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BEIJING -- The U.S. men's basketball team survived a rally by Spain to win the gold medal Sunday, 118-107.
Spain had closed to within two, 91-89, early in the fourth quarter, but the U.S. responded with a 27-18 surge to close out the victory.
Dwyane Wade led the U.S. offense with 27 points. Four other U.S. players reached double figures: Kobe
Bryant contributed 20, LeBron James had 14, and Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul each scored
13.
The Lakers' Pau Gasol had 21 points for Spain.
The medal is the 109th of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games for Team USA, its most in a full-participation Olympic Games. The gold medal is the 36th for the United States in Beijing, matching the total received at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games.
-- Debbie Goffa
Photo: Kobe Bryant celebrates the victory over Spain for the gold medal. Credit: Rungroj Yongrit / EPA
BEIJING -- Becky Hammon never intended to make a political statement. She simply wanted to play basketball in the Olympics.
And despite criticism she absorbed by deciding to play for Russia here, Hammon said Saturday that the joy of helping her new team unite to win the bronze medal outweighed all the negatives.
"For me, I've worked just as hard for this medal as a gold one, so to me it might as well be," Hammon said after scoring a team-high 22 points while leading Russia to a 94-81 victory over China at Wukesong Arena.
"I wanted to be a positive leader for them and encourage them and just help them believe in themselves. I think if you watched us just a few weeks ago, we didn't have much belief in ourselves."
Hammon wasn't a factor in Russia's semifinal loss to the U.S. earlier this week, scoring just three points. It must have been difficult for her to face women she has played with -- and against -- over the years and to be shunned by most of the U.S. players. However, she seemed to take it in stride.
"They're very tough defensively and they put a lot of focus on me. That's a compliment," she said, wryly. "They're a tough team and for us to come in here, for me just to win and go out on a positive note, that's the bigger picture here.
"I try to do whatever i can to help these girls and I'm looking forward to spending more time with them and explain some things to them a little bit more on the basketball court and just for them to get to know me a little better on the court."
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BEIJING -- The relays turned out OK for the U.S. track and field team after all.
Neither the men nor the women sprinters could get the baton all the way around the track in the 400-meter relay prelims, but the quarter-milers brought redemption.
Russia and the United States traded the lead in the women’s 1,600-meter relay, the Russians leading after the first and third legs. But Sanya Richards ran down Anastasia Kapachinskaya in the final 400 meters to give the United States the victory in 3:18.54. Russia was second in 3:18.82. Jamaica was third in 3:20.40.
Allyson Felix of Los Angeles ran the second leg and gave the U.S. a temporary lead.
The U.S. men needed no such dramatics, winning their 1,600-relay final with ease in an Olympic record time of 2:55.39. Three members of the team -- LaShawn Merritt, Jeremy Wariner and David Neville -- had finished 1-2-3 in the open quarter.
Read on »
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The U.S. men’s basketball team starring Kobe Bryant and LeBron James heads into the medal round at the Beijing Olympics having faced no stiff competition. How the 2008 Redeem Team stacks up against the Michael Jordan- and Magic Johnson-led 1992 Dream Team.
The Team once known as Dream is back in the Olympics gold rush again.
The U.S. men's basketball team defeated Argentina 101-81 on Friday night in a Beijing Games semifinal game that was played before 11,083 fans.
Here is a link to Mark Heisler's game story online. The U.S. will play Spain for the gold on Sunday.
-- Greg Johnson
Photo: LeBron James of the U.S. passes against Fabricio Oberto of Argentina during the men's semifinal baketball game at the Wukesong Indoor Stadium on Friday. The U.S. won, 101-81. Credit: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
BEIJING — The Olympic sport that brought you such U.S. gold medalists as Floyd Patterson, Muhammad Ali (when he was still known as Cassius Clay), Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Sugar Ray Leonard, the Spinks brothers and Oscar De La Hoya now brings you ... no one.
The United States’ last chance for a gold medal in boxing ended with a 7-1 semifinal loss Friday by Deontay Wilder of Tuscaloosa, Ala., to Italy’s Clemente Russo.
The United States, which has won more boxing gold medals (48) than any other country had its last real success in 1988 when it won three titles, and would have won another if Roy Jones Jr. hadn’t been robbed. That’s not a biased opinion but a fact later acknowledged by the International Olympic Committee.
Since, the United States has won three gold medals total. De La Hoya won in 1992.
A trivia question: Who won the other two? (Answer below.)
USA Boxing, the governing body, is in such disarray today that promoters who used to launch young boxers based on their Olympic success now advise them to bolt from the amateurs as soon as possible and turn professional.
So we’re seeing a lot of U.S. fighters in the Olympics who will be filling up professional undercards at rings near you in the future. Someone has to do it.
(Trivia answer: David Reid, 1996; Andre Ward, 2004.)
Read on »
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The U.S. men's basketball team starring Kobe Bryant and LeBron James heads into the medal round at the Beijing Olympics having faced no stiff competition. How the 2008 Redeem Team stacks up against the Michael Jordan- and Magic Johnson-led 1992 Dream Team.
BEIJING — Kobe Bryant had his best game, scoring 25 points, and the U.S. men’s basketball team, as expected, easily advanced to the semifinals with a 116-85 victory over Australia.
It was after a U.S. loss to Manu Ginobili and Argentina in the semifinals at Athens four years ago that it became apparent that the United States was not guaranteed a gold medal.
Lesson learned, the United States has been dominant here.
LeBron James had 16 points and nine rebounds, while Carmelo Anthony scored 16. If there is a weakness in this U.S. team, it’s in the frontcourt. But the United States out-rebounded Australia, 57-28.
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Articles from the Tuesday edition of The Times.
