Team Redeem lands in Macao

Even as the highly touted men's U.S. Olympic basketball team landed in Macao today, coach Mike Krzyzewski was trying to put things in perspective, telling reporters that “we haven’t accomplished anything yet.”

LeBron James, who injured his right ankle during a scrimmage last week, joined the squad for its first practice in Macao and is expected to play in four upcoming tune-up games. "Every time we step onto the court, we know we have the talent and we know we have the strength to go out and be the best team on the court,” James told the Associated Press. “The chemistry right now is really good.”

While in Macao, the U.S. will play Turkey (Thursday) and Lithuania (Friday). In Shanghai, they will play Russia (Aug. 3) and Australia (Aug. 5). The U.S. opens its Beijing Games contests on Aug. 10 against host China, which is led by Houston Rockets center Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian, who recently was traded from the Milwaukee Bucks to the New Jersey Nets.

Krzyzewski expects the Beijing Games competition to be fierce because “world basketball has gotten to another level.”

Photo: Mike Krzyzewski leads the U.S. men's Olympic basketball team through its first practice Monday in Macao.  Credit: Kin Cheung / Associated Press