Phoenix Suns' Leandro Barbosa symbol of Brazilian hope: Leandro Barbosa is a symbol of hope in the Olympic host country. He is proof that you can escape the hard life, outrun poverty, make it all the way to the NBA. But fame hasn’t always been kind to the Brazilian Blur. That’s probably why he looked exhausted after Brazil’s debut on Sunday, which resulted in an 82-76 loss to Lithuania. It wasn’t that his team felt hometown pressure, falling behind by 29 points before staging a furious rally. It was because he once again felt the warm embrace of the home crowd, treated like the role model he is to countless Brazilian children. -- The Arizona Republic