US wows Yao's China in opener
BEIJING - The Final Four. The NBA Finals. The NBA All-Star Game. It doesn't get much bigger in basketball than playing in those events, which Dwyane Wade has.
But they didn't have two American presidents in the stands, possibly more than a billion people watching on television worldwide, and the attention of an entire country, as a collection of United States superstars played against a giant national hero, literally and figuratively.
It got bigger late last night when the US men's basketball team made its Olympic debut with a 101-70 blowout over Yao Ming and host China in front of a boisterous crowd at the Olympic Basketball Gymnasium.
"This is the biggest one, by far," said Wade, who scored a game-high 19 points off the bench. "The excitement of it. The anxiousness of it. The anticipation was just crazy. I'm just glad it's out of the way now. Now we can settle back in and really focus on our next opponents. The game was just over the top."
Team USA already had one opportunity to visit with the President, George W. Bush, and with fellow American Olympians before the Opening Ceremonies last Friday. Several members of the team also have met the president after their college or professional teams won championships.
But Bush gave Team USA a much more intimate visit this time when he entered its locker room with his wife, Laura, and his father, the former president.
"It's a great feeling," said US guard Kobe Bryant, who scored 13 points. "He basically came up to us and said, 'I'm here to support you. Our country supports you.' "
The president visited each player and was well prepared. He told Wade he remembered that they met after the Heat won the 2006 NBA championship; Wade came to the White House with his arm in a sling.
With the Secret Service watching closely, the Bushes sat in their private seats about 30 minutes before the game. Cameras of professional - and novice - photographers flashed wildly.
The Seattle-like rain may have drenched the fans and media en route to the game, but it didn't keep them from showing up in droves. With their homegrown NBA star, Yao, leading the way, the crowd cheered loudly for the Chinese team as it first stepped on the new floor. The Chinese cheered even more loudly for the Americans, though, when they ran onto the floor.
The new 18,000-seat venue was filled to capacity, with standing room everywhere. All 600 media seats were filled, and photographers were packed in like sardines. While the cheers for Yao were loud during pregame introductions, the cheers for Bryant were more piercing. The Chinese, however, did show their loyalty by singing their national anthem to the top of their lungs pregame and chanting, "Let's go!" and "China . . . China."
Yao, who had 13 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 blocks, said "This is a personal Olympics for me. Everyone is proud. It felt great. All the flags and people were cheering."
China opened the game with a surprise 3-pointer by the 7-foot-6-inch Yao. The crowd cheered in amazement and the US players couldn't help but smile.
"It couldn't have been scripted any better," Wade said. "If you write a book and you said, 'How am I going to start this game out?: Yao hitting a three with the [fist] pump, with the excitement.' It was great. It was great for basketball. And we couldn't do nothing but smile on the sideline."
Said Yao, "I just shot the ball and it went in."
Recently signed Los Angeles Laker Sun Yue gave China a 6-2 lead after hitting a trey over Bryant, the Lakers' current megastar. After being fouled on a layin by Yao, LeBron James completed a 3-point play to give the US its first lead, 7-6, with 7:19 left in the first. With China ahead, 11-9, with 5:34 remaining in the first, the crowd went wild when Yao blocked Bryant's shot.
The Americans finished the first with an 11-5 run, however, to take a 20-16 lead, getting 7 points from James (18 overall) in the 10-minute quarter. But with China trailing by only 4, the dream of what would have been one of the world's greatest sports upsets was very much alive.
A 3-pointer by Sun tied the game at 29 with 6:05 left in the second. But Team USA went ahead by 13 before taking a 49-37 halftime lead.
Yao had said he didn't expect to beat the US, but he was hoping for a competitive contest. Those dreams were dashed, though, as the talented and deep American team jumped to a 20-point lead (68-48) after a Wade 3-point play with 2:17 left in the third. After several highlight-reel dunks and acrobatic plays, Team USA finished the third with a comfortable 74-48 advantage.
With the US dominating, 84-50, Yao was taken out with 4:45 remaining in the game and was given a standing ovation as he waved to his people. But from the way the crowd cheered for both teams the entire game and gave them a standing O at the final buzzer, it was easy to see this was the most memorable night of basketball this country has seen - as well as the US players.
"We understood that it was just bigger than the game," said Bryant. "It wasn't just a Finals game. It wasn't a seventh game. It was bigger than that."
Marc J. Spears can be reached at mspears@globe.com 
