US mens make a statement against the Chinese

10. August 2008 by gchacko.

After a tight first quarter of Chinese three-pointers raining from the sky and fans cheering at full blast, the United States outclassed and out-dunked their hosts to a 101-70 victory in day one of the Olympic Men’s Basketball tournament.No one could deny the excitement when center Yao Ming put the first points on the board with a beautiful downtown three-pointer, giving a preview of China’s game strategy of playing deep. Twelve of China’s first 14 points came from behind the arc, and were sunk by different players around the key.

The United States’ first basket was also emblematic of their style, a defiant Dwight Howard dunk off a Kobe Bryant assist. While the first quarter saw several lead changes, it came to a definitive end with two made free throws by Miami Heat shooting guard Dwayne Wade and another dunk from center Howard to come out of a tied score to a 20-16 United States lead at the end of the period.

Guard Dwyane Wade, who has played the role of sixth man for the Americans, led the team in scoring with 19 points.LeBron James added 18 points and pulled down six rebounds, while swingman Kobe Bryant poured in 13 points.Yao Ming — the Houston Rockets centre and one of China’s few NBA players — was somewhat quiet in his first game, leading his team with a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds.

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