BEIJING (Olympics) – Greece gave Germany a basketball lesson in a Group B rout at the Olympics.

Even with NBA duo Dirk Nowitzki and Chris Kaman, the Germans were no match for the Greeks in an 87-64 blowout at the Wukesong Arena.

Panagiotis Yannakis’ team held Nowitzki to just 13 points on three of eight shooting and Kaman had four points and just two rebounds.

Germany coach Dirk Bauermann admitted the Greek defense had been decisive.

“I thought they played a great defensive game,” he said. “I thought their defense was extremely intense, very physical.

“They took all, especially Chris Kaman, completely out of the game. They trapped him, they threw a lot of guys around him. That can happen.”

Bauermann then had some hard words for his team.

“What cannot happen is that the German team doesn't fight harder and play better defense,” he said.

“If you play against Greece, you know that their success is based on their defense. If you expect to win you have to play as hard defensively as they do. We didn't do that.

“I am disappointed in our effort.”

Both teams needed to go through the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in July to reach Beijing, and Germany opened their account in China with a win over Angola while Greece were thrashed by Spain.

After clawing their way back from an early 14-5 deficit to lead 23-21 at the end of the first quarter on Tuesday, the Germans looked as if they might spring an upset against most of the players who beat them in the gold medal game of EuroBasket 2005.

But the Greeks, one of the teams many believe is good enough to reach the podium at the Beijing Games, held Germany without a point for the first 5:04 of the second quarter to go on top for good.

That allowed them to open up a 33-23 lead.

Nowitzki stopped the rot with a free throw but Greece, despite Germany making eight of 17 shots from three-point range in the first half, took a 44-33 lead to the changing rooms.

Dimitris Diamantidis led Greece with 10 points and two steals at the break.

Another telling statistic, and this will have been very well received back in Athens, was the outstanding defense by Konstantinos Tsartsaris.

The Panathinaikos big man blocked two shots in the lane by Nowitzki and Kaman in the opening half.

Kaman made two free throws at the start of the second half but Greece extended their lead to 15 on a Vasilis Spanoulis lay-up.

Two free throws by Nowitzki and a three-ball from Sven Schultze gave the Germans hope of staying in the game but Greece then turned on the style.

Shots by surprise starter Andreas Glyniadakis and Panagiotis Vasilopoulos and a three-pointer from Theo Papaloukas stretched the Greek lead to 57-40 and they ended up taking a 69-48 lead to the fourth quarter.

The final 10 minutes was an exercise in damage limitation for Germany.

"I have played against Kaman before because I was in Seattle last year,” Glyniadakis said.

“He is a great player, an all-star player but basketball here is different. With good team work, you can get things to happen.

"I think we have to defend and play our game. I think having 12 players ready is going to help us in this tournament.”

Spanoulis finished with a game-high 23 points for Greece with Theo Papaloukas adding 15 and Diamantidis 12.

Schultze and Demond Greene scored 11 apiece for Germany.

It will not get any easier for Germany, who face Spain on Thursday.

Greece next meet the United States on Thursday – their first game since the Greeks’ 101-95 upset of the Americans at the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Japan.

Spanoulis said the Greeks are better team now.

"The difference with this great team with respect to two years ago is that now we play with our heads more than with our enthusiasm,” he said, before adding the Americans are better as well.

“The difference is that now, Team USA have Kobe Bryant and that is a big difference,” he said.

FIBA