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DAngelo Russell had to say something. After all, his favorite player was right there, standing a few feet away, on the same court -- someone he had studied for years, devouring countless hours of footage, then rewinding and playing it again before trying to mimic it on the court.For years, Russells friends and family couldnt quite understand his adoration. The player he had long admired wasnt one of the NBAs biggest stars. He didnt play for a major-market team. He didnt even start.To Russell, none of that mattered, and when the games action paused for a pair of free throws during one of their matchups last season, the Los Angeles Lakers point guard, then a rookie, made his move and approached his idol the same way a fan might.Man, Russell told Spurs guard Manu Ginobili.?Its a pleasure to be out here with you.Russell cant remember what Ginobili said in return, but for Russell, the moment was cool enough.I was like, Damn, he said, because he was one of my favorite players growing up.Growing up in Louisville, Kentucky, Antonio Russell Jr., like many his age, pledged allegiance to Kobe Bryant, but when it came time to pick sides, his younger brother went in a different direction.He used to tell me that his favorite player was Manu Ginobili, Antonio Jr. said. He always used to be like, Manu Ginobili, Manu Ginobili, Manu Ginobili.Antonio Jr.s response: Whoa.For years, Antonio Russell Sr. considered his 6-foot-5 son to be a blend of Jalen Rose and Lamar Odom, two left-handers with size who could handle the ball and do a bit of everything. He soon noticed that DAngelo just wasnt as interested in those players -- or anyone else -- as he was in Ginobili, an acrobatic lefty with court vision and, above all, a fearless nature.As time went on, I saw him pattern his game [after him] and doing the things that Ginobili does, Antonio Sr. said.DAngelo Russell studied film of Ginobili, trying to learn whatever he could.Yeah, basically everything Ginobili did, said Jamie Johnson, a childhood friend. He tried to watch how Ginobili moved off the ball -- just everything, as far as IQ-wise too, because Ginobili, of course, isnt the fastest guy. [DAngelo] understood that he wasnt fast either, so he tried to find players that were similar to him.Thats perhaps the largest reason Russell came to admire Ginobili so much: He believed Ginobilis style was one that he could emulate because their bodies, athleticism and skill sets seemed similar.See, its different when you ask who your favorite player was. You can say those American guys who made their name, like Kobe and Allen Iverson and Shaq and all those types of guys, he said. But I really look at it and say, if I could model my game after somebody [it would be Ginobili].Russell explained further by saying that if a player wanted to emulate, say, Dwyane Wade, he might focus more on pump-faking and midrange jumpers. If that player liked Bryant, precision footwork would be a priority. It depends what suited that specific player.You try to go to what youre accustomed to, he said. And Manu was never as athletic, but he could really pass the ball. He could score the ball, and he was just so unpredictable, and he was a lefty, so he was a player that I really prided myself on being.Throughout Russells youth, it seemed the Spurs were always in the NBA Finals, and Ginobili always seemed to be making a huge impact as a spark off the bench, helping San Antonio win four championships after he joined the team in 2002. For years, Russell followed the wily Argentinian, wondering how Ginobili remained so comfortable as a backup and seemed so ready coming into games, so bursting with energy.When he gets in the game, its like, the whole persona of the game just changes, he said. I was like, man, if I can pride myself into being like that, just being a guy thats so unpredictable that even at the age hes at now [39], hes so hard to guard.More than that, Russell said Ginobili was one of the first players to popularize the Eurostep dribble.Ever since then, everybody really started doing it, he said.As a rookie, Lakers staffers showed Russell footage of Ginobili, particularly how the Spurs ran plays to get him the ball -- a film assignment that didnt take much coaxing.He was just, like, so fiery, and he makes winning plays, and hes so unpredictable, so its hard for teams to scout him, he said.Russell hopes to develop all those traits, but theres one, above all, that he wants from his idol.Just the energy he has, he said. When he gets in the gym, I dont know, hes always ready. Its hard to come off the bench and be ready all the time. Hes always ready, and thats a skill. Fake Soccer Jerseys . 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American Matt Kuchar, ahead by two strokes with four to play and even with Scott with one to go, double-bogeyed the 18th after taking two shots to get out of a bunker. Wholesale Soccer Jerseys . It was the kind of score that might make everyone else wonder which course he was playing. Except that Graeme McDowell saw the whole thing. Crouched behind the 10th green at Sheshan International, McDowell looked over at the powerful American and said, "Ive probably seen 18 of the best drives Ive seen all year in the last two days. HOUSTON -- They have crisscrossed the country, delivering basketball blowouts from coast to coast.Now the U.S. Olympic teams can finally take the only flight they really want.They were to depart together Tuesday night for Brazil, a trip thats expected to lead to gold.This is the exciting part, knowing that were about to go to Rio, mens star Carmelo Anthony said. Were about to just lock in in just one location, and we can just really focus on playing basketball and getting better individually and as a group.Anthony, at 32 the old man of the U.S. team, wasnt a fan of the early morning flights that the Americans took during their exhibition tour, as evidenced by DeMar DeRozans Instagram video of a team singalong during one trip.Now the teams can drop anchor and stick around in one spot -- theyre staying on a cruise ship along one of Brazils beautiful beaches.Im excited to see (Kevin Durant), DeMarcus Cousins, all the guys. I like them all, and its a great group of guys, Angel McCoughtry of the womens team said following its final exhibition in New York. Im ready to get to know them better and continue to hang out with these girls and have a good time in Rio. This is the Olympics, its a positive thing and were ready to go in there and have some fun.The men finished off their exhibition tour here Monday with a 110-66 rout of Nigeria, a game attended by the womens team after it arrived earlier in the day. After unveiling their team in New York in late June, the men reported three weeks later to training camp in Las Vegas and also played exhibition games in Los Angeles, Oakland and Chicago.They went 5-0, averaged 102.8 points and overwhelmed their opponents by 43 per game. The road to Rio was easy, but coach Mike Krzyzewski insists the Olympics wont be.The competition is going to get better. I mean, really good, Krzyzewski said.We play two games against teams that weve beaten, but theyll be a little bit different, in China and Venezuela. And then we play Australia, who is very goood.dddddddddddd Theyll probably start five NBA players. And then you play Serbia, and we know them from the world championships, with (Milos) Teodosic and their big guys. And then you play France, who will probably have eight or nine NBA players. So it goes up. It goes up, and we have to react accordingly.The U.S. crushed China, the opponent in its opener Saturday, 106-57 and 107-57. The Americans beat Venezuela 80-45.The women played higher-caliber opponents during their tour, which started in Los Angeles before moving to the Northeast for victories over France, Canada and Australia. They are a heavy favorite to win a sixth consecutive gold medal in Rio and have won 41 consecutive Olympic contests, with the last loss coming in the 1992 semifinals.They gathered on July 23 and coach Geno Auriemma said Tuesday was the first real practice theyve had. He plans another Wednesday after they arrive in Rio.So were not as good as were going to be, and thats kind of the way its been for us at the Olympics, Auriemma said. We get better as the week goes on and thats certainly been the case since the 23rd.USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo visited the womens team at practice and addressed the players afterward, wishing them luck in Rio.Durant and Anthony are the only players on the mens team who have played in the Olympics, while the women have much more experience playing together -- some even as college teammates under Auriemma at Connecticut. But there was still plenty of learning to do on and off the court during the tour, with more still come when the games start to count.I think theres a level of comfort now that you can tell that we have from our first game to our last warmup game, Maya Moore said.---AP Basketball Writer Doug Feinberg in New York contributed to this report.---Follow Brian Mahoney on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Briancmahoney ' ' '