U.S. men sweep 400-meter hurdles
Philip Hersh, Special to The Times: Angelo Taylor leads a 1-2-3 finish after the American track and field team gets off to a rough start. Full article>>
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U.S. women win their 200-meter heats
Philip Hersh, Special to The Times: Allyson Felix, Marshevet Hooker and Muna Lee move on to the second round Tuesday night. Full article>>
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Stephanie Brown Trafton ends U.S. gold drought in discus
Helene Elliott, Los Angeles Times: The discus thrower, who started out wanting to be a gymnast, gets the first U.S. gold in track and field. Full article>>
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Photo: United States hurdlers, from left, Kerron Clement, Bershawn Jackson and Angelo Taylor celebrate following the men's 400-meter race, after posting the first U.S. medal sweep in the event since 1960. Taylor won the gold, Clement the silver and Jackson the bronze. Credit: Valery Hache / AFP / Getty Images
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BEIJING — Nastia Liukin, Shawn Johnson; Shawn Johnson, Nastia Liukin.
Except that one was born in Moscow and the other in Middle America (Des Moines, Iowa), the two U.S. gymnasts are pretty much interchangeable.
On Tuesday, Johnson, the one from Des Moines, won the gold medal in the balance beam finals. Liukin, who now lives in Parker, Texas, finished second.
They were also 1-2 in the all-around competition last week, Liukin winning gold and Johnson silver.
Liukin, whose father won four medals for the Soviet Union during the 1988 Games, upped him with her fifth medal. She finished here with one gold medal, three silvers and a bronze. Johnson, world all-around champion last year, leaves with a gold medal and three silvers.
Liukin tied the U.S. record for medals in a single Olympics by a woman gymnast. Mary Lou Retton, in 1984, and Shannon Miller, in 1992, also won five. Miller finished her career with seven medals after also winning two in 1996.
China later swept the men’s medals with a gold in the horizontal bars by Zou Kai. Jonathan Horton of Houston was a surprising silver medalist. Earlier Tuesday, Li Xiaopeng, who won a parallel bars gold medal in 2000 and a bronze in 2004, took gold again in the event. China won seven of the eight men's gold medals awarded in Beijing.
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 BEIJING -- During the height of the Shaq-Kobe partnership/rivalry, NBA Commissioner David Stern was asked which teams he would like to see in the finals and famously answered, "The Lakers vs. the Lakers.''
Joking aside, Stern was asked by the Associated Press here Tuesday who would win a match between the Dream Team of 1992 and the Redeem Team of 2008.
"I'd actually pay to buy a ticket for that one,'' he said.
The Associated Press inferred from further comments that he would take the '92 team because of the front court of David Robinson, Karl Malone and Patrick Ewing.
That '92 team, the first in the Olympics involving NBA players, averaged 117.25 points a game and had its closest game in the final, a 117-85 victory over Croatia.
The 2008 team hasn't been quite as dominant, perhaps because the rest of the world has gotten better and perhaps because it has eased up on some teams, such as Angola. The team is averaging 103 points. Its closest margin of victory was against Angola, 21 points. The United States beat Greece by 23.
Since then, the Redeemers have been rolling like it was '92, by 37 over Spain and 49 over Germany.
Just me speaking, I'd still rather see the Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Charles Barkley, Malone team play.
But this team, with Kobe and LeBron and Dwyane Wade, might someday be considered on a similar plane.
-- Randy Harvey
Photo: Magic Johnson, right, and Charles Barkley go for a tip-in during the 1992 Olympic gold-medal game against Croatia. Credit: Los Angeles Times
BEIJING -- If the basketball
competition is assuming an old pattern, with the U.S. dominating and attention
shifting elsewhere, the U.S. players, superstars all, are still the lives of this party.
Kobe Bryant,
LeBron James and Jason Kidd went to see Michael Phelps win the 200-meter butterfly,
the race in which his goggles leaked. Monday night
Phelps and about 20 members of the U.S. swim team returned the favor, attending
the 106-57 rout of Germany.
Invited to the dressing room afterward, Phelps gave the players a pair of goggles. Dwight Howard wore them to the interview room.
“I told him
[Phelps] I was going to do the 100-meter medley next year," Howard said.
Said Phelps: “When we're
swimming and we look up and see these guys, it's awesome to see them in the stands. We were all so excited,
it was like we can't lose in front of these guys, we're not losing a single
race in front of these guys.
“Just being able
to sit in here and hang out with these guys, it's cool to sit in here. These are the guys I'm always watching on TV.”
Of course, the basketball players shared
the goggles as they’ve shared the ball. LeBron James took his turn with them in
the mixed zone.
“He made history
as one of the best swimmers ever,” said Carmelo Anthony, like Phelps a native
of Baltimore, “so for us to be a part of that and be here with him, we just
felt good about it.”
--Mark Heisler
Photo: U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps, who tossed aside a leaky pair of goggles after winning the 200-meter butterfly last week, showed up at the U.S.-Germany men's basketball game Monday and passed the players a new set of goggles. Credit:
Nick Laham / Getty Images
For the record: An earlier version of this post incorrectly stated the final score as 105-57.
Mark Heisler's game story describes the U.S. men's basketball team's 106-57 pounding of Germany this way: "Not that this was one-sided, but this looked like one of those fantasy camps where businessmen pay to play against NBA stars."
Here are some post-game quotes, courtesy of USA Basketball:
LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers)
 On getting up for the games:
"We’re trying to play with a chip on our shoulder. We go out every night and try to get better. Going against Greece and going against Spain were easy to get up for. We could have easily had one of those games where we came in and made excuses, but we didn’t take a step backwards today and that was good. It was really good."
On the next opponent, Australia:
"They play a real physical team and we’re looking forward to it. We’re going to have to get a lot of rest and take care of our bodies because it’s going to be one of those physical games. One thing we’re going to do is to try to get up and down and try to wear them down a lot."
