There were at least three NBA players who were flag holders during the opening ceremony. That revealed that NBA stars are important figures off the pitch. Inevitably, in the context of a game, they have an important place as well.

The entire US team plays in the NBA, but European players, who evolved in the US, have a double advantage as they know both NBA rules and FIBA [Intenational Basketball Federation] rules. On the Olympic level, FIBA rules are applied, giving Europeans an advantage over the US team.

With the exception of Germany, the majority of foreign NBA pros love to play for their national team. Apart from Dirk Nowitzki (Germany), who is always over the top, most of European players put their country first and there is usually no problem of ego.

Even though Greece - the world vice-champion - has no players who evolved in the NBA, their force resides in their preparation. They finished their season mid-June, leaving an unusually long time to get ready for the Games. And that's a real asset.

As for China, the impact of their two NBA players is huge. China doesn't have a great diversity of players. They measure around 2.12 metres but they lack an experienced centre, which make them one of the weakest teams of the 2008 Games. So to have two NBA pros like Sun Yue and, of course, Yao Ming is an incredible advantage for them.

Most of the Chinese players play in China, where there isn't any intenational competition. European teams have a huge advantage as they play every week a European cup match, so they know how to adapt to different types of games.

Although, China won all of their preparation matches, it doesn't reflect their weak team.

 

'All eyes on Yao Ming' posted by FRANCE 24 on Youtube