tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2918754719336192716.post1644751940050879197..comments2008-08-10T19:44:03.230-07:00dreamleaguenoreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2918754719336192716.post-59206392532726255542008-08-10T15:46:00.000-07:002008-08-10T15:46:00.000-07:00oh lucky liu - what a pounding that was! so very jealous you're there though!Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15464481372676999498noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2918754719336192716.post-36882258411552723142008-08-10T09:29:00.000-07:002008-08-10T09:29:00.000-07:00Hello from Beijing! This is your NYC Dream League roving reporter, Lucky Liu. Team USA has just brushed off some spirited Chinese resistance in their preliminary round matchup, purported to be the most-watched single sporting event in history. The Chinese came out pumped up in front of their rabid home crowd, went nuts when Yao Ming swished a three to open up the scoring, and actually had a brief moment of irrational exuberance when their three-point shooting kept them in the game for a good quarter+. The crowd was absolutely deafening with coordinated shouts of "Jong Guo duey, jia you!" <BR/><BR/>Inevitably, the superior athleticism and skills of Team USA turned the tide. The full court press and great on-the-ball defense by Kobe and D-Wade led to numerous easy buckets (ok, it was a dunkfest). When Lebron literally caught a Chinese shot with both hands, pinning it to the backboard and then laced a full court TD pass to a streaking D-Wade, the crowd talk around me in Mandarin turned to "what a great victory it would be for China if we could lose by only 20 points."<BR/><BR/>But it was not to be. Predictably, Coaches K and Boeheim had the guys shut down the looks from the outside, forcing the Chinese to drive or get the ball into Yao Ming (easier said than done), and you can imagine how well that worked.<BR/><BR/>Despite shooting a ton of bricks from the outside, Team USA dominated in transition, and a Dwight Howard or Chris Bosh dunk is a pretty high percentage play. Despite at times making the Chinese look a bit foolish (especially when they tried to dribble), the Americans comported themselves with a high level of sportsmanship and represented the USA with class.<BR/><BR/>Some other observations: Chinese fans absolutely love TEAM USA. In the previous night, during Ladies Night's premiere matchup of USA versus Czech Republic, the highlight of the night was the Chinese crowd noticing that the men's team was in street clothes supporting the American women. A la the NY Yankee right field bleacher creatures, the crowd conducted a player-by-player role call, and the players responded in turn by standing up and waving, much to the delight of the Chinese. And finally, keep your eyes on Sun Yue, a 6'8" Chinese point guard who the Lakers just signed. The guy has got game, lots of it.Alicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13796700022492510900noreply@blogger.com