Lloy Ball, Ryan Millar, Tom Hoff and the rest of the American men's volleyball team face Brazil in the gold medal match, scheduled to be shown on tape during NBC's prime-time broadcast from 7-11 p.m. EDT.

"I've been waiting 14 years for this game," Ball said.

They are also playing for their coach, Hugh McCutcheon, whose father-in-law, who was stabbed to death on the first day of the Games by a Chinese assailant who then committed suicide. McCutcheon's mother-in-law was also seriously injured, but is recovering.

— Mike Persinger

Kobe Bryant has been treated like a rock star by the Chinese people throughout the Games. Friday, the real business of why the Redeem Team is here gets under way.

The U.S., led by Bryant and LeBron James, faces Argentina, the team that beat the Americans in the semifinals of the 2004 and went on to the gold medal, in a rematch in the 2008 semis.

The game is on NBC live Friday at 10:15 a.m. EDT.

— Mike Persinger

AP photo

Usain Bolt, the newly crowned world's fastest man after his astonishing performance in the men's 100-meters, competes Wednesday in the 200.

He actually started out as a 200-meter sprinter and had to talk his coaches into letting him run the 100, for "speed work." Bolt says the 200, not the 100, is still his best event, and he could challenge Michael Johnson's world record of 19.32 seconds, set at the Atlanta Games in 1996 — if he decides to run hard through the finish line.

American Shawn Crawford should also make the final, and he won't concede gold to Bolt.

"Everyone is beatable," Crawford said. "I'm ready to fight. If I wasn't ready to fight, I wouldn't be here."

— Mike Persinger

Miami's Lauryn Williams should be very much in the mix for becoming the world's fastest woman when the 100-meters is contested at the Bird's Nest. But Muna Lee, the surprise U.S. Trials winner, and Torri Edwards give the U.S. depth. And just like in the men's competition, watch out for the Jamaicans.

It's a fast track, but will we see a world record?

"It's only fast if you run fast," Edwards said.

— Mike Persinger

AP photo

Left to right: Usain Bolt, Tyson Gay, Asafa Powell (AP photos)

If you can stay away from the Internet, NBC will show the men's 100-meters crown the World's Fastest Man - Tyson Gay? Asafa Powell? Usain Bolt? — on tape during the 7:30-midnight prime-time show.

But if you prefer your sports live - rather than only plausibly so - the race to watch during that broadcast is in the pool, where Michael Phelps closes out a historic Olympics in the men's 4x100 medley relay. But be warned, it might be less a race than a coronation. The Americans are heavily favored.

— Mike Persinger

AP photo

The U.S. men’s basketball team, coached by Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski, must figure out how to defend the pick and roll, a basketball basic the Greeks used effectively to keep the Americans out of the gold medal game in the 2006 World Championships.

That’s the only loss for the U.S. since the team began asking for a three-year national team commitment from players.

When the teams meet in pool play Thursday (8 a.m. EDT, live on the USA Network), point guards Chris Paul, Deron Williams and Jason Kidd will be the key to defending the play — and producing a different outcome.

But it won’t be easy with the more-stringent officiating in the international game.

“It’s different,” Williams said. “You reach out and grab somebody, it’s going to be an intentional foul.

“It’ll be a tough test. Things didn’t play out well against them in the world championships. They’ll be a difficult team.”

— Mike Persinger

American gymnastics Bridget Sload, Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin (left to right). AP photo

U.S. teammates Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin are 1-2 after the first day of the women's gymnastics team competition, but the question is, is the U.S. team deep enough to win gold? The Americans trail powerful team from host China entering the final, which will be broadcast live during NBC's 8 p.m. to midnight EDT show Tuesday.

Johnson and Liukin both qualified for the all-around final later in the Games. But the key might be Bridget Sloan, who had the 11th-best first-day score but must help make up for Samantha Peszek, who injured her ankle in warmups Sunday and was only able to compete on bars.

So, is American coach Martha Karolyi worried about the Chinese?

"I usually try not to pay attention to what other people are doing," she said. "I actually didn't watch China at all (Sunday) and made sure to keep my back to the TVs.

"We can't control anything but our own performance."

The question is, will it be enough?

— Mike Persinger, Charlotte Observer

AP photo

Beach volleyball stars Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh, gold medalists in Athens four years ago and three-time reigning world champions, play a live second-round match against a team from Cuba NBC's evening broadcast.

The pair have won 63 straight matches after Sunday's first-round win over a team from Japan. They are the tournament's top seed.

Treanor made news Saturday when President Bush visited the beach volleyball venue.

She invited the President to smack her bikini-clad bottom for luck, but he refused, going for the lower back instead.

— Mike Persinger

Yao Ming and the Chinese men's basketball team takes its shot at Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and the "Redeem Team" from the United States at 10:15 a.m.(EDT) and scheduled to be shown live as part of eight hours of daytime coverage that starts at 10 a.m. on NBC.

When Yao came to America to play in the NBA with the Houston Rockets, it was in part to expose him to the game at its highest level. The moment when that could pay off is at hand with the Beijing Games and this matchup with Team USA.

How big is the 7-foot-6 Yao's presence at these Games?

"In China, Yao is the messiah," American guard Dwyane Wade said Friday.

The Americans face another big obstacle, too. The crowd will be largely Chinese, making it a hostile environment for the U.S., coached by Duke's Mike Krzyzewski.

— McClatchy-Tribune (AP photo)

AP Photo

Swimmer Michael Phelps is seeking a record eight gold medals during these Games, which would surpass the mark of U.S. swimming icon Mark Spitz, who won seven in 1972 at Munich.

But to win eight, Phelps has to win the first one. Live coverage of Phelps in the 400 individual medley — and three other swimming finals — highlights NBC's coverage from 8 p.m. to midnight today.

The 400 IM final is scheduled for 10 p.m. EDT today, which is early Sunday morning in China.

Phelps,
23, shattered his world record in this event in the Olympic Trials, so he's heavily favored in Beijing.

If he wins gold in the 400 IM, he'd pull within two golds of tying the all-time record for most golds in the Olympics, nine, shared by four others: Paavo Nurmi, a Finnish distance runner; Larisa Latynina, a Soviet gymnast; Spitz; and Carl
Lewis, a U.S. track star.

— Mike Persinger