The Tall Blacks overachieved at Indianapolis four years ago, shocking the world by reaching the semi-finals.

And although the element of surprise has disappeared, Baldwin leads a more worldly 12-man squad to the finals.

"We were probably more like the excited puppy, having the first chance to run around outside, and I believe a lot of that energy was wasted," he said.

"Now we're a much more intelligent team, and that comes through maturity and experience."
The American has prepared his squad for the intense tournament schedule.

The last month has seen his side traverse the Tasman, the Pacific and their home country for 13 international games.

"We're about as well prepared to handle the travel as we can be, from a mental standpoint, because we've been through worse," he said.

"You can really feel the expectation among the players now. They just want to get on with it.
"We've invested a lot and we know a lot of people are counting on us and it's time to live up to that investment."

The squad flew to Tokyo on Thursday morning, with a one-night stopover before a connection to Hiroshima and taking in an hour's training before Friday's opening ceremony.

They tip off their Group B campaign against Spain on Saturday.