mention the statistic which jumped out at me,

:21:14. > :21:20.the 12 steels for the US, zero for Great Britain. Yes, that has been

:21:20. > :21:24.the difference. We remarked on it yesterday, there is a team with the

:21:24. > :21:30.USA Basketball programme, men and women's, juniors and seniors, they

:21:30. > :21:34.are working on their defence, making sure they capitalise on

:21:34. > :21:38.their athleticism at both ends. change for Great Britain on the

:21:38. > :21:48.team which started the game, Dan Clark is in for Mike Lenzly,

:21:48. > :21:52.

:21:52. > :22:02.The real question is, can they take advantage of this? The US have the

:22:02. > :22:03.

:22:03. > :22:07.same five restarted the game. -- who started. Great pass! Really, a

:22:07. > :22:11.great interior past, safe bounced into the hands of Luol Deng for the

:22:11. > :22:16.easy reverse. Just threading a needle, easy lay-up, that is basic

:22:16. > :22:26.basketball, but it is pretty and it wins. Those are the two guys that

:22:26. > :22:32.

:22:32. > :22:38.Durant draws the first foul are the second half. It looks like he was

:22:38. > :22:42.not quite ready, he tried to get ready when the ball was in Deng's

:22:42. > :22:47.and, that is too late. You see the penetration, the screen, and the

:22:47. > :22:52.help did not come until far too late. Joel Freeland not wanting to

:22:52. > :23:02.give away that third foul. He got two Burghley, he could not afford

:23:02. > :23:11.

:23:11. > :23:15.Deron Williams doing a nice job of arguing that call but not winning!

:23:15. > :23:25.I think players think that if they argue enough, they will get it

:23:25. > :24:01.

:24:01. > :24:05.Kobe Bryant took that away, great Nice inside move by Joel Freeland,

:24:05. > :24:10.good to see and get some points. Absolutely, he has been working

:24:10. > :24:20.hard but he has not been able to put the ball in a Hoare just yet. A

:24:20. > :24:35.

:24:35. > :24:40.favourable match-up against the That would be a good place to see

:24:40. > :24:48.again, excellent bigging by the USA team led to a wide-open shot,

:24:48. > :24:53.Williams with a fantastic screen. - Possession will stay with Britain,

:24:53. > :25:00.he is another look at that three- pointer by Deron Williams. This is

:25:00. > :25:05.Pops on the drive, slapped a wave. Good call. We have not seen much

:25:05. > :25:11.from Chandler has so far. We have not really seen him try to assert

:25:11. > :25:19.themselves and dominate. And just as I say it, he proves me wrong!

:25:19. > :25:29.Tyson Chandler with the stuff. Williams hits two in a row. I need

:25:29. > :25:33.

:25:33. > :25:39.to insult players so they prove the Freeland tries to get it off to

:25:39. > :25:46.Pops. The sets for the three. shot. I think you see the

:25:46. > :25:51.intimidation factor with Chandler in the middle. The US benches are

:25:51. > :25:57.out of their seats and running up the court. Three straight three-

:25:57. > :26:00.pointers for Deron Williams, a time out caught by Great Britain. Quite

:26:00. > :26:04.different body language from the two Ventures, the USA bench came

:26:04. > :26:09.all way onto the floor to greet their team-mates. The GB bench

:26:09. > :26:15.looking a little down at his Fife. Chandler's Watts Freeland away,

:26:15. > :26:19.keeps it in play for Kobe Bryant. - - Jan Blair swats. Good work by

:26:19. > :26:24.Chandler at the other end, setting the screen, giving Deron Williams

:26:24. > :26:29.and Open Look at the basket. Yes, it is to open. It comes too late,

:26:29. > :26:39.the hand in the face, the All Star you cannot give Williams that kind

:26:39. > :26:41.

:26:41. > :26:47.of look, it is just too simple. I am not sure that the move to

:26:47. > :26:51.increase the size of the GB team has paid off at his point, they

:26:52. > :26:57.have not been able to capitalise on the inside. Ore has got another

:26:57. > :27:00.interview courtside. We may be in Manchester, but forget Piccadilly

:27:00. > :27:05.Gardens, more like Madison Square Garden, who needs Tom Cruise when

:27:05. > :27:10.you can have Jack Whitehall? This is like a huge night for you, isn't

:27:10. > :27:14.it? It is amazing, I have never been here before, and it is like

:27:14. > :27:17.nothing else, it is so good. I love all the dancing, they need more of

:27:17. > :27:24.that at football matches, rather than some weird guy doing a raffle,

:27:25. > :27:30.or the honeys shaking it, it is brilliant. No doubt you are going

:27:30. > :27:34.to use the Olympics for material, are you going to the Edinburgh?

:27:35. > :27:38.I am filming here, doing a film here in Manchester, here for the

:27:38. > :27:43.Olympics. Hopefully I will see some of the events appear. I have got

:27:43. > :27:49.tickets to the artery as well, my mum got some tickets to the archery,

:27:49. > :27:53.so we will be going down there at San point. Sonali will be glad to

:27:53. > :27:58.know that! Basketball is not your first love, but it is a game you

:27:58. > :28:03.could get to love? I played it at school, I started out on the school

:28:03. > :28:10.basketball team, and I think they are actually playing... We will

:28:10. > :28:18.hand back to John and Mike, cheers, Jack Whitehall! They got are off

:28:18. > :28:28.the courts just in time. -- they got orate off the court just in

:28:28. > :28:32.

:28:32. > :28:38.Williams was put in that one up for a pass, and when you're at 66-41,

:28:38. > :28:43.you can laugh about those things. In a normal game, I think they

:28:43. > :28:48.would be upset with that error. will tell you is upset, Mike

:28:48. > :28:55.Krzyzewski. Look at that from LeBron James. It looks like they

:28:55. > :29:00.are not quite ready inside, GB, on set plays. Simple move, a great

:29:00. > :29:07.move by Freeland. Joel Freeland, starting to get into his rhythm a

:29:07. > :29:17.An excellent move, the defences fall in the middle, everyone goes

:29:17. > :29:21.

