AP Photo/Kathy WillensIn the preliminary round at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, the United States men's basketball team is placed with France, Iran and the Czech Republic.After the Czechs defeated Greece in their qualifying tournament, the field was created for Sunday's event. The second day of action in Japan will see Team USA take the lead.Team USA Preliminary Round ScheduleFrance vs. ET on July 25, at 8 a.m. ETAt 12:40 a.m., vs. Iran ETCzech Republic vs. ET on July 31 at 8. ETThe quarterfinals will be decided by the top two teams from each of the three groups, and the best third-place finisher.France is the strongest competitor for Team USA at least in the group stage. Rudy Gobert and Evan Fournier represent Les Bleus, while Nicolas Batum, Nicolas Batum, Frank Ntilikina represents Team USA. The French are ranked seventh in the FIBA men's rankings.Any medal less than a gold will be considered a failure for the United States. The 1992 Olympic Dream Team was the first time that NBA players were allowed to compete in the Olympics. Since then, Team USA has won gold in six out of seven Olympics.The 2004 bronze-medal win was so disastrous that it caused major changes at USA Basketball.Gregg Popovich, San Antonio Spurs' head coach, doesn't have the best roster as he heads into his first Summer Games. Among the notable absences are LeBron James and Anthony Davis, James Harden James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, Stephen Curry, and Stephen Curry.Team USA should not be restricted by talent. The squad will be headed by Jayson Tatum, Devin Booker and Jaymond Green.The team will host a training camp in Las Vegas from July 6-18, prior to the Olympics. The U.S. will participate in five exhibitions as part of the camp. The first is against Nigeria on July 10.
