USA v. China Bullets

The intensity could not be matched on Sunday in Beijing. Team USA held strong after a strong start from China in the first half, and capped off an assuring victory in what was one of the most watched basketball games ever.

• With a final score of 101 to 70, it’s not hard to sit back and appreciate the offensive arsenal team USA has always carried. Every player for team USA had their share in the scoring department besides Kidd and Prince, who both didn’t attempt a field goal and played less than 20 minutes combined.
• NBA and former NBA players for China felt the respectable need to shoot the most throughout the contest. Yai Jianlian went 4/13, Yao Ming was 3/10 and Wang Zhi Zhi shot 4/9 from the field. Unfortunately for China, they ended up shooting 34% from the field and were outscored 11 to 23 in the 3rd quarter.
• LeBron was all over the place. His beastly 2-handed blocks put terror into the mindset of driving the ball past team USA’s guards. James totaled for 18 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 blocks. The amount of maturity and experience compared to his performances in ‘04 for team USA are ridiculously distinct.
• Shockingly, Carmelo Anthony played only 14 minutes after starting the game. Anthony had only 3 points and 4 rebounds. His absence wasn’t much felt throughout this game thanks to ‘Bron, Kobe, Howard and Wade. Him bouncing back against Angola on Tuesday with a strong game is an easy thought.
• Kudos to Deron Williams failed-attempt to dunk over Yao Ming in front of his home country.
• Jason Kidd continues to play a minimal amount of minutes while failing to have any lasting effect (besides leadership skills) on any of the Olympic games for his team. Kidd’s stat-line against China, 0 points, 2 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block and 3 turnovers.
• Dwyane Wade: 20 Min, 19 points (7/7 FG), 2 assists, 2 steals.
• China’s clean start against USA kept me glued to the TV, as millions of others watched to see how team USA’s composure would remain steady throughout all the momentum.
• For a convicing set of minutes in the beginning of the game, Dwight Howard appeared to be team USA’s dominant inside presence. Howard muscled his way through and1’s and dunks early in the game, giving his team their physical stature. It was Chris Bosh though, who put the cap to USA’s inside game with 9 points and 8 rebounds.