The Americans needed them to rate their dunks.

In the game that all the world seemingly wanted to see, Team USA began its quest for a gold medal in men's basketball at the Beijing Olympics by roaring and soaring past host China 101-70 with jam after jam amid an exhilarating atmosphere at the Olympic Basketball Gymnasium on Sunday night.

Presidents George Bush and Hu Jiantao were among the thousands fans who attended the momentous game that symbolized the increasing reach of the sport and the seemingly insatiable global appetite for the "Redeem Team."

One billion viewers were expected to see the game on television and make it the most-watched of all-time, while fans waving red-and-yellow Chinese flags roared deafening chants throughout the arena, flashbulbs popped and hordes of volunteers and reporters from around the world lined up four-deep in some places around the concourse to witness it.

"Nobody has been in a game like this," U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewski said.

In the end, the Americans did what they were expected to do -- wear down Yao Ming and the Chinese team with superior speed and athleticism.

But even near the finish, with the Americans leading by a huge margin, the Chinese fans erupted with almost every basket, and wildly cheered Yao when he left the game with 13 points, 10 rebounds and a raised fist in proud salute.

"Great experience, man," the Jazz's Deron Williams said after making his Olympic debut. "It was just beyond imaginable. Words can't express how I felt playing out there. It was just a great way to kick off the Olympics for me, for my teammates to get a win the way they did."

The game might have exposed some a weakness in the Americans, who are trying to reclaim the gold medal after failing to win the last three major international tournaments. They missed 13 of their first 14 three-pointers, while the Chinese made 8 of 12 before the end of the second quarter.

But Williams and others said that was simply the result of nerves, knowing the magnitude of the occasion. The Americans made 6 of their last 10 shots from long-range, to endorse that argument, heading into their next preliminary game against Angola on Tuesday.

"First half was just jitters and anxiousness to get out there and get started," Williams said. "Once we settled down, we were fine."

And the Chinese were doomed.

The Americans started applying defensive pressure in the backcourt with superstars such as Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, and quickly began forcing turnovers that resulted in a seemingly endless array of fast breaks and dunks. At one point in the second quarter, the Americans looked as if they were simply running drills in practice, shooting better than 70 percent despite their poor three-point accuracy.

"We came out a little tight," forward Chris Bosh said. "We knew it was going to be a very emotional game for both teams. We just calmed down and played a lot better basketball."

Dwyane Wade led the Americans with 19 points, while James added 18 and Bryant and center Dwight Howard scored 13 apiece. Williams did not play quite as pivotal a role as he had in some of the pre-Olympic exhibition games, scoring nine points, while Jazz teammate Carlos Boozer had five in limited action but enjoyed a far better Olympic debut than during a crushing loss to Puerto Rico at the 2004 Athens Games.

"Big difference, man," he said.

But in perhaps the surest sign yet that the U.S. is back on the route to world basketball domination, Krzyzewski was asked in the post-game press conference whether all the dunks -- nearly two dozen, in all -- were evidence of renewed American showboating.

"There was no showing off," he answered. "You have to dunk. They have three 7-footers. ... I don't know what your definition of showing off is. That was hard basketball."