ARGENTINA HEATS UP!

After losing their first game against a supremely confident and sharpshooting Lithuanian side, the Argentinians seem to have found their rhythm, shellacking Australia and Croatia in convincing fashion.

In both wins (and even in the earlier loss), NBA superstar Manu Ginobili and NBA stalwarts Andres Nocioni, Luis Scola, Carlos Delfino and Fabricio Oberto have proven to be the difference between a middle-of-the-pack Olympic club and a legitimate gold medal threat.

Against the previously undefeated Croatia, Nocioni led Argentina with 18pts on 50% shooting (with 2 3pointers thrown in for good measure) and the others followed up with double digit scoring games.

Their remaining games are against Russia and Iran, two extremely winnable games, despite the fact that Andrei Kirilenko and JR Holden are in great shape for this Olympic Games.

If they keep second place, it just might be enough to keep them from meeting the USA Team until the semifinal round. 

USA POSTERIZES GREECE!

It was two years in the making and you could tell the Americans wanted to get their pound of flesh and more.

Couldn't defend the pick and roll? They not only defended it, they made the Greeks pay with highlight reel blocks, rips and strips plus the odd hard foul.

Couldn't hit from outside? Kobe hit one from downtown Beijing while Carmelo, Lebron, Deron Williams and Redd also contributed from the outside.

Too small and too soft? Bosh overpowered all the Greek big men plus their mothers. In several sequences, the slightly built Bosh and the smaller Wade and Anthony grabbed offensive rebounds over and through "Baby Shaq" Schorsanitis, one of the touted Greek big men predicted to give Team USA big trouble.

In the end, it was just too much Kobe (18pts, several key defensive stops and assists), too much Lebron (15 pts, 5 rebounds, 6assists, 3 blocks, 3 steals), too much Bosh (18pts, great offensive and defensive presence) and too much Wade (15 points, highlight dunks, drives and putbacks all night long)

So now, it comes down to Spain. Will Team USA show the same kind of intensity?

HARRY BROKE MY HEART

The hopes of 92Million Filipinos rested on the slight but muscular shoulders of this 110lbs boxer. 

He was the epitome of hope eternal, the personification of the "little engine that could", the best example of how perseverance and dedication to your sport can uplift humanity.

And then he got into the ring with an opponent he has never seen before and knew nothing about.

In a span of 8 minutes broken down into 4 2-minute rounds, Harry Tanamor broke my heart. I broke my neighbors' eardrums with vitriolic curses, screams of frustration, gutwrenching pleas to every Greek and Hindu god imaginable and threats to throw myself off my balcony.

As Harry headed off to the exits in his last Olympic Games, I fell onto the bed in disbelief and buried my face into a pillow.

And ignored the guard's knock on my door, asking if everything was okay. 

CHEERING FOR CHINA...

Last Sunday, I spent my evening at Nike's "The Commitment" basketball museum at the Fort. The food was good, the memorabilia was fascinating but that wasn't why I was there.

I was there to see the "Redeem Team" crush China. After all, the US has won over China by an average of about 40points in Olympic history...who's to say that this game was going to be any different?

Except that, it was different. From Yao Ming's first basket (a three pointer, no less, giving China a 3-0 lead) to a scrappy comeback from 21-28 to level it 29-all, to the Chinese fans roaring on even when the outcome of the game was long decided, it was indeed a historic moment for Olympic basketball.

Incidentally, I was cheering for China the entire time.

PHELPS OWES SOMEONE A GOLD MEDAL!

It has been dubbed the greatest swim relay in the history of the Olympics... After watching this, I have to agree. 

Jason Lezak, the American anchor, had to overhaul a half body lead on French world record holder Alain Bernard in the last 15 meters of the race. That's like trying to erase a 7 point lead with 8seconds left in the fourth quarter to a good Knicks team at Madison Square Garden (hello, Reggie Miller, I see you finally have some company!)

More importantly, the Americans let their swimming do the talking, unlike the visibly shocked French team, whose captain Bernard said before the race that "We will smash the Americans. That is what we came here to do."

And so, Phelps quest for 8 gold medals in a single Olympic Games is still alive...and Jason Lezak made it possible.

THRILLING MORAL VICTORY FROM JB WALSH!

I was sick as a dog. Didn't have BTV on my cable provider. Haven't seen a truly exciting Olympic event yet.

But then, as I opened my rheumy eyes, I saw a little Philippine flag on the screen. I sat up and moved closer to the TV. It was a swimming competition and Fil-Am JB Walsh was striding towards the starting blocks.

The American announcers introduced the swimmers, taking the time to take a jab at Walsh, saying JB is a native of California swimming for a country he has barely any contact with.

And when the starter's gun barked, Walsh was the last man off the blocks. Not an auspicious start for the Pinoy swimmer. Halfway thru the event, Walsh was in sixth place, which got my praying "Don't finish last, don't finish last, don;t finish last..."

Then it happened. The "little engine that could" slowly moved up the ranks, chewing up liquified yardage in a hurry. By the time they made the last turn, Walsh was in fourth place and coming in a hurry.

With about half a lap to go, Walsh pulled into a tie for first place. By this time, I was off the bed, screaming "Get him, get him, get him!" 

And he did. JB Walsh won heat #2 of the Olympic 200m butterfly event, shattered his RP mark and became the first Southeast Asian to go below 2minutes in this event.

On an aside, the American announcers gushed over JB Walsh after the scintillating victory, remarking how he came out of nowhere to win the heat. As we say in the Philippine...Belat!

Of course, when all was said and done, his time was good enough for just 29th place out of 44 swimmers (still a much better placing than the 37th place he earned in Athens). But for that brief moment in time, a Filipino was the best swimmer in the water.

Salamat, JB.