On challenging each other to work harder on defense:
"I don’t know when it happened. I can’t tell you when it [first] happened, but I’ve said it to almost everybody. I went to Dwight before and told him he needed to be a little tougher, a little bit more vocal on the defensive end. I went to Kobe and told him he didn’t need to gamble as much. They come to me too and tell me I need to be more vocal. That’s when I took that responsibility, when they were saying we hear your voice all the time but can you lead the charge on the defensive end and that was a good thing for me."
-- Greg Johnson
Photos: Top, Germany's forward Dirk Nowitzki, left, holds the ball away from U.S. guard Tayshaun Prince during the game on Monday. The U.S. won, 106-57. Credit: Jerry Lai / US Presswire; LeBron James. Credit: USOC
BEIJING -- Chris Kaman couldn’t provide the magic for Germany.
But neither could Dirk Nowitzki.
The United States remained unbeaten in men’s basketball with an easy 106-57 victory over the Germans. That puts the U.S. men, on a mission after finishing third in Athens four years ago, in the quarterfinals against Australia.
Dwight Howard led the U.S. men with 22 points. LeBron James scored 18, 16 in the first half. Kobe Bryant stunned himself and the crowd with two missed dunks but hit two three-pointers -- he had been misfiring in previous games -- and finished with 13 points. It probably didn’t make him feel that much better when Kaman also blew a dunk. Kaman finished with only six points. Nowitzki scored 14.
The Germans were eliminated.
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 BEIJING -- What a transformation Becky Hammon has made, in such a short time.
The former Colorado State star, current star of the San Antonio team in the WNBA, and the pride of Rapid City, S.D., is starring for the Russian Olympic women's basketball team here. The Russians made her an offer she couldn't refuse, reportedly $2 million, or 17 truckloads of rubles.
The team is 4-1 in pool play.
Tough transition from the Good Ol' USA to Moscowvite? Well, apparently, the Russians have helped grease the way. The roster they turned in to Olympic authorities, with official names of all participants in the Games, has her listed as: Hammon, Rebekka Linn.
Not a lot of those double "k's'' back in Rapid City.
-- Vladimir Dwyre
Photo: South Dakota native and former Colorado State starter Becky Hammon warms up with her Russian teammates before an exhibition game against the U.S. on Aug. 4. Credit: Elizabeth Dalziel / Associated Press
The U.S. beat Spain, 119-82, on Saturday night in Beijing Games basketball action. Here is Mark Heisler's Los Angeles Times report. And here are a few post-game comments from U.S. players, courtesy of USA Basketball.
 Carmelo Anthony (Denver Nuggets)
"We’re enjoying it, we are enjoying playing defense. We know that we have the best scorers in the world on our team. We can put the ball in the basket at will. But if we don’t stop nobody, we ain’t going to beat nobody. Everybody is having fun and enjoying playing defense and shutting teams down."
"We don’t have a starting five. I wouldn’t call us a starting five. We have five who go out there and begin the game. We’ve got... Deron Williams, Dwyane Wade coming off the bench. We’ve got a lot of players coming off the bench so I wouldn’t call us a starting [five] ... we’re just the five that begin the game."
Dwyane Wade (Miami Heat)
"We came out very focused knowing that Spain is a very good team. We knew we had to concentrate on the defensive end and we came out and really did what we’ve been doing and that’s pressuring them, not letting them run their offense, making them make quick decisions. Some teams are not at their best when they’re not in their comfort zone. That was our job, to take them out of the comfort zone.
"We have so many guys, but one for me is Chris Bosh. I think he’s been unbelievable, coming in defensively and really talking. Really being a versatile big man that can stick through their switching, can switch their guards as well. He’s rebounding, he’s playing tough so I’m going to say Chris Bosh."
-- Greg Johnson
Photos: Top, Carmelo Anthony. Credit: USOC.
 BEIJING -- So what did you expect, for Pau Gasol to lead Spain on Saturday to a victory over Kobe Bryant and the United States at the Olympics?
Of course, you didn't. Some experts have predicted that Spain will win the silver medal here, and that might still be true, but the Spanish are not in the same league with the United States at these Games.
And if Spain can't stay on the court with the United States, who can?
The United States' next opponent, Germany, lost to China on Saturday, and you remember how the Chinese fared against the United States.
The United States beat Spain, 119-82, with LeBron James scoring 18 and Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony each scoring 16.
Gasol actually out-scored Bryant, 13-11. But Bryant spent much of the early part of the game on the bench in foul trouble. One of the more interesting moments of the first quarter came when he ran over Gasol while running through a screen.
Teammates? Not on this night.
-- Randy Harvey
Photo: Kobe Bryant shoots a jumper over Pau Gasol, his Laker teammate who is playing for Spain, during the U.S. team's 119-82 victory at the Olympics. Credit: Streeter Lecka / Getty Images
BEIJING -- Forgive me for ever doubting you.
While saluting Los Angeles basketball superfan Jimmy Goldstein for his impossible gate crash, penetratIing the impenetrable Chinese security to sit in on Thursday’s post-game news conference, I have to admit I wrote off his chances of ever sitting courtside here, as he does in arenas throughout the NBA.
Guess who turned up in the first row for Saturday night’s U.S. game against Spain?
There are no courtside seats, per se, but Jimmy was in the first row of the stands where they come down to the floor -- in a press seat, still without a credential of any kind other than his gaucho hat, one of his shiny jackets, cowboy boots, etc.
 “Look, it’s been a struggle for me while I’ve been here,” said Jimmy, who has high expectations, regardless of the venue. “It took me a few days to work things out.”
Actually, it was more like a few minutes.
He arrived Tuesday and came to the arena right from the airport to watch Spain beat China before the U.S. game against Angola.
Moments after the U.S. won, NBA VP Brian McIntyre mused that this was one news conference Jimmy wasn’t going to crash. Yet, there he was, sitting among the media people, having somehow gotten past all the ropes and through the waves of security people, police and soldiers from the People's Liberation Army.
“Brian was impressed with that one,” said Jimmy. “He took a picture of me....
