US ready for big basketball game against China

Day two of the Beijing Olympics, and at the end of the day it's a basketball game for the ages: The U.S. men's team plays against China.

This weekend bridges the awesome Opening Ceremony with the spirit of Olympic competition. The games are on now, and the U.S. Olympic basketball team gets a double dose of the shock and awe.

"It's amazing. I've never been in front of that many people before in my life. Everybody's cheering for you and you just realize that you're an Olympian. It's something special," Utah's Deron Williams said of the Opening Ceremony.

Williams, Carlos Boozer and Team U.S.A. can't wait to get busy. Team member Carmelo Anthony said, "It's going to be crazy in there. It's going to be really energetic. Everybody's going to be bumping."

Their opener against the Chinese could rock the world like the Opening Ceremony did.

Williams said, "This is probably going to be the biggest game in sports history, most watched game in sports history."

"The fact that we're part of something that special is remarkable," said another player.

Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski has won three national championships at Duke, but this is a little different. "If what they tell us is true, with the amount of people who will view that game, it's staggering," he said.

Jazzman Williams is peeking down that Olympic road. "I talked to the guys from '04, and they said they all got butterflies when their names were called. Hopefully we'll be in a gold medal game and be nervous for that one," he said.

Some say a billion people could watch the game. That's 30 times the number of Americans who watched the Opening Ceremony. The game airs in Utah at 8:00 Sunday morning.

Also, at a recent Olympic practice, Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams wanted to send their best wishes to Larry Miller. "We wish you the best of luck," Boozer said. "We're praying for you over here."

"Larry and Gail, I just want to say I'm praying for you. I hope the best for y'all," Williams said. "Hopefully you'll have a speedy recovery."

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