The sum of the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. I think I must have heard that quote a million times over my many years of playing sports. Never has that cliché been more true than this summers’ Olympics games. Two American teams immediately come to mind when thinking of the 2008 Olympics. The first is the USA Men’s Basketball team. Never has a team been under more pressure than this one. The men’s Olympics basketball teams have slowly been losing their ‘invincible’ status since the 2000 Olympic games. In that year, the U.S. team won the semi-final game by only two points and the Gold medal game by just ten points. The following eight years have provided the U.S. with multiple defeats and embarrassment. Let’s examine some key components using this example, and others, to find out exactly how teamwork works.