US Tops China in Hoops Opener

The United States opened its campaign for Olympic basketball redemption today with a 101-70 rout of host China that had even the home crowd oohing and aahing. And fans including President Bush got what they came to see."I had five dunks in one game. That's because of the crowd. Last time I had five dunks in a game I was like 17," said Team USA's Kobe Bryant.

Fans throughout the arena chanted "Jia You! Jia You!" (Let's go!) and cheered plays on both ends. China's Yao Ming, All-Star center for the Houston Rockets, started the showcase by drilling a 3-pointer from the top of the key for the first score of the game. The Americans then started forcing turnovers by China's smaller guards—long the team's Achilles' heel-- and broke open the game with a series of layups and dunks.