Nowitzki, Germans Give U.S. a Game

Steve Wyche of the Washington Post reports that not only is Germany’s Dirk Nowitzki the best player at the World Championships, he was almost good enough to beat Team USA all by himself.

The Dallas Maverick forward scored 34 points and actually had his German team in the lead in the third quarter against the Americans. Team USA's Paul Pierce rose up when Nowitzki wore down and the U.S. squad emerged from a prolonged scare to defeat Germany, 104-87.

Pierce finished with 26 points, scoring 15 of those during the third quarter when Team USA went from a 67-65 deficit to a 77-67 lead entering the fourth quarter. "In the first half I was frustrated with the way I was playing," said Pierce. "The first half I settled for the three-pointer instead of driving to the basket. I'm able to adjust in the middle of the game and I was able to get going, give my team some confidence, give them some momentum."

In the fourth quarter, the Americans pulled away racing to a 22 point lead as Nowitzki ran out of gas. After three quarters of carrying the German team, he could only muster four points on free throws in the fourth. "Dirk's the one, two and three option on that team," said U.S. forward Michael Finley, who had 21 points. "We just wanted to eliminate his touches [in the second half]. We knew when he got the ball good things were happening for him so we tried to deny him the ball and when he got it, contest it."

The United States (2-0) will play its first-round finale Saturday against China, which defeated Algeria 96-82 tonight behind 38 points, 13 rebounds and 8 blocked shots by 7-foot-5 center Yao Ming. Though China isn't expected to test the United States like Germany did, U.S. Coach George Karl said, "I think we're going to be in two, three, four more games like this."

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Dallas Mavericks, Boston Celtics, Houston Rockets, General Basketball

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Pierce High on Nets

Fred Kerber of the New York Post reports that at least one expert is picking the New Jersey Nets to win the East. Paul Pierce of the Boston Celtics likes the moves made by the Nets this summer and believes they can repeat as Eastern Conference Champions.

"The Nets made changes and it's all about chemistry but with their trades I believe they definitely got better. On paper they will be the team to beat [in the East]," said Pierce, who helped lead the Celtics to the Eastern Finals, where they lost in six games to the Nets.

"They're the Eastern Conference champs. They've gotten better. They upgraded from a year ago. They basically traded Keith Van Horn for Rodney Rogers and Todd MacCulloch for Dikembe Mutombo. Both of them are better players. So they definitely should be the favorites going into the season."

Pierce wasn’t nearly as confident in his own club. After losing Rodney Rogers to the Nets and Trading Kenny Anderson for Vin Baker, Pierce wonders about the team chemistry. "We have to wait and see," Pierce said. "You have to find out how the chemistry is going to work and how our players are going to get along. I thought we had something special last year. Maybe we should have come back with the same team but obviously we had to get better. We weren't quite there. Hopefully this change will make us better."

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New Jersey Nets, Boston Celtics

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Strickland, Celtics at impasse

Joe Vieira of the Boston Globe reports that free agent Erick Strickland could be ready to jump ship if management doesn’t increase its offer. Strickland is being offered a one-year minimum contract worth $700,000. Strickland has made it clear that the team will have to ante up if they wish to retain his services.

''You must understand that I know this place,'' he said. ''I like the city and I've gotten to know the organization, and I like the strides that we made last season. ''But I'm getting old in this league, and this is about my options. If someone offers me a better deal, I'm not going to turn it up. I'm just looking to see that the situation is the best one for me and my future.''

Strickland turned down a one-year, $2.6 million guaranteed contract with the Memphis Grizzlies to sign a one-year deal with the Celtics for $653,350 prior to last season. He said giving the Celtics a hometown-team discount by signing for the league minimum again is not an option. ''I did that last year,'' he said. ''I'm six years in this league now, and I need to worry about my future. I can't keep doing that. I have to look at the best deal available.''

According to Strickland, he has talked to a number of NBA teams, but has only met with Indiana - a meeting he said ''went good.'' He expects to sign on somewhere within the next week or two, but if not, then definitely by the beginning of training camp Oct. 1. He did not rule out the possibility of returning to the Celtics, although general ganager Chris Wallace has said Boston will not sign a 12th man for anything more than the veteran league minimum.

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Boston Celtics, Indiana Pacers, Memphis Grizzlies

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