:29:21. > :29:29.Williams, three again! That is the third time that very same play, the

:29:29. > :29:39.back screen by Williams, leaving him free for the jump. Again,

:29:39. > :29:42.

:29:42. > :29:52.pressure, Pops nearly loses it, but At three for Lawrence. A big shot,

:29:52. > :29:55.

:29:55. > :30:05.LeBron James could have destroyed that basket if he had wanted to. He

:30:05. > :30:15.

:30:15. > :30:21.A nice move by Deng. Two substitutions for the US, Anthony

:30:21. > :30:27.and Iguodala both come into the game. One of the problems is the

:30:27. > :30:37.bigs are being asked to get inside on defence. Exactly, they are being

:30:37. > :30:50.

:30:50. > :30:55.asked to expend energy at every Just like that, two handed Slam.

:30:55. > :31:05.From LeBron James. A every score the USA is getting is either a

:31:05. > :31:08.

:31:08. > :31:16.wide-open shot, or an easy dunk The pastor James, he misses that

:31:17. > :31:26.one. He slams it through -- the pass to James. That is two from

:31:27. > :31:42.

:31:42. > :31:52.There is another three from Lawrence, he has hit two since

:31:52. > :32:22.

:32:22. > :32:32.James puts it in, Great Hall None Carmelo Anthony has been on

:32:32. > :32:44.

:32:44. > :32:49.Deng draws the foul and gets the basket. A great move, the crossover

:32:49. > :32:57.between his legs first and then a crossover to the basket. Again,

:32:57. > :33:02.what we are seeing, degrees of difficulty against great

:33:02. > :33:12.competition. Not the same on the other end. Pops Freeland go to the

:33:12. > :33:14.

:33:14. > :33:24.bench, Archibald and charter -- and Jara coming to replace them. They

:33:24. > :33:43.

:33:43. > :33:49.Archibald asserting himself a bit too much that time with his hands.

:33:49. > :33:53.You want to show you are physical, you're not going to back down. They

:33:53. > :34:03.need a presence on the floor. If he puts his hands on people that is a

:34:03. > :34:03.

:34:03. > :34:46.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 66 seconds

:34:46. > :34:53.far all that is wasted. -- a foul Anthony Kim been as he goes in. The

:34:53. > :35:00.whistle. -- Anthony tripping as he goes in. The foul will be called.

:35:00. > :35:06.Archibald is fouled out of the game. Archibald wasn't intending, but it

:35:06. > :35:12.was his foot that Anthony went over. It is unfortunate but it is a good

:35:12. > :35:18.call. The thing is, players think it is a tap -- league foul at the

:35:18. > :35:24.end that gets you but it is the foolish foul with their hands on

:35:24. > :35:29.the body, that is the foul that Pfahls them up. There was nothing

:35:29. > :35:34.he can do about that. Now RGB is without the physical presence and I

:35:34. > :35:44.know it seems strange but having someone on the floor who is showing

:35:44. > :35:45.

:35:45. > :35:55.that they are going to hit you Westbrook is called to the

:35:55. > :36:15.

:36:15. > :36:23.offensive foul, he made contact, Kevin Love is called, that will his

:36:23. > :36:28.-- there will be his 4th. He has had a frustrating game, Kevin Love.

:36:28. > :36:38.He has not had a chance to get into the swing of things. He is used to

:36:38. > :36:50.

:36:50. > :37:00.a physical style of basketball. You He jumps higher than I used to, but

:37:00. > :37:37.

:37:37. > :37:47.Three lent Bocking Kyle of -- Paul Now there is a far wall behind the

:37:47. > :37:48.

:37:49. > :37:51.play. It is called on Lawrence. big back-pedalling in the lane

:37:52. > :38:01.against the guard, still sharp enough and fast enough to get his

:38:02. > :38:16.

:38:16. > :38:20.hands in their and disrupt the past The Westbrook hits the three.

:38:20. > :38:30.gods have -- the guards have asserted themselves for the USA in

:38:30. > :38:52.

:38:52. > :39:01.GB is working ten times harder for Achara misses. Eric Boateng, sorry,

:39:01. > :39:11.Carmelo Anthony with the Dunk. That is the end of the third quarter,

:39:11. > :39:12.

:39:12. > :39:16.Thanks, I have been joined by Amir Khan, commiserations on your defeat

:39:16. > :39:22.to Danny Garcia at the weekend. Is it nice to take your mind off

:39:22. > :39:27.boxing for a bit? I have come here from London to enjoyed GB versus

:39:27. > :39:31.USA. It takes my mind of boxing and everything and relaxes me and I can

:39:31. > :39:34.be myself. The when you're competing in Athens in 2004, did

:39:34. > :39:40.you get time to see these guys? They came away with bronze but

:39:40. > :39:46.these guys are good. I never had a chance in Athens to go to any other

:39:46. > :39:51.event apart from boxing, but this time having the Olympics in London,

:39:51. > :39:55.I am in the best position ever because I can go to at any event. I

:39:55. > :39:59.am not going to be in training and do what I want to do. I am an

:39:59. > :40:03.ambassador for the Olympics so why will go to events. When you are

:40:03. > :40:08.here caught sight you can appreciate the skill of the guys.

:40:08. > :40:13.LeBron James is on fire. LeBron James is amazing. I have never seen

:40:13. > :40:19.him play live. I live in LA so I go to the Lakers. I could not believe

:40:19. > :40:24.how quick and explosive LeBron James is. For the size he is, so

:40:24. > :40:27.quick. I would not like to get into a fight with him! Fortunately for

:40:27. > :40:37.you, different weights. We look forward to seeing more of you in

:40:37. > :40:40.

:40:40. > :40:44.I think Ore is looking for a second career as a matchmaker her, a fight

:40:45. > :40:50.between Amir Khan and LeBron James. People would pay money for that, it

:40:50. > :40:54.could be dangerous. He had it right, it is the athleticism and

:40:54. > :40:58.explosiveness that has built up the huge lead. That is the thing about

:40:58. > :41:02.basketball in fairness, it is exemplified with this USA team.

