OLY - Men's Group A preview

LONDON (Olympics) - Defending Olympic and world champions Team USA are favorites to win a star-studded Group A at the London Games.

Lithuania, Tunisia, France, Nigeria and Argentina all have big-time players, but no side has as much quality as the Americans.

They have one superstar after another, from Kevin Durant and LeBron James to Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony and Kobe Bryant - just to name five!

The USA squad has so many household names in basketball, including coach Mike Krzyzewski, that players have been constantly asked if they could beat the 1992 Dream Team.

"We're not the Dream Team," said Brooklyn Nets guard Deron Williams.

"The Dream Team was in 1992. This is 2012.

"It's unfair to compare us with what was probably the best team ever to have been on court.

“We're still young in our own careers and we've got a lot of work to do."

The Americans had a couple of very hard games in the build-up to London, including one against Argentina - the country that beat them in the 2004 Olympic Semi-Finals en route to gold.

Manu Ginobili, Andres Nocioni, Luis Scola and Leo Gutierrez were in that Argentina squad and still are.

The Americans only beat Argentina, now coached by Julio Lamas, 86-80 in the preparations.

Lithuania have reached every Olympic Semi-Final since 1992 and they are again a force to be reckoned with.

Linas Kleiza and Jonas Maciulis are healthy again and center Jonas Valanciunas is one of their rising stars, just a year removed from being named the MVP of last year's FIBA U19 World Championship.

Lithuania have already been through the wars, too, claiming one of the three spots for London at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) in Caracas, Venezuela, and they have bolstered their line-up with Simas Jasaitis and Renaldas Seibutis since, but lost captain Robertas Javtokas to injury.

Another team to take a spot at the OQT was Nigeria, who stunned Greece in a do-or-die game and then beat the Dominican Republic.

Ike Diogu was superb in Caracas for a smart, hard-working and very athletic Nigeria that also includes New Orleans Hornets star Al-Farouq Aminu.

Tunisia, who captured their first Afrobasket title last year, and their MVP center Salah Mejri, will have to stand tall against Nigeria in the first game.

France’s Tony Parker has yet to get into his rhythm this summer after suffering an eye injury following the NBA playoffs that required surgery.

He is now wearing goggles.

The eye injury forced him to miss most of their training camp.

"I just feel tired, I have no energy," he said. "I don't know if that's because of the surgery because they had to put me to sleep. I'm not even close to being in shape."

FIBA