Oakland to host rare U.S. Olympic basketball team showcase

Oakland to host rare U.S. Olympic basketball team showcase The basketball team that will represent the United States in the Olympics will play an exhibition game in Oakland — something that hasn't happened since 2002, occurred in 1994 before that and arrives this time with a series of intriguing subplots. "That's going to be an incredible game and a prime ticket," said St. John's head coach Chris Mullin, who played for the Warriors in 1985-97 and 2000-01. Kevin Durant will be playing at Oracle for the first time since choosing to leave the Thunder for the Warriors, and Harrison Barnes will be playing in Oakland for the first time since leaving Golden State for a max contract in Dallas. Warriors fans will also get an up-close look at Draymond Green and Klay Thompson, who helped the franchise to an NBA record 73 wins last season. Point guard Stephen Curry elected to skip the Olympics to recover from ankle, elbow and knee ailments. "I'm biased because I've had tremendous experiences with USA Basketball, but to me, it was an irreplaceable experience," Mullin said. Mullin played for the 1984 team, the last group of U.S. amateurs to win a gold medal. Making that squad required...