:41:02. > :41:06.There are others out there, you look and it is remarkable that

:41:06. > :41:10.players and athletes of that size who would normally be confined to

:41:10. > :41:16.much more physical, less speedy and agile roles, all the sudden they

:41:16. > :41:20.have the whole package and can do a bit of everything. The ball will be

:41:20. > :41:26.put into play in front of our commentary position by the US to

:41:26. > :41:36.begin this 4th quarter. They lead 89-55 of the Great Britain and you

:41:36. > :41:48.

:41:48. > :41:58.can see the head of John Amaechi as You look for the composure after a

:41:58. > :42:18.

:42:18. > :42:26.time out and there is more of the It is going to be a three-second

:42:26. > :42:32.violation. The painted area under the basket, the blue area, one, two,

:42:32. > :42:35.three, he hasn't done anything with the ball and it is a violation.

:42:35. > :42:39.mentioned in the first half, in Europe you can get away with a bit

:42:39. > :42:49.more time dribbling around but against NBA Caliber players you

:42:49. > :42:56.

:42:56. > :43:06.have to catch that Paul and make a West book is fouled as he does

:43:06. > :43:06.

:43:07. > :43:13.drive. -- Westbrook. Nate Reinking picks up the foul, like myself, a

:43:13. > :43:23.naturalised citizen of Great Britain. He is a remarkable

:43:23. > :43:24.

:43:24. > :43:29.character on that team, he is nearing of my age. A 38. Very old.

:43:29. > :43:35.If you look at him, he is one of the most in shape players on the GB

:43:35. > :43:40.team. He is as resilient as he ever was and able to contribute fully.

:43:40. > :43:45.The problem we have seen today is that instead of playing that two

:43:45. > :43:50.guard role where he can shoot the ball, he is doing double duty,

:43:50. > :44:00.point guard and double guard and defended. He is giving up a lot of

:44:00. > :44:31.

:44:31. > :44:35.size. When it comes to the Open Lawrence and was fouled. It was a

:44:35. > :44:40.good call, it was delayed, but a good core. You saw Luol Deng

:44:40. > :44:50.looking frustrated because it took away uneasy two points, maybe this

:44:50. > :45:07.

:45:07. > :45:12.You seem Pops Mensah-Bonsu taking advantage of a youngster, Davis, he

:45:12. > :45:19.got sealed inside. He will learn not to do that in the NBA.

:45:19. > :45:29.Literally a youngster, only 19 years old. Reinking could be his

:45:29. > :45:31.

:45:31. > :45:36.dad! That is alarming even to think Davis was are banned at them! The

:45:36. > :45:46.US bench is a band celebrating. think we can safely say that young

:45:46. > :45:53.

:45:53. > :46:03.The ball is going to go over to the US. It must have tipped off that

:46:03. > :46:04.

:46:04. > :46:10.and, we did not see the replay. William's coming back in. --

:46:10. > :46:20.Williams. A catch, notable, slightly frightening, potential for

:46:20. > :46:24.

:46:24. > :46:29.the NBA if ever I saw it. -- no Backwards, over the Ed dunk by

:46:29. > :46:34.Kevin Love, and they are celebrating, it is show time now in

:46:34. > :46:38.Manchester! Watch this! I do not think it is the completion that he

:46:38. > :46:44.was looking for, but the idea was remarkable, very simple basketball.

:46:44. > :46:54.We keep talking about this, it is not advanced play, simple cuts and

:46:54. > :47:00.

:47:00. > :47:10.passes, easy shots in the basket. This 4th period has been a poor USA.

:47:10. > :47:42.

:47:42. > :47:48.That is his move, that hesitations Reinking knocked it away, Westbrook

:47:48. > :47:58.picked it up. Hesitation, Davis stood sit through. Again, what you

:47:58. > :48:08.

:48:08. > :48:18.said, that is the simplest of Harden cannot hit the three, it

:48:18. > :48:19.

:48:19. > :48:24.climbs the backboard, and it sits What people do not realise, I do

:48:24. > :48:28.not think, at this level of basketball, every single player is

:48:28. > :48:34.doubt it. Everyone on the USA team knows exactly what Anne is going to

:48:34. > :48:40.do with that move. Here we see again, that they can slip, really

:48:40. > :48:45.simple basketball for easy baskets. Our man Ore is down on the

:48:45. > :48:50.sidelines. The stars keep rolling in, Alexandra Burke, good to see

:48:50. > :48:55.you. Are you enjoying it? It is amazing. You are performing here

:48:55. > :49:01.last night, entertainment and sport. Last night it was such an honour to

:49:01. > :49:05.be here, to perform. The boys are playing well, it is great to be

:49:05. > :49:12.here. You have spent a lot of time in America, to get a chance to see

:49:12. > :49:18.these people are close. I have seen Miami and the Lakers play before,

:49:18. > :49:22.so has seen James and LeBron play a few times, I love him! This is like

:49:22. > :49:26.a poor all over to the other side, we do not get to see crowds like

:49:26. > :49:30.this. It has been an amazing turn out, it is great that it is in

:49:30. > :49:39.Manchester, of all places, it is great that it is here. Great to see

:49:39. > :49:45.you, cheers. Thanks, sweetheart, The LeBron James fan club has just

:49:45. > :49:49.picked up one more member. I am hoping that seeing basketball at

:49:49. > :49:54.this level, seeing the Manchester Arena full of people, I'm hoping it

:49:54. > :49:58.will mean that some of the younger players will be inspired, because

:49:58. > :50:03.they are just as good athletes as we are seeing out there, coming

:50:03. > :50:07.through the system, getting an opportunity to show their staff.

:50:07. > :50:13.question that anyone watching this would say that this looks like fun.

