AMERICA'S DREAM TEAM BETTER WAKE UP NOW.

Byline: STEVE DILBECK

ATHENS, Greece - Not so smug now, heh? Not feeling like the USA is impervious to all those other little teams. Not about to take anything for granted on our shrinking globe.

There's a new world basketball order, and the U.S. can no longer assume birthright to rule it.

That was no simple loss the U.S. team suffered to Puerto Rico on Sunday night - it was a major butt-kicking.

That was not a bunch of college players getting absolutely jobbed of gold in Munich. It wasn't overmatched college kids losing to the Soviets in the semis at Seoul.

That was a team of NBA players. Millionaires. First-round draft picks. Franchise players. All-Stars.

And Puerto Rico mopped up the Helliniko Indoor Arena with the once-mighty U.S.

Made them look like the Washington Generals. Their punks to pound for a night. Almost toyed with them in a 92-73 victory.

After that unimpressive pre-Olympics run, it was a day everyone feared was coming. They just didn't figure it would happen in the first game.

Against itty-bitty Puerto Rico.

It is easily the most embarrassing international basketball loss in U.S. history.

Dream Team turns Team Nightmare.

The great NBA scheme to return the U.S. to international dominance lasted a whole three Olympics, and barely that.

To be sure, this was not the Magic Johnson-Larry Bird-Michael Jordan team of Barcelona, the Shaquille O'Neal-Charles Barkley-David Robinson team of Atlanta or even the Vince Carter-Kevin Garnett-Alonzo Mourning squad of Sydney.

But enough already with how undermanned it is. Enough about the 12 players who, for various reasons, turned the team down. How young it is.

It is still overflowing with NBA All-Stars. Last time I checked, Tim Duncan was still considered one of the four best players in the world. Allen Iverson had scored over 14,000 NBA points. Stephon Marbury was the only player in NBA history with averages over 20 points and 8 assists. Amare Stoudemire and LeBron James were NBA rookies of the year.

And they can't beat Puerto Rico?

Puerto Rico, population 3.8 million, same as the city of Los Angeles?

The U.S. should be able to send its NBA sixth-string team and spank Puerto Rico. Guess we'd make it a state quick to prevent further embarrassment.

Puerto Rico started a part-time starting guard for the Utah Jazz, a 40- year-old center and a guy who played three years at USC who you probably never heard of.

And just wiped the floor with the U.S.

``It was a disappointing loss, but it's not the end of the world,'' Iverson said.

No, just the end of the world as we've always known it. Sure, the U.S. can still survive pool play and advance.

But every single team here now believes -- and should -- that it can beat the United States.

The U.S. looked disorganized, undisciplined, poorly coached and without a go-to guy.

They played poor defense, again. Fell behind by 22 points. Panicked and launched up 3-pointers despite being a lousy 3-point shooting team.

Well, nobody really counted on 3-of-24 lousy. You have to almost try to miss 16 consecutive 3-pointers.

They kept trying all this individual stuff, driving to the hoop and usually throwing up some forced shot or handing the ball over. They had 22 turnovers.

Meanwhile, Carlos Arroyo was the man. Arroyo is their one true player, the player who emerged last season as John Stockton's successor at Utah.

But he scored 24 points and had seven assists. He dominated Iverson and Marbury. Come on.

Jose Ortiz, age 40, led them with six rebounds. Eddie Casiano, who plays professionally in Puerto Rico (who knew?), hit all four of his 3-pointers on the way to 18 points. Elias Ayuso, who actually spent three years at USC and led their 7-11 conference team in scoring in 1999, added 15 points.

``At the beginning we couldn't believe we were ahead, but as time was going by we started to build self-confidence,'' Ayuso said.

All while Richard Jefferson was missing 13 of 16 field goals. Duncan (16 rebounds, 15 points) was turning the ball over seven times. Marbury was scoring 2 points and adding one assist in 22 minutes. And Iverson was going 1 for 10 from the 3-point line.

``We have to stop shooting so much from the 3-point perimeter,'' Iverson said.

Ya think?

USA Basketball knew the world was gaining. It learned that in the 2002 World Championships when it lost three games and finished sixth at Indianapolis.

But this was the first time in 25 games the U.S. had lost an Olympic game using NBA players. It was 109-2 overall in the Olympics.

And couldn't beat Puerto Rico?

Don't think this is the end of it. Italy supposedly already gave the U.S. its wake-up call with its pre-Olympic victory. They don't stay awake like they used to.

Four of six teams advance out of each pool, and certainly you would like to think the U.S. is capable of rebounding. But it's just as capable of losing its next game to Greece on Tuesday.

Think the Greeks and their fans won't be up for that?

The U.S. apparently can no longer throw a bunch of NBA All-Stars together at the last moment, strip USA across their chests and go out and kick some serious world booty.

What has the world come to? Right now, the U.S. doesn't have a clue.

CAPTION(S):

photo

Photo:

NBA All-Star Allen Iverson falls over Puerto Rico's Carlos Arroyo in the men's basketball match in Athens on Sunday. The U.S. team lost to the tiny island's squad, 92-73.

Dusan Vranic/Associated Press