(Guru's note: Again using the luxury of working the desk and having access to The Inquirer's sports wire database, here's a Chicago Tribune advance of the USA-China game)
By K.C. Johnson
Chicago Tribune
BEIJING—As members of the men’s team did for them the previous
night, players from the U.S. women’s Olympic basketball team stopped
by to cheer on their counterparts Sunday night.
But the women weren’t merely repaying a favor. They were
surveying the scene.
Twenty-four hours after the Olympic Basketball Gymnasium
turned into a madhouse while the U.S. men beat China 101-70, the U.S.
women face the same opponent in what likely will be an equally
raucous setting.
To say they were looking forward to the atmosphere is like
saying four-time Olympian Lisa Leslie is a veteran.
"This place is going to be packed," guard Diana Taurasi said.
"The crowd is going to be off the chain."
For the U.S. women’s team quest for a fourth straight
gold-medal to stay on track, it must subdue a Chinese team that
defeated Spain in its first game. It must also bring its track shoes.
"China is very quick and athletic, loves to get up and down
and loves to penetrate and kick," forward Tamika Catchings said.
"That’s their game. They’re able to hit a lot of threes off
penetration and kicking the ball. So for us, it’s going to be really
important to continue to apply pressure and contain them and keep
them in front of us."
Team USA is coming off a 40-point victory over Czech Republic
in its opening game in which it scored 97 points. Fast-paced games
don’t faze them and triple-digit scoreboard possibilities entice
Taurasi.
"China gets after it, but that’s what I’m conditioned to do,
get up and down," she said. "If anything, that’s when I think we’re
at our peak. If you think about it, in the starting five, we have
three point guards with Sue (Bird), Katie (Smith) and I. We just get
it and go and when we get up and down, we can utilize how versatile
everyone is."
Coach Anne Donovan said the new Chinese coach, Australian Tom
Maher, has changed the style of the host country’s program. Beyond
the emphasis on fast-break opportunities, the Chinese also work to
switch aggressively on virtually every ball screen.
A high-scoring game could whip the home country’s passionate
fans into a frenzy. The Americans insists this won’t faze their
focus.
"We already know coming in that everybody is going to root
against us," guard Cappie Pondexter, a former Rutgers star, said. "That’s alright. We just
have to focus in on us and not worry about anything that’s going on
on the outside."
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