:50:13. > :50:18.I can tell you that it certainly is, there are times when the work can

:50:18. > :50:23.get you down, when the competition to be at the top, there are only

:50:23. > :50:28.300 players in the NBA, it can seem insurmountable, but the rewards in

:50:28. > :50:33.terms of knowing you have pushed past an entire world of basketball

:50:34. > :50:41.players, it is tremendous. 6 1/2 minutes to play in his game, the US

:50:41. > :50:47.leads Great Britain 99-58. John Amaechi with me, Mike Carlson. John

:50:47. > :50:54.has played in the NBA, for England, all across Europe. I have been, as

:50:54. > :51:04.they call them, a journeyman. driving to the middle, he draws the

:51:04. > :51:14.foul. Once again, an individual effort by Deng, bump, bump, and on

:51:14. > :51:15.

:51:15. > :51:21.the third bump he gets the call, He will attempt two foul shots.

:51:21. > :51:25.have to say, I have been impressed by Moran's today. After wandering

:51:25. > :51:29.early in the game if he was tough enough to handle the pressure that

:51:29. > :51:33.was being thrown at him, if he was going to bring anything offensively,

:51:33. > :51:37.he has answered both those questions. In fairness, they are

:51:37. > :51:42.not gone to play against too many teams that have guards as quick as

:51:43. > :51:48.the US does. Well, certainly not against guards as quick and

:51:48. > :51:58.formidable physically as well. One or the other, but not both. Right.

:51:58. > :52:10.

:52:10. > :52:20.He comes down the court celebrating, Boateng underneath, and Boateng

:52:20. > :52:30.puts it in. Sullivan in the game It is a good job on the offensive

:52:30. > :52:34.

:52:34. > :52:38.board. Sullivan is really tight I think it was Boateng who knocked

:52:38. > :52:44.it away and out of bounds. Sometimes it is so quick, it is

:52:44. > :52:46.hard to see what happened. Last week and asked the beard! Johnson

:52:46. > :52:56.and Freeland coming in, Pops Mensah-Bonsu coming out and getting

:52:56. > :52:59.

:52:59. > :53:02.a great hand from an appreciative I mean, I think those two guys have

:53:03. > :53:07.showing you what they have got, and you know what they have got, and it

:53:07. > :53:13.is up to other people to step up. You are absolutely right. Give them

:53:13. > :53:23.more dimensions to the GB game. Game is going to struggle and

:53:23. > :53:37.

:53:37. > :53:40.He we will have a job for. I will tell you what, you have to like to

:53:40. > :53:45.see that. I know this guy is a youngster, so he has not produced

:53:45. > :53:51.to the idea that NBA players do not necessarily go on the floor, but

:53:51. > :53:59.good to see people going after that. Did you know is that? Yes, great

:53:59. > :54:09.shooter for Dallas. Was it Dallas? From Woking, went to the American

:54:09. > :54:15.

:54:15. > :54:20.College in Charleston is not a huge power in American basketball, but

:54:20. > :54:26.it is good to see in there. It is remarkable, athlete that come out

:54:26. > :54:31.of the small schools, and people do not always remember people who came

:54:31. > :54:36.out of... I do not know what school, a tiny college. Good question, I am

:54:36. > :54:39.drawing a blank. But it was a smart move. Sometimes you do not have to

:54:39. > :54:45.go to the biggest names schools, sometimes you need to find a place

:54:45. > :54:50.where you can play. I want to say San Diego State, but that might be

:54:50. > :54:53.because he played in San Diego, he was drafted in San Diego. I think

:54:53. > :54:58.he went to a New England school, to be honest, but I'm not sure where

:54:58. > :55:04.it was. That is my backyard! Somebody will throw me a message on

:55:05. > :55:10.Twitter and let me know. If you know his Twitter address, send him

:55:10. > :55:18.a tweet! The Great Britain team are trailing 102-62 with five minutes

:55:18. > :55:21.to play in this game. The thing I want to see here, I want to see the

:55:21. > :55:25.process continue with as much intensity as possible. I am less

:55:25. > :55:30.worried about the outcome now, but what I do not want to see his

:55:30. > :55:34.people letting down, people reducing their intensity, he will

:55:35. > :55:38.not play in defence, people losing their focus. No. This is

:55:38. > :55:43.preparation time still, right now, this is preparation time. If they

:55:43. > :55:46.can make a stand in these final five minutes, it will not make a

:55:46. > :55:50.dent on the score, but those extra five minutes of quality play

:55:50. > :55:55.together could make all the difference in the games down the

:55:55. > :55:59.road. It is a good point. Do what other trivia question? Joel

:55:59. > :56:06.Freeland has signed a $9 million contract with the Portland Trail

:56:06. > :56:11.Blazers, he was the first pick with the 30th pick in 2006. He was the

:56:11. > :56:21.first pick in the overall draft in 2006? I can already tell you but

:56:21. > :56:26.

:56:26. > :56:29.I'm going to struggle to answer any Joel Freeland went in that same

:56:29. > :56:33.daft and is just now getting to the NBA. That is one of the things

:56:33. > :56:43.about the NBA, they never let you go if they know that you're a

:56:43. > :56:49.

:56:49. > :56:54.talent. When you're ready, they Blocked by Davis, what an athletic

:56:54. > :57:01.block, he kept it in play, and Westbrook finishes. Fantastic block

:57:01. > :57:05.on the inside. It is one thing to swat the ball's away, spike them,

:57:05. > :57:09.but it is another thing to keep it in place or your team-mates can get

:57:09. > :57:16.to it. If you can keep it in play, all this and you have got an extra

:57:16. > :57:22.fast break opportunity. Anthony Davis, the youngest player on the

:57:22. > :57:26.court. Eric Boateng defence that won strong and picks up the foul.

:57:26. > :57:31.do not mind seeing that, it is good to make sure you're not going to

:57:31. > :57:36.continue to get all the easy looks inside. Again, that cross-court

:57:36. > :57:43.pass, that is too easy across the key. But I like Boateng, I like the

:57:43. > :57:48.idea that he will say, no! Eric Boateng, one of two players on the

:57:48. > :57:53.Great Britain team who actually played at Duke University for Mike

:57:53. > :58:03.Krzyzewski. Luol Deng spent one year before he transferred into the

:58:03. > :58:24.

:58:24. > :58:31.Quite a good pedigree from his camp, Sullivan will pick up the foul.

:58:31. > :58:37.Trying to force the contact. foul was called on Iguodala.