“All the young fans want to pose for photos with me. They all know who I am.”
If the truth be told, Jimmy likes attention, although after this, I think his legend is safe. Four days after he hit town, with a little time to work things out with whatever powers he communes with, there he was sitting courtside, or as close as they have to it here.
“Do you want to tell me how you did it?” I asked.
“No,” he said.
-- MARK HEISLER
Photo: Jimmy Goldstein, shown during Game 5 of the Lakers-Celtics NBA Finals, showed up in Beijing. Credit: Garrett Elwood / NBA
 BEIJING — You know that most-watched basketball game of all time between China and the U.S.?
If it’s not already the second-most-watched game of all time, it may be soon.
In a showdown for the last slot, China beat Germany, 59-55, Saturday night behind Yao Ming’s 25 points. At 2-2, the Chinese will make the medal round for the first time, unless Germany, which is 1-3, beats the U.S. Monday.
Yao, the only member of his team in double figures, had called China’s good start against the U.S. “the treasure of the memory of my life.” Now he has an even bigger treasure.
“It’s a big day for China,” said Yao, “but we want more.”
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Every team in the NBA has at least one foreign-born player, many of whom play for their country during the Olympic Games.
NBA players on foreign rosters in Beijing: Luis Scola, Manu Ginóbili, Fabricio Oberto, Andrés Nocioni, Andrei Kirilenko, Linas Kleiza, Roko Uki, Chris Kaman, Dirk Nowitzki, Andrew Bogut, Pau Gasol, Rudy Fernández, José Calderón, Marc Gasol, Yi Jianlian, Yao Ming.
 BEIJING -- For years Jimmy Goldstein, the Los Angeles superfan with the wild wardrobe -- he's especially fond of snakeskin, so if you’ve ever seen him, you'd remember him -- has been courtside at every big NBA game, whether the Lakers or Clippers were involved or not, not to mention sitting in on the postgame news conferences -- without credentials.
However, he just pulled his masterpiece.
Jimmy turned up at Tuesday’s Spain-China game -- having just flown in (it’s 12 hours if he had a non-stop) and come directly from the airport, he said.
Unfortunately, they don’t have courtside seats here, no matter how much you offer, so unless he knows President Hu Jintao, he’s out of luck on that one.
Nor was there any way Jimmy was going to get into the news conference without a credential at this event.
If you haven’t heard, they’re a little security-conscious here. A friend of mine just went to an event with some chewing gum, four pens and a bottle of Advil in his bag. Security people threw the gum away, had him write with all four pens and made him take one of the Advil.
Media credentials are applied for and approved months ahead of time, with passport numbers attached. I can’t remember if I was fingerprinted and required to furnish a DNA sample because it was so long ago.
So Jimmy is up in the stands, yelling down that he can’t get into the news conference.
“You know,” I yelled back, “you can get locked up for that stuff around here!”
Meanwhile, NBA officials, who are here with the U.S. team, were celebrating, having never been able to keep Jimmy out of a single event in their entire careers.
Five minutes later, Fran Blinebury of the Houston Chronicle told me, there was Jimmy in the news conference.
We’re not worthy.
-- Mark Heisler
Photo: OK, so Jimmy Goldstein isn't in his usual snakeskin outfit, but he showed up at Game 5 of the Lakers-Celtics NBA Finals in this attire. Credit: Garrett Elwood/NBA Photos via Bloomberg News
BEIJING -- This Kobe Bryant video pretty much sums up the reason it's so important he is getting to compete here.
Life was so unfair until now.
--Randy Harvey
BEIJING -- The International Olympic Committee has weighed in on the advertisement featuring the Spanish men's basketball team that some have deemed offensive because it mimics the eyes of Chinese.
"Clearly, it was inappropriate,'' IOC spokeswoman Giselle Davies said Thursday.
"But we understand the team apologized and the athletes meant no offense whatever. So, as far as we are concerned, the matter rests.''
The ad was for Seur a courier company based in Madrid. The company said it had no plans to pull the ad. But the Times' Bill Plaschke and Mark Heisler both weighed in on the ad earlier.
-- Randy Harvey
Photo: A man in Madrid looks at an advertisement that appeared in the Spanish daily sports newspaper Marca featuring Spain's national basketball team members in uniform pulling back the skin on their eyelids, and smiling. Credit: Miguel Riopa AFP/Getty Images
Did the Spanish men's basketball team inadvertently poke itself in the eye with an advertisement in a Spanish sports newspaper that shows the team members making slit-eyed gestures?
The controversy began with this story by Sid Lowe, a reporter for Britain's Guardian newspaper. The headline on his piece: "Olympics: Spain's eye-catching faux pas."
El Mundo, one of Spain's largest newspapers, didn't run the advertisement. But it does have a story with a photo (above) of the advertisement question. And the headline for El Mundo's story translates as "Racism or an affectionate gesture?"
Meanwhile, Olympian and Toronto Raptors player Jose Manuel Calderon tries to ease the tension on his website. (Also worthy of note: Calderon, Pau Gasol and the Spanish team on Tuesday upended China, 85-75, in an overtime victory in Olympic basketball play.) Here's part of what Calderon had to say: I would like to share a story with you about something that happened with the Spanish National Team that someone interpreted incorrectly. It happened in the photo session where the Spanish National Team was introduced; one of our sponsors asked us to pose with a “wink” to our participation in Beijing, we made an oriental expression with our eyes. We thought it was something appropriate and that it would always be interpreted as somewhat loving. Nevertheless some of the European media did not see it this way.
From here I would like to declare that we have a huge respect for the East and their people, some of my best friends in Toronto are from China and one of our Spanish National Team sponsors is the Chinese brand Li Ning. Anyone who would like to interpret this differently is absolutely confused.
Getting back to basketball, now we have to prepare because the next game against Germany will be at nine in the morning, so we have to get up at five. I hope that our “foolish” day is now history.
Hope springs eternal.
