Sports
Basketball
Beijing 2008
Yao shines in loss
Ap, Beijing
Chinese superstar Yao Ming (C) blocks an effort by Team USA's Kobe Bryant during their Olympic preliminary round basketball match at the Olympic Basketball Gymnasium on Sunday. Photo: AFPA loping run to the arc, a split-second pause and the flap of the net. It wasn't exactly a breakthrough moment, but it will be remembered as the most famous 3-pointer scored in China.As expected, Yao Ming was the center of attention in Sunday's theatrics that was billed as an Olympic basketball game but felt more like a movie premiere. And his 3-pointer to open the scoring has already become the stuff of legend.“I was just really happy to make that shot,” Yao said after the final whistle, clearly drained by the lightening pace of the U.S. squad. “It was the first score in our Olympic campaign here at home and I'll always remember it. It represents that we can keep our heads up in the face of really tough odds.”Ultimately China went down 101-70, but it was hardly a loss for China and Yao.Whether chasing a ball out of bounds and landing in a sea of photographers on the baseline under the basket, breaking a five minute scoring drought, or just jumping off the bench to celebrate a teammate's basket with fist pumps in the air even after the game was way out of hand, Yao was the visual, visceral and emotional heart of China's squad.The China-U.S. game was always going to be one of the most anticipated showdowns in these Olympics and the basketball arena was filled to its 18,000 seat capacity and beyond. Yao himself, seldom prone to outbursts of emotion or long answers, simply expressed the sentiment as: “This was a game I could hardly have imagined.”The 7-foot-6 (2.26-meter) Houston Rockets center was expected to be one of the faces if not the face of the Beijing Games, and his season-ending foot injury in February left Chinese fans and officials collectively holding their breath.His return to court was a cause of celebration, and even though China isn't expected to medal in basketball, the presence of China's biggest star who has proven himself against the world's best was a comfort and inspiration to hundreds of millions of Chinese.
One of several CNG filling stations between Kanchpur Bridge and Jatrabari of the capital which BNP big shots built on the Kutubkhali canal, drastically reducing Dhaka's drainage capability. PHOTO: STAR
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Basketball
Beijing 2008
Yao shines in loss
Ap, Beijing
Chinese superstar Yao Ming (C) blocks an effort by Team USA's Kobe Bryant during their Olympic preliminary round basketball match at the Olympic Basketball Gymnasium on Sunday. Photo: AFPA loping run to the arc, a split-second pause and the flap of the net. It wasn't exactly a breakthrough moment, but it will be remembered as the most famous 3-pointer scored in China.As expected, Yao Ming was the center of attention in Sunday's theatrics that was billed as an Olympic basketball game but felt more like a movie premiere. And his 3-pointer to open the scoring has already become the stuff of legend.“I was just really happy to make that shot,” Yao said after the final whistle, clearly drained by the lightening pace of the U.S. squad. “It was the first score in our Olympic campaign here at home and I'll always remember it. It represents that we can keep our heads up in the face of really tough odds.”Ultimately China went down 101-70, but it was hardly a loss for China and Yao.Whether chasing a ball out of bounds and landing in a sea of photographers on the baseline under the basket, breaking a five minute scoring drought, or just jumping off the bench to celebrate a teammate's basket with fist pumps in the air even after the game was way out of hand, Yao was the visual, visceral and emotional heart of China's squad.The China-U.S. game was always going to be one of the most anticipated showdowns in these Olympics and the basketball arena was filled to its 18,000 seat capacity and beyond. Yao himself, seldom prone to outbursts of emotion or long answers, simply expressed the sentiment as: “This was a game I could hardly have imagined.”The 7-foot-6 (2.26-meter) Houston Rockets center was expected to be one of the faces if not the face of the Beijing Games, and his season-ending foot injury in February left Chinese fans and officials collectively holding their breath.His return to court was a cause of celebration, and even though China isn't expected to medal in basketball, the presence of China's biggest star who has proven himself against the world's best was a comfort and inspiration to hundreds of millions of Chinese.
One of several CNG filling stations between Kanchpur Bridge and Jatrabari of the capital which BNP big shots built on the Kutubkhali canal, drastically reducing Dhaka's drainage capability. PHOTO: STAR
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