:58:37. > :58:47.really through the shoulder into them, a smart move. Then he turned

:58:47. > :59:02.

:59:02. > :59:12.around to her career and said, Sullivan makes both. 106-64, of

:59:12. > :59:15.

:59:15. > :59:21.We used to call at carrying the ball! Especially when you take a

:59:21. > :59:28.couple of steps. I will say, from Love, that was a speculative pass,

:59:28. > :59:38.but confidence in your team-mates that you can jump that high. The US

:59:38. > :59:43.

:59:43. > :59:48.is playing a little zone now for As though mentioned, you know, GB,

:59:48. > :59:58.we want to see them focused here. It is interesting, you can see the

:59:58. > :00:01.

:00:01. > :00:07.They are preparing for the next opponent. They know that they are

:00:07. > :00:11.going to have to play it a solid so that some time. They're using it as

:00:11. > :00:21.a prep time and GB needs to do the same. Sullivan hits three at the

:00:21. > :00:54.

:00:54. > :00:59.Davis! Anything that requires that Oh! It is hard, I know it is

:00:59. > :01:03.difficult, the fans are distracted because it is a run and dunk first

:01:03. > :01:13.but G B needs this time. The need every second they can get to

:01:13. > :01:50.

:01:50. > :02:00.prepare. Sullivan is showing he can I am trying to think if that was

:02:00. > :02:06.

:02:06. > :02:11.James Harden plays it in. Going into the basket, Haden Lady Uddin,

:02:11. > :02:14.it went in, but the two hands that were closest to the basket were the

:02:14. > :02:18.USA, there for the offensive rebound. You cannot break down at

:02:18. > :02:22.the end of the game and that people have free run on the backboard. It

:02:22. > :02:32.builds habits, every second you spend playing builds habits and if

:02:32. > :02:41.

:02:41. > :02:46.you spend that time doing the wrong Davis has another block. But his

:02:46. > :02:53.four box for him. He is going to be a factor in these Olympic Games.

:02:53. > :03:03.You can imagine him anchoring the back of a zone defence. It is tough

:03:03. > :03:12.

:03:12. > :03:17.Just catching up with the scoring as Joel Freeland goes, that is one

:03:17. > :03:22.of the disappointments for the GB team. Deng has 25 and Pops has 12,

:03:22. > :03:25.nobody else is in double figures and they really need more from

:03:25. > :03:30.Freeland in particular, from the back court in particular.

:03:30. > :03:34.Absolutely. We have seen Lawrence has a couple at one point. There

:03:34. > :03:38.have been several players who managed to step up but only for

:03:38. > :03:42.moments. One of the things about basketball, it is a game of

:03:43. > :03:47.consistency. You can only have bursts if those bursts are so

:03:47. > :03:57.remarkable that you can blow the team off. That is what is happening

:03:57. > :04:12.

:04:12. > :04:16.It is amazingly predictable play Sullivan hits another one. It is

:04:16. > :04:26.consolation time in terms of the input. Sullivan into double figures

:04:26. > :04:44.

:04:44. > :04:49.That is the final buzzer, the end of the game. USA 118, Great Britain

:04:49. > :04:52.78. I have to say that from the start of the match I would not have

:04:52. > :04:56.expected a 40 point margin at the expected a 40 point margin at the

:04:56. > :04:59.end. No, the way this started, we were looking at a similar start to

:04:59. > :05:02.the way the GB women's team started yesterday. They looked like they

:05:02. > :05:06.were going to control the tempo but no sooner did we talk about how

:05:07. > :05:09.they were hanging in the game than the USA turned the screws and the

:05:09. > :05:13.interesting sorties they did not do it on a fence, they turned the

:05:13. > :05:18.screws on defence. They put them in a situation, GB in a situation,

:05:18. > :05:23.where they were taking really difficult shops, missing them,

:05:23. > :05:30.leaving the USA on the run, quick passing, easy laps and dunked on

:05:30. > :05:35.the other end. Very much like last night's game, the women. In the end

:05:35. > :05:40.the athleticism overpowered them. That is right. The point people

:05:40. > :05:45.need to note, it is the defence that overpowered them. It was not

:05:45. > :05:50.backed one or more one, because when the USA was playing 111

:05:50. > :05:54.Basketball they did not look that good. When it was James, Kobe

:05:54. > :05:58.Bryant, some may be spectacular but they look stilted, as if they would

:05:58. > :06:02.not get any think running. It was when they played together, when

:06:02. > :06:11.they turned up the defence and ended up with easy shots, that is

:06:12. > :06:20.when they won it. Again, the very impressive trophy we saw yesterday,

:06:20. > :06:30.Deron Williams left sit for the USA. Barely lifted. Exactly, it is big.

:06:30. > :06:33.

:06:33. > :06:43.It is like my coffee cup! That is a big trophy and well deserved. Four

:06:43. > :06:44.

:06:44. > :06:47.rebounds for Deron Williams. Not a bad show. Leading scorers, 19 for

:06:47. > :06:52.him and 19 for Carmelo Anthony and then otherwise a very well-balanced

:06:52. > :06:57.scoring on the US team. We saw Carmelo Anthony, in fairness to him,

:06:57. > :07:01.he did a fantastic job when the USA was looking still did, he came in,

:07:01. > :07:05.had a couple of drives to the basket, a couple of three point

:07:05. > :07:09.shops, did a great job. He is one of the guys who in a sense can play

:07:09. > :07:17.better in this setting than he does and his club setting, where he

:07:17. > :07:22.wants to dominate the play and we can go down now to courtside and it

:07:22. > :07:29.is the player of the game, Deron Williams, who is with Ore. Thank

:07:29. > :07:33.you, congratulations, you made it look easy in the end. It was a

:07:33. > :07:36.tough team, we tried to come out, that is what we're doing, we have

:07:36. > :07:41.only been together for a short amount of time. These practice

:07:41. > :07:46.games, warm-up games, go a long way. It could have been a number of you

:07:46. > :07:50.guys, you were incredible tonight. That is how it is, it is not just

:07:50. > :07:54.one guy, it is a team effort. The defence is our bread and butter.