-- Greg Johnson
Photo: The Spanish men's basketball team in an advertisement that has sparked controversy over whether it is racist, ill-advised or funny. Credit: El Mundo
The U.S. men's basketball team beat Angola 97-76 on Tuesday night in Beijing. Here is a link to Mark Heisler's story at LATimes.com. The U.S. will play Greece on Thursday and Spain on Saturday.
Read on »
 BEIJING -- China didn’t appear as if it were capable of beating anyone in men’s basketball, except perhaps for Angola, after the United States blew out the home team in the opener. But the Chinese took Spain into overtime in the early morning hours Tuesday.
Then the Lakers’ Pau Gasol took over, scoring nine of Spain’s 13 points in the overtime. Spain, one of the few teams considered capable of hanging with the United States, won, 85-75. Gasol finished with 29 points and eight rebounds. Yao Ming had 11 points and 10 rebounds for China.
The United States, playing in the next game, beat Angola, 97-76. Dwyane Wade had 19 points and five rebounds. Kobe Bryant had eight points and four rebounds.
Read on »
The U.S. women's Olympic basketball team closed out the first quarter against the Chinese national team with a 23-0 run on Monday while on its way to a 108-63 blowout victory.
Here's a link to the game story that the Los Angeles Times published online.
And here are some quotes from the coach and a key player, courtesy of USA Basketball.
U.S. head coach Anne Donovan:
“We knew that the Chinese fans were going to be loud and strong as they were last night with the men’s game. So we were excited to come in and feel that energy in Wukesong, and it was not disappointing. I’m really happy that we started the game stronger than we did against the Czechs. I thought that we set tempo very quickly and followed through for the 40 minutes. So, I’m pleased with the effort.”
U.S. forward Tina Thompson, who scored 27 points:
“I think it was a hard fought game. Very exciting. The Chinese crowd was awesome, as usual. I was extremely proud of our team’s defense. We came out, and we set the tone. We were very aggressive and that kind of created good offensive opportunities for us.”
-- Greg Johnson
Photo: From left, Tina Thompson celebrates with Diana Taurasi, Kara Lawson, and Tamika Catchings during the U.S. women's 108-63 victory over China at the Beijing Games on Monday. Credit: Bob Donnan / US PRESSWIRE
BEIJING -- The hardest thing for an NBA player, or an American fan, to understand is how a bunch of players who can’t play in the NBA keep sending U.S. teams home in a box.
Think of it this way:
At the elite level of the NBA, there are only a few players: Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade when he’s healthy, Steve Nash, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett.
The next level is stars who are not quite (or quite yet) transcendent, however fast some may be coming: Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Dwight Howard, Amare Stoudemire, Paul Pierce, Baron Davis, Dirk Nowitzki, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Yao Ming, Tracy McGrady, Chris Bosh, et al.
Let’s say there are 20 of those.
Then come players good enough to make an All-Star team whether or not they have yet: Ray Allen, Elton Brand, Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge, Carlos Boozer, David West, Richard Jefferson, Vince Carter, Shawn Marion, the entire Detroit Pistons starting lineup, the Washington Wizards’ big three, Luol Deng, Michael Redd, Josh Howard, Tyson Chandler, Hedo Turkoglu, Rashard Lewis, Joe Johnson and not-quite-what-they-were guys like Shaquille O’Neal and Jason Kidd, et al.
Let’s say there are 30 of those.
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 Dwyane Wade led the Americans with 19 points, LeBron James added 18 points, and the U.S. beat China, 101-70, in the Beijing Games basketball Olympic opener on Sunday. Kobe Bryant finished with 13 points.
Los Angeles Times writer Mark Heisler has a nice game story from Beijing. And here are some quotes relayed after the game by USA Basketball:
LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers)
Q: Was it worth the Olympic buildup?
A: This is something we’ve been waiting for. It took us awhile to
finally get to this first game and for it to be against China, it made
it that much better.
The anticipation for this game was an all-time high. We were happy that we were able to play well and get a win.
Q: Are you concerned about the U.S. shooting poorly from beyond the three-point line?
A: I’m not concerned. We just have to knock down shots. We had open
looks and individually we’re not used to getting open looks like that.
But we have to knock them down. It’s as simple as that.
We did a better job in the second half. In the first half we rushed a few and didn’t knock them down.
Q: How about Yao Ming’s performance?
A: He did pretty well. For how much pressure that he has on his back
to represent his country, to represent his team, he played extremely
well.
Q: Did you expect the crowd to be cheering for you like they were?
A: We didn’t know what to expect. We just knew that the fans were
going to be very excited for the game of basketball. We didn’t think
about the cheers, we just thought about coming out here and playing
well.
Read on »
Now this is sweet.
It's going on 9 a.m. Sunday in Southern California.
I've got KNBC on the television set, and, sure enough, it's another Olympic moment from Beijing. Meaning that Tom Brokaw and U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson are sitting in front of Beijing's Bird's Nest stadium as they discuss monetary and fiscal policy.
But one screen to the right on my crowded desk is a computer monitor that's tuned to NBCOlympics.com. And that screen is showing live video from the gymnasium where the U.S. men's basketball team is teaching Yao Ming and the Chinese team about hardwood diplomacy.
Suffice to say, Team Redeem has brought its game.
As for the quality of the nbcolympics.com picture? It is a network feed, so the camera angles are familiar, and the replays are just as informative as on television. There is no soundtrack — unless you leave KNBC on, but the commentary from Brokaw and Paulson is a bit out of sync with what's on the computer screen.
A guy could get used to this.
— Greg Johnson
 BEIJING — It’s 4 p.m. and I just got to the arena for Sunday night's big game between the U.S. and China.
I’m a little early, seeing as how the game starts at 10:15 p.m. Of course, I have one colleague who got here at 9.a.m. for the first of the day’s eight games.
