The standard for Olympic basketball was set in 1992 by the USA Dream Team. But in recent years, US Men’s basketball teams have failed to deliver and in Athens in 2004 they came up with a disappointing bronze medal. That’s why this year’s squad will settle for only the gold. The USA team is packed with NBA stars against like Lebron James, who admits the pressure is on to bring home the gold. But it’s not just fun, according to Kobe Bryant. This reporter for the LA Times says this team has a special chance to redeem the US reputation in world basketball. China’s top basketball player, Yao Ming, is carrying his nation’s flag during the opening ceremonies, and China’s Prime Minister told the team to win honor for the motherland. Ming says it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to play basketball for his country while they host the Games. This Beijing basketball court gets busy on the weekends, and this Chinese man is keeping his expectations for his national team realistic. He says he expects the US to score about 110 points on Sunday and for China to have between 30-40. that might be overly pessimistic but still this Chinese player finds it hard to believe that China’s team will win a medal this summer.
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