Yi vs. Yao ...

I have limited my NBA-related blogs as I navigate my future career steps towards a "Page 2" of my life.

At times, such as the start of the NBA season and during the USA Basketball training camps, I offered a little insight and a personal viewpoint or three. I do that today, as the coverage of the Milwaukee Bucks vs. Houston Rockets regular season game and the Yi vs. Yao show has been all over the airwaves, internet and newspapers.

First, the most important item: Houston won the game, 104-88.

Secondly, a quote that struck me as very interesting came from one of the reporters who covered the NBA and the Chinese national team, Wang Meng of Titan Sports, as reported by Yahoo's Johnny Ludden, the former beat writer of the San Antonio Spurs.

"You don't know what's going to come out of Yao's mouth and make you laugh," said Wang Meng, a reporter who covers Yao for China's Titan Sports publication. "But if you follow Yi for a long time, you'll know what kind of answers he'll give. You don't even have to ask the question. You can just write it down."

The fact of the matter is that Yao Ming is very insightful. He often provides a humorous quip or thought-provoking quote when answering questions. He chooses his words very carefully. And, he does that in both English and Chinese.

Yao is a journalistic dream come true. Yi seems to be very media savvy but acts in a way that is more typical of a young athlete in the year 2007 - and that is, using my words, not his, "I would rather live without the media scrutiny and go about my business."

They both made the point which is a very important one: It is not Yao vs Yi but the Rockets vs. the Bucks. A new rivalry, for sure. The only other time that the Rockets and Bucks had any type of rivalry was when Elvin Hayes played for the Rockets and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played for the Bucks. The only other connection I can think of is Jim Foley - the longtime radio voice of the Rockets and former PR man who is a graduate of Marquette and who cut his teeth in the business as a young executive with the Bucks, circa 1972.

Here is the AP story on the game:

Yi-Yao Matchup Draws Estimated 100 to 200 Million TV Viewers in China
By XI YUE, Associated Press Writer

Posted Nov 10 2007 10:59AM

BEIJING, Nov. 10 (AP) -- The Milwaukee Bucks and Houston Rockets game had a distinctly local flavor for NBA fans in China.

Among the estimated 100 to 200 million TV viewers in China were more than 400 who packed a Beijing bar at breakfast time Saturday to watch a live televised broadcast of Rockets star Yao Ming against Bucks' rookie Yi Jianlian in the Chinese players' first NBA matchup.

"We're here for those two Chinese,'' said Wu Disong, a 27-year-old designer watching the game on a large TV at the Goose and Duck pub. He and other fans ate an American-style breakfast while cheering on Yao and Yi at the NBA-sponsored event.

Millions of others watched at home. National broadcaster China Central Television carried it on its sports channel as did 13 other TV stations and three Web sites, according to the NBA's China subsidiary, NBA China.

"This is the biggest Chinese player rivalry in NBA history,'' sports writer Zhang Qiang wrote in a column on the Web site Sina.com. "This is a good thing for Chinese basketball as well as for the NBA.''

The NBA declined to estimate the audience size, though Chinese sports commentators predicted it would be 100 million to 200 million.

Last season's Super Bowl between the Indianapolis Colts and Chicago Bears had about 93 million viewers in the United States.

Friday's night matchup and the attention it drew further cemented the NBA's popularity among the Chinese and enhanced the league's drive for a share of China's growing sports market. Heidi Ueberroth, the NBA's president for international business, this past week called the potential audience size "just extraordinary.''

While the NBA has been popular in China for more than a decade, first Yao and now Yi's presence have boosted the sport.

At the Goose and Duck, Shen Xiaolei said he started watching the NBA in 2002 when Yao left the Shanghai Sharks for the Rockets. Now the 24-year-old telephone company worker said he can identify more than 250 NBA players and hosts a blog that features predictions of NBA games.

"I'm excited every time my prediction is close to the actual result,'' Shen said. He expected Yi to give a good performance but that the Rockets would win. In the end, the Rockets won 104-88. Yi had 19 points and nine rebounds, while Yao had 28 points, 10 rebounds and three assists.

Though Yi drew plenty of cheers, the Rockets were clearly the favorite, with the crowd at the Goose and Duck whooping and applauding every time they scored.

"After all, we've watched Rockets games for longer time so we have deeper affection for the Rockets,'' college student Cathy Cheng said.

Beyond the fun and market potential, the emergence of two Chinese stars in a sport is seen as another sign of China's growing influence worldwide.

"First the economy, now sports,'' said Li Weizhan, a 66-year-old retiree who used to work at a sporting goods retailer.

Liu Jing brought her 4-year-old son, hoping that the Yao-Yi matchup would inspire a love of basketball in him.

"Chinese power is emerging in the NBA,'' wrote Zhang, the sports columnist. "There's no loser in this match. It's glory for Yao and Yi and for Chinese basketball.''