:07:54. > :07:58.Once we get turnovers and easy baskets we get going pretty well.

:07:58. > :08:01.You were the most experienced guys want the USA roster as far as

:08:01. > :08:07.playing Great Britain but this is a different ball game. What was it

:08:07. > :08:12.like with the atmosphere? 17,000 fans. It is my third game in

:08:12. > :08:15.England, the crowds have been great. I expect them to be great for the

:08:15. > :08:19.Olympics and they were great night here in Manchester. You did not

:08:19. > :08:24.know much about the GB team as a group before the game. What did you

:08:24. > :08:30.see -- what would you say now? are a tough team, they ran into a

:08:30. > :08:34.tough team. We were hotter the second half. They are a tough team,

:08:34. > :08:39.led by Luol Deng and some other guys who can help him come to bid.

:08:39. > :08:44.You have a week or so until the Games. Are you ready? Definitely,

:08:44. > :08:51.we have a lot to work, practice. We have two more warm-up games and

:08:51. > :08:56.these are important for us., adulation. Thank you.

:08:56. > :09:02.It was the defence that was key to the US? Absolutely right, they

:09:02. > :09:08.turned it up. We saw the defence, a simple man Press Club and it -- and

:09:08. > :09:13.it kept increasing. GB took longer and longer. Sometimes the referee

:09:13. > :09:18.was about to call a ten-second violation, then they had a short

:09:18. > :09:22.period of time to get a good shot and often they did not. OK, we have

:09:23. > :09:27.Rishi Persad, who has Pops Mensah- Bonsu caught sight. Let's go over

:09:27. > :09:31.to him. Indeed he is, Pops Mensah-Bonsu, he

:09:32. > :09:37.has fans everywhere. People wanting to congratulate him and shake his

:09:37. > :09:40.hand. Pops, a difficult night, there could scoreline suggests you

:09:40. > :09:45.were well beaten but what did you find encouraging for Great Britain

:09:45. > :09:49.coach ran a obviously it is a 40 minute game, we played greater the

:09:49. > :09:54.first half and showed -- and they showed their greatness. We lost gas

:09:54. > :09:57.and the second half and they tended to be a bit. They had a lot of

:09:57. > :10:01.threes and transition buckets, turned us over, got some easy

:10:01. > :10:06.baskets as well, so we have to take something positive from this, you

:10:06. > :10:10.have to have fun and it was a great opportunity and we will take things

:10:10. > :10:14.from it and move on. I was talking to John Amaechi, we were talking

:10:14. > :10:18.about the idea of you and Luol Deng being the senior players leaving

:10:18. > :10:23.the -- leading the youngsters. It is a heavy defeat but it is good

:10:23. > :10:26.experience for guys like Andrew Lawrence, coming through?

:10:26. > :10:30.Definitely this is the pinnacle at peak of the players in this world.

:10:30. > :10:34.If you want to get to that level you have to know what you have to

:10:34. > :10:37.do and we saw the best players in the world today. They showed it.

:10:37. > :10:41.Hopefully the guys want to get to that level and we can go back to

:10:41. > :10:44.the drawing board and see if we can get there. I have played there

:10:44. > :10:48.before and I tell the young guys it is a great opportunity against some

:10:48. > :10:52.of these guys. Watched the tape, see how you can improve and get to

:10:53. > :10:56.that level. We will take positive from it, it was a great game.

:10:56. > :10:59.have been involved in British basketball for a long time. How

:10:59. > :11:03.important is tonight you guys and for the sport around the country?

:11:03. > :11:07.It is the biggest basketball event to date and Great Britain and I am

:11:07. > :11:15.glad that the fans came out to supporters and had fully we did

:11:15. > :11:18.them proud but obviously we were outplayed but it was a good day for

:11:18. > :11:23.British basketball and the younger generation will see this and go out

:11:23. > :11:26.and pick up a basketball. When do you guys go to the Olympic Village

:11:26. > :11:31.can start your countdown to preparation for the first game on

:11:31. > :11:37.the 20 night? We had to Belgium tomorrow for a game against Belgium

:11:37. > :11:40.and Tunisia, then to the Olympic village on Monday and we will be

:11:40. > :11:43.there for a week or two until the Olympics starts. Hopefully going

:11:43. > :11:47.back to the drawing board to see how we can improve and come to the

:11:47. > :11:53.Olympics a different team. You know you have to cut support of the

:11:53. > :11:57.country behind you. Best of luck. Thank you very much. Plenty of

:11:57. > :12:02.experience, Pops Mensah-Bonsu, somebody else who has experience,

:12:02. > :12:06.Robert Archibald. It doesn't get much tougher than teen USA?

:12:06. > :12:10.they are an incredible team. You grew up watching the skies and

:12:10. > :12:14.dream about being on the same court as them so it was a special

:12:14. > :12:19.experience -- watching these guys. I wish the result had been closer

:12:19. > :12:24.but we will get another chance at the Olympics. It was a tight start,

:12:24. > :12:27.the first quarter also. What was going through your mind the second,

:12:27. > :12:34.third and 4th when it started to get away from you? They made some

:12:34. > :12:39.threes, they opened up the game. The most obvious thing is they were

:12:39. > :12:44.taking laps and dunks at the other end before we got a chance to get

:12:44. > :12:50.back. But is the first thing we have to improve on in the game.

:12:50. > :12:53.played against some of the best teams in the world already, Spain,

:12:53. > :13:01.France, the USA, but where would you put yourself engaged way you

:13:01. > :13:06.are at the moment? It was tough. We played close with France and Spain.

