Order is restored in international basketball. The United States is back on top, but not by that much anymore.
Culminating a three-year mission to end years of embarrassment, the U.S. Olympic team survived a huge challenge from Spain, winning 118-107 Sunday in the gold-medal game.
After overwhelming everyone for seven games, the Americans led by only four points with under 2 1/2 minutes to play. Then the U.S. proved it could handle a close game that seemed would never come in Beijing.
Their prize: the first U.S. gold medal since the 2000 Olympics.
Argentina won the bronze with an 87-75 victory against Lithuania.
Dwyane Wade scored 27 points for the Americans, who found a much gamer Spanish team than the one it humiliated by 37 points earlier in the tournament. Kobe Bryant added 20 points.
In a game so void of defense that it felt more like an NBA All-Star game than one with a title at stake, the Americans had too much offense down the stretch. Bryant converted a clutch four-point play with 3:10 remaining, holding his finger to his lips to quiet the rowdy Spanish crowd behind the basket.
Wade added another 3-pointer that made it 111-104 with just over 2 minutes left, and only then could the Americans relax a little.
They began to celebrate during a break after some technical fouls on Spain with 26 seconds left, then celebrated at midcourt when it was over with "Born in the USA" blaring over the arena's speakers.
Nobody else had been close to the Americans in Beijing. This team's only Olympic competition had been history, in a Dream matchup with guys named Jordan, Magic, Bird and the rest of the U.S. team that dominated the Barcelona Games in 1992.
Forget comparisons to those guys. The Americans were lucky to be better than Spain on Sunday.
Rudy Fernandez scored 22 points and Pau Gasol had 21 for the Spanish, the reigning world champions who were hoping to win their first Olympic gold.
U.S. players appreciated the game Spain gave them. After the contest they hugged the Spanish players. Bryant had an especially long embrace for Gasol, patting his Los Angeles Lakers teammate on the back.
Seeming to appreciate the moment, after congratulating Spain, the team joined in a circle, jumping up and down at center court and waving triumphantly to the crowd as coach Mike Krzyzewski applauded on the sidelines.
The Americans had won their first seven games by 30.3 points, including a 119-82 rout of Spain. But they never had control of this game, giving up open looks from the perimeter and plenty of points in the paint.
But Bryant, who waited so long to finally wear the red, white and blue, hit two 3-pointers in a big fourth quarter to add the gold medal to the only piece of hoops hardware he didn't already own. The NBA MVP pounded his hands toward the floor in celebration at the end.
LeBron James scored 14 points, while Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul had 13 apiece for the Americans, who had won bronze medals in their last two international events, the 2004 Olympics and '06 world championships.
The U.S. started planning for this game after that first event, the low point in its hoops history, following a sixth-place flop two years earlier in the world championships. Jerry Colangelo was given control of USA Basketball and constructed a national team program in 2006, requiring those who wanted to play to commit to three years.
He got Bryant and James quickly on board and landed almost everyone else he asked for, finding a group of NBA stars eager to give up their summer to get back what they felt belonged to their country.
And he needed all of them against a Spain team that on this day would have likely beaten any other recent U.S. squad.
Jason Kidd ran his record to 56-0 in senior international play and collected another gold to place alongside the one he earned in 2000, becoming the 13th U.S. player with multiple golds.
That elite list, which includes Michael Jordan and seven other Dream Teamers, could grow in 2012. Paul and Dwight Howard said they would be in London if asked, and perhaps half this team could join them.
James ran out for pregame warmups with his finger in the air, already believing the U.S. was No. 1. But even though the Americans were shooting better than 70 percent for most of the first half, it would take a long time to prove it.
James and Bryant were both on the bench after picking up two fouls in the first 3 1/2 minutes, and though Wade came in and picked up their scoring load, the U.S. reserves couldn't open their usual cushion.
Spain hit seven of its first nine shots, leading for much of the first quarter. A quick burst of 10 points by James and Wade had the U.S. advantage up to 14 points with 4 minutes left in the half, but Spain chipped away and trailed only 69-61 at the break.
Spain was within four on a number of occasions in the third, and Fernandez's 3-pointer cut it down to 91-89 with 8:13 remaining. Bryant answered with a bucket, later added a 3, and things seemed safe when James scored to make it 103-92.
Spain made one last push to close within 108-104 on Carlos Jimenez's 3-pointer, but Wade hit one on the other end, and the final score became lopsided when the Americans hit a bunch of free throws after the Spanish became frustrated and were called for the technicals.
Team USA, with Kobe Bryant at top right, celebrates following their win over Spain in their men's gold medal basketball game at the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Sunday, Aug. 24, 2008. (AP Photo/Eric ####)
Consider Team USA redeemed. The United States fought a tough Spain squad Sunday to win 118-107 and earn its first gold since 2000.
Chris Paul and Dwight Howard have already said that if asked they would return for the London Games to help defend the Olympic gold.
Redeem Team
Team USA not only atoned for its bronze-medal performance in Athens, it earned favorable comparisons to the original Dream Team in the process. Now, that's what we call redemption.FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP - Getty Images
Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images Lisa Leslie led the U.S. women's dominant performance and improved her Olympic record to 32-0 over four straight appearances in the Summer Games.
Lauren Jackson and Australia again tried to dethrone the U.S. women's basketball team. And again, they fell short. The Americans beat the Aussies 92-65 on Saturday to become the only women's team in Olympic history to win four straight gold medals
Filippo Monteforte/AFP/Getty Images)
Will Carmelo Anthony be able to control his emotions when the stakes are highest against Spain?
Who will win the gold medal tonight?
Would they accomplish what they came for?
Have you ever thought that Winning the gold medal is impossible or is going to be easy for team USA?
He hit the side of the rim on another slam attempt but tossed in back-to-back 3s
The U.S. Olympic team put away Dirk Nowitzki and Germany in a hurry. Next up: the only team so far these Americans couldn't blow out. After destroying Germany 106-57 on Monday, the Americans (5-0) move on to a quarterfinal matchup Wednesday against Australia, the team that's provided them with their toughest test in China.
The U.S. led by only seven points midway through the fourth quarter of an 87-76 exhibition victory in Shanghai two weeks ago over an Australian team that didn't have starting center Andrew Bogut of the Milwaukee Bucks. He was resting a sore right ankle.
It's hard to imagine a repeat of that semi-Shanghai surprise with the way the U.S. has played in Beijing.
Dwight Howard scored 22 points and LeBron James had 18, 16 in the first half, Monday as the United States completed an undefeated march through pool play.
Not since the Dream Team rumbled through Las Ramblas 16 years ago in Barcelona has a team been this dominant. The Americans won their pool games by 32.2 points and averaged 103 points.
The only thing they might have to work on is Kobe Bryant's dunking. He blew two Monday, but hit three 3-pointers after going only 5-of-24 in the first four games.
Bryant finished with 13 points as the Americans shot 55 percent from the floor and tossed in 11 more 3-pointers after making 12 in their last game.
With the top seed in their group already clinched, the Americans could have come out flat like Lithuania, which entered Monday as the other unbeaten and was trounced 106-75 by Australia.
Instead, they came out and flattened Germany.
The Americans scored 3 seconds into the game when Howard batted the tip to James, who threw it ahead to Carmelo Anthony for a layup. That was the start of eight straight U.S. points, and the end of any suspense.
Germany missed nine of its first 10 shots, including a blown dunk and a botched putback by Los Angeles Clippers center Chris Kaman. Bryant missed a dunk, too, during that stretch, but Howard and James had consecutive slams to make it 18-3.
The Americans were scoring so easily, they practically got in each other's way. Chris Paul led a 3-on-1 break and threw an alley-oop that could have gone to either James or Dwyane Wade. James jumped higher and got it to lay it in, then stepped outside to hit his second 3 for a 23-5 bulge.
Up 19 after one, the U.S. scored the first eight points of the second to make it 39-12. The lead was 28 after James drilled 3-pointers on consecutive U.S. possessions, and ballooned to 30 for the first time when Howard scored four straight to make it 49-19 with 3 minutes left in the half.
Bryant hit the side of the rim on another slam attempt early in the third quarter, so he backed up 20 feet and tossed in back-to-back 3s for a 62-29 cushion. Howard slammed down an alley-oop from Wade right after Nowitzki checked out, turning into an 80-39 bulge with 2:41 remaining in the period.
Nowitzki, the Dallas Mavericks All-Star, scored 14 points for Germany (1-4), which completed a disappointing Olympics. The Germans looked like contenders in a 95-66 rout of Angola in their opener, but then dropped four straight.
Kaman, who joined the Germans this summer after getting German citizenship, managed just six points.
USA's LeBron Jams dunks as Germany's Chris Kaman (12) defends during a men's basketball game at the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Monday, Aug. 18 2008. (AP Photo/Eric ####, Pool)
08/20/2008 KOBE BRYANT TIME!!!!!!!!!
Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images
What a difference four years make: Team USA was on the winning side of this semifinal vs. Argentina.
Don't doubt this U.S. men's basketball team - and sure don't challenge them, either. Especially if it's going to make Kobe Bryant flash his NBA MVP form.
Bryant scored 25 points in his best game in Beijing, and the men's U.S. Olympic team advanced to the semifinals by beating Australia 116-85 on Wednesday night.
The United States will play defending champion Argentina on Friday night for a spot in Sunday's gold medal game. The Argentines beat Greece 80-78 in a quarterfinal victory watched from behind the baseline by Bryant and members of the U.S. coaching staff.
Argentina beat the U.S. in the semifinals of the 2004 Olympics.
Locked in what looked like another tough game with Australia, the Americans sent the Aussies' upset hopes down under with a 14-0 burst to open the second half, featuring nine points from Bryant.
"Early in the game, they made a lot of tough shots," U.S. point guard Chris Paul said. "We were doing what we were supposed to be doing and they made tough shots, but sooner or later we'll impose our will. I don't know if you can keep up with us for 40 minutes."
LeBron James added 16 points for the Americans, who are guaranteed a chance to play for a medal. They need two more wins for their first gold medal in a major international competition since the 2000 Sydney Games.
"I think they're going to be very, very, very tough to beat," Australia coach Brian Goorjian said.
As the US expected, with the gold medal getting closer, the games are getting tougher.
Australia stayed with the United States for the first 15 minutes of the game, duplicating the strong performance it had against the Americans in an 87-76 exhibition loss in Shanghai on Aug. 5 - a contest the Americans led by only seven points midway through the fourth quarter.
U.S. players picked from a list of excuses, including fatigue from too many games and looking past the game while thinking ahead to Beijing, but it was clear early on that the Australians gained confidence from that effort.
"They've been the most difficult team for us to defend," U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "They're a force to be reckoned with. They caused us a lot of problems."
Showing no fear of the Americans, the Australians delivered hard fouls and attacked the basket instead of settling for jump shots. They trailed by just a point after a quarter and five more than halfway through the second - and would have been closer if not for missing four easy shots in the half.
A hard foul on Carmelo Anthony by Mark Worthington late in the second quarter fired up James, and maybe triggered Bryant's burst.
Bryant had two buckets in a late run that turned a five-point lead into a 12-point halftime advantage, then helped the Americans make it a rout to start the third.
He made two 3-pointers and had three more points in the first 3 1/2 minutes of the period as the U.S. lead grew to 69-43. Australia was shut out for nearly half the period, finally scoring on Patrick Mills' 3-pointer with 6:02 remaining.
"Australia played extremely well for the first 20 minutes," James said. "In the third quarter, we said the first three or four minutes we need to pick it up a little bit defensively and make the extra pass offensively."
Mills, who plays at Saint Mary's College in California, led Australia with 20 points. Milwaukee Bucks center Andrew Bogut, who sat out the exhibition game while resting a sore ankle, was in early foul trouble and finished with only four points.
Now the Americans move on to the round where their recent dreams have died. They lost in the semis four years ago in Athens and then in the 2006 world championship.
Everywhere the Americans go, they are reminded of those recent failures. A back page ad in the China Daily on Wednesday had pictures of Bryant and James below a caption reading, "Nothing is more motivating than bronze."
The loaded U.S. team hasn't needed Bryant to be a scorer since he joined the team last year, so he's been content to be its top defender. He averaged 12.6 points in the preliminary round, but Wednesday was 10-for-16 from the floor, hitting four 3-pointers.
Anthony had 15 points for the Americans, who blew by the 103 points they averaged in group play and shot 57 percent.
US women's hoops finishes pool play unbeaten, Tina Thompson scored 10 points during a 21-0 run in the second quarter and the U.S. women's basketball team beat New Zealand 96-60 on Sunday night.
The U.S. closed out pool play in the same fashion as all its other games in the Olympics — with a blowout. The Americans won the five games by an average of 43 points. With the exception of a rough first half against Spain and the first 3 minutes against the Czech Republic, the U.S. looked unbeatable.
"You got to take care of this to move on," said U.S. co-captain Katie Smith, who added 13 points. "You can't look at this game and think we played well and we're going to move on. It's about what we do in two days."
The U.S. will play South Korea in the quarterfinals Tuesday night. The South Koreans advanced to the next round by holding off Latvia 72-68 on Sunday.
"We don't know much about them yet," Smith added. "They hit a lot of 3s and love to drive and kickout for the open shot."
New Zealand was able to stay close with the U.S. for a quarter behind hot shooting. They were 8-for-16 in the first quarter and only trailed by five at the end of the period.
The U.S. took over in the second quarter turning up their defensive intensity. Lisa Wallbutton's jumper with 7:29 left in the period cut New Zealand's deficit to 29-22 before the Americans scored 21 straight points.
Lisa Leslie started the run with a layup and then Thompson hit three layups and two jumpers over the next 5 minutes as the U.S. stretched out its lead. DeLisha Milton-Jones' reverse layup ended the run with 18 seconds left in the half and put the Americans up 50-22.
"I just happen to be in the right place at the right time," said Thompson, who finished with 15 points. "I actually thought that I missed a lot of shots early that I usually hit."
New Zealand (1-4) finally scored on Jillian Harmon's jumper from the corner just at the halftime buzzer. The Kiwis missed eight straight shots and had three turnovers during the drought.
It was a pretty exciting opportunity," said Harmon, who will be a senior at Stanford this fall. "I think most of us grew up watching these girls. I think I was 10-years-old when Lisa Leslie played in her first Olympics. It was a good experience. I think we played pretty well, all things considered."
The U.S. extended its lead in the third quarter to 38 in the third quarter behind Smith, who had eight of her 13 points in the period. New Zealand got no closer than 31 the rest of the game.
Seimone Augustus added 12 points and Tamika Catchings had 11 for the U.S.
Angela Marino led New Zealand with 17 points and Wallbutton added 14.
"We're here to learn what the Olympics is about," New Zealand coach Mike McHugh said. "This is a 2012 team, maybe a 2016 team."
In other games Sunday, Australia defeated Russia 75-55, China beat the Czech Republic 79-63, Spain routed Mali 79-47, and Brazil topped Belarus 68-53.
USA's Lisa Leslie, left, defends New Zealand's forward Aneka Kerr during the first quarter of their women's preliminary basketball game at the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Sunday, Aug. 17, 2008. (AP Photo/Eric ####)
There were two juggernauts in the spotlight of Week One at the Olympics, smashing records, making history. One was the deep, determined Chinese team, amassing an astounding 27 gold medals to far outpace all rivals. The other was Michael Phelps.
With seven gold medals in seven races, added to six won in 2004, Phelps became the most decorated Olympic champion of all time. In some races, he left his rivals far behind. In Saturday's 200-meter butterfly, he won by a fingertip with a desperate lunge to the wall.
China, an Olympic host for the first time, remained a target for skeptics who said the games' upbeat ambiance masked a heavy-handed approach to protests and press freedom. But logistically, the games went smoothly, protests were small-scale, the smog that had shrouded the city finally lifted and the home team flourished before exultant Chinese fans.
