Tag Archive for 'basketball'

The “Redeem Team!”

Published by
Steve
at August 11, 2008 in China, Olympics, Sports and USA. 1 Comment

I just finished watching the USA basketball team (aka The Redeem Team) finish off Yao Ming and the rest of China’s team by the score of 101 to 70.

Despite this being China’s ‘home crowd’, the cheering seemed enthusiastic for both teams. China put up a spirited fight in the first half, but just couldn’t keep up in the second half.

I was personally impressed by how ‘clean’ everyone played, I’ve been so turned off by the NBA, because of all of the “thugs” who seem to do whatever they want with little or no consequences, that I was very pleasantly surprised by the sportsmanship shown by both teams.

Yao Ming is back, sorta

Published by
Steve
at July 19, 2008 in China, Olympics and Sports. 2 Comments

 

Yao Ming played his first game in almost five months after a foot surgery, helping China beat Serbia 96-72 at the Stankovic Continental Cup here on Thursday.

The game was Yao’s first since a stress fracture in his left foot ended his NBA season in February and threatened his return as part of China’s team.

Yao returned to light training late last month after X-rays and an MRI scan taken in Houston showed his recovery was on schedule, at about 80 percent healed. Such injuries usually take a year to fully heal.

The injury has caused major concern among China’s Olympic organizers expecting him to become the face of the games and his return was certain to help them sleep easier. Yao is considered a leading candidate to carry the Olympic torch on its final leg into Beijing’s grandiose new National Stadium.