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RIO DE JANEIRO -- Somethings wrong in Rio.The team that usually wins big is barely winning.An unheard of two straight close games for the U.S. Olympic mens basketball team has created a question that few dared consider just a few days ago: Is the best team in the world not good enough for gold?Im not concerned, were not concerned with things we could do a little bit better, four-time Olympian Carmelo Anthony said. But were OK. Were fine.OK and fine arent the U.S. standard.Great. Dominant. Those are the standards the Americans have set.The problems seem to center on a lack of international experience and time to prepare for the Rio Games.The Americans are still unbeaten, but theyre far from unbeatable going into their final game of the preliminary round Sunday against France.Were going to play a team who struggled the last two games and Im sure theyre not too sure, like, who they are as well, France forward Nicolas Batum said. So its going to be big matchup Sunday.The U.S. team that many considered a gold medal lock wouldnt even win its group outright with a loss Sunday, either tying France or sharing first with the French and Australia at 4-1. In fact, the Americans could even end up finishing third in Group A.The Americans supposedly left third-place finishes behind long ago.But after needing to pull away late to beat Australia 98-88 and holding on to edge Serbia 94-91 on Friday when Bogdan Bogdanovic missed a 3-pointer, anything seems possible.Again, well figure this out, Paul George said. Its good that were finding ways to win these games right now. Hopefully these will be the ones that help prepare us later on for the style of this tournament.The Americans dont seem stressed, canceling practice Saturday. But some extra time in the gym would seem to benefit what is the most unprepared U.S. Olympic team since the 2004 squad that managed only bronze in Athens.Like then, the Americans were hit hard by player withdrawals and were still putting together a roster right up until their deadline. Instead of bringing experienced Olympians to Rio de Janeiro, they have 10 rookies, players who look more like lost tourists when it comes to the ways of international basketball.The 2008 and 2012 powerhouses were filled with players who had competed previously in the Olympics or FIBA competitions, and understood the nuances even better than some of their opponents. This group is learning on the fly, and theyre not giving themselves high marks.Again, as good as we are, if we continue playing like this, this games going to get even tougher, George said.No teams can match the Americans talent, and they dont pretend that can. But a team like France has a familiarity this U.S. team can never attain.These French have been playing big games for years, winning bronze in the 2014 Basketball World Cup, and after falling short of qualifying for the Olympics when they lost in the semifinals of last summers EuroBasket they were hosting, winning a tournament in July to secure their spot.Maybe, maybe got more chemistry than they are, because I played with this team for eight years now, the same group of guys, every summer, Batum said. So we know each other well, same coach, too, so we know the plays and everything. So that may be sometimes.Batum and his teammates -- along with everyone else in Brazil -- quickly point out that the U.S. is talented enough to overcome that.The U.S. is the U.S., France star Tony Parker said. Theyve been the standard for a long time and they are the best team in the tournament, and until somebody beats them they still are the best team.Nobody has done that in a decade, with the Americans seeking their 50th consecutive tournament victory Sunday. Few teams have even come close to beating them and before this week the U.S. had never played consecutive games decided by 10 points or fewer under coach Mike Krzyzewski.Krzyzewski knew things would get tougher once the opponents did. The Americans arrived in Rio untested after a tame exhibition schedule that included China and Venezuela, the two teams they crushed to open the Olympics.But Australia and Serbia were much higher quality and so are the French, who are ranked fifth in the world. They all have offensive systems and players who can make them work.We never saw that in any exhibition game or whatever, Krzyzewski said. Were seeing it right now for the first time, so we just have to learn from it and getter better.