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LOS ANGELES -- The ball. Thats what Team USA coach Mike Krzyzewski came up as part of a list of things that are going to be challenging for the Americans during this five-game exhibition tour before they head to Rio de Janeiro for the Summer Olympics.It takes some time to adjust to the Molten basketball, which is used in international competition and is said to be a bit slicker than the Spalding basketballs used in the NBA, Krzyzewski said on Sunday after his teams 106-57 rout of China.Even with superstars such as Stephen Curry, Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, James Harden, Russell Westbrook and LeBron James pulling out of consideration for this Olympic team, Team USA is so much better than the teams theyll be playing during these warm-up games, its hard to assess just where the American team is.I hope were never challenged, Krzyzewski said after Team USAs second straight rout. But there have been challenging points in each game. A huge thing is for us to just get to know one another [on this tour]. ... The rules and the ball. You can tell with some of our guys, they dont have the feel yet. Its a challenge to adapt to the game.The challenging points Sunday came, um, in the first quarter when Team USA led just 10-7 with 3 minutes, 10 seconds to go. But then Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson came in and started raining 3-pointers and the Americans went on a 16-6 run to close the quarter.I dont think theres any coach that likes not to see the ball go in, Krzyzewski said. Because theres a part of you that says -- Will it?I dont care what team youre coaching, you would feel that way.Still, this is what constitutes worry for Team USA at this point.And it basically went away as soon as Durant and Thompson started making shots.For all the talk of the lack of experience and leadership on this years team -- only Durant and Carmelo Anthony played in the 2012 Summer Olympics -- the talent gap, particularly against the teams the Americans will play on this exhibition tour, is still virtually insurmountable.There are teams that are capable of challenging the U.S. once it gets to Rio -- Spain, France, Serbia to name a few -- but right now the Select Team would probably push them harder than Argentina, China or Nigeria during this tour.In the meantime, Krzyzewski said hes putting the team focus on building a defensive identity because of the versatility and athleticism it has on that side of the ball.This group has been a fabulous group to coach, Krzyzewski said. None of the groups weve coached have worked harder defensively.Sunday he tried out lineups with Indiana Pacers swingman Paul George defending the point guard position and loved the pressure he was able to put on the ball. Then, theres the dimension Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan gives them.Jordan began the game with a thunderous block on Chinas Wang Zhelin, then raced down the court to slam home an alley-oop, which got the home crowd out of its seats early.Coach told me if I didnt do anything in the first 30 seconds I was coming out, said Jordan, who finished with 12 points, 5 rebounds and 3 blocks in just 17 minutes.Team USA will face this same Chinese team Tuesday at Oracle Arena, then finish out the tour in Chicago and Houston.A lot of the times were thinking about the opponent, Jordan said. But with only five games, all we really need to work on is ourselves.Cheap Air Max 90 Wholesale . 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And, for three quarters, it showed as Gay shot a woeful three-for-13 from the field.LA CAVERNE DU PONT DARC, France - On any other day, Chris Froome would have beamed with joy while standing on the Tour de France podium in the leaders yellow jersey.As too would have Tom Dumoulin for winning his second stage of this years Tour.But Friday was not any other day, as all who were in the Tour entourage knew so well after waking to news of Thursdays tragic attack in Nice that killed at least 84 people.The Tour continued under heightened security, which had already been ramped up for this years race.Following considerations to cancel the 37.5-kilometre Stage 13 time trial from Bourg-Saint-Andéol to la Caverne du Pont DArc, the decision to continue was made by race organizers in agreement with security officials and the prefecture of the Ardèche, the department through which the stage passed.Before the stage, the advertising caravan drove the route as they usually do, throwing freebies to the crowd, but without the usual fanfare of music and celebration.We want this day to be a day of dignity as a tribute to the victims, said a clearly emotional Tour race director Christian Prudhomme. We asked ourselves [if the stage should be cancelled] but we think, after agreeing with authorities, that the race must continue.The heavy hearts and reflection resonated throughout a day that began with a minutes silence held at the start in Bourg-Saint-Andéol -- a three-hours drive northwest of Nice -- before the first of 188 riders set off.It continued into the night after the Dutchman Dumoulin (Giant-Alpecin) won the stage in hot and windy conditions in 50 minutes, 15 seconds. Dumoulin beat the Briton Tour champion Froome (Sky), the stage runner-up, by 1:03 and third-place Nelson Oliveira of Portugal (Movistar) by 1:31.Froome added a full minute to his overall lead, which is up to 1:47. Dutchman Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo) moved from fourth to second overall with his sixth-place performance in the time trial. Down from second to third overall went Briton Adam Yates (Orica-BikeExchange), now 2:45 behind Froome.But time gaps and places did not preoccupy most involved with the Tour in light of the circumstances.On a hugely moving day, there was no more powerful moment than after the stage when Froome, Dumoulin and the three other classification jersey wearers stood together on the poddium with head Tour officials for another minutes silence -- all wearing black armbands.ddddddddddddJoining the overall leader and stage winner in the only ceremony held after Fridays time trial (organizers did not hold the usual separate jersey presentations) were Yates, in the best young rider white jersey; Belgian Thomas De Gendt (Lotto-Soudal) in the polka dot top climber jersey; and Slovakian Peter Sagan (Tinkoff) in the green points jersey.Later, Froome and Dumoulin spoke with outward emotion. So affected was Froome, who lives just up the coast from Nice in Monaco, he said when he arrived for his mandatory race leaders press conference that he did not want to answer questions about the Tour.I think its difficult for us to even be here talking about the race with all that happening yesterday down in Nice, Froome said, adding that he was shocked by photos of bodies on Promenade des Anglais after the attack by a man who drove a truck into a crowd celebrating Bastille Day.Earlier, near the podium where the minutes silence was held, Froome told reporters: It was nice of the other riders to respect that minute of silence. Our thoughts are with everyone, and the families in Nice. Its where I do most of my training. To see the promenade with those horrific images puts things into perspective in the Tour de France.Even when asked specifically about his time trial performance on a hilly course made harder by strong winds and heat, Froome found it hard to delve into analysis.I gave it my everything; my thoughts were a little bit elsewhere today, Froome said.French rider Ama?l Moinard (BMC), who lives in Saint-Laurent-Du-Var near Nice, expressed support for the decision to carry on. We have to keep living or we are going to live in terror every day, he said. We have to go on. There is no other solution.And go on the Tour will do Saturday for Stage 14, a 208.5km leg from Montélimar to Villars les Dombes Parc des Oiseaux that should suit the opportunists rather than overall contenders.But as the peloton continues to race, the Nice attack will weigh on the minds of riders, as it will with all of France, which on Friday began three days of official mourning. ' ' '