USA Routs China In Olympic Basketball Opener

USA 101 - China 70

Even with 7'-5" Yao Ming in the middle, the Chinese could not compete with the Team USA in basketball. Overall, the American team looked smaller than the Chinese team. But what the Americans gave up in size, they definitely gained back in speed, efficiency, and talent.

It was competitive in the opening quarter and halfway through the second. But once the Americans got into a serious rhythm, it was essentially over from that point forward.

I found it interesting that the announcers sang the praises of the Chinese team throughout the game, saying things like how much the Chinese team had improved, how popular the game had become in China, and crediting the aggressive marketing of the NBA for much of it.

But in the end, Team USA showed how much farther China will have to go to be one of the elite international teams capable of winning a medal. They were the ones that were vastly improved from 2004, where they could only muster up a bronze. I was especially impressed with how well the NBA pros were able to adjust to the international game and how they played team ball, unselfishly. This hasn't always been the case lately with American teams in international competition (probably due to the culture of the NBA's preoccupation with stats and numbers).

In light of all of this, I would caution against too much gloating at this point and certainly would not crown them with the gold just yet. There are still some teams that are very good, and you can bet they will cause some trouble for Team USA down the road.

Lithuania, Croatia, Brazil, and Argentina are good teams and will not be intimidated. They will all be there in force when the medal round begins. But for now, kudos go out to the American squad for being prepared, getting the win early, and not taking anything for granted.