NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.

LeBron James is selling NBA jerseys

Ok, so it really was the US Team defeating the Chinese Team in Olympic basketball by 31. Still, to marketing experts, it was winners all over the place as the Chinese arena and the whole world watching was all buzzing about these players.

China has improved and will be a vital place for NBA basketball growth.

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.

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Yao Ming needs more NBA jersey sales

China loves more than Yao Ming. They love the NBA. Consider the fact that LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Dwyane Wade jerseys all out sell Yao Ming jerseys in China. That is right, in China!

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NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.

Tayshaun Prince is just one way this Olympic team is different

This Olympic basketball team continues to differentiate itself from other teams of the past. They are a team that has more than just star power; it has a team feel to it. It is more than the addition of Tayshaun Prince of the Detroit Pistons. There really is the feeling that this team came to do business. They want the gold medal.

The Dream Team was larger than life and came into the Olympics with zero competition. You can’t do that anymore. The rest of the world has caught up. Even small nations have NBA stars on their roster and they bring teams that have played together for years.

The Dream Team stayed outside of the village and played a lot of golf.

The team is different.

But Howard’s lunch with Chris Bosh in Macau was good enough for Chinese fans starving for a glimpse of the U.S. Olympic basketball team, because they aren’t getting many chances. The Americans say they took it easy in that gambling town, and they’re not exactly living it up since arriving here, content to stay fresh before the Olympics.

“We really didn’t do much,” Dwyane Wade said. “We’re trying to adjust a lot to the time difference and so a lot of us are resting, trying to get our bodies right, getting a lot of massages. We went out on the town to check it out, but besides that we didn’t do much.”

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In China, the US Olympic team is treated like Rock Stars. There are 300 million people playing basketball in China. The NBA rules.

Be sure to check out all your Olympic news at NBCOlympics.com

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NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.

When Kobe Bryant is on, look out!

Team USA beat the Russians 89 to 68.

This game was a defensive struggle.

Last game was Kobe Bryant’s game to play defense and this game was Kobe’s game to play offense and he did with 19 points.

Meanwhile the Russians played defense.

The United States had been scoring 118 points per game while winning its first three exhibitions by an average of 41 points. Russia allowed far fewer fast-break baskets than the previous U.S. opponents, successfully keeping the game in the halfcourt and forcing the Americans to run more offensive sets.

“I think that’s why they schedule these games,” U.S. star Dwyane Wade said. “Russia is a team we could see in the gold medal game and a team that’s been playing very well of late, so it was good competition. They made us run some sets, slow us down a little bit, but I think overall we played good defense.”

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The Detroit Pistons Tayshaun Prince came into the game early and the defensive tone was set. This Olympic team seems to be able to play all styles and that made this game an important test.

Just to keep it all in the NBA family,

Utah Jazz forward Andrei Kirilenko scored 18 points and American point guard J.R. Holden added 17 for the European champions.

“If you take a look, in past games, the American team, most points they score is fast breaks and its dunks. I think for the most part we contained the ball,” Kirilenko said. “For the most part I think we did a pretty good job to stop them.”

The NBA is everywhere and may be the big winner.

Carmelo Anthony had 19 points and Dwyane Wade chipped in with 16.

Be sure to check out all your Olympic news at NBCOlympics.com

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NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.

Let’s back up and look at Doug Collins.

My early memories were of Doug playing for the 76er’s, swooping to the hole and making a layup or drilling jumper after jumper. He played on the great Dr. J’s teams. He averaged over 17 points a game for his career.

Doug also played on the Olympic team that the Russians beat after the ref’s kept giving them do over’s until they scored the winning basket. Ok, so that one still bothers me. You can’t let everything go.

After retiring as a player, Doug went on to coaching. He got his first walking papers as Michael Jordan’s stubborn coach.

“We knocked heads early,” Collins said at the time. “I was 35, had never been a head coach before, was going to roll up my sleeves to show everybody that I could get the job done. I wanted to do things my way.”

Collins was fired and replaced by Phil Jackson, whose first team also lost to Detroit in the conference finals, 4-3. The following season the Bulls broke through, sweeping the Pistons 4-0 and going on to the first of six championships in the 90s with Jordan and Scottie Pippen leading the way. In 1995-96, they finished 72-10 as what many consider to be the greatest NBA team of all time.

Collins accepted his second head coaching job in 1995 and worked 2 1/2 seasons with the Pistons, going 46-36, 54-28 and 21-24 before he was let go amid reports his style caused friction with some of his players.

He was 37-45 in both seasons in Washington but couldn’t get the Wizards into the playoffs. He was fired shortly after Jordan was denied a return to the front office.

Collins’ overall record is 332-287 and 15-23 in the postseason.

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Here is a YouTube breaking the Chicago Bulls news of hiring Doug Collins.

Now being a huge Piston fans, the early Chicago years were followed and the Piston years were followed. Doug was tough, demanding, and a my way or the highway guy. He could make a weak team strong, but could not make a good team great.

Speaking of great, after a while Doug grated on you and you did not want to play for him anymore.

Now after Chicago experienced the tough, demanding, my way or the highway Scott Skiles, why would they sign Doug Collins?

The Bulls and Collins, who coached a young Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen before the 1990s dynasty took off, acknowledged Thursday discussing a return engagement. The sides also said there would be more talks once Collins’ obligations with TNT ended, which happened when the Los Angeles Lakers eliminated the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference finals that night.

And Collins was adamant during a pregame interview with TNT: “I have not been offered. I have not accepted.”

On Friday, general manager John Paxson did not return a call to his cell phone, and Collins’ representative John Langel declined comment. A message seeking comment was left Friday night on Collins’ cell phone.

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The Bulls will have the number one pick in the draft, probably Derrick Rose of Memphis.

Does this sound like a do over of young Michael Jordan and Doug Collins?

Only Derrick Rose is not Michael Jordan and young Doug Collins had better not be old Doug Collins!

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