AVOIDING A NIGHTMARE 'DREAM TEAM' SURVIVES AGAINST LITHUANIA U.S. 85, LITHUANIA 76.

Byline: Paul Oberjuerge Staff Writer

SYDNEY, Australia - The Dream Team got a wake-up call.

Lithuania took a brief lead in the second half and was within five points in the final minute before the U.S. men's basketball team secured an 85-76 victory Thursday before 8,391 in The Dome at the Sydney Olympics.

The nine-point margin of victory was the narrowest by a U.S. team in international play since the introduction of NBA stars, in 1992. The previous closest call: A 15-point victory over Spain (115-100) at the 1994 world championships.

``These teams are coming at us with no fear,'' said guard Gary Payton, who led the U.S. with 14 points. ``They're coming out with the attitude that they don't have anything to lose, just go out and play.''

Antonio McDyess said, ``a lot of us were panicking'' when Lithuania took a 50-49 lead with 17:30 to play after a 17-2 run extending back to the first half. ``We tried to put it on our shoulders by ourselves. It came down to the first open look we saw.

``We have to move the ball and play team ball.''

Most of the Americans, including center Alonzo Mourning, said they never feared they might lose - an unthinkable prospect before the Sydney Games began.

``When you have a group of guys like that who are so talented, you know you're going to win the game,'' Mourning said. ``It's just a matter of what margin you're going to win by.''

``I don't think anyone was nervous,'' guard Jason Kidd said. ``This is the game of basketball. Anybody can be beaten on any given night, and we understand that.''

The facts are, the Dream Team has never been beaten by anybody on any given night.

U.S. coach Rudy Tomjanovich seemed wistful that his team lacks depth at the center position; Shaquille O'Neal and Tim Duncan are not on the team, and Mourning will miss two games to be at the birth of his daughter in Miami.

``Shaq is the most dominant player in our league,'' Tomjanovich said, ``and he would be here.''

The Americans got into trouble Thursday when Lithuania, a big and fairly athletic team, clogged the interior and forced them into hoisting jumpers that rarely fell. The U.S. shot only 35.7 percent from the field.

Lithuania takes its basketball seriously and is a quality opponent, perhaps the second-best team in the tournament. It was a Soviet Union team led by Lithuanians Arvydas Sabonis and Sarunas Marciulionis that defeated U.S. collegians at the 1988 Olympics, prompting the entry of NBA stars into the Olympics.

``They're young, they ran the floor and made baskets,'' Kidd said of the Lithuanians. ``If they'd made some free throws, it might have been a little closer.''

The Lithuanians missed 16 free throws (27 for 43) in a nine-point game. The U.S., meanwhile, was 29 of 33 from the line.

Other saving graces for the Americans included a huge (53-34) rebounding advantage, and lock-down defense that kept Lithuania without a field goal for nearly eight minutes after it took its 50-49 lead. ``If you want to play with the Dream Team,'' Lithuania coach Jonas Kazlauskas said, ``you cannot lose the glass.''

After blowout victories over China and Italy, the Americans seemed almost stunned to be in a competitive game before a hostile crowd.

``I don't think we're getting complacent,'' Kidd said. ``We know that every night teams are going to give us their best shot, and they gave us their best shot.''

Darius Songaila, who played at Wake Forest, led Lithuania with 16 points. Former Maryland guard Sarunas Jasikevicius had nine points and six assists.

Vince Carter had 12 points for the U.S., and Kevin Garnett had eight with 11 rebounds.

The final two U.S. games in pool play are vs. New Zealand and France, probably the weakest teams in Pool A.

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Photo:

Shareef Abdur-Raheem of the United States has his shot blocke d by Lithuanian center Eurelijus Zukauskas.

Michael Rondou/Associated Press