Dream Team Wakes Up, Wins Big

You wouldn’t expect to hear the terms “embarrassment” and “worst 22 hours of my life” from a member of the Dream Team, yet those words were being thrown around Sunday.

They were references to the team’s near-debacle Saturday, a mere six-point victory over a team of U.S. collegians. Back on the court and finally playing a team of foreigners, the U.S. Olympic team played hard for the entire 40 minutes Sunday and pounded Brazil 109-68.

The 41-point victory came on the second stop on a five-game exhibition tour. The next game is Wednesday night at Phoenix against the Chinese Olympic team.

“We didn’t even deserve to win that game Saturday. It was embarrassing, and those last 22 hours were the longest of my life,” Grant Hill said. “But when you play poorly, you want to get back on the court for the next game. And we were anxious to get out there today.”

It showed, as the laziness and carelessness of Saturday was replaced by a dominating display of basketball that is expected to be the Olympic team’s norm.

A frantic pressure defense helped create a slew of fast break points and wide open layups right from the start, and it continued that way for the entire 40 minutes.

The U.S. team made only 10 outside shots the entire game, and four were 3-pointers in the second half.

Brazil took a 13-8 lead on a fast-break 3-pointer by 38-year-old Oscar Schmidt, but the U.S. team had four fast-break layups in a 21-7 run that put them ahead 29-20.

Mitch Richmond led the United States with 21 points, while Scottie Pippen had 13 and Shaquille O’Neal, Hardaway, Reggie Miller and Hill had 10 points each.

Schmidt, guarded closely by Pippen most of the time, led Brazil with 21 points.

Barkley accused in scuffle

Charles Barkley has been accused of hitting a man in the nose at a Cleveland bar, according to police reports.

Jeb Tyler, 23, of Spencerport, N.Y., filed a complaint early Sunday accusing Barkley of assault. Barkley, the Phoenix Suns star who was in town for the Dream Team’s exhibition game against Brazil, in turn filed a report accusing Tyler of using “bodily force” against him.

No criminal charges were filed.

According to Tyler’s complaint, which was obtained by WEWS-TV in Cleveland, Barkley was talking with a woman Saturday night at The Basement in a part of town known as “The Flats” when Tyler interrupted. Tyler told police that Barkley hit him.

Barkley then tried to leave the bar in a cab with fellow Dream Teamer Reggie Miller, the station reported. Police stopped the cab, and Barkley and Tyler filed their complaints.

Miller, Barkley and Cleveland Indians left fielder Albert Belle had dinner together earlier in the evening.

Notable

A top-flight distance runner was in a Miami jail after his arrest four days earlier for running uninvited alongside Olympic torch bearers during the flame’s tour through the city.

Miamian Victor Miranda, who has won the Metro-Dade Marathon several times, was pacing the torchbearers Thursday night, but was too close to the official entourage, police said.

In Millington, Tenn., Seth Greisinger allowed four hits and struck out nine in six innings, leading the U.S. Olympic baseball team to a 4-0 exhibition victory over South Korea.