01-27-2008, 05:21 AM
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Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Wisconsin
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JSOnline: Yi follows in Yao's footsteps on the path to NBA stardom
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Houston - Yao Ming, all 7 feet, 6 inches of him, seemed larger than that as he walked past, moments after the Houston Rockets' practice session at the Toyota Center had ended.
You want to talk about Yi, right?"
Yao's intuition was correct.
One of the hottest topics in China these days is Yi Jianlian, the rookie power forward for the Milwaukee Bucks, and Yao, who has solidified his status as one of the top players in the National Basketball Association, is always big news.
Along with festivals associated with the Chinese New Year, there will be a palpable buzz this week in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Guangzhou and Beijing as Round 2 of Yao vs. Yi approaches.
The Bucks will play the Rockets on Saturday night at the Bradley Center in a game that will be televised by China's national sports network CCTV. And this promises to be even bigger than the matchup between the Yao and Yi in Houston in November, a game watched by more than 200 million fans in China.
Since that time, Yao has watched Yi's progress from afar.
"He's a very simple guy," Yao said. "He is very focused on something, particularly what he is doing right now, and that's very good.
"After one year experience in the NBA, that will help his skill. That will be very good for our (Chinese national) team. The 2008 Olympics in our home country, that is a big deal, and everybody is very excited for that.
"At least he's playing in a physical league right here. Then he will go back to play for the national team, and it will be easier. I had the same feeling my first year in the league."
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JSOnline: Yi follows in Yao's footsteps on the path to NBA stardom
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