---Follow Brian Mahoney on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Briancmahoney Miro Heiskanen Jersey . Siddikur, whose previous win on the circuit came in Brunei three years ago, finished his bogey-free round with a birdie on the 18th for a total of 17-under 199. Indias Shiv Chowrasia, who has finished runner-up in this tournament twice, was in second place after a 66. Brett Hull Stars Jersey .C. -- When North Carolina freshman Ryan Switzer reported to training camp in August he was a little miffed to learn he was third on the depth chart at punt returner. http://www.thedallasstarshockey.com/craig-hartsburg-hockey-jersey/ . LOUIS -- St. Radek Faksa Jersey . The team also announced Tuesday that the Braves will wear a commemorative patch on the right sleeve during the season. The patch, shaped like home plate, carries the number 715, Aarons autograph and a "40th Anniversary" banner. Jon Casey Jersey . - Chris Tierney snapped a tie with a power-play goal late in the third period as the London Knights rallied from a 3-0 deficit to beat the Erie Otters 5-3 in Ontario Hockey League action on Wednesday. FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Mike Catapano was sitting in his sixth-grade music class when panic suddenly filled the room.His instructor was distraught, having just heard that each of the towers at the World Trade Center, where one of his loved ones worked, had been hit by a plane.Youre young, so you dont really know exactly whats happening, the New York Jets linebacker recalled of the Sept. 11 attacks. Was it a crash? Was it an attack? Youre just so confused.Catapano, the only player on the Jets roster who was born and raised in New York, grew up in the Long Island village of Bayville -- about 35 miles from lower Manhattan.I remember hearing that the World Trade Center went down, Catapano said in an interview with The Associated Press. I wasnt really sure where that was at the time, and then everybody started saying, `twin towers.Thats when I was like, `Oh my God!His thoughts immediately turned to an uncle who worked at a nearby building. Then, his mother, Barbara -- like many other worried parents -- showed up at the school to bring him home.My mom was freaking out and buying all kinds of food from the supermarket, thinking that we might be going to war or something, said Catapano, who was 11 at the time. It was just pandemonium. For a little kid, it was just kind of all a blur. But I remember everyone around me kind of being in a panic.Once back home, Catapano and his mother flipped on the TV to try to make sense of everything that was happening.We just stared at the screen in horror, he recalled.Anxious moments eventually gave way to relief as the Catapanos confirmed, one by one, that all of their immediate family members were OK. That included his uncle and a few firefighters, including two who were first responders.His music instructor and several classmates at St. Dominic Elementary School in Oyster Bay werent nearly as lucky.Neither were many of his neighbors.It was all around us, Catapano said. As anybody in New York knows, it was just a terrible, terrible day.Nearly 3,000 people were killed in the Sept. 11 attacks, including 2,750 at the World Trade Center.I remember one of my classmates being on TV and announcing his fathers name as one of the victims, Catapano said. Its just horrible. ... When you say 15 years, it seems like a long time ago. But, its really just like yesterday.During the days and weeks after the attacks, Catapano remembers joining his mother, a member of the neighborhood Rotary Club, going door-to-door bringing food and checks to people who lost the breadwinners of their household.ddddddddddddThey did the same with families affected near his grandmothers home in nearby Bethpage.Sunday marks the 15-year anniversary of the attacks, and Catapano will be on the field at MetLife Stadium for the Jets season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals.Rookie Jordan Jenkins, the projected starter, is dealing with a calf injury and hasnt practiced all week. That could open the door for Catapano to make his first NFL start.He is excited for the possibility, but the game will take on even greater meaning for Catapano and his family.I remember the country really coming together right after the attacks, even as a little kid, Catapano said. I could sense that, and Im sure you will feel that in the stands Sunday. Thats a special thing. It shows the resiliency of humans, the resiliency of the United States. Its much bigger than the game of football.Its cool to be a part of those feelings and kind of put it on the field and do it for those people in the stands.The memories of that day in 2001 will again be all around him before the game when the Jets hold a pregame tribute to remember the victims. Members of Tuesdays Children, an organization that supports youth, families and communities impacted by terrorism and traumatic loss, will participate.Representatives from the FDNY, NYPD and PAPD and the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Tower Foundation will be honorary captains, along with members of the Jets 2001 team, who will also be featured in a video shown during the ceremony remembering 9/11.Current players will wear commemorative helmet stickers, and coaches will have lapel pins on their shirts.Catapano will also carry lots of emotions with him onto the field, and feels a responsibility to those former classmates, friends and neighbors who will spend part of that day grieving for lost loved ones.It takes it to a bigger picture outside of football when youre representing New York and its Sept. 11, Catapano said. It makes you think about more than the game itself and how important the game can be to other people in New York. Im just proud to be able to represent New York.---Follow Dennis Waszak at http://twitter.com/DWAZ73---AP NFL website: http://www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL coverage on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '