The Americans may be treated like rock stars here, but they suffered from a bit of stage fright early on. The U.S. turned the ball over on its first possession, and the Chinese grabbed a quick 3-0 lead on a 3-pointer by Yao from the top of the key.
"He scripted it perfect," Wade said. "You just had to smile because you couldn't write it any better."
In the past, the Chinese might have been tempted to call timeout and take a picture of the scoreboard. But China has improved under Kazlauskas.
After the U.S. forged a 28-21 lead early in the second quarter, China tied it at 29 on a 3-pointer by Sun Yue with six minutes to play in the first half.
That's when Team USA began to flex its superiority. The Americans responded with a 16-3 run capped by a trio of thundering dunks -- by James, Bryant and Bosh -- on its way to a 49-37 halftime lead.
The Americans struggled with their long-range shooting, an ominous sign for a team that has been dogged by shooting woes in past international tournaments. The U.S. went 1-for-12 from beyond the arc in the first half.
The Chinese, by contrast, hit eight of their first 12 shots from beyond the arc. But when their 3-pointers stopped falling, the Chinese had no answer for the Americans' defensive pressure, not to mention its superior depth.
China has more than a billion people, but there's not an elite point guard among them. If they ever find one, the Chinese might begin to close the oceanic gap between them and the Americans.
The U.S. had beaten China in each of their first nine meetings by a combined 363 points. In their last meeting, the Americans blasted China 121-90 in the world championships two years ago in Sapporo, Japan, harrying the Chinese into 25 turnovers.
Although the U.S. won this game by 31 points, the Chinese hoped to send a message. They're relative newcomers on the international hoops stage, but they aren't going away.
Yao, who led China with 13 points, seemed to make that point as he came off for the last time with 4:43 to play and China trailing 87-54.
Yao raised his right fist to the crowd, sparking a long, loud ovation.
China had lost. But basketball won.
