BEIJING — There's a 17-year old kid roaming the hardwood for Spain here in Beijing and you'd do well to catch a glimpse.

Guard Ricky Rubio has already been on the floor for Spain in key spots, like when Spain and China were tied at 72-72 with 12.4 seconds left in the game.

Rubio first fouled China guard Liu Wei, then on the next possession, continued to harass him until he was able to force Liu to give up the ball.

Rubio saved it going out of bounds and managed to throw it off Liu's leg giving Spain possession for one last shot in regulation.

Rubio had been protected from the media for most of his first season in Spain's professional league. But you wouldn't know it. He also had the best answer when a reporter asked him to describe his game afterwards.

Reporter: Who did you pattern your game after?

Rubio: I'm Ricky Rubio. I can't be anyone else.

BEIJING — One of the favorites prevailed on Tuesday but just barely. Spain came from behind to beat China, 85-75 in overtime, in Pool B play at the Beijing Olympic Basketball Gymnasium, thwarting an upset bid that took the vinegar out of the locals in attendance.

Spain trailed 46-37 at halftime but fought back to tie it at 70-70 on Juan Carlos Navarro's 3-pointer with 2:10 left.

Wang Zhizhi hit one of many big baseline jumpers to give China the lead with 1:09 left. But when Spain big man Marc Gasol answered, scoring over Yao Ming with a desperate fall-away jumper that put him on his butt, it turned out to be the key basket as Spain pulled away in overtime.

BEIJING - I'm starting to get hooked on the Chinese version of MTV on CCTV, which is Chinese cable. I'm a pop music hound anyway so it was bound to happen. The Chinese and I have that in common.

My interest was piqued a couple of days ago watching a video by a male singer, who was representing a style that was equal parts Justin Timberlake and Jordan Knight. He could dance and he ended his video with a Janet Jackson-style chair routine complete with the fedora, thrown to the foot, kicker.

I came home from the women's USA-China game on Monday night and turned on the TV only to get immediately sucked into this video of a ballad called "I do yes I do." It was a familiar story. I didn't need to understand the Chinese.

BEIJING — Here's what it's like to not be in the U.S. but still be treated like a spoiled American halfway across the world.

Every time I ride the media shuttle for the drive through the city to whatever Olympic venue, the media shuttle will pass maybe 10 Beijing city busses on a typical 30-minute trek.

And every time we pass a regular bus, I look over at the people in the bus and the people look back at me. They see me sitting in a near empty bus and I see them shoved in like sardines, practically hanging out of the windows.

BEIJING - I am holed up in a hotel 15 minutes from Wukesong Indoor Stadium where the basketball competition is taking place for the Beijing Olympics.

So why did it take me two hours to get home after Russia beat Latvia in the late women's game just a stone's throw away?

I'll preface this by saying just because it feels like with 1.3 billion people in this huge country amd 7.5 million just in the city limits of Beijing doesn't mean they can send people out to work at all hours of the night. Folks go home when their shift is over.

BEIJING - Wrong information in a previous post. NBC actually was holding the opening ceremonies to broadcast primetime in the United States.

That means you have about 10 minutes before they begin. My favorite part was the native music that accompanied each nation.

Except, they were repeating the same five tunes. So it was like Mexican mariachi music for the Netherlands or Scottish bagpipes for Zambia. Cheeky. Fun.

BEIJING — The number eight is a lucky one in Chinese culture so the Opening Ceremonies to the 2008 Beijing Games officially begin at 8:08 p.m. today, 8-8-08. That's 8:08 a.m. on the East coast in the United States.

Here are a few things to watch:

— Don't expect Chinese basketball player Yao Ming or 2004 gold medalist hurdler Liu Xiang to light the Olympic flame. Both already carried the torch somewhere in China.

Yao did in Beijing on Wednesday and the lead picture for the Chinese English-language newspaper China Daily was Yao holding the torch aloft in front of a huge photo of Mao Zedong in Tiananmen Square.

The Houston Rockets center will carry the Chinese flag for the Chinese delegation instead.

— Don't get confused when the countries start entering the Bird's Nest in a seemingly random order. The countries will enter in ascending order based on the number of brush strokes needed to write their names in Chinese.

After Greece, representing the birthplace of the Olympics, comes Guinea (two strokes). Before China — the host country enters last — Zambia will enter (14 strokes).

— After the lighting of the Olympic flame, there is a scheduled fireworks display that will include explosions depicting the Olympic rings. (China is the birthplace of fireworks.)

— U.S. president George W. Bush will attend and also is scheduled to cheer on the U.S. when the men's basketball team plays host China on Sunday at 10:15 p.m. (10:15 a.m. ET).

Great timing. Bush criticized China for its human rights record during a speech in Bangkok, Thailand, on Thursday. It would be awesome if they sat Bush next to Chinese General Secretary Hu Jintao and let them duke it out.

BEIJING - Since I got into that fight with the shuttle at the airport, and lost, I've been dealing with lovely Chinese volunteers for the Beijing Games eager to help me get where I'm going on my bum ankle.

Except they keep grabbing for my arm and I'm starting to feel like Al Pacino in Scent of a Woman.They're all trying to be so helpful and gentle and that's kind of the problem. I'm thinking, are you helping me when you gingerly take my elbow? Or am I helping you?

As a defensive maneuver, I added a new Mandarin phrase to my arsenal, "Boo yao, xiexie."

BEIJING — Thursday was my first day out in the sultry Beijing air. Sultry and kind of dirty. The smog is no joke. The sky looks brown. One Olympics veteran I spoke to said, "You should have seen it six years ago."

It doesn't seem to be dampening any Chinese spirits. The college women who serve as guides and translators at my hotel practically shove each other out of the way when I approach they're so eager to help and use their English..

BEIJING — The American in me did have an incredibly entertaining time watching myself get transported out of the Beijing airport and on to the hospital for my sprained right ankle Tuesday night.

I was thrown into Chinese culture head first. Any thoughts of cautiously dipping my toe into Beijing waters were dashed as soon as the airport ambulance tried to leave the airport.