London 2012 Basketball: Stars That Will Carry USA Past Australia in Quarterfinal

Although guaranteeing victory can be a very dangerous thing in sports, the United States men's basketball team coming out on top against Australia on Wednesday is about as sure of a thing as there is at the Olympics. The Aussies went on a nice run to reach the quarterfinals, but they must now deal with the mighty Americans.

Team USA went undefeated in pool play and was only really tested in one of the games, while steamrolling its other four opponents. Australia is a scrappy bunch that enters the quarters after a big win over Russia, but the talent gap is as wide as can be. There is little question that the United States will look to really hit its stride with the medal round approaching.

Here are three American stars that, on a team full of top-notch players, will rise above the rest and elevate the United States past Australia in a lopsided decision. 

LeBron James

Miami Heat star LeBron James has been a Swiss army knife of sorts for Team USA. He has done a little bit of everything, but can easily switch and focus on one area when needed. Whether it be scoring, rebounding, passing, defense or anything else, James is capable of being the go-to guy for the United States. When the team needed him to take things over against Lithuania, he did. He scored nine consecutive points late in the contest and put the Americans ahead for good.

I doubt that a similar effort will be needed against the Aussies, but if things are getting a tad too close for comfort at any point, LeBron is the guy who will ensure that nothing fluky happens in Australia's favor. Even if he simply has his typical stat-stuffer game with contributions across the board, James will be a huge factor in the United States moving on to the next round. 

Kevin Love

There was a lot of concern regarding Team USA's interior presence entering the Olympics. While its group of bigs is far from perfect, Kevin Love's play has quelled many of the worries. Not only has the Minnesota Timberwolves stud been great in the paint as a scorer and rebounder, but he has played a great European-style game that translates well to the international games, since he can step out and hit shots from mid-range or beyond the arc.

Love is the only big on the roster who can do that, so he has become a huge part of the team. The Aussies have quite a few tall players, but none of them are high quality and none of them are all that comfortable when it comes to guarding the perimeter. If Love can draw them out toward the three-point line, then there will be more room for guys like Tyson Chandler and Anthony Davis to operate inside and wider lines for James and other high fliers to take toward the basket. 

Chris Paul

Australia is a team that will look to slow the pace against the United States and remain in the game by hitting shots from beyond the arc. The issue with that, however, is that Team USA has the horses to change the pace whenever it pleases. One of the main catalysts in that regard is point guard Chris Paul. The Los Angeles Clippers spark plug has been much more of a distributor than a scorer for the United States and he has excelled in that role. His best asset, though, is his ability to run the floor and find the open man in transition.

Perhaps there has never been a more dynamic transition team ever assembled in the sport of basketball than the 2012 version of Team USA, and Paul is the driving force behind it. I don't see anyone on Australia's roster that can put a body on Paul and stop him from speeding down the floor. All signs point to CP3 having his way with the Aussies and leading an all-out offensive attack for the Americans.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter