SAITAMA (FIBA World Championship) - Team USA are full of confidence but also have enormous respect for their opponents at the FIBA World Championship.

The Americans, beaten in the quarter finals of the competition four years ago in Indianapolis and bronze medal winnners at the Athens Olympics in 2004, have so far cruised through a perfect summer although Italy threw a scare into them in Group D.

US Assistant Coach Mike D'Antoni has been a great admirer of the international game since his playing days in Italy with Olimpia Milano.

D'Antoni, the coach of the Phoenix Suns, has also held the reins of Italian giants Olimpia Milano and Benetton Treviso during his career.

In an interview with PA Sport's Cindy Garcia-Bennett before Team USA's knock-out game against Australia on Sunday, D'Antoni talks about the potential of this American side.

FIBA:You must have been fascinated by the Group D clash with Italy since you spent so much time in the country as a coach and a player?

D'Antoni: I wasn't surprised by Italy. Against us, they played as well as I have seen them play. They had a great week in Sapporo. They have young players and Marco Belinelli has played great. We didn't play well against them, I think we were kind of surprised at how good they were.At halftime we regrouped, the guys showed a lot heart, courage and it was a top game. Hats off to Italy but our guys met the test.


FIBA: Carmelo Anthony really stepped up for your side with 35 points in that game. How do you rate his contributions this summer?

D'Antoni: Carmelo's second half was just unbelievable when he plays like that it's going to be hard for anybody to stop him. We cannot rely on an unbelievable performance fevery night from just one guy. We have to play better as a team especially in the first half. But that is why Carmelo and the other players are great stars because they have those nights when you just can't guard them. There's no one in the world that could have guarded Carmelo against Italy.


FIBA: How important was it for your team to be put to the test early on?

D'Antoni: I think it's good for us. It has been kind of easy and we got a taste of what it's going to be like when we get to the medal round. I think it's important for us to learn from this experience and I think we will.


FIBA: Finishing first of your group and going into the final round in Saitama unbeaten must be a good movitation. How important was it to finish top of the group with a game in hand?

D'Antoni: It's great to finish first, hopefully, it will gives us the easier road into the final but nothing is going to come easy. It's going to be hard work and we have to earn it and I really think we will. We can go all the way, we will be disappointed if we don't win gold, that's our objective. I'm sure other teams want to go all the way too and it should be a great tournament.


FIBA: Who do you see as the main threats for Team USA?

D'Antoni: Spain, Argentina and Greece are playing great, so there is a bunch of teams capable.


FIBA: Each team will present different challenges so would you prefer to face one team over another?

D'Antoni: We prepare against any team the same way, we always treat everybody the same way. When it comes down to two teams playing well it comes down to heart and our players have showed a lot of it in this tournament so far.


FIBA: There seems to be a really positive mood with Team USA this summer. Are you glad you took up the challenge?

D'Antoni: This is fun, this is what is all about. The competition is great and it's exciting. We have great coaches, great players and I'm just privilege to represent the United States and to be with these guys. I have international experience, so like any other coach, I try to assist coach K (Mike Krzyzewski) and his ideas and how he wants to play. We try to give him ideas but he runs a great staff and he does a superjob. It's Mike's ball-game and that's good.


By Cindy Garcia-Bennett, FIBA