We are all a little concerned about getting seats. With all the talk about this being the most-watched game ever, with an audience in the hundreds of millions, we’re a little concerned that a million or so Chinese journalists will turn up.
This is the sixth and — happily — last game of the day. They must have the U.S. playing this late to get it into prime time in the U.S. You know, NBC rules all. ...
Oops, 10:15 p.m. here is 10:15 a.m. on the East Coast. Apparently, NBC doesn’t cut much ice in the People’s Republic of China.
I get here just in time to see the end of Game No. 3 between ... between ... it was about four hours ago but I’m sure I can remember ... oh yes, Spain was one and the other was ... was ... Greece! (Confession: I looked it up.)
Spain won easily, which raises one question: Greece beat the U.S. at the world championships in 2006?
Getting here early, at least, lets me get used to the way things work for the press. Like any Olympics, they don’t work at all.
The Olympics may transfix the planet like nothing this side of the World Cup, but as far as covering them goes, they’re Sportswriting Hell.
In the interview room after the Spain-Greece game, a young female moderator directed the press to ask a question of the Spanish player, then one of the Greek player, then one of the Spaniard etc.
When no one could think of another question for the players, the moderator let the press ask questions of the coaches, alternating back and forth, of course.
Read on »
BEIJING — The last big prime-time event Saturday night was swimming. Now that you’re awake on Sunday morning, the swimmers have already come and gone from the Blue Cube again.
To refresh your memory from Saturday night: Michael Phelps set a world record; Dara Torres and Natalie Coughlin were members of a silver-medal winning relay team; and Katie Hoff finished a disappointing third in one of her best events.
Early Sunday morning (L.A. time), the U.S. men’s 400 meter freestyle relay team set a world record in the semifinals (even without a resting Phelps, who will swim in the final to be televised Sunday night in the U.S.); Phelps and Coughlin easily qualified for the semis in two more events; and Hoff bounced back with an Olympic record in qualifying for the semis of the 400-meter freestyle.
Elsewhere:
(All times PDT)
12:05 a.m.—The U.S. men’s volleyball team, starting play a little more than 24 hours after Coach Hugh McCutcheon’s father-in-law was killed in an attack by a knife-wielding assailant at a popular tourist attraction here, won an emotional five-set match over Venezuela, 25-18, 25-18, 22-25, 21-25, 15-10. McCutcheon was at the hospital with his mother-in-law, who also was injured in the attack. As of the last report, she is in serious but stable condition. The U.S. team was coached by assistant Ron Larsen.
12:13 a.m.—A 2 ½-hour-rain delay enabled James Blake to watch Phelps on television. He said that inspired him in a 6-3, 7-6 (3) victory over Australia’s Chris Guccione. Still, Blake had to overcome a set point in the second set. Serena Williams was chased off the court by rain while leading Bulgaria’s Olga Govortsova, 2-1, in the second set. Williams won the first set, 6-3. Roger Federer’s match was postponed by rain. It’s still raining, so they might not be able to play today.
12:52 a.m.—The U.S. women’s gymnastics team suffered another injury, Samantha Peszek of Indianapolis injuring her ankle in warm-ups before the qualifying round in the team competition. The United States finished second in its group and easily advanced to Wednesday’s final. But the Chinese emerged as the favorites after winning their group despite an uncharacteristic fall from the uneven bars by He Kexin.
2:52 a.m. Tony Azevedo scored five goals and goalkeeper Merrill Moses of Rancho Palos Verdes had 11 saves in an 8-4 victory over China for the U.S. men’s water polo team.
3:45 a.m.--Manu Ginobili, despite an injured ankle, scored 19 points, but defending champion Argentina lost in its opener, 79-75, to Lithuania.
4:13 a.m.--Ronaldinho scored two second-half goals as Brazil beat New Zealand, 5-0, to advance to the quarterfinals of the men’s soccer tournament. A couple of minutes earlier, Argentina also advanced with a surprisingly difficult 1-0 victory over Australia.
5:20 a.m.--You can’t say Javier Molina of Commerce didn’t touch Bulgaria’s Boris Georgiev in a light- welterweight opener. He did. Once. Georgiev scored a well-deserved 14-1 decision, sending Molina home. Georgiev was a bronze medalist in 2004.
7 a.m.--Wake up, smell the green tea.
Now playing: The U.S. men’s basketball team vs. Yao Ming and China.
-- Randy Harvey
Photo: Dara Torres, left, was all smiles after helping the U.S. win a silver medal in the women's 4 x 100-meter freestyle swim. Credit: Richard Dole/BPI via Bloomberg News
BEIJING -- Dream believer.
The Dream Team wanted to meet one Michael Phelps. He wanted to meet the Dream Team. To call him the Dream Swimmer after one gold medal might be a tad presumptuous. Maybe it merits worth waiting until he has seven or eight.
You always wonder how famous people meet one another. But this was quite easy, apparently. Phelps ended up chatting with some of the American basketball players in the athletes' village last week.
"It was cool," he said Sunday night. "We were in the village maybe two days before we started competing, LeBron, Kobe, D-Wade. The names were endless. They were all there. It was pretty cool.
"I've talked to LeBron a few times, and it's pretty cool those guys are excited to meet us. Our whole team was extremely fired up. I actually got a text from one of my friends. One of the coaches on the basketball team texted me and said LeBron was fired up after my morning swim."
And what did Kobe say?
"He just said, 'Good luck,' " Phelps said.
And it was like an ESPN commercial coming to life.
-- Lisa Dillman
Photo: U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps, shown after his 200-meter
freestyle heat, got encouragement from the U.S. men's basketball team. Credit: Kay Nietfeld / EPA
BEIJING -- And now Kobe's going too?
Happily, they're starting the basketball competition so we may get a little relief from stories about the U.S. players' delighted response to imaginary $40-million-a-year offers.
Unfortunately, the operative word in that sentence is may.
