Beijing Boyce

I considered catching last night’s US-China men’s basketball game at the newly opened All Star, but given my experience on Saturday, I instead checked out a few sports bars in my neighborhood. Here’s a time line. Like China’s team, it started strong and tailed off. (By the way, I didn’t include every slam dunk by the US or it would have taken a week to write this post.)

9:45
I meet TVG at The Bookworm, where some kind of Beijing blogger meet-up is going on. We sprint through the rain to The Rickshaw, find no seats upstairs, and grab a cab for Paddy O’Shea’s.

10:00
We grab two stools upstairs. By tip off, the place is packed, but downstairs is even busier… for an Irish hurling match and the Manchester United-Portsmouth Community Shield match.

10:10
Instead of commentary, we hear “Beautiful Day” by U2. What is it with Beijing sports bars and Bono these days? Anyway, as an NBA fan, I’m psyched at having the game’s stars on one court, the China vs US dynamic, and how Yao Ming and teammates will react to the new Dream Team. And Yao hits a three from the top of the key to start the game! They better enjoy it now, cause it ain’t gonna last.

10:25
Kobe Bryant hits a three and licks the fingers on both hands. The germs, my word, the germs! Given the newly enforced hygiene codes in Beijing for salads — enclosed space, three sinks for triple washing, no co-habiting of Romaine and Iceberg – he isn’t getting a job in a restaurant here any time soon (you know, if the basketball thing doesn’t work out). The US. leads 14-11.

10:27
“I saw David Robinson go one on one with a 19-year-old Wang Zhizhia in Beijing in 1997, before Wang was even in the NBA,” says TVG. If that doesn’t merit a round of beers, I don’t know what does, especially since he later says, “I also helped smuggle Robinson into The Forbidden City.”

10:30
Behind the commentary, we hear “Happy Shiny People” by REM. Hmmm… U2, REM… is Paddy O’Shea’s sharing a music list with All Star?

10:33
TVG is waiting for the food he ordered before 10 PM. He’s as likely to see that food as we are to witness Lebron accidentally maim three people on a drive to the basket. Wait a minute… that could happen. He’s playing like a monster.

10:40
HUGE rejection by Lebron James, pass to Dwayne Wade, slam dunk. TVG’s analysis of the play: “Now, that is what I call a scorpion on a stick.”

10:45
Chris Bosh - from my favorite team The Toronto Raptors - slams home a dunk. Bosh, along with Lebron, Carmelo Anthony, and Duane Wade, were the top four American picks of the 2003 NBA draft pick. That draft might end up being the best ever.

10:47
Yao takes a breather. I read his mind: “Left arm, check, Right arm, check. Left leg, check, Right leg, check. Head, check. Thank you powers that be for letting survive the wrath of Lebron.”

10:51
Unbelievable U.S. alley oop. Speechless…

10:55
Carlos Boozer checks in. I can think of no better family name for a nightlife blogger to type while sitting in an Irish bar. Even better, he plays out of Utah.

11:32
Um, I forgot to keep a timeline for a while. We are in blue frog, it’s 72-48 US, There are about 25 people here, it’s fairly rowdy, and a pole partially blocks my vision of the big screen. The burger is juicy, but pricey at RMB75, as is the RMB45 Tiger draft. I do get a free Blue Frog T-shirt though.

11:56
Game over. US 101, China 70, wallet almost 0. We head to The Saddle Cantina for a celebratory drink.