CHINA'S national team defeated the Team America touring outfit in a heavily one-sided opening match to the sides' nine-game series in Beijing last night.
The Chinese, playing as a well-drilled unit after months of experience together, exposed the tourists' three-day preparation as inadequate by beating them 114-94.
The host team even took their foot off the gas in the closing five minutes to allow the Americans to pull back a 29-point deficit to something a little more respectable.
China, rebuilding after a bad Olympics in 1992, have improved in leaps and bounds and last night resumed the form which saw them sweep all comers in winning the men's gold medal at the East Asian Games in Shanghai recently.
In mitigation for their poor start, Team America officials pointed to jet lag among some of their late arrivals and an array of last minute squad changes.
Most notably they lost their prime asset and main attraction Manute Bol, to an 11th hour decision by the NBA to bar him.