updated 4:53 a.m. ET Aug. 15, 2004

ATHENS, Greece - Trapped along the baseline during an exhibition game last week, Lamar Odom turned to a referee, yelled for a timeout and was met by a blank stare.

Odom had failed to remember one of the distinct differences between international and NBA basketball: Players cannot call timeouts, only coaches can.

“Man, I just forgot,” Odom sheepishly acknowledged later that night after being admonished by his coaches and ribbed by his teammates.

Men’s basketball begins Sunday, and a young U.S. team unaccustomed to international play will face an unforgiving learning curve to the many subtle and not-so-subtle differences in the world game.

There’s a shorter game clock (40 minutes, not 48), a wider lane (trapezoidal instead of rectangular), an easier 3-point shot (20½ feet, not 23’ 9”), a smaller court (91 feet, 10 inches versus 94’), two referees rather than three and no rule against knocking the ball off the rim.

Even the ball is different, measuring 30.7 inches in circumference — about an inch bigger than the NBA’s. And if history repeats itself, that ball will be rock hard and slippery — just as it was in Atlanta and Sydney when it caught the Americans off-guard.

“It’s almost a totally different game,” U.S. coach Larry Brown has often said.

This year, men’s basketball should be totally different than it was in 1992, 1996 and 2000.

The competition caught up with and surpassed the United States two years ago at the World Championships in Indianapolis, with Argentina, Yugoslavia and Spain ending America’s 58-game unbeaten streak, which began in 1992 when the original Dream Team romped in Barcelona by an average margin of 51.5 points.

Brown’s team lost to Italy by 17 points during its pre-Olympic tour, and it shouldn’t come as a surprise if a blemish is added to the United States’ overall Olympic record of 109-2.

“Favorites? The USA, Argentina and Lithuania are all good teams. We are among the top six teams, and everyone has the ability to play in the top six,” Serbia-Montenegro coach Zelimar Obradovic said. “It’s never been like this before. I played in 1988 and have coached at the others since. This is going to be the most competitive, wide-open Olympics ever.”

A look at who will challenge for the gold medal:

Favorites
Argentina: Would have won gold in Indianapolis in 2002 if not for an egregious non-call at the end of regulation against Yugoslavia. Ten of those 12 players return, led by Manu Ginobili of the San Antonio Spurs and center Fabricio Oberto of Pamese Valencia (Spain). Forwards Luis Scola (Spurs), Carlos Delfino (Detroit Pistons) and Andres Nocioni (Chicago Bulls) will play in the NBA next season.

Lithuania: The 2003 European champions, they have one of the deepest rosters of any team. Led By Darius Songaila of the Sacramento Kings and Sarunas Jasikevicius of Maccabi Tel Aviv, they are in the weaker Group A. Won bronze medals in Sydney, Atlanta and Barcelona.

Spain: Went undefeated in warmup games, beating Serbia-Montenegro twice and Argentina once. Led by former NBA Rookie of the year Pau Gasol, point guard Juan Carlos Navarro and forward Jorge Garbajosa. Finished second at the 2003 European Championship, sixth at the 2002 Worlds.

Serbia-Montenegro: Missing the country’s best player, Peja Stojakovic, whose offer to join the team for training on Aug. 2 was rejected by Obradovic. Also is without Marko Jaric of the Los Angeles Clippers and Vlade Divac of the Lakers, but will have Dejan Bodiroga, widely considered the best pro in Europe, and plenty of size with Predrag Drobnjak, Dejan Tomasevic, Nenad Krstic and Vladimir Radmanovic. DARK HORSES:

China: Led by Yao Ming and now being coached by American Del Harris, they’re not as weak in the backcourt as two years ago.

Italy: Made 15 3-pointers in their exhibition victory over the United States while playing a stifling zone defense. Finished a surprising third at Euro 2003 to qualify for Athens.

New Zealand: Known as the “Tall Blacks,” they are led by husky forward Pero Cameron, who has been invited to training camp by the Pistons. ALSO-RANS:

Australia: Keep an eye on young center Andrew Bogut, a shaggy-haired 19-year-old with NBA potential. Guard Shane Heal is a top outside shooter.

Angola: Making steady improvement and could leap past Puerto Rico, Greece or Australia into the quarterfinals.

Greece: Home team will be without NBA player Jake Tsakalidis, but will have the crowd on its side.

Puerto Rico: Opening opponent for the United States, which knows them well from scrimmages in 2003 and 2004.

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