It wasn't all China and America. A balmy Saturday was capped by an electrifying late-night men's 100-meter race, with Jamaica's Usain Bolt setting a world record of 9.69 seconds.
But as the games reached their halfway point, the Chinese had won nearly 21 percent of all the gold medals awarded, triumphing in 11 different sports. If that pace continued to the end, China would rank among the top gold medal winners of any non-boycotted Olympics.
The United States was second in golds with 16, and ahead in total medals with 54 to China's 47. U.S. team leaders said they were unsurprised by the host country's ascension and welcomed the rivalry.
"For many people, China's performance here is something of an eye-opener," said U.S. Olympic Committee spokesman Darryl Seibel. "For us, it's something we expected.
"Coming into the games, we felt China should be viewed as the favorite, not only because it's competing at home but also because of the significant investment being made in developing what will ultimately be one of the most sophisticated sports systems ever built."
The Chinese fans sometimes lacked sophistication or spectator etiquette — cheering at long foul balls in baseball, applauding Venus Williams' double-faults when she lost to China's Li Na in a major tennis upset.
But blatant anti-Americanism didn't surface. Fans showered equally boisterous cheers on both the Chinese and U.S. teams when the Americans — every one of them an NBA star — overpowered Chinese idol Yao Ming and his teammates in an opening-round basketball game.
In another head-to-head showdown, when the Chinese women outscored the Americans in team gymnastics, Chinese fans cheered good routines and booed scores they thought were too low regardless o####ymnast's nationality. When American fans chanted "U-S-A! U-S-A!", the Chinese responded with the local equivalent, "Jia You" — but there was no tinge of mean-spiritedness.
One factor in the relatively amicable rivalry is the web connecting the two contingents. All four U.S. table-tennis players are Chinese-born. Former Major Leaguer Jim Lefebvre coaches China's baseball team; former Chinese star Jenny Lang Ping coaches the U.S. women's volleyball team. Lang, who led China to a gold medal in 1984, drew thunderous cheers from the largely Chinese crowd when her team played China on Friday night.
After the Americans upset their hosts — a defeat magnified because China's president was there — the crowd grew silent but then heartily applauded as Lang exited with her players.
"Having her coach for America is an honor for China," said Yu Jingbo, a reporter with the government's China News Service. "It's a different era (from the Cold War). It's globalization. People are more open, and Chinese mindsets have changed too."
Coverage by the state-controlled media — the only media China has — has overwhelmingly focused on the success of the home team. Yet so far, they and ordinary Chinese have largely avoided crowing about their gold-medal dominance.
When Chinese media have preened, they've largely done so through words of praise from foreigners.
"The war for gold medals is raging at the Beijing Olympics. And the Americans are losing," China's premier sports newspaper, Titan Sports, reported this week, quoting The Salt Lake Tribune.
Many factors are keeping the medals contest from becoming an updated version of the U.S.-Soviet Cold War rivalry.
The Chinese government is wary that patriotism could turn into ugly nationalism, damaging the leadership's hoped-for Olympic boost to China's international image. Four years ago, after Japan defeated China in an Asian Cup soccer match in Beijing, Chinese fans turned so hostile that Japanese fans had to be escorted out of the stadium by police.
In recent months, people have been told to be good sports and taught how to cheer. The media have been instructed to tone down often nationalistic rhetoric when reporting on international sports competitions.
"This Olympic games has seen the most world records broken and has the highest television audience, turning it into a leader of happy, good times," the Global Times newspaper said.
Both the International Olympic Committee and local organizers consistently deflected foreign reporters' questions about political controversies and other developments that might take some of the luster off the games.
"The IOC doesn't need games to be perfect," said its spokeswoman, Giselle Davies. "I think we'll be leaving here very much with a smile on our faces."
On the playing field, the good times were well-distributed. Through Saturday, medals had been won by 61 nations, including the first ever for Togo, the first individual gold ever for India.
While swimming was the main source of U.S. medals, team officials gushed over some unprecedented breakthroughs elsewhere — a medal sweep in women's sabre, a one-two finish in women's all-around gymnastics.
There were American disappointments as well.
The nine-man U.S. boxing team had just two fighters left after a chaotic week which began with one boxer falling unconscious in a failed attempt to make weight. Another fighter, world flyweight champion Rau'shee Warren, mistakenly thought he was ahead late in his bout, ignoring his coach's urgings to attack at the end of a one-point loss.
But Phelps was the big story — for the Americans, for the entire Olympics.
The U.S. Olympic team stopped the pick-and-rolls — and just about everything else Greece tried.
These Americans, who looked so lost two years ago in the World Championship, appear to have found their Olympic defensive way.
Batting away balls or swatting shots on seemingly every possession late in the second quarter, the Americans broke open a close game and went on to a 92-69 victory Thursday to clinch a spot in the medal round.
The Americans were also able to find the range on jump shots when the Greeks went to a zone defense to slow them down. Kobe Bryant, who entered the game shooting just 37 percent in the first two games, was 7-for-14 from the field and finished with 18 points.
Chris Bosh also had 18 points, Dwayne Wade added 17 and LeBron James had 13 for the United States (3-0), which moves on to a matchup of Group B unbeatens Saturday night against world champion Spain. The winner will earn the group's top seed for the quarterfinals.
Greece stunned the Americans two years ago in the semifinals of the 2006 world championships, shredding the U.S. defense for 63 percent shooting with clinical execution of its pick-and-roll offense in a 101-95 victory.
