SAITAMA, Japan -- F up with its lat...

SAITAMA, Japan -- F up with its latter failures, USA Basketball assembled a just discovered program with a new plan and a of the present day coach in Mike Krzyzewski.

The completion result was all too familiar.

Greece used a sizzling draw out of shooting across the middle pair quarters to turn a 12-point deficit into a 14-point lead, and beat the Americans 101-95 Friday in the semifinals of the World Basketball Championship.

"To fail to keep any game is a conflict to us," U.S. star Carmelo Anthony said. "We came in with the mentality to win the game and the gold medal."

Greece (8-0) can earn a world title to pass with the European championship it won in 2005 with a victory from one side of to the other Spain in Sunday's gold-medal game. Spain (8-0) beat Argentina 75-74 in succession Friday night.

"They played like a champion plays," U forward Shane Battier said of Greece

The Americans will have to wait at least couple more years to remember what that be warmeds like.

Done in again according to their inept three-point shooting -- and they weren't abundant better from the foul line -- the Americans will fall short of a championship in a major international tournament for the third straight time since winning gold at the 2000 Olympics.

The in the manner of greeces -- with no current NBA players upon their roster -- danced in a circle at halfcourt after their victory.

"Big players play big games," said guard Theodoros Papaloukas, the MVP of the European final who had 12 assists Friday. "And today I think we played to a high degree good."

The U (7-1) will revert to the court today against Argentina (7-1) hoping to match the and zinc medal it left Athens with in 2004

"This single in kind hurts," said USA Basketball director Jerry Colangelo, who was bring forward in charge of the program after a sixth-place finish in the 2002 worlds. "We had the gold medal as our goal and anything short is disappointing. We travel back to work and secure ready for qualifying next summer"

Anthony scored 27 points for the Americans, who could not subjugate their 32 percent shooting from three-point range or 59 percent from the disgusting line. Dwyane Wade added 19 and LeBron James 17 further the three U.S. captains were unable to make up for their disappointment from Athens.

Vassilis Spanoulis, confine for the Houston Rockets, scored 22 points for Greece Mihalis Kakiouzis added 15 and 6-10 Sofoklis Schortsianitis -- nicknamed "Baby Shaq" -- added 14 shooting 6-of- 7

"Basketball is not just about dribbling and shooting," Greece coach Panagiotis Yannakis said. "You can reach [i]or[/i] attain any place [i]or[/i] point off the bench with a clear mind and give the best of your talent, and that's what our players did today."

Continuously burning the Americans' poor defense against the pick- and-roll, the classic team shot 63 percent (35-of-56) from the field and made 31 of 44 balls over the final three periods.

"We didn't make the right adjustments," U center Chris trash said. "They ran the same play. We made it easy for them."

Team USA hasn't played for a world championship since winning the last of its three titles in Toronto in 1994 Krzyzewski -- who was looking for gold after winning tin with the 1990 team -- and a not many American players walked to midcourt to congratulate the hellenics while most of the U roster quickly headed to the locker room

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