http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/2006-08-07-china-focus_x.htm?csp=34

GUANGZHOU, China ¡ª Though the U.S. national team's comfortable 119-73 victory Monday against China in a World Championship tune-up here was no surprise, the show highlighted basketball's growing popularity in the world's most populous nation.

"I started loving the NBA with the Dream Team and the 'Space Flyer,'" as Michael Jordan is known to Chinese fans, said retired soldier Donghai Chen, 64.

" 'Dream Seven' is not as good as the first," Chen added in using the popular Chinese name for this U.S. men's team, the seventh crop of NBA stars since the 1992 squad that electrified the Barcelona Olympics. "But I like some of the new players, especially Dwyane Wade, and they are still the best in the world."

It will take time, though, for Asia to get truly excited about this U.S. group of NBA stars, said Tim Noonan, TV basketball analyst in China and editor of the Asian publication SportView.

"The buzz will be muted until Tokyo," Noonan said of the FIBA World Championship, which will start August 19. "Except for (LeBron) James and Wade, the 'Dream Seven' team is not so well known in China. It needs the highlights on TV first. Having Kobe Bryant (out with an injured knee) here would have made a huge difference."

Though high ticket prices ($85-$477) meant Chen decided to watch his heroes on television and the 10,000-seat stadium was not at full capacity, those fans who attended seemed to go home happy.

"The score doesn't matter; it was great to see all those famous players in the flesh," said construction entrepreneur Li Changbiao, 38, who has watched the NBA on TV for years. "My 1,860-yuan ticket (roughly $235) was definitely worth the price."

Those sentiments are music to the ears of NBA commissioner David Stern, who revealed Sunday in Guangzhou that next year he plans to hold regular-season games for the first time in China.

"China is the second biggest market to the NBA," Stern said.

Yao brings honor to game

Blanket media coverage and hundreds of cheering fans met the U.S. team's arrival in China; Stern himself has been plastered in pictures all over the local media. It was a far cry from 1990, when Stern arrived in Beijing only to be snubbed by the national broadcaster, China Central Television (CCTV).

One official then warned him that Chinese sports broadcasting should "bring honor to the motherland," not merely entertain.

"Nobody at CCTV even seemed to know who David Stern was," American writer Brook Larmer recounted in his book Operation Yao Ming.

They do now. After years of patient marketing ¡ª and the rise and rise of 7-6 Yao from Shanghai ¡ª CCTV broadcast Monday's game to an audience of hundreds of millions. Dr. Naismith's winter pastime is challenging to be China's No. 1 sport.

"Basketball used to be behind soccer, but now it's pulling level," said Hu Jiashi, vice president of the China Basketball Association, co-organizer of Monday's game. Hu estimated that 300 million to 400 million fans either play or watch the game regularly.

Professional basketball in China is only a decade old. Hu counted up to 700 professional players, spread over 90 teams in the China Basketball Association (CBA) and its female counterpart (WCBA).

The number has not increased dramatically, "but the quality has," Hu said.

The salaries of some reach $120,000 a year, though younger players get by on $1,250 to $2,500.

The NBA, Olympic basketball and the Chinese government's efforts have spurred the game's growth in China, Hu said. But the true secret weapon, at 7-6, is hardly inconspicuous.

"Yao Ming is the key factor in building fan support; the masses love him. He's a great player," Hu said.

The Houston Rockets center did not play in Monday's exhibition because of an injured left foot, but he took to the court to thank fans and promise a better performance next time.

More than packaging

The local fans cheered their illustrious opponents, too, especially the dunks of LeBron James, the leading scorer with 22 points.

"The fashion and celebrity (of the NBA) is important, too, but that's just the packaging," Hu Jiashi said. "The high technical level is the most important factor."

Tell that to the guys shooting hoops Monday, in baggy NBA gear, at the courts beside Sports City Highsun department store in downtown Guangzhou.

"The NBA is a very cool sport," said college student and English major Huang Guodong, 22. "It's the fashion, the attitude and the power."

Inside the shop, Huang reverently touched a $75 USA top emblazoned with the name of his favorite player ¡ª James. Then he looked at the Yao China jersey, which, at $63, was still beyond his student budget.

The U.S. players who made this trip raved after the game about China and the reaction of local fans.

"They're excited and very appreciative of having us here," said San Antonio Spurs swingman Bruce Bowen.

Guangzhou also left a deep impression.

"It's like New York City magnified 30 times. You see building after building, but you don't see a lot of disasters. They are serious about quality," Bowen said. "I am really looking forward to the Olympics in 2008."