This time, the Greeks hit just 41.3 percent (26-for-63) from the field and just 4-for-18, 22 percent, from 3-point range as the Americans used a suffocating defense to extend a seven-point lead to a 19-point cushion in the final 5 1/2 minutes of the first half.
Theo Papaloukas led Greece with 15 points.
Like China and Angola before them, the Greeks stayed close for about 1 1/2 quarters before the Americans' depth and athleticism blew open the game.
After the previously slumping Bryant finally knocked down a 3-pointer, James blocked a shot that led to Bosh's three-point play for a 44-30 lead with 2:31 remaining in the second quarter. James came up with a steal less than 30 seconds later and threw down a reverse dunk.
Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times
Bosh swiped at a ball that led to another Greece turnover, and James found him on the next possession for another three-point play and a 49-30 bulge. The Greeks then turned it over again, with James keeping his balance while nearly falling down to take an outlet pass and convert a layup, and Bosh blocked the final Greek shot of the half to make it 51-32 at the break.
The United States had 12-point lead in the game in Japan two years ago before handing it over with its sloppy defensive effort. The Americans came out much sharper this time, with Jason Kidd picking up three fouls in the first 1:25 while aggressively defending, and Bryant picking up Vasileios Spanoulis, the top Greek scorer.
And after stubbornly sticking to what wasn't working in the game two years ago, the Americans showed the Greeks different looks this time. They picked up full court on one early possession, then fell back into a zone defense on another.
Unlike their easy victory against Angola two nights earlier, the Americans kept up the defensive intensity after halftime. Dwight Howard smacked away a shot right into Kidd's head, leading to a shot clock violation, and James and Bosh had rejections on the same third-quarter possession a few minutes later.
The Americans still struggled from the free throw line and 3-point arc. They were 7-of-20 on 3s and just 13 of 23 at the line.
Pau Gasol scored 13 points to help lead world champions Spain to a 72-59 victory over Dirk Nowitzki and Germany in Olympic basketball men's Group B play.
The Spanish team, which is under fire for a recent publicity photo in which they pulled back the skin around their eyes to appear more Asian, was cheered by the crowd. The team has since said it meant no offense with the photo.
What's your thought of this photo offensive or not?
Spain's Pau Gasol, center for the LALakers, said. "It was something like supposed to be funny or something but never offensive in any way," "I'm sorry if anybody thought or took it the wrong way and thought that it was offensive." "it was absurd that people were calling the gesture racist" "We never intended anything like that,"
A no show for my kobe, but I love the way he guard the opponent , Kobe Bryant was struggling, he only finished with 13 points !!!!
But Kobe Bryant kept hustling on defense, and kept passing on offense, and his teammates fed off the intensity to turn a 29-all game into a 31-point blowout in the final 2 1/2 quarters....LOL
The U.S. Olympic basketball team treated President Bush and perhaps a billion more fans to a game to remember.
Dwyane Wade lobbed one up to LeBron James on a fastbreak, James caught it in midair with one hand and in one motion, slammed it home.
Kobe Bryant drove to the basket a couple of times for tomahawk dunks, sending the crowd into a frenzy each time.
And not to be outdone, Wade had a behind-the-head, back-to-the-basket two-handed dunk of his own.
With LeBron James and Dwyane Wade soaring for dunks that thrilled the raucous crowd at Beijing's basketball arena, the United States pulled away for a 101-70 victory against host China on Sunday night.
Wade scored 19 points and James had 18 for the Americans in one of the most highly anticipated events of these Summer Games.
Houston Rockets All-Star Yao Ming scored 13 points for China.
"Look, I had five dunks in one game. That's because of the crowd. Last time I had five dunks in a game I was like 17. So that's all because of the energy in this crowd," Bryant said. "I think they knew that history was being made tonight and obviously it was a proud moment for their country as it was for ours. You could feel the electricity."
"It was our first game. We were very anxious. We missed shots that we normally would hit. But at the end of the day, you win by almost 30 points, you've got to take good things out of that," Wade said. "We played very, very hard. We give ourselves a chance defensively every night. That's what it's all about with us."
"We came out a little tight. We knew that it was going to be a very emotional game for both teams, especially China, playing in front of their home crowd," U.S. forward Chris Bosh said. "We withstood the storm, we calmed down and we just played a lot better basketball."
Michael Phelps isn't just living up to his ridiculously high expectations. He's exceeding them.
After setting an Olympic record on his first dive into the Beijing Olympics pool, Phelps lowered his own world record in the 400-meter individual medley by a whopping 1.41 seconds to easily win the first of his hoped-for eight gold medals. And this was supposed to be his weakest event.
The huge smile on his face after touching the wall and seeing his time was pure joy and, perhaps, a bit of relief. One down, seven to go.
Phelps' victory moved the United States into a tie with China atop the gold-medal race. OK, so the score is only 2-2 a few hours into Day 2, but this is a race worth watching.
Add bronze medals for swimmers Ryan Lochte, Larsen Jensen and Katie Hoff, and the Americans were up to seven overall medals Sunday morning, another Olympics best thus far. That's pretty good considering the U.S. was shut out going into the final final of Day 1 — lagging behind Cuba, Uzbekistan and 16 other countries.
Then came some serious slicing and dicing at the fencing hall. Mariel Zagunis, Sada Jacobson and Becca Ward went 1-2-3 in saber, putting the U.S. on the medals chart, smack dab on top.
