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2008 OLYMPICS:

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As one of the leaders on the U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team, Kobe Bryant plans to use the same line he does with the Lakers when times get rough.

The line he told reporters recently in Las Vegas he would use was “get your [butt] in gear.”

For Bryant’s sake, he has the players around him capable of getting out of ruts, unlike his Lakers teammates showed in the NBA Finals.

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Team USA is counting on Bryant to help the country reclaim its global dominance in a sport it invented more than 100 years ago.

The Newport Coast resident admits it won’t be easy next month at the Beijing Games. The team is loaded with stars, LeBron James, Jason Kidd, Dwayne Wade, Dwight Howard and Chris Paul.

What the last Olympic experience proved was that boasting big NBA names doesn’t always result in a gold medal.

At the 2004 Games, Team USA lost three times, one more than it had in the previous 14 Olympics combined, and took home the bronze.

The gold went to Argentina and the silver to Italy. These two countries, better known for kicking the ball into the net than shooting into it with their hands, have caught up to the Americans.

How fast has the play of some international teams risen? Almost as quick as Bryant did in that video in which he leaped over a speeding Aston Martin.

Bryant isn’t expecting the rest of field to fear him or his teammates.

“I think they’re sitting over there and saying, ‘When push comes to shove we’re going to play more as a team than they are,’” Bryant said. “I don’t think what they’re reading, or what they’re seeing [about this team] is going to change their minds one bit.”

The best way to convince the opposition that this Team USA is truly a team is with its play.

All the ingredients are in place for the Americans to add to their Olympic-best 12 gold medals. Team USA, coached by Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski, has a pure point guard in Kidd, speedy backups in Deron Williams and Paul, sharpshooters in Carmelo Anthony and Michael Redd, rebounding machines in Carlos Boozer and Dwight Howard, an all-around gem in James, and defensive stoppers in Tayshaun Prince and Bryant.

Bryant understands American fans come to expect gold just like a would-be bride would at her wedding.

He is all too familiar with the jewelry. Ask his wife, or check his own rings from winning three straight NBA titles. But there’s more at stake in this tournament.

“We’re playing for our country and there’s a lot of pride that goes into that for us and our fans,” Bryant said. “We have to make sure we don’t skip steps, [and] that we work hard every day and do the fundamental things that will ensure victory for us.”

Bryant will start at shooting guard in his Olympic debut.

The opener will be huge, try Yao Ming size, as Team USA opens Aug. 10 against China.

On paper, this one is a mismatch, even though Ming, a 7-foot-6 NBA center poses problems for the Americans with his height.

Even Ming has admitted his country’s chances of medaling for the first time are as likely as the Chinese government allowing the Dalai Lama to attend the Olympics.

The Chinese are in Group B, the strongest group featuring Team USA, 2006 FIBA world champion Spain, as well as powers Germany and Greece.

The Greeks upset the Americans in the semifinals of the world championships two years ago in Japan. Revenge is in sight for Team USA when it plays Greece in its third preliminary-round game.

“Everybody’s gunning for us,” Bryant said. “Just because of the hype that surrounds this team everybody’s going to naturally be up to play against us. We’re going to be up, too.

“We’re excited about this. We’re ready.”


DAVID CARRILLO PEÑALOZA may be reached at (714) 966-4612 or at david.carrillo@latimes.com.

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