2008 Olympics Blog: Day 8

	Kobe Bryant

The Beijing Blog has been quite busy the last couple of days, so my apologies if I caused any agony to our NBADraft.net readers by not posting yesterday. I also apologize if I’m causing any misery by continuing the blog.

The day before last, I was able to acquire a ticket to enter the Olympic Green Park. The park is home to Beijing’s various Olympic stadiums, including the Bird’s Nest and the Water Cube. Standing not ten feet away from the Bird’s Nest and Water Cube, I was in total amazement of these two architectural wonders. Nobody is lying when they say that these two stadiums are truly marvels to behold. The Bird’s Nest especially is an unbelievable sight. By far the coolest stadium I’ve ever seen.

Another unbelievable sight I saw? A water fountain. It was the first one I’ve ever seen in China. And apparently, it was the first one some Chinese people had seen too. While waiting for the subway to arrive, groups of confused Chinese nervously walked up to the fountain to get their first taste of Beijing water. In China, tap water is undrinkable. There are no such things as water fountains. If you’re going to drink, you need to either boil your water or buy the bottled stuff. It’s one of those simple things I took for granted while growing up in America. tap water.

At the park, we were presented with three choices in dining: Eat at the McDonalds by the entrance, eat at the McDonalds in the middle of the park, or eat at the McDonalds at the end of the park. I feel horrible for anybody who has tickets for multiple days. And forget bringing a boxed lunch. Nobody is allowed to bring in food or drink of any kind.

The Beijing Blog gives Olympic Park high marks. The experience was one of those true Olympic moments that I was searching for. I hope that there’s more to come.

Here’s a quick batch of links:

If you didn’t know already, 110m hurdler, Liu Xiang, is a big deal in China. So some Chinese took Liu’s injury really hard: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/olympics/2008-08/19/content_6948141.htm.

A lot of great basketball players think Marc Gasol can ball: http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/aug/17/reviews-in-other-gasol-not-just-big/

If you missed a game, NBCOlympics.com is showing replays of most games: http://www.interbasket.net/news/431/2008/08/17/watch-olympic-basketball-replays-online-usa-spain-lithuania-china/

Matchday 5 Recap:

Croatia 91 – Iran 57

Iran scored 16 points in the first half. Croatia scored 54. ‘Nuff said.

The Iranians aren’t even upset. Said head coach, Rajko Toroman, "We came here to get some experience and we came here to learn. Of course I'm satisfied."

Box score

Australia 106 – Lithuania 75

Say what? Australia did their best “Redeem Team” impression by blowing the heck out previously undefeated Lithuania. Australia shot 57% from the field, including 16/25 from three, while forcing 25 turnovers en route to their shock win. Andrew Bogut has finally awoken from his $72 million dollar slumber to post two consecutive solid outings. He had 23 points in 16 minutes, and was especially dominant in the first half.

Before we get too carried away, let’s get it straight. This was a fluke. I mean, Andrew Bogut hit three three-pointers today. That’s two more than he’s hit in his entire NBA career. The Boomers played simply out of their minds today, and the Lithuanians were complacent from the start. I still think Lithuania is a legit contender, and I still think Australia isn’t that good. We’ll see if I’m right on Wednesday.

Box score

Greece 91 – China 77

Despite the modest 14 point difference, China’s coach, Jonas Kazlauskas summed it up well, I thought: “The game wasn't close.” The Hellas got out in front by 24 at one point in the first half, using their stifling defense to pressure the Chinese guards all over.

Greece is tough to figure out. They’ve played well against mid-level and poor competition, and they’ve lost pretty badly to elite teams. They’ll be playing Argentina in the quarterfinals and it’ll be interesting to see which Greek team shows up.

Box score:

Spain 98 – Angola 50

Angola is short. Pau Gasol is not. The 7 foot Gasol scored 31 points on 13/14 shooting, and he did so in only 23 minutes. That means Yao Ming and Gasol combined for 63 points on 23/26 shooting. Spain clinches second place, Angola goes home winless.

Box score

United States 103 – Germany 56

The United States looks downright scary right now. They demolish a team, look great in the process, and then come out even better in the next game. I thought the destruction of Greece was a near flawless game. Then I thought their blowout win against Spain was a flawless game. Now, after dismantling Germany, I think this may be one of history's greatest.

Box score

Come back tomorrow for a preview of the medal-round, links and more.