U.S. women's team mean business

BEIJING (Reuters) - The United States women's basketball team will have no time for niceties when they begin their quest for a fourth successive Olympic gold medal.

Relegated to the bronze medal at the 2006 world championships after losing to Russia in the semi-finals, two members of the team recently demonstrated they were in no mood to settle for anything but gold in Beijing.

Veteran Lisa Leslie and Candace Parker, who ended the myth about women not being able to slam dunk after both did it in WNBA games, destroyed another when they were involved in an ugly brawl during a WNBA game in Detroit last month.

The high-flying Parker was ejected and both women were hit with suspensions, demonstrating how rough-and-tumble the women's game has become.

The top-ranked Americans are defending a 25-game Olympic winning streak, and U.S. coach Anne Donovan was in a confident mood, despite the added pressure following the team's world championships flop.

"It's a great mixture of Olympic gold medalists with some really tremendous young talent," she told reporters. "I love the combination of players we have."

Leslie, who once scored 101 points in the first half of a high school basketball game before the opposition forfeited, has looked sharp in her return from maternity leave.

FOURTH GOLD

Now 36, Leslie will be aiming for a fourth gold medal after her 15.6 points and 8.0 rebounds per game helped the U.S. win the 2004 Olympic title in Athens.

Parker, who joined Leslie at the Los Angeles Sparks after being the WNBA's top draft choice for 2008, could be the player to watch in Beijing.

"It's a long time to be away from home but it's well worth it," said Parker, who gave her team mates a scare when she hurt her shoulder in Sunday's 84-74 warm-up win over Latvia.

Olympics hosts China, Mali, New Zealand and Spain have also been drawn alongside the U.S. in Group B.

Australia and Russia are in Group A so any talk of pay-back will have to wait until the knockout stages.

The Americans are part of the six-team FIBA Diamond Ball tournament being played in Haining, which also involves Russia, Australia and China.

The U.S. are still smarting from their defeat by their one-time Cold War foes while former team mate Becky Hammon's appearance in a Russia vest should add extra spice.

"It's just a basketball game -- at least we're going to try to make it that way," said Hammon, who plays in Moscow and took out Russian citizenship to play at the Olympics.

"Many of them have expressed support for me, which I really appreciate. I have no ill-will toward anybody on that team."

(Editing by Greg Stutchbury)