Yao leads China over Germany at Olympics

Dirk Nowitzki's team gets U.S. next after Americans whip Spain 119-82

By FRAN BLINEBURY Chronicle Olympic Bureau

Aug. 16, 2008, 11:14AM

BEIJING — Every time he made a shot, Yao Ming pumped his first.

Each time one of his teammates made a play, he nodded his head vigorously and slapped him on the back.

The opening game against Team USA was a social event, a world-wide happening. This was the game Yao wanted.

This was effort that China needed to win to declare its Olympic experience as hosts as a success. With Yao pouring in 25 points and grabbing 11 rebounds, China made that statement with a 59-55 win over Germany on Saturday.

(Also Saturday, LeBron James led six players in double figures as the United States beat Spain 119-82. The Cleveland Cavaliers star finished with 18 points and eight assists.) 

When the horn sounded, a triumphant Yao ran to the middle of the court with both arms raised high above his head and he joined his teammates in a circle for a dance. Then he ran off the floor, hooting and yelping and reaching to slap hands with fans who hung out of the stands.

"It's a big day for China, but we want to do more," Yao said.

The victory guarantees that the home team will advance to the quarterfinal round of the tournament and means China will at least equal its best-ever Olympic finish (8th place).

China has one more preliminary round game against Greece and will face the No. 1 seed in Group A when the knockout round begins.

But that's a problem for another day.

This night was about standing up to the pressure of being in front of a roaring, hopeful home crowd that would have been devastated if its most high-profile team at the Olympics did not advance.

"It was difficult psychologically for us," said China coach Jonas Kazlauskas. "We were playing at home and we just cannot lose this game."

Yao played from the opening tip as if he simply would not let that happen.

He got the ball inside against Germany's 7-footer NBA tandem of Dirk Nowitzki and Chris Kaman and he scored in the post.

Yao moved as well as he has at any time in the tournament and played and shot the ball with confidence.

He anchored the middle of China's zone defense and he effectively changed shots all night as Germany shot just 18-for-62 (29 percent) in the game.

"We win this game tonight because of our defense and the way Yao played inside," Kazlauskas said.

China won after once more blowing a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter. But instead of giving the game away like happened against Spain, Yao's bunch was able to right itself.

 When Nowitzki (24 points) hit a 3-pointer with 1:55 remaining to slice the lead to 56-55, the collapse seemed imminent. But after China missed three shots and Yao took a charge under the hoop against Nowitzki, the ball came to Yi Jianlian on the right wing and he drained a 16-footer with 28.1 seconds to go and China was able to hang on.

China has been to the quarterfinals twice before in the Olympics (Atlanta and Athens). But this was time it was accomplished with the burden of expectation.

"It's bigger than in 2004, because it's really difficult having the home court and everything that comes with it," Yao said. "It makes me more excited. It gives me more emotion. "Of course, the pressure is always there in big games. We feel the pressure. But most of the time we handled it pretty well."

Yao handled his role as the ballast that was always there for China, making big buckets and grabbing big rebounds.

"I think this team comes with more experience after all of our training games and a very frustrating game against Spain," Yao said. "I think we all learn how to trust each other, play together and win this game as a team. "Sometimes it seems like we are down, like at halftime and in the fourth quarter. But we know what to do."

They did enough to answer the challenge, reach their pre-tournament goal and to enjoy the raucous celebration with a house packed with their jubilant countrymen, even if 7-6 center couldn't quite into words the grin that was sprinting across his face.

"I don't know," the beaming Yao said. "This is a big something. How do I describe? I don't know. Give me a break."