This Frankenstein monster of a non-story is a tad more serious
with Kobe Bryant, who'll be a free agent next summer -- rather than in 2010 like
LeBron James -- and who is, after all, Kobe Bryant, meaning he could do anything.
In the latest "bombshell," Bryant said he would test the European
market before he ever re-signed with the Lakers, even if leaving would be hard,
noting, "It is what it is."
Except when it isn't.
Here's what's really going on:
Bryant is as hard-nosed in business as in basketball, which is
as hard-nosed as there is. When the 1999 lockout ended after canceling half
the season, the vote was 179-5 ... with the 21-year-old Kobe one of the five.
This is the essence of Bryant, the businessman. Whatever
leverage he holds, he will hold it to the very end when it means the most.
Even if he intends to return to the Lakers — and he does — he won't
commit himself until the last moment.
It's not a matter of having anywhere better to go. The Lakers
will offer him every last penny they’re allowed to (with Bryant turning 31 next
summer, that would be a four-year worth about $120 million).
I have thought all along that the Lakers would quietly ask him if he
would be interested in an extension this summer -- and he would quietly decline.
If anything happened, it was quiet, all right. As we can see,
Bryant doesn’t sound as if he’s about to re-up.
Unfortunately, as he found out last fall, there was no place in the
NBA for him to go. Even as an unrestricted free agent next summer, the dynamic
would be the same. No good team would have $24 million worth of cap room to
sign him and he doesn’t want to play for a bad team.
Fortunately for Bryant, the Lakers turned out to be the perfect
place for him. Of course, he knows better than most, as things can change
unexpectedly for the better, they can change unexpectedly for the worse.
In a year, if the Lakers have turned out to be a bust, I could definitely
see Bryant looking abroad to see if there's anything out there for him.
Not that I can begin to imagine him going there.
Being Kobe Bryant also means wanting to be the best of the best. The Kobe I know is the one who said, "My hunger defines me," who said his
greatest fear was never winning another title and he wasn’t talking about
Eurobasket.
The Kobe I know is the one who, at least, thinks of himself as
someone who has kept his motivation pure, who plays out of passion, rather than
for money.
Assuming there's ever a decision to make between the U.S.
and Europe -- which I doubt -- there would be
one more player: Nike.
Both Bryant and LeBron James stand to make more from the sneaker
company the rest of their lives than they will in salary so Nike’s preference
means a lot.
Nike may well prefer James in New York, as opposed to
Cleveland -- it already markets him in Gotham as if he played there -- but I’m
thinking the company prefers Bryant in Los Angeles, as opposed to Milan.
It’s true, you can never say never.
OK, almost never.
-- Mark Heisler
Photo: Kobe Bryant at the Olympic Basketball Arena in
Beijing. Credit: Filippo Monteforte / AFP / Getty Images
The U.S. women's basketball team cruised to a 97-57 win over the Czech Republic on Saturday, but the game on the court was only part of the attraction for fans in the stands. That's because President Bush and the U.S. men's basketball team were on hand to cheer for the women.
When the president got up to leave during the third quarter -- with the U.S. up by 30 points -- USA Basketball President Val Ackerman jokingly told the president that if the U.S. somehow ended up losing, "I was going to come find him. So he told me, '1600 Pennsylvania Ave.' "
And, as for having the men's team on hand to cheer? "It's always fun to see the men here supporting us," said the Chicago Sky's Sylvia Fowles. "We know they have their own opening game tomorrow, but I'm excited to have them here supporting us and it will be the same with us tomorrow night."
-- Greg Johnson
Photo: U.S. Olympics basketball player Kobe Bryant draws a crowd at the U.S. women's preliminary round group B match against the Czech Republic at the Olympic Basketball Arena in Beijing on Saturday night. Credit: Filippo Monteforte AFP/Getty Images
BEIJING -- There's not much to say about the U.S. women's first game in the Olympic tournament Saturday. The Czech Republic led after the first five minutes, 13-4, but it was a rout from that point on as the United States won, 97-57.
Diana Taurasi of Chino, who plays for the Phoenix Mercury, led the United States with 17 points, 13 in the first half before giving way to the bench. The Sparks' Lisa Leslie scored only four points but added 10 rebounds. Her Sparks' teammates, Candace Parker and DeLisha Milton-Jones, scored nine and two points, respectively.
The United States plays China on Monday.
-- Randy Harvey
Photo: U.S. player Diana Taurasi, right, shoots over the Czech Republic's Ivana Vecerova during an early-round women's basketball game at the Olympics in Beijing on Saturday. Credit: Dusan Vranic / Associated Press
 BEIJING -- The opening ceremony was running more than half an hour later than scheduled when Chinese President Hu Jintao succinctly declared the 2008 Summer Olympics open. At least it was still on the lucky date of 8/8/08.
Prior to Hu's remarks, International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge addressed the crowd.
"You have chosen as the theme of these Games 'One World, One Dream,' '' he said. "That is what we are tonight.''
That is arguable considering the number of people inside and outside the country who reject China's human rights policies. Rogge, though not discussing that, did at least mention this year's earthquake in Sichuan Province.
"As one world, we grieved with you over the tragic earthquake ...,'' he said. ''We were moved by the great courage and solidarity of the Chinese people. As one dream, may these Olympic Games bring you joy, hope and pride.''
Rogge also reminded the 10,700 athletes here that they are role models for the youth of the world and asked them to "reject doping and cheating.''
Of those athletes, the ones who received the largest ovations from the announced crowd of 91,000 when close-ups were shown on the the giant screen were the NBA players -- Yao Ming, of course, Kobe Bryant, Dirk Nowitzki and Manu Ginobili.
Who says this is a table tennis country?
-- Randy Harvey
Photo: Yao Ming carries the flag of China next to 9-year-old Lin Hao, a survivor of the May 12 earthquake in Sichuan, during the opening ceremony for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Credit: Amy Sancetta / Associated Press
BEIJING — Looks as if we have a new mantra on the U.S. men’s basketball team.
