Team USA dazzles in exhibition

Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Michael Redd each scored 20 points as Team USA routed Canada 120-65 at the Thomas & Mack Center in their first exhibition contest in preparation for the Olympics.

Chris Paul dished out eight assists for the Americans, who will play two tune-up contests in Macao and two more in Shanghai before their Olympic opener in Beijing against host China on August 10.

Team USA had been scrimmaging against a select team of NBA stars brought in to push the star-studded club in practice. LeBron James injured his right ankle in a scrimmage Tuesday when he landed on the foot of reigning NBA Rookie of the Year Kevin Durant.

As a result, James did not play in this one but wasn't needed by the Americans, who outscored the Canadians, 34-18, in the third quarter en route to taking a 95-56 advantage entering the final period. Team USA also owned a 48-14 advantage in the paint.

It is an important summer for the United States, which hasn't tasted Olympic gold since 2000 in Sydney. Team USA was embarrassed en route to winning bronze medals in the 2004 Athens Olympics and the 2006 World Championships.

Since those debacles, Team USA has been restructured - starting at the top. USA Basketball hired veteran NBA executive Jerry Colangelo as the architect of the squad and appointed Duke's Mike Krzyzewski as coach. Players since have been forced to commit to Team USA for three years to foster the same continuity found in many international squads.

That familiarity showed Friday night, highlighted by a pair of fast breaks to extend the already sizable lead at the outset of the fourth quarter.

Jason Kidd lobbed a looping lead pass to Anthony, who then shoveled another feed to set up a monster dunk by Chris Bosh. On the next possession for the Americans, Wade - who is recovering from knee and shoulder surgeries - finished with a spectacular windmill jam.

The flourish completed a dominant performance by the United States, which shot 66 percent (44-of-67) from the field, including 11-of-22 from the arc. Jermaine Anderson scored 18 points for Canada, which shot just 33 percent (20-of-60) from the floor.

Olympic ticket sales descend into melee in China

The Washington Post, The Associated Press

BEIJING – The scene outside Beijing's main Olympic ticket office descended into chaos on Friday as nearly 40,000 people hoping to see the Games overwhelmed officials, forcing police to block access to the site.

The interruption triggered fights in the crowd, clashes between police and reporters, and unhappiness among families who lost their hard-won places in line.

At the main ticket office not far from the national stadium known as the Bird's Nest, tempers flared as sticky bodies pressed against one another in the surging crowd before sales began at 9 a.m. Police yanked more than half a dozen unruly fans from the crowd, kicking one who fell as he was led away and dragging another by his hair.

"It was very dangerous. I was afraid," said Wang Zhenqiang, who waited 28 hours with Ji Liqiang, a fellow businessman, to buy tickets to the diving competition.

Hundreds of police and paramilitary troops tried to control the crowd, with lines of officers throwing their weight into hastily erected metal barricades to hold back the throng. There was no line; fans were allowed to pass through the police barricade in groups of 25 to 50, streaming toward the two-dozen-plus sales windows.

"People got hurt around me. They fell and injured their knees and elbows. A barricade was bent out of shape by the crowd," Mr. Wang said.

In the scramble, Mr. Wang and his friend ended up with tickets to synchronized swimming, instead of the diving competition – where China is a gold-medal favorite.

The heavy police presence at the ticket office was a sign of what's to come during the Games – nicknamed by some here the Security Olympics. Police prevented people who had left their places in line to buy water or eat breakfast from returning. Officers also turned away reporters who wanted to conduct interviews with those waiting to buy their tickets.

According to Hong Kong Cable TV, one of its reporters was pushed to the ground by police and assaulted after refusing to leave. Hong Kong's Oriental News said Beijing police demanded that two Hong Kong journalists delete video footage of police standing by while a fight broke out between ticket buyers nearby.

About 30,000 tickets were initially available at the central ticket office Friday, according to the official New China News Agency. Officials decided at the last minute to add an unknown number of track-and-field tickets that were to be sold Saturday and Sunday.

Across Beijing, 250,000 tickets for Beijing events were sold at various venues. Distribution went smoothly at many of them. But the most popular tickets, for events at the National Stadium and the National Aquatics Center, were available only at the central ticket office.

Thousands also waited in western Beijing for 20,000 tickets for basketball. Another 570,000 tickets went on sale for preliminary round soccer matches in the cities of Tianjin, Shanghai, Shenyang and Qinhuangdao. There were no reports of major problems at the other sites.

The Washington Post,

The Associated Press