The first day in Beijing, however, will be remembered more for tragedy — the stabbings of Todd and Barbara Bachman and their Chinese tour guide, and the suicide of their Chinese attacker. Todd Bachman was killed, while Barbara Bachman was in stable but critical condition Sunday morning after eight hours of surgery Saturday.
The Bachmans are the parents of former U.S. Olympian Elisabeth Bachman McCutcheon and the in-laws of current men's volleyball coach Hugh McCutcheon. They were at a tourist site when the man attacked them then jumped off a 130-foot-high balcony.
"When one member of our family suffers a loss, we all grieve with them," U.S. Olympic Committee chairman Peter Ueberroth said.
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Swimming
Since Phelps' win was somewhat expected, perhaps the bigger news at the Water Cube was that Hoff finished third in the 400 IM, losing the race — and her world record — to Australia's Stephanie Rice. Elizabeth Beisel, the 15-year-old American who finished first in qualifying, was fourth.
Phelps' biggest foe in the 400 IM was supposed to be Lochte. And, indeed, Lochte was ahead more than halfway through the race.
But the big guy couldn't be denied, his winning time more than 4 seconds faster than his victory in Athens. Laszlo Cseh of Hungary took the silver, while Lochte finished third.
When Phelps looked up, he saw President Bush and his family waving and cheering.
"That was a pretty cool feeling to have the president say congratulations and have him in the crowd," Phelps said.
In the men's 400-meter freestyle relay, reigning world champion Park Tae-hwan of South Korea won the gold, Zhang Lin of China took silver and Jensen was third. Favored Aussie Grant Hackett of Australia wilted from first to sixth.
Still to come Sunday — 41-year-old Dara Torres and the U.S. women tring to take down China in the 400 freestyle relay.
Beach volleyball
The American duo of Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor began their bid for another gold medal with a decisive victory over a Japanese duo Sunday morning. No surprise, right? Well, the top U.S. men's team were, too, but they were a huge disappointment Saturday.
Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser — defending world champions and winners of 21 straight international matches — lost to a Latvian team that was seeded 23rd in the 24-team field. Now they must win their next two pool-play matches to get into the medal round.
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Volleyball
Playing hours after learning about the attack on the Bachmans, the U.S. women's team beat Japan 3-1. Emotions came pouring out after, with Logan Tom bursting into tears.
"God, we all love Wiz," Tom said, referring to former teammate Elizabeth Bachman McCutcheon by her nickname. "It's hard to put it in words. That's not something that's supposed to happen."
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Shooting
The first gold medal of these games went to Katerina Emmons of the Czech Republic, the wife of U.S. shooter Matt Emmons. The couple met in Athens and now hope to celebrate gold medals together.
Katerina Emmons was on target from the start of the 10-meter air rifle, shooting a perfect 400 in qualifying, then finishing with an Olympic record of 503.5. Favorite Du Li of China was only one point behind after qualifying, but nerves got in her way while trying to win the first event for the host country.
"I wasn't fully prepared for the pressure of competing at home," Du said.
Lioubov Galkina of Russia won the silver and Snjezana Pejcic of Croatia took the bronze. Jamie Beyerle of Lebanon, Pa., finished fourth.
Pang Wei handled the home country pressure just fine, easily outlasting a pair of Koreans in the finals of the men's 10-meter air pistol. When it was over, Pang — the 2006 world champion — turned around and waved his hat in the air while the home crowd cheered. Americans Jason Turner and Brian Beaman were fourth and fifth.
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Gymnastics
The U.S. men finished atop their qualifying group with a score good enough to clinch a spot in the team finals. Thus, even without injured stars Paul and Morgan Hamm, the Americans still have a shot at a medal — even if it's a slim one.
"To make a major team personnel change, compete in the first subdivision and qualify for the team finals is a huge accomplishment, and we are looking forward to competing on Tuesday," U.S. coach Kevin Mazeika said.
China, winner of three straight world championships and the overwhelming favorite, lived up to it by soaring to the top of the pack.
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Fencing
Zagunis won this event in 2004, making her the first American in a century to win a fencing gold. Now, the U.S. is a force, an obvious favorite to win the team saber event.
Jacobson, who got bronze in Athens, was the top seed but Zagunis had one of her best performances in the final.
"That was probably the hardest bout I've ever fenced in my career," Zagunis said.
Ward, who is part of the same Oregon fencing club as Zagunis, turned an early 6-1 deficit into a 15-14 victory.
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Weightlifting
Chen Xiexia, last year's world champion, dominated Saturday's competition from start to finish, lifting 210 pounds in the #### and 258 in the clean and jerk.
By winning the second event of the games, she earned the first medal of any shade for the host country.
Turkey's Sibel Ozkan won the silver medal, while Chen Wei-Ling of Taiwan finished third. The 2004 Olympic champion, Nurcan Taylan of Turkey, was eliminated after three failed attempts in the ####.
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Cycling
Samuel Sanchez of Spain emerged from a sprint to the finish in the shadow of the Great Wall to win the men's road race, a trek that covered 152 miles in hazy air.
Italy's Davide Rebellin won silver on his 37th birthday, while Switzerland's Fabian Cancellara took the bronze. Levi Leipheimer was the top U.S. finisher, placing 11th.
Sanchez won in 6 hours, 23 minutes, 49 seconds, conquering a route that went past Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and other landmarks in Beijing, then outside the city for seven punishing laps of a hilly loop course between two points on the Great Wall.
