OS Beijing 2008 Paralympics Olympics Pekin

China’s usual key to win, is using the down town shots. With many skilled shooters on the team, the Asians concentrated on an open game, setting Yao Ming free under Angola’s basket.

Yao, China’s giant and Houston Rockets star, was out crying and asking his comrades to pass him the ball, knowing that he was free under the basket, many times. Scoring 30 points, giant dragon filled his team mates with energy and self-reliance and offered his host country a small hope of qualifying to the quarter finals.

He declared that it is really nice to win in the Olympics, in China his home land, with 17000 supporters cheering and enjoying the 1^st prevailed game.

Would China beat the odds, and make a blow? I would leave that to the betting sites, and for time to clear it up.

Russia has beaten Lithuania in last year’s Euro-basket, will history repeat itself? Or will unbeaten Lithuanians continue their path towards Beijing’s gold?

Lithuania was leading the game in score all along the 3 quarters of the game, but the 4^th quarter set the game on fire after Russia’s comeback to score, and leading the game for instance. Unfortunately, Kirilenko’s missed free shots would’ve made a huge impact on the score 86-79, despite his 17 points.

This is Russia’s 2^nd loss in 3 games, and will be facing Australia in the next game, both of them a 1-2 record.

On the Lithuanian side, Rimantas Kaukenas who’s coming back from a knee injury contributed with 20 points, as his colleague Ramunas Siskauskas scored 16 points and 7 rebounds; both leading their team to revenge against the Russians who banged them out in the euro-basket semi-finals.

Knowing that they were semi finalists in Athens 2004, and taking a gasp into their achievements until now in the Beijing Olympics, I believe that the Baltic team is starting to look like a good bet to stand on podium and earn a medal.

After all, they have just beaten Europe’s champions!!!

The special thing about the game is that everyone was waiting for it. Every single basketball player, or fan, every TV channel, sports news channel, sports betting sites and panels, and definitely the players themselves, who were prepared and set to face Greece in a special way.

Why?

Greece had knocked out Uncle Sam’s boys in the world championship, who weren’t going to keep it unspoken! Americans unquestionably wanted retribution, as much as the media wanted it too. A huge campaign was launched preparing for this game with 1 foremost heading:

Will USA revenge?

The basketball jerseys are resting on the well built Americans, who were physically and mentally better in the game. The Bryant-Wade-James combination left the Greeks speechless and the crowds emotionally eager to see more supernaturalism… Yankees gratified the whole world, when Lebron James finished a stolen ball in a backward dunk breakaway slam dunk, and 360 degrees flex jam.

That wasn’t all for the public! Wade-Bryant Alley-oop enflamed the numerous thousands in the stadium as well as millions watching it live on TV: Kobe came flying before smashing it into the rim.

US players felt really confident, with Kobe scoring his 3 points shots from the NBA customary line, with a Dwayne Wade almost unstoppable.

Kobe Bryant led the score by 18 points, Lebron James ended with 13 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 block shots. Both were pressed on by the cherished Wade coming to an end with 17 points, 6 steals, 3 rebounds and 5 assists.

Jason Kiss was into the foul trouble early, but the incredible defensive job made it look so easy for the USA, who declared after the game, that they were more aggressive and better. It is so rare to feel that a dream team needs a revenge match, but this time they managed to get their ego back!

Smashing Greece was half of their duty, gold medal is the new mission to accomplish.

After a bad start in Beijing, Argentina was determined to get back on track, and try to find a way out of the misery, in order to stay in Beijing. Winning is a must after their defeat next to Lithuania, and they managed to do it, after crashing Australia’s dreamers, and now beating Croatia, undefeated and considered a favorite medalist in the Beijing Olympic games.

Tango boys with white, striped with blue and yellow basketball jerseys kept lifting the score’s differentiation, reaching the 30 points, and then settled on 24, to win the game77 to 53, after a great effort from the Argentinean star Luis Scola, ending it with 12 points. Latin America’s boys averaged 59% from inside the arc, and 41% from the 3 points lane.

As for Croatia, the stats make it clear, what was behind their defeat, as the calculations showed a middling of 20% from long range and nearly reaching 30% overall.

Argentina meets the Asian champion in the next game, Iran which is desperate for a 1^st win in Beijing.

Sports betting sites plainly count in favor of the South Americans, but a blow is always possible.

China team started running in the wrong direction of the filed… wacky launch!

After all, they played as a team, in the exact direction this time, to score 80 points against New Zealand that managed to get 63.

China’s center “Nan”, scored 26 points along with 15 points from the captain Miao. Both drove the dragon’ team into the final 8, with a hope of getting a medal. China’s Australian coach said she is willing to steal a medal from the game’s giants, meaning the USA, Australia and Russia.

