Yao Ming couldn't take out the elite Team USA, and couldn't finish the job against reigning world champ Spain. I have a feeling none of that matters right now.
With a win over Germany this morning, China has clinched a berth in the next round of the Olympic men's basketball tournament. Yao went for 25 points and 11 rebounds, negating a monstrous effort from Dirk Nowitzki to push his country to a four-point victory. The last moments weren't without drama: with China up by one with after a Dirk three with two minutes left, Germany got a stop ... but Nowitzki got called for the offensive foul against Yao. Ming missed a shot but got his own rebound, and Yi Jianlian (!) got a bucket with 30 seconds left to strengthen the lead.
Dirk misses a three, Yao hits some free throws, and ballgame. The addition of Chris Kaman helped Germany get to the Olympics, no doubt, but couldn't get Dirk any further than that. But that can be discussed another time: Yao's accomplishment, while not unique (China made the final eight in Athens and in the '06 Worlds), is huge considering the locale and quality of Group B. After starting 0-2, with Germany and Greece looking strong, no one expected China to get this far. It has to be a marvelously proud moment for the Chinese team.
