Northwest Indiana and Illinois Times

US unconcerned by exhibition performance

(AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

BEIJING (AP) LeBron James jogged ahead of his teammates, joking with Dwight Howard as he casually glided from baseline to baseline during warmup drills.

There were no signs of worry. No indication a tougher-than-it-should've-been-win against Australia in their final exhibition game was even on their minds. As they began their first practice in Beijing, the U.S. Olympic men's basketball players had the look of a relaxed bunch whose biggest worry was staring down impossible expectation - not how bad they beat an opponent.

"At the end of the day, it's all about winning," James said Thursday shortly before practice began at Beijing Normal University. "People are going to say if we won by 12 points, then we had a bad game. If you win, you win. That's what we've come here to do. We've come here to win a gold medal, no matter if it's by one or by 40."

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