Champion Australia is on the road to the finals, as declared Australian coach after the game against Korea. As for ausie girls’ captain, she was enthusiastic about moving to the quarter finals, giving credit to her team mates who gave everything in the game. She couldn’t avoid coming around evaluating her performance of only 16 points, saying that she’s not up to her usual level yet.

Penny Taylor and Suzy Batkovic contributed in increasing the score difference against Korea, with 18 points each.

Jut like Anne Donovan (USA coach), Australian trainer made a statement confirming that expectations of playing the USA in the finals, is too soon to think about.

Australians and Americans are both aware that they are the favorites in Beijing, and each coach is betting on the performance and experience of her team.

What are the odds that a 3^rd team joins the rivalry?

Crushed, pulped and smashed, Mali women couldn’t do anything against the US ladies, fully loaded and programmed to reach GOLD in Beijing.

The team was 100% focused all along the game, despite the large difference. The blue stars basketball jersey was glinting all along the floor, planting the show in what seemed like training.

56 points of difference, no pity, no mercy shown from the United States basketball team against Mali that was lying down everything they had, but incapable of condensing the massive wave coming from captain Lisa Leslie’ 16 points, as 4 of her  team-mates hit double figures too.

Coach Anne Donovan said that her team thinks 1 step ahead. She also declared that US isn’t thinking about Australia, the world champions, but is keeping her ladies focused on the next game to come.

If the states win the golden medal, it will be the 4^th in a row.

Spain keeps reminding all TV viewers, all crowds, that they didn’t get their title of world champions, by mistake! And that they worked really hard before and here for these Olympics. Pau Gasol scored 13 points, in what was a close, but tough game. Very physically entailing, it was a battle of giants of supremacy under the basket: Gasol Vs Nowitzki

The Spaniard, Lakers team player with the yellow basketball jersey, made 5 rebounds and scored 13 points. In defense he was covered by Marc Gasol, making 8 defensive rebounds and scoring 7 points.

From the German side, inflexible defense on Nowitzki kept him from playing freely under the basket, with 11 points on the count and 5 rebounds. The scorer of the game was Hamann, keeping count till 15.

In what seemed to be a defensive game, odds did not go wrong, and sports betting sites came clear that Spain had a slight advantage over the Germans.

In fact, what came to public views, on TV news and sports news wasn’t the sport result, or the performance of either teams. What mattered the most is a photo including all the members of the Spanish team, stretching their eyes to look like China Style.

Some found it disturbing, and full of roguery, as others said that it means no harm, and it is funny. Both ways, this shouldn’t affect Spain’s running for the gold in these Olympic Games.

Deutch players clearly counting on the talented star of the Dallas Mavericks player Dirk Nowitzki, lost their bet on winning, while Greece’s mode of dealing with Germans, counted on team effort. The Dallas much loved Dirk, was double teamed, and closely watched by the blues, keeping him away from scoring as usual: 13 points!

Spanoulis’ 23 points (4 of 6 from 3points lane) were enough to front all of his team mates to a relaxing win, through 23 points of difference, where Nowitzki’s capabalities and  fitness under the basket, or from the 3 points lane were not enough and efficient  to rescue the German lineup. Blue captain Papaloukas gave credit to all of his team, saying that everyone of them contributed in a way or another, making it clear that their well organized defense and the good finishing in attack were behind their triumph.

When asked about facing the United States, he made it clear that the dream team is different!

Being the 2006-07 NBA’s MVP, Dirk averaged 22.3 points and rapidly became a fan loved player as he participated in many basketball camps and many beneficent humanitarian campaigns.

Dirk’s awaited on TV, picked by players in video games (NBA), and whose achievements are attentively watched on sports new by the analysts, reviewers and critics.

On the other hand, he made a huge impact on the sports betting concept and panes, on sports news and in books, not to mention the increase of basketball tickets sales in Dallas.

Untainted European styled game, as Croatia faced  Russia in a close game. Croatian Marko Popovic, demonstrated a high scaled style of leadership achieving 22 points, supported by the 20 points of the 1.98m  Zoran Planinic .

Russia, known as the Champion of Europe, was not able to stop to Croatian attack, as organized as the defensive tactic, giving way to a Croatian success in Beijing. European sovereignty and pride were both stripped out from the 3 colored basketball jersey Andrei Kirilenko(18points), and his Russian team mates.

Russia will face Iran, in the next game. The European champion will have to regain some of his lost smugness against the Asian champions. Iranians have to demonstrate that they are up to the world level, after a 99-67 defeat against Lithuania.

On the other hand, Croatia plays against the Ausie players in a much awaited game.