LeBron James of the U.S. jumps to dunk a ball during a match against South Korea during the World Basketball Challenge 2006 in Seoul, an exhibition match ahead of the world championships in Japan on Tuesday. - reuters

SAPPORO, Japan, (Reuters):

A HUNGRY United States team has ditched style for substance as they seek to restore pride at the world basketball championship after six years of hurt.

Ego and trash-talk have been replaced by teamwork and hustle by a young US squad installed as the bookmakers' clear favourites at the 24-team tournament, which begins tomorrow.

Olympic gold medallists Argentina, defending champions Serbia and Monte-negro, Spain, France, Slovenia and Lithuania are among several dangerous opponents who could upset the odds in Japan.

Talent

Even without the likes of Kobe Bryant and Allen Iverson, the US team which faces Puerto Rico in tomorrow's Group D opener in Sapporo still contains an awesome array of NBA talent.

With a nucleus of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony, the US have the quickest, most athletic team in the tournament.

They looked sharp in the run-up, blitzing through their warm-up games by an average margin of victory of over 34 points.

The Americans have a point to prove after a humiliating six-place finish at the 2002 world championship and bronze at the 2004 Olympics. Gold at the 2000 Sydney Games is a faint memory.

"We've got everything to prove," Anthony said.

Respect

"Right now we don't think people respect us as a country or as a basketball team so we feel we have to go and prove something."

US coach Mike Krzyzewski believes his team has come together at the right time.

"Our guys have really grown together as a team," he said after Tuesday's 116-63 blowout over South Korea.

"No ego is bigger than the team. I think we're ready to take the next step." Olympic finalists Italy, Slovenia, Senegal and a China team boosted by the return of towering centre Yao Ming are also aiming to fill the top four slots in Group D and reach the last 16.

Slovenia could be the tournament's darkhorses after beating the Serbs to win a warm-up event in Singapore.

An experienced Argentina team which captured gold in Athens is also extremely hard to overlook, and San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili fired an early warning to the US.

"I don't think you're ever going to see a US team beating everyone by 30 points again," he said. "That's part of the past."

Argentina are drawn with Serbia and Montenegro, France, Nigeria, Venezuela and a Lebanon team who endured an arduous bus journey through Syria and Jordan to escape Israeli air strikes.

"It's like a snowball rolling in the wrong direction," Lebanon's American coach Paul Coughter. "They feel exactly how you would expect them to feel."

Argentina's Group A game against a French team inspired by NBA pair Tony Parker and Boris Diaw in Sendai will be one of the highlights of tomorrow's first day.

Spain and Germany head the teams in Group B, while African champions Angola, hosts Japan, New Zealand and Panama will likely be left to contest the last two spots for the knockout stage.

The Spanish, propelled by Memphis Grizzlies forward Pau Gasol, demonstrated their title credentials by twice beating Argentina in the run-up to the tournament.

Germany will look to Dirk Nowitzki to lead their charge in Japan but they suffered a blow to their confidence with an 84-47 defeat by Greece in China in their final pre-tournament game.

European champions Greece, three-times Olympic bronze medallists Lithuania, Brazil and Australia appear the strongest four teams in Group C, which also contains Turkey and Qatar.