I was only home for four days, the 20-year-old English player said. I didnt touch a golf club. Hung out with my friends. I think I only touched a golf club once or twice last week.Carlota Ciganda had a 75. She wo

RIO DE JANEIRO -- So much is expected of them, mainly because there is so much talent.For a while during these Olympics, though, it seemed like the U.S. mens basketball team was stuck in some kind of Olympic time warp, complete with a maritime theme.Maybe theres something about staying on boats that brings out the worst in U.S. basketball.Or maybe this team just needed a good kick in the rear to finally get going.Two wins from the gold medal most everyone assumed was a lock going into the games, there is still work to be done. Spain awaits on Friday, and theres a possible rematch with Australia for the gold medal final.But theres now a bit of swagger back in the step, a few more smiles on the faces of players. Some even seemed a bit giddy after the team found a groove of sorts in a blowout win Wednesday over Argentina in the quarterfinals.Turns out playing hard isnt that hard after all.For us its about effort, Paul George said. Weve got talent. We have to match it with effort.Without it, these guys could lose -- Friday, or Sunday.And though they say they realize that, for reasons no one seems quite able to explain, that effort was lacking in three previous games, all of which the U.S. barely won. Some went so far as to suggest that the laid back approach of this team mirrored the lifestyle aboard the luxury cruise ship the players are staying on, much like the team in the disastrous 2004 games in Athens that lost three games and went home with the bronze.It might just be, though, that this team was badly missing some leaders.Still is, since Kobe Bryant is retired and LeBron James is resting comfortably back in the states. Gold medals in Beijing and London testify to the fact no one dared not to play hard with those two in charge.Bryant had once been plotting to be here, before finally deciding that his retirement should be permanent. James decided to sit this one out, understandable after leading Cleveland to an emotionally draining NBA title.Every time I watch `em I wish I was out there, James said in an interview Thursday with ESPN. I did not retire from Team USA. I just did not play this summer.The hope was that Kevin Durant or Carmelo Anthony -- the only players with previous Olympic experience on the roster -- would fill their roles and blowouts of China and Venezuela to open the Olympics made it look like this was a team growing comfortable with each other.Then came a game where Australia banged the Americans around only to fall short in the final minutes. That was followed by 3-point wins over both Serbia and France.Even coach Mike Krzyzewski couldnt seem to get through to this team before something suddenly clicked against Argentina.Fear of embarrassment may have been a motivating factor. No one wanted to be known as the first U.S. mens basketball team to fail to win a medal of any type in the Olympics, though it certainly seemed a possibility.Guys took it personally coming into the game, Durant said.What that means going into Fridays game against Spain is a little hard to figure out. Oddsmakers make the Americans a 13-point favorite, but its a game they could lose if they dont bring consistent defensive pressure on the perimeter, something they just seemed to figure out how to do against Argentina.Playing defense usually means playing hard and playing as a team, and this team has had precious little time together. Though the idea behind Jerry Colangelos restructuring of the U.S. program was to make sure players had plenty of time to get to know each other before an Olympics, there are 10 newcomers here with only a few weeks of practice and play between them.That contrasts to the 2008 team where most of the players were together for three years and had 30 games with each other.In the end, though, desire usually trumps talent. And Spain will be a big test to see just how much desire is there.We played this team plenty of times in international competition so it will be who wants it more, to be honest, Durant said. We can talk about players and what we should do on defense or offense, but who wants it more?The answer will likely determine what color medal this team goes home with.----Tim Dahlberg is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at tdahlberg(at)ap.org or http://twitter.com/timdahlberg Nike Air Max 90 Womens Sale . 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With 1:14 to go in overtime, Davis sixth block also became his 17th rebound. That, along with his 32 points -- which tied a career high -- proved too much for Denver to overcome, and the Pelicans held on for their third straight victory, 111-107 on Sunday night. NAPLES, Fla. -- Shanshan Feng was right back on top of an LPGA Tour leaderboard Thursday, shooting a 6-under 66 to take a one-shot lead over So Yeon Ryu and Charley Hull after the first round of the CME Group Tour Championship.Coming off consecutive victories in Malaysia and Japan, Feng is one of nine players who entered the season finale with a chance to win the Race to the CME Globe season title and $1 million bonus. The Chinese star won in 2013 at Tiburon Golf Club.Somehow, the course is playing longer compared to three years ago, Feng said. I dont know, maybe because Im getting older Im hitting shorter.Ha Na Jang, Sei Young Kim, In Gee Chun, Amy Yang, Lizette Salas, Beatriz Recari, Ryann OToole and Mo Martin all shot 68.Top-ranked Lydia Ko had a 70. She needs a win this week to secure player of the year honors,Ariya Jutanugarn and Brooke Henderson, who like Ko are guaranteed the points crown if they prevail this week, each shot 72.Feng has finished no worse than a tie for fourth in her last seven events. She started the run with the Olympic bronze medal in Rio, tied for fourth at Evian in France, opened the Asia trip at home in China with a fourth-place tie, was second in Taiwan and tied for third in South Korea before winning in Malaysia and Japan. She took last week off, practicing only three days in Orlando.I think after the Asian wave, were just so tired. I think I needed the rest, Feng said. I feel actually pretty fresh coming into this week. ... Ive been playing well, so just wanted to keep up with the good playing.Feng birdied four of the last six holes -- the par-4 13th, par-5 14th, par-3 16th and par-5 17th -- in her bogey-free rouund.dddddddddddd She made a 30-foot birdie putt on the par-5 first hole and also birdied the par-3 eighth.Ryu won the last of her three LPGA Tour titles in 2014.What I learned through this year, having like swing change this year, sometimes I just think about swing too much, Ryu said. So what I learned through that is I just rather more focus to like imagination. Just keep imagine how the ball is going to fly and what shot I am going to hit instead of where is my hand going to be, my wrist.Hull birdied the final four holes on the front nine and also birdied the 14th. She also was off last week after being delayed getting out of Japan.I was only home for four days, the 20-year-old English player said. I didnt touch a golf club. Hung out with my friends. I think I only touched a golf club once or twice last week.Carlota Ciganda had a 75. She won her first LPGA Tour title last month in South Korea and won the event in Mexico City on Sunday.Ko and Jutanugarn are fighting for the big year-end honors.Only a win would be enough to give Ko her second straight player-of-the-year award; any other result, and that title goes to Jutanugarn. They came in separated by $17,305 in the money standings, and Ko (69.611) enters with a minuscule edge over Chun (69.632) for the Vare Trophy presented to the player with the lowest scoring average.The points in the CME Globe standings reset for the finale, so Jutanugarn, Ko and Henderson all truly control their destinies when it comes to the $1 million bonus that goes to the points champion. ' ' '