Having lost at every significant international event since the 2000 Sydney Olympics, the U.S. put together what's considered the strongest squad since the 1992 Dream Team and sent it to Beijing to reclaim a gold medal that they see as an inalienable right.

With Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Toronto's Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade and Jason Kidd meshing into a true team, they beat Spain in a stirring gold-medal game that Raptors point guard Jose Calderon missed with a minor injury.

The manner in which the Americans accomplished their goal - showing respect for the game and their opponents - elevated the U.S. above the oft-brash groups that had failed at world championships in 2002 and 2006 and the 2004 Athens Games.

"Everybody wants to talk about NBA players being selfish, being arrogant, being individuals," Bryant said in the aftermath of the 118-107 victory over Spain. "What you saw ... was a team bonding together, facing adversity and coming out of here with a big win."

While the Americans were reclaiming their global spot, the Celtics and Lakers were re-establishing themselves as the best the NBA has, reprising the Magic Johnson-Larry Bird showdowns of the '80s in a six-game final won by Boston.

Quickly acclimating Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen into a roster that already included Paul Pierce, the Celtics also put aside personal agendas to win the 17th NBA title in franchise history. The additions of Garnett and Allen via trade showed that it's possible to quickly remake a listing roster and the Lakers offered further proof, picking up centre Pau Gasol midway through the season and rolling to the Western Division title.

The Raptors? They head into 2009 reliving their past as well - and not the good parts.

After making the playoffs in each of the last two seasons, they lurch into the new calendar year below .500 in the Eastern Conference.

With GM Bryan Colangelo steadfastly maintaining this is the best team - on paper - he has assembled in three-plus years on the job, pressure exists for some kind of substantial turnaround. But whatever happens between now and April's conclusion of the regular season (Colangelo says he's aggressively pursuing trade possibilities), there will be change in the summer.

The GM fired coach Sam Mitchell in early December, handing the job to Canadian-born Jay Triano on an interim basis, meaning a coaching search is likely to be conducted in the off-season, bringing to the Raptors an eighth head coach in the team's 13-year history.

The fortunes of Canada's national teams continued to plummet as neither qualified for the Olympics. However, both head coaches, Leo Rautins of the men's team and Allison McNeil of the women's, received at least one-year extensions to their contracts to try and qualify next summer for the 2010 world championships.