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Women's basketball
Diana Taurasi scored 17 points and Sylvia Fowles added 16 points and 14 rebounds to send the U.S. women strolling past the Czech Republic 97-57 in front of President Bush and the U.S. men's team. Next up for the Americans is host China.
WNBA star Lauren Jackson led medal favorite Australia with 18 points and 10 rebounds in an 83-64 victory over Belarus that featured Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in the stands. The Opals lost the last two Olympic finals to the United States but comes into the 2008 Beijing Games as world champion.
"We're just chipping away at a number of things — we've got quite a few things to work on, but I thought we executed pretty well," Australia coach Jan Stirling said.
In other matches, China beat Spain 67-64, South Korea needed overtime to beat Brazil 68-62 and New Zealand edged Mali 76-72.
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Women's soccer
So much for the U.S. women's scoring drought. Midfielder Carli Lloyd scored on a first-half volley to lead them past Japan 1-0 in their first game since a 2-0 loss to Norway.
The Americans created a host of scoring opportunities, but were only able to capitalize in the 27th minute, when Lloyd volleyed a cross from defender Stephanie Cox just under the crossbar. Goals are at a premium for this club with scoring leader Abby Wambach out with an injury.
China tied Canada 1-1, putting the host country in position to advance to the quarterfinals. Also, two-time FIFA Player of the Year Marta scored to help Brazil beat North Korea 2-1; Sweden beat Argentina 1-0; Germany beat Nigeria 1-0 and Norway beat New Zealand 1-0.
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Judo
Romania's Alina Dumitru won the women's 106-pound gold, throwing Cuba's Yanet Bermoy to the mat for the prize after stunning Japan's seven-time world champion Ryoko Tani in the semifinal. Argentina's Paula Pareto and Tani, winner of the last two golds, won bronze.
In the men's 132-pound class final, South Korea's Choi Min-####, the bronze medalist in Athens, defeated European champion Ludwig Paischer of Austria. Choi won all his bouts with match-ending throws.
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In other sports:
_South Korea's Park Sung-hyun, the defending Olympic women's archery champion, tied the Olympic record in the first day of competition.
_American sailor Zach Railey was second in an Olympic Finn race, first in a series of 11 that will determine the medals.
_American middleweight boxer Shawn Estrada beat Ezequiel Maderna of Argentina.
_A Samoan light heavyweight boxer was knocked out, went unconscious, then left the ring in a stretcher and went to a hospital for evaluation. The ringside doctor expects Farani Tavui to be fine.
_Serbia's Jelena Jankovic, who will become the No. 1 tennis player in the world Monday, said a sore right calf may knock her out of the Olympics. She's supposed to play Sunday against Zimbabwe's Cara Black.
_Becky Holder rode her and her husband Tom's Courageous Comet to fourth place after the first half of equestrian's dressage phase of the eventing competition.
_South Korea, the 2004 Olympic silver medalist, and Russia, the 2007 world champion, tied in the day's highest-profile women's handball matchup.
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Elsewhere around the games:
_U.S. Olympic Committee spokesman Darryl Seibel said the stabbing victims "were not wearing apparel or anything that would have specifically identified them as being members of our delegation" or as Americans.
"We don't believe this was targeted at American citizens, and we don't believe this has anything to do with the Olympics," U.S. Embassy spokeswoman Susan Stevenson said.
The killing was a rare instance of violent crime against foreigners in tightly controlled China, which has ramped up security measures even more for the Olympics.
_President Bush went mountain biking on the Olympic course, got sandy at beach volleyball, got a chalk handprint left on his back after a photo with the softball team and watched the women's basketball team win easily. His wife and daughter went on an early tour of the Forbidden City.
_Greek sprinter Tassos Gousis was excluded from the Olympics a few days before the games after failing a doping test in his home country.
The Greek national Olympic committee said the 200-meter runner tested positive for the steroid methyltrienolone on Monday. He has been sent home from a pre-games training camp in Japan after being informed of the result.
_The Chinese gymnast age issue is settled. They're old enough, despite documents and media reports saying three athletes are as young as 14, two years less than rules allow.
Chinese officials have insisted the girls are all of eligible age, and have given International Gymnastics Federation and IOC passports to back that up.
_A pro-Tibet group said five activists staged a "peaceful protest" in Tiananmen Square, breaching heavy security that has surrounded the heart of Beijing for the Olympics.
Lhadon Thetong, executive director for Students for a Free Tibet, said the protesters draped themselves in Tibetan flags and lay down in the square. It wasn't immediately clear if they were stopped by authorities.
_A diesel generator used to create the underwater bubbles that formed the finish line at the rowing-canoeing park overheated, belching out black smoke during women's pair heats, but races were not delayed.
_Brazil will not wear its regular official Nike uniform in the remainder of the Beijing Games because of concerns it could affect Rio de Janeiro's bid for the 2016 Olympics.
