Looking to reach the summit of international basketball again, Team USA took a big step in that endeavour when they outscored the Boomers 32-6 in that 10-minute stretch for a 59-29 lead at half-time.

The three-point shooting, the passing, the defense ¨C it was all working for the United
States as they all but secured victory with 20 minutes still to play.

Shane Battier was four of five from three-point range and the team finished 14 of 27 (52%).

The US lost in the quarter-finals to Yugoslavia at the FIBA World Championship in
Indianapolis four years ago, and finished with a bronze medal at the Athens Olympics in
2004.

Now they must beat Germany to reach the semi-finals of the World Championship here in Japan.

Colangelo, USA Basketball¡¯s senior national team managing director, talked to PA Sport¡¯s
Jeff Taylor about the victory over Australia, and the mindset of the Americans who are just
three wins away from capturing a gold medal in Saitama.

FIBA: That was quite a spectacle watching your team run away with the victory over Australia in the second quarter. I¡¯m not sure the Australians, who turned the ball over 24 times, knew what hit ¡¯em.

Colangelo: ¡°The (US) team was primed, they were ready. They wanted to stress defense in particular because we believe if we play good defense, we¡¯d have a great shot against anyone we play against. And so there has been a lot of focus on defense and that is what caused happened today. It¡¯s a team of a lot of versatility, athletes and talent but so many role players that defense is what really gets everything going.¡±

FIBA: Is this what you envisioned when you put your squad together, a second quarter like
today when the score went from 27-23 to 59-29 at half-time?

Colangelo: ¡°Well you dream about second quarters like that, you can¡¯t plan it. The game plan in the selection process was not to have a group of all-stars. It was to get versatility, athleticism, individuals who have particular roles ¨C point guards who distribute the ball, guys who complement your star players and that is what the composition of a team really is. It¡¯s the sum of all your parts.

FIBA: The difference with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony now and three years ago is dramatic. They just look like leaders, and it¡¯s amazing when you look back at Athens and now, how they seem to have grown up. What are you thoughts on that?

Colangelo: "I¡¯ve said publically they probably should not have been there. They were too
young, they weren¡¯t expected to be there. They were replacement players after other players backed out at the last minute, so a couple of years have gone by here. They are more mature, they get it, I think they are very focused in what we are trying to do and they have bought into the vision and they have become leaders and for that, we are very happy."

FIBA: Joe Johnson is not a player who gets a lot of headlines but he had a remarkable
performance today with 18 points on seven of 13 shooting. He was also excellent
defensively.

Colangelo: ¡°I love Joe. We had him in Phoenix. Joe¡¯s shooting hasn¡¯t been up to par but he was about to break out and he certainly did today. He¡¯s a terrific individual, a guy who really loves the game of basketball and one of the best shooters in the NBA in my opinion. I think over the course of time, he¡¯s going to have his percentages up there and get his numbers for sure.¡±

FIBA: You¡¯ve got some tough games ahead against teams like Greece, Spain or Argentina. This performance bodes well, doesn¡¯t it?

Colangelo: ¡°We¡¯re not even thinking about that. We have our next game against Germany. We have our goal, our objective. There are three more games we want to play and hopefully we¡¯ll be successful but Germany is our next opponent and that is what we are focusing on.¡±

FIBA: Surely there are lot of people around the world who expect you to face Greece,
Argentina or Spain.

Colangelo: ¡°There really is no consideration about what goes on after our next game. That in itself is a change in attitude in regard to this team. The expectation is that if we take care of our business, playing the game we want to play, focus on our next opponent, that¡¯s the way you get to the finish line.¡±