Box Score | USA Basketball

GUANGZHOU, CHINA, August 7 -- Team USA began their international warm ups on the road to the world championship in Japan later this month with a convincing 119-73 victory over an undermanned China national team in the southern metropolis of Guangzhou, a two-hour train ride north of Hong Kong.

China was without Houston Rockets star center Yao Ming as well as former NBA player Wang Zhizhi as both are nursing injuries that they hope will heal in time for the FIBA World Championship. However, their presence may not have made much of a difference as a determined US team used the same recipe they had applied in beating Puerto Rico five days earlier in Las Vegas: swarming defense.

Chris Paul has been the motor of the U.S.'s attack. Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE/Getty Images

“Playing defense is what we practice and preach,” said Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade. “You play good defense and it leads you on offense, forcing teams into turnovers and general pressure. We can play a full-court press for most of the game because we have a deep roster. You can bring any guy off the bench, put them in the game and they understand they have to put pressure on the ball and play defense.”

The US team pressed throughout he game and maintained their intensity despite taking a large lead in the second half. The Americans also dominated down low, pulling down 15 offensive rebounds and manhandling China’s big man in a way they rarely see in Asia. LeBron James scored 22 points to lead a balanced US attack, which featured six players scoring in double figures including Carmelo Anthony with 18.

“Most nights we don’t know who will lead the team in scoring, because there are so many options,” said Anthony. He also led the team in playing time with 19 minutes, a figure that is roughly half his season average with the Denver Nuggets. “Even though most of us are used to playing many more minutes, we are willing to sacrifice,” said Anthony. “It’s just the way it is and it makes the team better so everybody buys into it.”

The US team, which has been in training camp for over two weeks and just flew 20 hours to Asia, had become slightly restless and were eager for some competition. “It was nice to play a game and get used to the guys,” said James. “We had a long flight from the US and are ready to go. The guys want to play, it’s why we are here.”

The sellout crowd of over 10,000 at Guangzhou Gymnasium cheered loudly for both Yao and Wang, who were dressed but spent the game on the bench. However the enthusiastic crowd saved their loudest cheers for local hero, point guard Chen Jianghua of the Guandgong Tigers. The 17 year-old Chen was making his first appearance and electrified the crowd with his cross over dribbles and lighting speed.

“What are his grades like?” US and Duke University coach Mike Krzyzewski cracked when asked what he thought of Chen at a post game press conference. “I wouldn’t mind having him at Duke.” Chen entered the game at the seven-minute mark and quickly started whittling into an 16-point U.S. lead, with his mercurial drives to the basket before Krzyzewski called a timeout and inserted equally quick point guard Chris Paul to shadow Chen in a full court press and deny him the ball on inbounds in the back court. “The guy can fly,” said James. “I was impressed with his speed and dribbling.”

There is no shortage of big men in China and there is also a deep pool of quality shooters. But creative point guards who can penetrate and break the defense down are truly rare. This game, the result of which was never really in doubt, could well have served as the coming out party for the youthful Chen, who should have even greater success when Yao and Wang come back to convincingly slam home some of his passes.

Most of the American players acknowledged that the game would have been different with Yao and Wang out there, but according to Bruce Bowen, how much different is difficult to judge. “You can’t deal with ifs,” he said to numerous queries from the Chinese media on how Yao would have affected the game. “If my aunt was my uncle I would call her sir. We had to play against the team they put out here. Certainly, Yao would have affected things if he played but we can’t say how much.”

Bowen was also queried on his role with the team and admitted that he hoped his experience would help. “Personally, I have been involved in a lot of pressure situations and have won a couple of championships so I understand what the game is like when you play it at a higher level of competition,” he said. “The whole decision making process on the floor is a little different. So I am willing to help, to talk to the guys and share my experience. But you don’t want to talk too much because you hope the guys can remember the few important things you may say. Any kind of leadership role evolves, you can’t force it on people.”

Team USA looks to keep their form and intensity up when they take on Brazil on Wednesday in Guangzhou. After the Brazil game the U.S. will head to Hong Kong for two days and then on to South Korea.