The ‘Redeem Team’ of the US men’s basketball scored another blowout, and this time at the expense of Germany. The score on Monday was 106-57 and the team moved up to 5-0. The win by the US men’s basketball team positioned them to a quarterfinal match against the toughest test for them in the Olympics- Australia. In an exhibition match two weeks ago, the US team seven points midway into the fourth quarter before posting a tough 87-76 win. The Australian team that the US faced two weeks ago didn’t feature Andrew Bogut of the Milwaukee Bucks who was injured at that time.

But at the rate things are going, it is expected that the US team will not experience another scare just like what happened against Australia two weeks ago. Members of the Germany team like Chis Kaman said that there’s no team that can beat the US right now. The five games of the US in the pool games were done in excellent fashion as the team averaged 103 points and they won by an average of 32.2 points.

Kobe Bryant finished the game with 13 points and shot 55 percent from the field and tried 11 three pointers. The other unbeaten team in the competition could have been Lithuania, but the team was beaten by Australia 106-75. If the US started the game strong three seconds into the game, the Germany team on the other hand missed nine of their first 10 shots. This opening signaled that he game will be wide open. Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks led the Germany team in the Olympics. Against the US team, he scored 14 points. It was a disappointing run for the Germany team as it limped home with a 1-4 record. Team Germany started strong after routing Angola, but suffered four straight losses.

The Spanish team led by Lakers player Pau Gasol was no match for the stronger US basketball team. The win by the Americans was their fourth win in as many outings and this sends them at the top of their group. This means that they will be seeded first in the quarterfinal round. Four games won for the Americans and another four games to win in order to secure the gold medal in the men’s basketball.

The world champions Spain was no match for the Americans right from the start. The US players meant business at the start by making a number of three point shots and this set the tone for the rest of the game as the US basketball team posted an easy 119-82 win.

LeBron James converted 18 points on the floor, and all members of the team contributed on the scoreboard. Dwayne Wade and Carmelo Anthony added 16 points each. With the win by the Americans, they will next face the Number 4 seed from Group A and that team could either be Australia or Croatia. This means that the team will not face Lithuania, another unbeaten team and Spain until the gold medal game.

The Spanish team was a stronger team at least on paper. Spain is the 2006 world champion, and the team has won eight of their last 10 Olympic games. The two losses of the team were dealt by US. Felipe Reyes led the Spanish team and scored 19 points on the floor. In order for the US team to win the medal, they have to play four more games. The Spanish team tried to neutralize the US players by opting for the zone defense. But the plan was foiled as the Americans made sure that ball movement was good and the US players shot a number of three pointers that helped sealed the game for them.

The US men’s basketball team continued its march towards the Olympic medal with another strong showing, this time at the expense of a tough rival Greece. The win erased whatever bitter memories that still remained in the team after its debacle in the 2006 World Championships and the 2004 Olympics. The US basketball team is back in business and has clinched a spot in the medal round.

It was a close game from the start, but the Americans started to show form late in the second quarter en route to a 92-69 win. Dwayne Wade, guard explained that their win was driven by the fact that they were aware of the opposing team’s offensive sets and the opposing team’s personnel and the team played like that as well.

Kobe Bryant who was silent in the last two games of the team contributed 18 points courtesy of his 7-for-14 performance from the field. Chris Bosh added another 18 points and LeBron James added another 13 points to help the US team move to 3-0. The win also moves the team to a possible match-up against World Champion Spain. The Spanish team is anchored on its top player, Pau Gasol. The winner between the two unbeaten teams will then become the group’s top seed in the quarterfinals.

The win by the Americans was a big redemption for the team. It was the Greece team who stunned the US two years ago at the semifinals of the World Championships. The performance of the then US team was mediocre, and Greece only allowed the team to produce 63 percent shooting from the field. But the Beijing showdown produced a different set of results. Greece just hit 41.3 percent from the field and was even fare badly from the three point area and only produced 22 percent from that area.

It was another big win for the US women as the team posted an easy 97-41 victory against Mali. It wasn’t just the romp that made the win by the team special; the steam also made the win in spectacular fashion. Lisa Leslie set an Olympics record by going 7-for-7 from the field. The win over Mali ensures that the US team maintains its unblemished record in the competition. Leslie finished the game with 16 points and received a lot of help from her team mates. It was the team’s 28th straight Olympics win and the last loss for the team was in 1992 against the Unified Team in the semifinals.

The team continues to make a statement as it won over its first three games with relative ease. The winning margin of the team averaged 47 points. The first three opponents of the team include Czech Republic, China and Mali.

Lisa Leslie’s new record smashed the old one that was made by Katie Smith and Nikki McCray in 2000 and 1996 and both players made 6-for-6 from the field.

The team outscored the Mali team 25-5 in the third quarter. Sininta led the Mali team with 13 points.

Sininta led Mali (0-3) with 13 points. The team of Mali is missing its top player Hamchetou Maiga-Ba who was sidelined in a loss to Czech Republic on Monday. But even with the presence of its top player, the team of Mali will have a hard time matching the strengths of the US team.

Olympic gold is alive with an easy 90-62 win against South Korea. The win by the Australian women team pushed the team in first place in Group A. Penny Taylor and center Suzy Batkovic lead the Australian team with 18 points apiece.

In other results, Latvia claimed a slim narrow win against Brazil and China defeated New Zealand.

LeBron James made sure that his team triumphs over Angola, and the James did that with great aggressiveness. Now here comes the more serious opposition for his team. The US men’s team next faces Greece in what is being billed as a ‘grudge match’ and a team that cannot be simply pushed back. The Greece team is the same team that upset the US team two years ago in the semifinals of the World Championships. The type of game played by the Greece team plus the size of its players will give the US team their first test in the games.