Czech Republic's Katerina Emmons is congratulated by her husband Matt Emmons of the US after winning the first gold medal of the games in the Women's 10 meters air rifle final round at the Shooting Range at the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Saturday, Aug. 9, 2008. (AP Photo/Sergey Ponomarev)
Czech Republic's Katerina Emmons shoots during the Womens 10 meters air rifle final round at the Shooting Range at the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Saturday, Aug. 9, 2008. Emmons took gold, the first of the 2008 games.(AP Photo/Sergey Ponomarev)
China's Chen Xiexia celebrates after winning the gold medal during the women's 48kg weightlifting competition of the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Saturday, Aug. 9, 2008. (AP PhotoCharles Krupa)
President Bush hugs Kerri Walsh as he visits the practice of the U.S. beach volleyball team at the 2008 Summer Olympic games in Beijing, China Saturday, Aug. 9, 2008. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps swims in a men's 400-meter individual medley heat during the swimming competitions in the National Aquatics Center at the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Saturday, Aug. 9, 2008. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
USA's Mariel Zagunis, right, scores against her teammate Becca Ward in the semifinal round of the women's individual saber at the Fencing Hall of the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Saturday, Aug. 9, 2008. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Accordimg to mark.heisler@latimes.com about the USA men basketball team, "Who cares if they're not the Dream Team? They have a little dream team of their own".
WOW!!!!!! The RUSSIAN DONE EVERYTHING BUT STOPPING KOBE BRYANT'S CUTTING EDGE DEFENSE......LOL
Copyright 2008 AP .
Kobe Bryant of U.S.A. men's basketball team for the Beijing 2008 Olympics, left, and Russian Jon Robert Holden, right, battle for the ball during a match between USA and Russia as a warm-up for Olympics at the USA Basketball International Challenge tournament in Shanghai, Sunday Aug. 3, 2008. U.S. won 89-68. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Longtime Braves broadcaster Skip Caray dies at 68
The Atlanta Braves say longtime broadcaster Skip Caray, the son of famous Chicago Cubs voice Harry Caray, has died in his sleep. He was 68 years old.
The team says Skip Caray died in his Atlanta home on Sunday. He had several ailments in the last year but had recovered enough to continue calling Braves home games at Turner Field.
Caray was drawn into broadcasting by his father, a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Skip Caray was in the middle of his 33rd season with the Braves. The St. Louis native started in local radio and later joined his father at the University of Missouri calling football.
He joined the St. Louis Hawks NBA broadcasting team and followed them to Atlanta in 1968.
Some of you might say, “it’s wishful thinking in my part" and I hope that the team will bring back the DREAM TEAM and win the OLYMPIC GOLD.
Before Bryant, USABasketball Men's World Championship Team were: Anthony; Battier; Bosh; Brand; Hinrich; Howard; James; Jamison; Johnson; Brad Miller; Paul; and Wade.
Photo: Nathaniel S. Butler / NBAE / USABasketball
Following a disappointing 5-3 finish and bronze medal showing at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, USA Basketball in 2005 setoff in a totally new direction with its men’s senior national team.
USA FIBA Americas Championship Team were: Anthony; Billups; Bryant; Chandler; Howard; James; Kidd; Mike Miller; Prince; Redd; Stoudemire; and Williams.
Photo: Andrew D. Bernstein / NBAE / USABasketball
In winning its 10 games in just 12 days, the USA defeated its 10 opponents by an average of 39.5 ppg., the largest margin by a senior squad since the 1992 U.S. Olympic Team defeated its opponents by 43.8 ppg and finished 10-0 to win gold .
USA Basketball’s Men’s Senior National Team currently consists of 33 players:
Carmelo Anthony (Denver Nuggets)
Gilbert Arenas (Washington Wizards)
Shane Battier (Houston Rockets)
Chauncey Billups (Detroit Pistons)
Chris Bosh (Toronto Raptors)
Carlos Boozer (Utah Jazz)
Bruce Bowen (San Antonio Spurs)
Elton Brand (Los Angeles Clippers)
Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers)
Tyson Chandler (New Orleans Hornets)
Nick Collison (Seattle SuperSonics)
Kevin Durant (Seattle SuperSonics)
Kirk Hinrich (Chicago Bulls)
Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic)
Joe Johnson (Atlanta Hawks)
Jason Kidd (Dallas Mavericks)
LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers)
Antawn Jamison (Washington Wizards)
Shawn Marion (Miami Heat)
Brad Miller (Sacramento Kings)
Mike Miller (Memphis Grizzlies)
Adam Morrison (Charlotte Bobcats)
Greg Oden (Portland Trail Blazers)
Lamar Odom (Los Angeles Lakers)
Chris Paul (New Orleans Hornets)
Paul Pierce (Boston Celtics)
Tayshaun Prince (Detroit Pistons)
Michael Redd (Milwaukee Bucks)
J.J. Redick (Orlando Magic)
Luke Ridnour (Seattle SuperSonics)
Amaré Stoudemire (Phoenix Suns)
Dwyane Wade (Miami Heat) And
Deron Williams (Utah Jazz).
Photo: Nathaniel S. Butler / NBAE
Four members of the USA Basketball Men's Senior National Team name All-NBA First Team
USA To Face Russia August 3 and Australia August 5
In USA Basketball International Challenge
USA Men’s Senior National Team To Open 2008 USA Basketball International Challenge With Pair Of Games In Macao, China
Which one or whom will be the most to get criticism or praises & WHY?
![[iCopyright]](http://license.icopyright.net/images/icopy-w.gif)
© 2008 Associated Press. Displayed by permission.
Filippo Monteforte/AFP/Getty Images) 
Kidd,
Bryant, 
James, 
Anthony, 
Howard
Wade, 
Boozer, 
Bosh, 
Paul, 
Williams, 
Redd & 
Chandler 
