SAITAMA -- There was a seminal moment in Greece's victory over the United States in their semifinal game at the FIBA World Championship that would have defied belief in years past.
Guard Dimitrios Diamantidis took the ball at the top of the key in the third quarter and ordered his teammates to clear out so he could go one-on-one with perhaps the best player in the NBA -- LeBron James.
Not only did the 198-cm Diamantidis get what he wanted, he then sank a 3-pointer right in the face of the 208-cm James to give his team a 62-50 lead. It was the kind of play that had to shake the confidence of even the most seasoned member of the U.S. squad.
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