Olympic Basketball Highlights 2012: Best Storylines Through First Week

Through the first week of the 2012 Olympics, Team USA and other basketball teams have put on jaw-dropping performances.

Team USA has dominated as expected, and they have yet to be challenged. The team is the deepest in the world. Their biggest weakness, lack of length, has yet to be tested.

Spain, Argentina and Brazil entered the tournament as favorites to challenge the Americans and contend for a medal. 

Brazil has yet to play a game decided by more than five points, and they lost a game against Russia by one point. 

Lithuania came to London hoping to compete for a medal, but the team lost two of its first three games. The team struggles against tougher competition and will need to make adjustments.

Team USA, Spain and Russia are the only three undefeated teams left in the tournament, so the contenders are starting to emerge. Argentina, Brazil and France each have one loss so expect them to make noise later in the tournament.

With three games in the books for each team, many countries are stepping up and making for an interesting Olympics.

NBA Players

While Team USA is loaded with NBA talent, the league is being represented on other teams as well.

According to London2012.com, the top eight scorers in the Olympics all played in the NBA last season. Seven different countries are represented among the eight leaders, and the Americans only have one player that high.

Team USA's players share the ball and do not play many minutes, so it is difficult for any of them to put the points needed to lead the tournament.

Argentina's Manu Ginobili and Luis Scola, both in the top three, have both averaged over 22 points per game through three games. These players are a big reason why Argentina will compete for the gold medal.

Despite being on winless teams, Great Britain's Luol Deng and China's Yi Jianlian have not had a problem scoring. Jianlian also leads all players in rebounding and ranks second in blocks.

Teams with multiple NBA players, like Russia and Spain, are leading the way in this tournament. The countries without star players are struggling and have very little chance to contend for a medal.

USA Offense

The biggest storyline of the Olympics is Team USA's explosive offense.

Only France held Team USA's offense to under 100 points, but they still allowed 98 points in their loss. The two countries played a relatively close opening game, but the Americans won by 17 points.

Relatively is used loosely because of the other games Team USA has played. 

Against Tunisia, the Americans won by 47 points after scoring 110 points. The team still did not reach its potential and would be outdone in the next game.

Thursday's game saw multiple Olympic records fall due to the team's incredible outburst. The Americans doubled Nigeria 156-73 despite resting starters the entire second half. Carmelo Anthony set a team record by scoring 37 points and did it in only 14 minutes.

The team scored more points in the first half (78) than their opponent did in the entire game. Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski reports some people may have been turned off by the American's blowout win. 

Coach Mike Krzyzewski defended his team and should continue to let his players be aggressive.

The team features a roster full of players who can shoot from beyond the arc, and Anthony hit 10 three-pointers in the first half of Thursday's game.

Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are all capable of taking over a game. The Americans have not needed one player to dominate through three games, but it will likely take a team effort as the tournament progresses.

Defense (Unless the Opponent Is USA)

Defense is playing a major role through the first week of the tournament.

Team USA is averaging over 120 points per game, but no other team is averaging more than 86 points per game (according to London2012.com).

Of the 18 games played through Thursday, there have been seven games in which neither team scored more than 75 points. Eight other games have involved the losing team scoring less than 75 points in the game.

Unless a top team is playing one of the lesser teams, the games tend to be close. Thursday featured two games decided by one point.

Nigeria is the only team allowing over 88 points per game, but that number is highly inflated by the blowout against Team USA.

When the top teams collide, fewer blowouts will occur. The biggest surprise will be if a team holds the Americans to under 100 points in a close game.

France

France has been the surprise team of the Olympics through three games.

Tony Parker is the reason France is 2-1 so far, but he will need help to contend for a medal. Nicolas Batum has played well and will be a difference maker for the French. Although Parker is playing through an eye injury, it has not slowed him down.

France is the sixth-highest scoring team in the tournament, but the team is excelling on defense. In the two games after losing to Team USA, the French have only allowed 69 points per game.

The team's only loss came at the hands of the Americans, so it has been the best-case scenario for this team. 

Despite losing the opening game, France will be a legitimate threat to take home a medal. The team already knocked off Argentina and Lithuania. After facing the toughest teams in Group A, France's final games of pool play will be much easier.

Nigeria beat Tunisia 60-56 in the lowest-scoring game of the tournament, but neither team has a win in any other game.

France should be 4-1 and in second place of the group after pool play, and they will be poised to make noise later in the tournament.

USA Women

Like the men's team, the American women are dominating their competition.

Through three games, the team has won every game by at least 25 points. 

Team USA is the highest-scoring offense in the tournament, and they are also the best defense. That combination will help lead the team to a gold medal.

Angel McCoughtry, Candace Parker, Maya Moore and Sue Bird lead the Americans through their opponents. Each player brings something different to the court, and they are very difficult to defend.

The team does a great job of sharing the basketball, and the players get an equal amount of minutes. Depth is a big reason for the team's success, so they can afford for a player to have a bad game.

Although they do not gain the publicity the men's team gets, the women's team continues to steamroll opponents. The women's team is a safe bet to bring home gold. 

The team is looking to its fifth-straight gold medal and seventh in eight tries.