Secaucus, N.J., Aug. 18, 2008 -- The NBA and WNBA are comprised of the best male and female basketball players in the world. Owning a men's and women's roster stacked with elite NBA and WNBA players, losing is not an option for the U.S. teams. With the pressure on and the world watching, the U.S. men and women go for gold. To keep up with all the action NBA.com's John Schuhmann left his desk in Secaucus, New Jersey to take his seat at the Olympic Games. With access to the world's finest ball players, here is the best of Schuhmann's extensive coverage of both men's and women's basketball at Beijing 2008.

If you didn't catch Fowles playing high school ball in Miami, this is probably what it looked like. If she was near the basket, she was getting the rebound. And when the Korean players fouled her in an attempt to prevent the follow, it was like a fly fouling a house.
U.S. Women Advance to Semis With Big Second Quarter, Big Second Unit (Aug. 19, 2008)

Monday, they proved that they are 49 points better than Germany. Perhaps, they were inspired by U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps, who was there to cheer them on and spend some time with them in the locker room after the game. Phelps went 8-for-8 in the pool when it came to winning gold medals at these games. His basketball-playing teammates would like to go 8-for-8 at the gym.
U.S. More Than Ready for Elimination Play (Aug. 18, 2008)

They were probably ready for the quarterfinals a few days ago, but before the U.S. moved on to the one-and-done portion of the competition, they had to complete a perfect round of preliminary action. It wasn't much of a test, but it was on the schedule and hey, everyone stayed healthy.
U.S. Women Follow Winning Script to Finish Pool Play (Aug. 17, 2008)

If Kobe Bryant can call himself the Doberman, than Tamika Catchings deserves to be called the Doberwoman.

Catchings was a defensive force Friday night in the U.S. Women's Senior National Team's 93-55 victory over Spain at the Wukesong Culture and Sports Center. The win puts the U.S. at 4-0 in Group B pool play with just one more game remaining (Sunday against New Zealand) before the quarterfinals on Tuesday.
Catchings Helps U.S. Women Shut Down Spain (Aug. 15, 2008)

While defense was a weakness in the 2006 game, it was a strength this time around. The U.S. swarmed Greece with full-court pressure and tenacious pick-and-roll traps, forcing 25 turnovers and holding Greece to just 41 percent shooting.
Defense Fuels U.S. Win Two Years in the Making (Aug. 14, 2008)

But the U.S. can't be happy with the way things have gone on the other end of the floor. They're shooting .551 from the floor in their two games so far, but broken down, that's .688 from inside the arc and .267 from beyond it.

And most of the three point blame can be put on the shoulders of Kobe Bryant, who is shooting a miserable 1-for-15 (.067) in the Olympics from downtown.
U.S. Wins, but Still Has Issues to Address (Aug. 12, 2008)

China had a chance to win it, but Ricky Rubio came from behind to steal the ball from Liu and threw it off of Liu's leg as he was falling out of bounds with 6.5 on the clock. Spain then gave the ball to Rubio out of the timeout, but he missed a runner in the lane as time expired.
The Day in Hoops -- August 12 (Aug. 12, 2008)

There was not much to complain about on this night for the U.S. They probably committed too many fouls and they only won the third quarter by a point, but overall, it was a dominating performance on both ends of the floor, and it was another opportunity to develop on-court chemistry.
U.S. Women Get Hot, Make Short Work of China (Aug. 11, 2008)

The U.S. was not without its issues, ones that we've seen before. They shot poorly from the perimeter and allowed China to grab 13 offensive boards. They also got burned a few times when they gambled defensively away from the basket. But their superior talent, athleticism and depth won out. And overall, they were strong defensively and impossible to stop in transition, which is how they've been for the last few weeks.
U.S. Men Off to a Good Start (Aug. 11, 2008)

But the win was a team effort more than anything. Coach Anne Donovan subbed early and often, with no player logging more than 24 minutes. The defense came in swarms with seven different ladies on the U.S. team picking up at least one steal.
Pressure D Fuels Blowout for U.S. Women (Aug. 10, 2008)

The U.S. roster is talented from top to bottom, and when you have James and Kobe Bryant, the two best players in the world, starting at the wings, you're in good shape. But when you have a healthy Dwyane Wade coming off the bench, there's no letup.
No Doubting Wade Anymore (Aug. 9, 2008)

So with both their offensive and defensive issues in mind, the U.S. team went back to work on Thursday, practicing for the first time in eight days. They went hard, and they'll practice again on Friday and Saturday, before opening the Olympics against China on Sunday.
Back to Work (Aug. 7, 2008)