U.S., China await Sunday tip; Bush will watch

Jason Kidd and his U.S. teammates say they're thrilled for the chance to play for their country.

BEIJING — It’s bigger than Yao Ming.

It’s bigger than the Great Wall.

It’s bigger than all the tea in the Middle Kingdom.

Every one of the participants has played in big games before, but nothing like this.

When the NBA stars Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Team USA square off against Yao Ming’s Chinese national team on Sunday, the event will create fireworks that could rival the display in the opening ceremony of the Olympics.

“I think close to 3 billion people are gonna be watching that game,” said forward Carmelo Anthony. That’s what they say. That’s what I hear. That’s a lot of people.

“The atmosphere is gonna be crazy. We’re playing against the home team to open up the Olympics and I’m pretty sure it’s gonna be crazy and energetic in there. Everybody in that building is gonna be jumping. It’s the biggest game on the biggest stage in the world.”

The United States enters the Olympic tournament once more as the heavy favorite to win the gold medal, while China will be challenged to advance out of the preliminary round.

So the game is expected to be a rout.

But the basketball-mad host country playing its first game against the global superstars of the NBA, there is speculation that the world-wide television audience for the game (9:15 a.m. Houston time on NBC) could be the largest in Olympic history.

President Bush (the first sitting U.S. president to attend an Olympics in a foreign country) will attend the game along with China’s president Hu Jintao and premier Wen Jiabao.

“I will have to take a breath at the beginning of this game,” said Yao Ming. “It is the start of the first Olympic Games to be played in China. It is the event that my country and I have been looking to for seven years, since Beijing was awarded the Games. I am so happy that I have been able to recover from my (foot) injury to be ready. To play against the USA team will be great challenge and a great honor.”

The cast of veteran NBA stars, all of whom have been in the playoffs is just as thrilled. It’s gonna be exciting,” said 35-year-old Jason Kidd.

“You can take a Game 7 and times it by seven. It’s gonna be something that nobody’s experienced before. I don’t know if anybody’s had a president come to a game to watch them play before.”

A huge grin spread across the face of Carlos Boozer as he anticipated the game.

“I expect the crowd to be amazing, incredible,” he said. “If you can just imagine and try to wrap your minds around the opening tip with Dwight Howard and Yao Ming. As soon as that ball goes up, every camera in the building is gonna be flashing.

“People are saying this is supposed to be the most watched event in basketball history. For us to be a part of that, for our kids, our grandkids, is something that will be something to look back on when we’re older. Honestly, that’s amazing.”

Point guard Chris Paul nodded his head up and down.

“Just thinking about this first game now, you get goosebumps,” he said. “It’s something we’ll be able to tell our kids and our grandkids that we took part in the largest sporting event ever. And, you know, there’s been a lot of sporting events.”