Answer: No.

There would be no letdowns or steps back as the U.S. opened the game on a 20-3 run and cruised to a 106-57 victory at the Wukesong Culture and Sports Center.

Germany scored on just one of its first 14 possessions, turning the ball over four times along the way. The fourth was a LeBron James steal that led to a fast break where Kobe Bryant fed a trailing James for an emphatic hammer dunk, capping the 20-3 start for the U.S. Germany turned the ball over six times in the opening 10 minutes and the U.S. led by 19 after the first quarter.

The lead ballooned to 30 late in the second and, after a handful of U.S. highlights, was up to 41 late in the third. Dirk Nowitzki, who led Germany with 14 points and eight boards, checked out for good midway through the third. His team had been eliminated when it lost a close game to China on Saturday.

Dwight Howard, with his teammates finding him with good position under the basket early and often, led all scorers with 22 points on 9-of-10 shooting. He also grabbed 10 boards for his first Olympic double-double. Meanwhile, James and Bryant both got hot from three point land, combining for 31 points while shooting 7-for-10 from beyond the arc.

"We're starting to understand our rhythm," Bryant said, "when the shots are coming. We're getting more comfortable [from the three point line] and knocking them down."

So, the U.S. finished pool play they way they should have, with a 49-point win that pushes their average margin of victory to 32.2 points per game. And now, the games really count, with a single-elimination, eight-team tournament that begins Wednesday. As the No. 1 seed in Group B, the U.S. will face Australia, the No. 4 seed out of Group A (8 a.m. ET, NBC).

And U.S. Coach Mike Krzyzewski got a bit of an assist in keeping his team focused on the quarterfinal when Australia beat previously unbeaten Lithuania by 31 points Monday morning. Australia had played poorly in its first two games, but they shot 16-of-25 from three point range against Lithuania and have won three straight going into the quarters.

Australia is also the team that played the U.S. the closest this summer, losing by just 11 on Aug. 5 in Shanghai. The U.S. likely had their minds already in Beijing, playing with little energy. Australia was sharp though, and they gave the U.S. problems with their quick-passing offense and soft man defense.

"They're a physical team," Carmelo Anthony said of Australia, "a tough team and I'm pretty sure they're going to take that game and take some confidence out of it."

And Australia's best player, Andrew Bogut, who scored 23 points on 10-of-12 shooting against Lithuania on Monday, sat out the game against the U.S.

So, the elimination round begins with a bit of a challenge. And while it's not exactly a "revenge" game, the U.S. will want to prove that they're more than 11-points better than the Aussies.

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.

Five down. Three to go. The U.S. dominated Group B, but the business of winning the gold medal starts now.

"We're knocking at the door," Anthony said Monday. "It's time to get down to business right now. We've got three games to accomplish what we've been waiting to do for four years."

John Schuhmann will be covering USA Basketball throughout the Beijing Olympics. Send him a question or comment.