The old one was:
Winning a gold medal would be bigger than winning a title in the
NBA.
The new one is:
If anyone in Europe offers me $40 million a year, I’m there.
To this point, no one has actually offered anyone $40 million, the
figure having come from a joke Kobe Bryant made at a post-game press
conference in Shanghai.
However, you can't stop the players from dreaming or the press from doing what it does, which
is follow each other into the sea like lemmings.
There
have been actual "reports" that some European team may offer LeBron James $50
million and that he would strongly consider it.
Not
that this begins to corroborate the reports in the absence of an actual offer, but
James said Friday that if
someone offered it, he would
definitely consider it.
Doing
his standard non-denial denial, James said he's not thinking about it but was willing
to discuss the general notion of playing in Europe.
"Growing
up, you never think of playing in any other league than the NBA," James said.
"But you never know. One thing I never do is put all my eggs in one basket. It's
a lot of opportunities. There"ll be a lot of opportunities for me in 2010 [when
his contract is up], if I want to stay with Cleveland, if I want to go
elsewhere.
"Could
I ever imagine it? No.
"Is
it a possibility? Yes."
The scary thing is that there is some billionaire madman out there who
won't mind peeling off 50 mil and offering it to James. All we have to do is wait until 2010 to
find out (or next summer for Kobe).
Of course, the really scary thing is that this story will continue on a
daily basis until then.
All
over the interview room in the Main Press Center Friday, U.S. players were announcing
that if they were offered
$50 million or even $40 million a year, they were gone, too.
As
far as I can tell, everyone playing in, connected with or covering the NBA has
now announced he would take $40 million to $50 million a year, too.
Trying
to stay ahead of the curve, I told one of my colleagues that if an angel came
down from heaven, flew in the window and asked me if I wanted to go, I was there.
"The
way this day is going," replied my colleague, "I am, too."
Hopefully,
any U.S. players who actually do get one of those $40-million- to $50-million-offers will
at least stay here to finish out the competition.
Also,
it would be great for this country they’re so thrilled to represent if they
could retain their citizenship so they can still play for the U.S. in future
Olympics.
Then
their new mantra will be:
A gold medal is more important to me than an NBA title OR a
Eurobasket championship.
-- Mark Heisler
Photo: LeBron James adjusts the tie of Olympic
teammate Kobe Bryant during a visit by President Bush on the opening day of the Beijing Games. Credit: Jamie Squire / Getty Images
BEIJING -- Proving that the truth will emerge from the marketplace of ideas ... in inverse proportion to the number of press people on the story ... multiplied by a factor of 1,000 if said press people have access to the Internet ... Kobe Bryant and LeBron James are not currently entertaining fantastic, or made-up, offers to play for European teams.
Bryant’s throwaway line three days ago about playing in Europe if someone offers him $40 million has now turned into a series of “reports,” like the one that says the Greek team, Olympiakos, which just signed Josh Childress, will offer James $50 million per season (SI.com).
Meanwhile, LeBron’s people told ESPN Magazine that he has been contacted by European teams before and would be “strongly interested” if someone comes up with $50 million — per -- when he’s a free agent in 2010.
Cleveland Cavaliers staffers who used to flip out at any suggestion of James signing with a New York team in 2010 -- by the way, he has been wearing a Yankee's cap throughout this trip -- now have to come to grips with a list that goes like this:
Knicks.
Nets.
Real Madrid.
CSKA Moscow.
FC Barcelona.
Olympikos.
Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Benetton Treviso.
At this point, the operative words are "will offer" and "would" be interested -- meaning absolutely nothing has happened aside from throwing big numbers all over cyberspace.
Someone should make up something more realistic; $40 million is almost 80% of an entire NBA’s team’s salary cap. NBA teams can support payrolls that high only because each of them get $30 million annually from the network TV deal and they play 82 games, after which come eight weeks of playoffs.
European teams get a tiny percentage of the NBA's TV money, their season lasts about 35 games, their arenas aren't NBA-sized, they don't know from luxury suites and their post-season tournaments are single elimination, not best-of-seven series.
Aside from that, it was nice knowing you, 'Bron.
I asked an NBA spokesman for a comment. He said for $50 million, he’d go to a European team too.
-- Mark Heisler
Photo: U.S. men's basketball player LeBron James speaks to the media after a Thursday practice in Beijing. Credit: Nelson Ching / Bloomberg News
BEIJING — Whether they know it or not.
Talk about a place that knows how to treat superstars!
I was on the USA Basketball staff's bus going back to the hotel after Tuesday night’s exhibition against Australia in Shanghai, trailing the team’s bus — which had police cars with flashers in front of it and behind it ... and more cops along the way, sealing off all the traffic on on-ramps so our guys could breeze down the highway.
I’ve mentioned this before, but since then I’ve learned something about it from a Chinese journalist.
“This is common in China,” he said. “They do it for VIPs like high party officials.”
If no one else has mentioned it ... in the last minute ... this is also the land of hospitality and security.
Flying out of Shanghai today, a security woman went through my luggage item by item. She patted down some packets of instant oatmeal I had brought (Hey, what if all they have is, like, octopus for breakfast?).
Then she sniffed a bottle of shampoo. Then she examined my battery-operated toothbrush (I’m from the West, we have such things) and asked, “Please open.”
“It doesn’t open,” I said.
“Please open,” she repeated.
“It doesn’t open,” I repeated.
She looked skeptical, continuing to turn it over in her hand. I thought she was going to pry it apart and hand it back to me in pieces but she decided it was OK, smiled and told me to have a nice day.
Melinda Liu, Newsweek's bureau chief in Beijing, told the BBC that she had to take off her wedding ring to get through a metal detector.
One thing is for sure, the people can’t be nicer. We just come from different places philosophically. In the West, a rule is something you finesse; in the East, it’s a rule.
The U.S. team was | |
