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.

Mark your calendar this summer. It’s the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. Also known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, the Olympics will be held from August 8-24, 2008. Opening ceremony will take place at exactly 8:08 pm, with the number 8 believed to be good fortune for the Chinese. Among the anticipated games in the Olympics is the basketball Games in the XXIX Olympiad. The games will be held in the Wukesong Indoor Stadium, which can seat about 1800 people.

All countries are ready with their players. Spain’s team includes the great talents of Juan Carlos Navarro and Pau Gasol. If Spain shows great defense in their games, they can expect to bring home the gold this summer. Lithuania’s team led by Sydrunas Ilgauskas is also ready for their free-wheeling shooting style. With great outside shootings, they will either shoot their way to victory or loss. Canada, Russia, China, and all the rest of the teams in the Olympics are also all set to shoot themselves to success.

So, which team will take home the gold medal? Will Argentina bag another gold this year after its winning performance in the 2004 Sydney Olympics? Will China compete successfully in front of its home fans? Or will USA finally redeem its disappointing performance in 2004? All these questions will only be answered this summer.