:13:06. > :13:09.Tonight was a lopsided result. When we get into the group, if we play

:13:09. > :13:13.well in the games we have a chance to win and move forward to the

:13:13. > :13:19.quarter-finals so that is the first thing we are working for. You have

:13:19. > :13:23.Tunisia and Belgium to come. Absolutely, we have to take

:13:23. > :13:26.advantage of the time and those games to get to the point we want

:13:27. > :13:30.to be at going into the Olympics so we are firing on all cylinders when

:13:30. > :13:36.we get there. Are you looking forward to it? Very much so. Thank

:13:36. > :13:41.you. Thank you. John Amaechi has joined me. It was what we expected,

:13:42. > :13:44.the USA dominating, a 40 point deficit for Great Britain. Just

:13:45. > :13:49.talking to Pops Mensah-Bonsu, he sounded down about the manner of

:13:49. > :13:52.defeat. I think he will be disappointed. I think he knows that

:13:53. > :13:56.he has seen his team when he gets other people to step up, not just

:13:56. > :14:00.Pops, not just Luol Deng, when other people step-up consistently

:14:00. > :14:03.come up because we saw sparks from Lawrence and other players who gave

:14:04. > :14:07.them a lift, who handled the pressure and did a great job on

:14:07. > :14:11.defence but it was a piece of bacon -- it is episodic and when that

:14:11. > :14:15.happens you can lose by 40. He knows when they can pull together

:14:15. > :14:19.that it is unlikely they would have been them but we would be talking

:14:19. > :14:23.20 points, not 40, which is significantly different aspirations.

:14:23. > :14:29.They started with the STAND enthusiasm but the class of the USA

:14:29. > :14:33.wore them down by half-time? Yes, what we saw was similar to

:14:33. > :14:39.yesterday in the women's game, when the USA starts to run dead trouble

:14:39. > :14:42.starts. The reality is you cannot beat a team that is shooting a high

:14:42. > :14:46.percentage shot at the basket, dropping the ball through the net,

:14:46. > :14:50.when you are taking unbelievably difficult shots and we saw Luol

:14:50. > :14:56.Deng and pot Bose, incredibly difficult shots against two or

:14:56. > :15:00.three people -- and Pops. There were encouraging signs from Andrew

:15:00. > :15:03.Lawrence. That is the most important thing, not the time

:15:03. > :15:09.looking past the Olympics at all but what I want is for this team,

:15:09. > :15:12.these events, these games, to be an impetus for these young players to

:15:12. > :15:22.beat the new nucleus of teams moving forward. Let's look at the

:15:22. > :15:37.

:15:37. > :15:42.group's, USA and Great Britain will Realistically, I can Great Britain

:15:42. > :15:47.get out of that group? It is an incredibly difficult group. They do

:15:47. > :15:50.not have any games where you can say, yes, as long as you play well,

:15:50. > :15:55.you will win that. The fact is it is going to be really difficult to

:15:55. > :15:58.get out of the group. I am looking at his first game against Russia,

:15:59. > :16:03.an incredibly tough opponents. Can they pull some of these components

:16:03. > :16:08.that we have seen for a couple of minutes at a time, can they do it

:16:08. > :16:11.for four quarters? If they can, who knows? I think we are about to be

:16:11. > :16:19.joined by the start of the Great Britain team, Luol Deng. How are

:16:19. > :16:25.you? I will ask you to operate the Mike! Your reaction to the defeat

:16:25. > :16:28.You know, we did a lot of good things, but there is a lot we have

:16:28. > :16:33.got to work on. We have got to do a better job of handling pressure,

:16:33. > :16:38.that is where we lost the game. They pressured us and we turned the

:16:38. > :16:41.ball over. They are a hard team to maintain focus against for 40

:16:41. > :16:46.minutes, 80 coming in with manpowered. One of the things we

:16:47. > :16:50.mentioned was the fact that the USA know that you are a major threat,

:16:50. > :16:55.like every team that he will face, so that this enormous pressure on

:16:55. > :16:59.you, and you need the guys to step up around you. You feel that is

:16:59. > :17:03.going to happen? Definitely, we have just got to understand, a team

:17:03. > :17:09.like this, you have got to keep it close. They came out and made them

:17:09. > :17:13.run pretty much just kept building their run. As a team, we have got

:17:13. > :17:18.to understand that when they make a run, we have got to get the best

:17:18. > :17:23.shot that we could do. As soon as they made a run, we got out of

:17:23. > :17:27.character, we tried to do too much, but that is what happens when they

:17:27. > :17:32.take a lead. As a team, we cannot do that. Knowing that you are the

:17:32. > :17:36.number one man, is that pressure? do not believe in pressure, I work

:17:36. > :17:41.hard, and I leave it on the floor. Pressure is only if I do not have

:17:41. > :17:44.confidence in myself. I am working out, I believe in the guys working

:17:44. > :17:50.together, every night might not be my night, but the ultimate goal is

:17:50. > :17:56.to win. Playing hard and play in defence, that is not pressure for

:17:56. > :18:00.me. John, tell him your summary of the game. Exactly the same as yours,

:18:00. > :18:05.the fact is you know there has got to be other people stepping up, and

:18:05. > :18:09.the thing is, I think we are seeing signs of it. For two or three

:18:09. > :18:12.minutes, Lawrence, the younger guys doing their thing, being in exactly

:18:12. > :18:17.the right spot when you drive a dish, but only for a couple of

:18:17. > :18:20.minutes. What are you going to do to say, look, how can we get that

:18:20. > :18:24.going for a quarter? That is something we have been talking

:18:24. > :18:28.about, making sure that we get the best shot. The guys have got to

:18:28. > :18:32.understand, they have got to tell me not to get out of character,

:18:32. > :18:36.keep it simple, make the right place. Like you said, Andrew

:18:36. > :18:38.Lawrence is learning, and tonight, this is probably the best

:18:38. > :18:42.competition they ever played against. We showed that when we

:18:42. > :18:46.took care of the ball, we could play against them, we showed that

:18:46. > :18:50.we could play against Spain. It is all a learning process until it

:18:50. > :18:53.becomes comfortable, then they will relax and just play. When you

:18:53. > :18:57.started playing in this country so many years ago, could you have

:18:57. > :19:03.imagined playing in front of 17,000 people in Manchester against NBA

:19:03. > :19:07.players? A lot of people do not realise how far we have come along.

