1.   And being a veteran team and having done this before, it can only help.

2.   And the Suns have played carelessly for a veteran team, already losing nine games in which they led going into the fourth quarter.

3.   And with the season winding down and teams battling for playoff berths and playoff positioning, the veteran teams are playing with intensity and precision.

4.   And Wednesday, as the veteran U.S. team gathered at its plush Chateau de Pizay near Lyon, it got a bit more of a confidence boost.

5.   And with just six senior starters, UCLA is not exactly a veteran team.

6.   Another veteran team, the Terrapins lost in the second round of the NCAA tournament and have a history of coming up short in March.

7.   Arizona is a veteran team made up of a lot of the players that we eliminated in the NCAA tournament a few years ago.

8.   As a backup on veteran teams, he was able to come along slowly.

9.   At the same time, this is a veteran team that has helped guide him along and try not to put too much on him.

10.   Bird will take over a veteran team, a situation which has its pluses and minuses.