Before coming to Beijing for the games, all of the buzz in my group of travelers was about trying to score the hot events. Right near the top of the list was a ticket to see Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and the rest of the 2008 USA basketball team play. The opponent didn't really matter.I was lucky enough to score a seat in the second row of the upper bowl of Beijing Olympic Basketball Gymnasium to watch as Team USA made Dirk Niwitzki and the German team look like a third world country. The US squad won by forty-nine.
Sure the high flying dunks and attempted alley-oops off the backboard were entertaining but after the US had a twenty-five plus point lead things got a bit boring. Should a fan in attendance simply marvel at the display or hope for a more competitive game? I say both.
The second game of the double header was Argentina vs. Russia which proved to be a much more hard fought game that went down to the final minutes, something hard to find in Olympic Basketball.
Argentina's Andres Nocioni led the way and helped them put away the Russians who put up a tough fight to the end.
The biggest commotion of the two game set was clearly when the crowd realized there was a soccer legend in the arena. Argentina's great Diego Maradona was there to cheer on his boys against the Russians. Once the Chinese realized who he was, or simply that he was someone famous, they mobbed his section in an attempt to take photos of the once great soccer star. Security was forced to move Diego to the media section for some peace.
The crowd for the USA vs. Germany game was silent. By my estimates, 75-80% of the crowd was Chinese and they didn't seem too interested in cheering for either team. The loudest cheers I heard were when walking out of the venue, the entire crowd started doing the one "Jai-Yo!" cheer led by a volunteer with a megaphone. I thought I was leaving a Phish concert or something in Camden.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
8-20-2008 @ 9:03AM
Hoopwarrior said...
I have to disagree that winning by 49 is boring- this is the Olympics and the national arena for sending a message to the next opponent. The USA has played with dignity and has given respect to all the other great national teams. But unlike the past this years they have to send a message- Pitbull Defense and Run the Ball like a Loco Sprinter. Setting Up Half Courts, Pick and Rolls, Give and Goes are all fine for long term season- but this is a short stack series of games and the USA can't take the time to come up short again. I say " marvel at the display" and get the mind eating edge that when you come on the court with the USA you better be ready to rumble with respect and dignity...
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8-21-2008 @ 8:30PM
stephen said...
it wouldnt be borinfg if they won by 149...the rest of the world crowed when they beat our "c" team...let them eat it bigtime
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8-22-2008 @ 9:59PM
whodoo said...
The olympics have been great, except for one thing that has been very very poorly schedualed is the mens basketball games , for the united states especially, hundreds of fans i know and heard about are extremely pissed off that to see teem usa play is at 5:00am in the dam morning when every one is asleep and have to miss the entire games except the saterday games ongly witch are 10:00am you mite as well have not bothered showing them at all , some one should be held accountable for this shit! P S. some one please! tell me how such a screw up could happen like this as huge as pro basketball is in the united states, what a fricking blow it.
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8-23-2008 @ 5:37PM
ron said...
lay it on them usa..they would do it to us if they could!
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8-24-2008 @ 4:14PM
dirk de young said...
Sorry for the inconvenient game times, it called the world time zones!! Hard to schedule a real time game in China that works well for Americans. We watched one game that was super late I suppose to give sleepy Americans one more hour of slumber. What I think is really important is that all of these NBA stars showed up and live up to their billing. The NBA is very popular in China and this was a great talent show case. I am sure that China is a market of the future and will one day have some NBA franchises of their own.
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