2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing: Men's Basketball Preview

While all of the Olympics garner a great deal of attention throughout the world, very few sports get fans as passionate as basketball. In the past the United States basketball team was so much better than the rest of the world that it was just a foregone conclusion that they would win the gold medal. This is no longer the case. The International squads have caught up quite a bit in the past decade, and the Americans actually failed to win the gold medal in 2004. Let's take a look at a summary of the field and the top contenders in this year's Olympic games.

Men's Basketball Preview:

With the Olympics taking place in Beijing, there is certainly no other basketball star in the world with as much pressure to perform very well than Yao Ming. Ming had a major setback on February 26, 2008 as he suffered a stress fracture in his left foot and had to miss the rest of the NBA season. Yao has recovered enough to participate in these games, and the Chinese people are counting on a stellar performance from him. The Chinese team is very unlikely to medal in these games, but a stronger than expected showing could occur.

In 2004 Argentina defeated Italy to win the gold medal in basketball. They will return as one of the top contenders for this year's gold medal. Manu Ginobili, the star player for Argentina, is hobbled slightly by an ankle injury which lowers their chances slightly.

In 2006 Spain defeated Greece to win the FIBA World Championships. The Spaniards are led by Pau Gasol and are widely seen as having the best chance to keep the gold medal out of the Americans hands.

The United States team is set out to redeem themselves from their failures in the 2004 Olympics in Athens. The Americans bring a very talented squad led by NBA MVP Kobe Bryant.

Top Three Team Previews:

1. United States-

Key Players: Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwight Howard

James was used very sparingly in 2004, but should be a major presence here. Kobe needs to get his teammates involved, but take over when needed. Dwight Howard is a big key because he is the only true center on the team and he will need to do a good job on the boards.

Strengths: The Americans are loaded with talent at the guard and small forward positions. Getting the ball toward the hoop shouldn't be a problem, and with these stars the Americans should see a lot of free throw attempts.

Weaknesses: They have no great inside scoring presence. The team tends to be a streaky outside shooting team.

2. Spain-

Key Players: Pau Gasol, Rudy Fernandez, Jorge Garbajosa

Gasol will be a force to be reckoned with inside and the team has a very strong group of guards that should be able to manage the game very well.

Strengths: Experience from playing together as a team will help them immensely. The team takes good control of the basketball.

Weaknesses: They need to make sure the pace doesn't get out of control or the team could get into some trouble. Sometimes the team can go on scoring droughts.

3. Argentina-

Key Players: Manu Ginobili, Luis Scola, Andres Nocioni

This team was able to pull it off in 2004, and the experience of that victory will help them greatly, but are they healthy?

Strengths: This team plays together as well as any team in the world. They have great guards who can manage a game very well.

Weaknesses: The health of Ginobili is a real question. Ginobili and Nocioni both can be very streaky players.

The men's basketball competition in Beijing should be fierce and very competitive. Expect the winner of the gold medal to come out of the Spain/USA matchup in the semifinals. Enjoy the basketball and enjoy the Olympics!