LeBron James dominated the game for the US team, and he got ample support from Dwayne Wade who added another 19 points. Dwight Howard added also 14 points to the efforts of James. The 97-76 win by the US team helped them improve their mark to 4-0. With the win, the US team wrapped up the easy portion of their schedule.

Carlos Morais led the charge for Angola.

The next few games for the Americans will be a tough one. After the Greece game that will be held this Thursday, the team will face Pau Gasol-led Spain. Spain also won over China in the other match. The game between China and Spain was an interesting one as well as Spain won the match with an 85-75 score in overtime.

With the win, Spain remains the unbeaten team in Group B with four points and the Pau Gasol-led team will next face Germany on Thursday. The loss left China without a win since it also lost to the US team in its first outing. Spain trailed for most of the three quarters, but the team made its move in the third period when Juan Carlos Navarro tied the score to 70-70 with two minutes to go. After that, the two teams exchanged baskets, and in the end the Chinese team crumbled courtesy of the two jams by Gasol.

It was the turn of the US Women’s team. The US team scored a decisive victory against China and with that win, US started its hunt for the gold medal. It was a sweet redemption for the US Women team, since the last two teams met, China took home the gold in a tournament held in Beijing last April.

The tournament that was held in April was an event to baptize the new Olympic Basketball Gymnasium and the team of China featured most of the Chinese Olympians. The Chinese team dealt the US team a three-point loss. The US team that participated at that even included four US Olympians that include Fowles, Kara Lawson, Lisa Leslie and Katie Smith. US center Fowles said;

They’re not going to do that to us again.

Tina Thompson made sure that the set-back will not happen again as she led the team in a big 108-63 win against China. Most of the points of Thompson were scored in the huge run that happened as the first quarter is about to end. The run set the tone for the big blow-out. The team led as much as 45 points and finished with a respectable 56.8 percent from the field. Lisa Lesli added 10 points for the team and Candace Parker added another 12 points.

Center Sylvia Fowles added 18 points and another eight rebounds. The win by the American women was their 27th straight in the Olympics and this year the team is attempting to seek their fourth straight Olympic gold medal.

Miao Lijie was the top scorer for the Chinese team and Chen Nan submitted another 14 points to lead China’s charge. The result against China left United States as the only unbeaten team in Group B.

On Sunday, the men’s US team set the tone as the team won over host China in the widely watched match.

China was considered as the ideal opening foe, and the US basketball team responded by delivering an A-one game. It was a blow-out as the ‘Redeem Team’ made sure that its first game in the Beijing Olympics mattered. The score was 101-70 against the Yao Ming-led team of China. Dwayne Wade was the top scorer for the team, leading the US team with 19 points. Wade said;

This is the biggest one, by far. The excitement of it. The anxiousness of it. The anticipation was just crazy. I’m glad it’s out of the way now.

Kobe Bryant, the star of Los Angeles Lakers added another 13 points.

President Bush was in attendance with the Secret Service watching the President intently. The President and his entourage sat in the private seats around thirty minutes into the game. When the people noticed that the President was in the area, cameras started to flash.

The game between the two teams was played in the new 18,000-seat venue and the site was filled to the rafters. Yao Ming led the Chinese in front of the boisterous crowd. Yao Ming netted 13 points for his team and added 10 rebounds and another 3 blocks.

The game started with a bang courtesy of a three-pointer coming from Yao, and the crowd and the US team responded positively. China took the early lead after Sun Yue hit another three pointer and opened a 6-2 lead for his team. The efforts of the Chinese players proved to be not enough as the US team posted a 11-5 run and ended the first quarter with the score of 20-16.With just a four point lead, China was more than motivated to continue its game and move on to upset the visitor.

China tied the game 29-all courtesy of the three pointer of Sun with 6:05 left. But that was the first and the last time that China evened the score as the US team once again raced ahead and took the second half with a score of 49-37. After that point, there was no stopping the US team. When the score stood at 84-50, Yao was taken off the game and the audience responded with a standing ovation for their star.

The second women basketball game group B match that took place in the Beijing Olympic Basketball Gymnasium now has an official results. At 11:15 a, the match between Mali and  New Zealand took place.

And the winner is…New Zealand Women’s Basketball team! New Zealnd beat the Mali team with the scores of 76-72. Such a close fight!  the New Zealand Women’s Basketball team beat Mali in a in the preliminary round of the Olympic Women’s Basketball tournament on Saturday, August 9.

August 9 - The first Women’s Basketball preliminary round match of group A was held today, and Australia smacked down Belarus. The game was held in Wukesung Culture and Sports Center. The Australians won the game with the scores of 83-64.

Here are the official picture of the each of the Women’s basketball team:

Australia Women’s Basketball Team

vs.

Belarus Women’s Basketball Team

Photo credit: en.beijing2008.cn

09:00 Women’s Preliminary Rnd Group A- Game 1 > Belarus vs  Australia

11:15 Women’s Preliminary Rnd Group B- Game 2 > Mali vs  New Zealand

14:30 Women’s Preliminary Rnd Group B- Game 3 > Spain vs  China

16:45 Women’s Preliminary Rnd Group A- Game 4 > Brazil vs  Korea

20:00 Women’s Preliminary Rnd Group B- Game 5 > United States vs  Czech Republic

22:15 Women’s Preliminary Rnd Group A- Game 6 > Russian Fed. vs  Latvia