Still plenty to watch even without Phelps

Mike Celizic

BEIJING -

What can the Olympics possibly offer in Week 2 to match the drama and glory of Michael Phelps’ epic quest for eight gold medals that dominated Week 1?

That’s not a fair question. No week in any Olympics has matched the one cobbled together in the Water Cube by Phelps. But just because his work is done and he’s been cleared to sample Beijing’s throbbing nightlife scene doesn’t mean there’s nothing left to watch and no heroes left to crown.

Much of the focus for the United States will be on track and field, but those will be individual performances, few of them lasting more than a minute, and many much less; track is the ultimate short-attention-span sport. The bulk of the medals will be awarded there because there are so many events. But the big stories, the ones that are told by chapters over a period of days, are in the team events.

If Week 1 for Team USA belonged to an individual, Week 2 belongs to the teams. It starts with the men’s basketball team and its quest to restore the reputation and dominance of American hoops. But the so-called Redeem Team isn’t the best American team here. That distinction goes to the women, and there’s a question of whether it’s the women’s softball or basketball team that is the true Dream Team of these Olympics and the three that went before it.

Both the softball and basketball teams are aiming at their fourth straight gold medal. Both are undefeated here and virtually unbeatable for more than a decade. Both are setting new standards of excellence every time they take the field or court.

Go ahead and call them both Dream Teams. You won’t be wrong. The basketball team, led by all-time great Lisa Leslie, is 43-3 in Olympic competition since the sport was introduced in 1976. They finished second in that competition to the Soviet Union. In 1992 in Barcelona, they were upset again by a Unified Team made up from the remnants of the defunct Soviet Union. Since then, they’ve won every Olympic gold.

There’s no sign they won’t rule the hard court for a fourth straight Olympics. Until beating Spain by a mere 23 points in their fourth preliminary game, they had been winning by an average of 47 points.

Slide show   Day 10's emotional moments Jumping and running Olympians, gymnastics apparatus winners more photos

The men’s team gets the Dream Team and Redeem Team nicknames. The women’s team just gets the gold.

The softball team is just as good, matching the women’s basketball team’s dominance since 1996, the year the sport was added to the Olympics. They’ve been so dominant, they’ve been blamed for the International Olympic Committee’s decision to drop softball from the 2012 London Games. So this is your last chance to see Jennie Finch, Cat Osterman and slugger Crystl Bustos in action for at least eight years. Enjoy it while you can.

They are joined by the women’s volleyball and soccer teams. Neither is as dominant this year as the hoops and softball squads, but they’re both in the medal round. And don’t forget the women’s water polo team, top-ranked in the world and playing in the semifinals on Tuesday against archrival Australia.

If it’s emotion you’re looking for, tune into the men’s volleyball medal round. The American men’s coach, Hugh McCutcheon, lost his father-in-law, Todd Bachman, who was stabbed to death while touring Beijing’s historic Drum Tower by an unemployed Chinese drifter, who then leaped from the tower to his death. McCutcheon’s mother-in-law, Barbara Bachman, was critically wounded in the attack, but has flown back to the States and is on her way to recovery.

MORE FROM BEIJING OLYMPICS NEWS

Beijing Olympics News Section Front

China’s gold medalists to receive $51,000 each China ends 'truly exceptional games' Castro defends athlete who kicked judge in face Beijing prepares for Olympic venues’ future China deports 10 activists after ceremony After victory, China's sports system at crossroads IOC president says Olympics opened up China New China? Bird's Nest replaces Mao on yuan Celizic: Phelps, Bolt will go down as Beijing's main men IOC: No proof China cheated in gymnastics Beijing Olympics News Section Front   Add Beijing Olympics News headlines to your news reader: