SYDNEY 2000: They can't lose, can they?

Nobody really believes the U.S. men's basketball team will win anything less than a gold medal at the Sydney Games. With all that NBA talent, it's a lock, right?

Probably.

But what if some opponent came in with a bigger team, shot 70 percent from an international 3-point line that is considerably shorter than the NBA line, kept the game close and got the benefit of a late whistle or two?

It would be an upset of Olympian proportions, one of the greatest surprises in the history of sports.

Could it happen?

Well, everybody thought the U.S. team was unbeatable -- although not to the same degree -- in 1972 and 1988, when the Americans didn't win gold. The impossible is indeed possible. The United States can lose.

"There's always a chance. That's why they throw up the ball," said U.S. coach Rudy Tomjanovich, who will be bringing what some believe to be a structurally flawed team to Sydney.