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Olympics

Basketball to draw viewers, not wagers

It has the potential to be the most-watched game in sports history, featuring Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and the U.S. basketball team.

Five early impressions after awakening in Beijing this week for the Olympic Games

1. This is a country we don’t want to invade. Of the 1.3 billion people, 700 million seem to be dressed as police officers and security personnel while standing at attention. They’re guarding everything from cell phone towers in barren fields to firetrucks outside media village apartments. One policeman just stares at a barb-wired fence all day, a tad more busy than a parking attendant at UNLV football games.

THE LATEST
Big-bang ceremony to kick off Games

China is expected to set a new standard for spectacle today when it kicks off the 2008 Summer Games with an opening ceremony meant to wow the world and proclaim the arrival of a new global power to be reckoned with.

Anthony’s Athens bling lacks luster

Carmelo Anthony always seems to be grinning. Whether he’s running sprints, shooting free throws or icing his knees, his expression rarely changes.

This Dream Team will come up golden

Chris Paul probably wasn’t the best person to ask about size, because the 6-footer spends most of his time on the court trying to avoid the big guys instead of trying to act like one. Besides, he’s got other things on his mind this week, including impressing Mike Krzyzewski enough to secure the backup spot to Jason Kidd as the U.S. point guard in Beijing.

Henderson firm helps U.S. athletes say ‘ni hao’

International travelers know the scenario: The hapless foreigner wants to ask locals where he’ll find a bus stop, but thanks to his mangled translation, he inadvertently queries about the nearest whorehouse. Hilarity ensues, unless he’s in Pahrump or Amsterdam.

BACK IN THE FOLD

For an athlete, being on the outside looking in has to be the worst feeling in the world.