:19:07. > :19:11.I always got mad when there was no basketball on TV, and there was

:19:11. > :19:15.talent in this country. Now we have proved it, we are proving we can

:19:15. > :19:19.play with the best in the world, there is talent in this country,

:19:19. > :19:24.there is more for us towards the sport, especially with the an kids,

:19:24. > :19:28.and this is amazing. A few weeks ago, we had Scottie Pippin, Charles

:19:28. > :19:32.Barclay, and now we have these superstars, but people have got to

:19:32. > :19:37.recognise it is because of what GB has done, that is what brought them

:19:37. > :19:41.over. Absolutely right, thank you for chatting to us, we wish you all

:19:41. > :19:44.the best at the Olympics. Thank you. Thank you for having me. Luol Deng

:19:44. > :19:48.will be representing the Olympics, just around the corner. We are

:19:48. > :19:52.pulling out all the stops on the BBC to bring you all the action

:19:52. > :19:55.from the great events. We have but a new and innovative way to watch

:19:55. > :20:00.the games on the interactive video player, Gary Lineker can tell you

:20:00. > :20:04.more or stop this is an Olympics like no other, and we want to make

:20:04. > :20:08.sure that you get the most out of this once-in-a-lifetime event.

:20:08. > :20:12.we have created a live interactive video player that allows you to

:20:12. > :20:17.watch every moment of the Games. This is how it works. Imagine you

:20:17. > :20:21.are watching the 5000m live and you decide you want to see the triple-

:20:21. > :20:25.jump that was an earlier. Just click, and you instantly rewind

:20:25. > :20:28.back to the moment you want to watch. Once you have caught up,

:20:28. > :20:33.jump back to the here and now by clicking on live. You are straight

:20:33. > :20:38.back into the action. At any time, go for screen, the player delivers

:20:38. > :20:42.the action in high-definition. Then there is the extras button. Click

:20:42. > :20:44.on this and you will find lots of great information. If you are

:20:44. > :20:49.watching the track cycling and wonder what the different events

:20:49. > :20:53.are, the guide will tell you. Then there is Olympics live, turn it on

:20:53. > :20:57.and it will alert you to all the key moments so that you never miss

:20:57. > :21:01.anything that matters. And with the athletes panel, if you're watching

:21:01. > :21:06.the rowing and want in-depth information about one of the rowers,

:21:06. > :21:09.this feature is here to help. Now, there will be times when up to 24

:21:10. > :21:13.live events are taking place all at once, so we have arranged

:21:13. > :21:18.everything to make it easy for you to find the best of the action.

:21:18. > :21:21.With the BBC's new live interactive video player, we are giving you

:21:21. > :21:31.complete control of what you want to watch and when you want to watch

:21:31. > :21:38.

:21:38. > :21:45.I cannot wait for the opening ceremony, it is on Friday the 27th

:21:45. > :21:48.July on BBC One at 7pm. Well, back in Manchester, we have seen some

:21:48. > :21:53.tremendous action tonight. It has been a real pleasure to watch the

:21:53. > :21:57.NBA stars, guys like Kobe Bryant, such tremendous thrill, Deron

:21:57. > :22:02.Williams, there was a spell where every time he attended a three-

:22:02. > :22:07.pointer, he was sinking it. It is one of the amazing things of that

:22:07. > :22:11.standard, new line at a point were missing surprises you, where really

:22:11. > :22:16.your job every day is to make shots. You are not surprised by doing

:22:16. > :22:20.amazing things. In fact, we noted that there were some of the phases

:22:20. > :22:24.when people missed, Kevin Durant was surprised when he missed. That

:22:24. > :22:28.is not normal. These athletes are remarkable, and I'm hoping it will

:22:28. > :22:32.show some British kids that they can reach that level, too. I found

:22:32. > :22:35.it quite amusing that every time they slammed and was missed, the

:22:36. > :22:40.crowd seemed really upset, and then about 20 seconds later, someone

:22:40. > :22:44.would nail a three-pointer and the crowd would give polite applause.

:22:44. > :22:48.Yes, as if making a shot from inside is really the thing you are

:22:48. > :22:51.watching for, but making a shot from 25 ft is nothing at all. I

:22:51. > :22:55.think we have raised the expectations of crowds watching

:22:55. > :22:59.basketball now. They know that they should make it almost every time.

:22:59. > :23:03.As you know, the Olympics can propel sports further, give them

:23:03. > :23:06.more support in the country. How much do you think basketball is

:23:07. > :23:10.going to benefit from what we have seen tonight at what is coming up

:23:11. > :23:15.over the next three weeks? In an emotional and inspirational sense,

:23:15. > :23:18.it is going to be really helpful. People have never seen it before

:23:18. > :23:23.will see remarkable play that will inspire them, maybe to try the

:23:23. > :23:26.sport. My worry, my concern is that they are going to be inspired and

:23:26. > :23:30.then when they try to find some infrastructure, a place to play, a

:23:30. > :23:34.coach to coach them, that may be missing. So I'm hoping that the

:23:34. > :23:38.coaches are scrambling right now to make sure they have the capacity to

:23:38. > :23:45.take on newly inspired kids. one thing I also wanted to ask you,

:23:45. > :23:48.do you think, having seen the NBA team at close, are they a match for

:23:48. > :23:54.the 1992 dream team? Or are they miles behind Quest are the problem

:23:54. > :23:58.I have is that I know a lot of the 1992 team. I am an old timer, I

:23:58. > :24:02.like that team, there was something Stapeley about it. This team is

:24:02. > :24:07.very different. It is younger, more dynamic, more athletic than any

:24:07. > :24:11.team we have seen on the floor. But in terms of the way they play

:24:11. > :24:15.together, they are not quite the dream yet. Let's remind you of some

:24:15. > :24:20.of the sport coming up on the BBC in the next couple of days. We have

:24:20. > :24:25.got athletics, the Diamond League in Monaco, the last lap of

:24:25. > :24:28.athletics action ahead of the Olympics. And also tomorrow, we

:24:28. > :24:34.have got action from Match of the Day live, Great Britain's women

:24:34. > :24:37.play Sweden, then the men will play against Brazil, we believe Daniel

:24:37. > :24:42.Sturridge will get a run-out. It has been a fantastic night, thank