The Houston Rockets will play the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday night, and the game is expected to generate record TV ratings in China.

Yao Ming (L) from Houston Rockets and Yi Jianlian from Milwaukee pose for a photo by holding a basketball on a press conference Nov. 9, 2007.(Xinhua Photo)

Yao Ming (L) from Houston Rockets and Yi Jianlian from Milwaukee pose for a photo Nov. 9, 2007.(Xinhua Photo)

Website cn.yahoo.com Friday quoted AP as saying, 16 to 19 TV stations in China are expected to broadcast the game live on the Chinese mainland, including the national sports channel, China Central Television 5. It is estimated that more than 200 million fans will enjoy the game.

China Daily also quoted a sports writer who covers the Rockets for Titan Sports, a Beijing-based newspaper and says, it's China's two best basketball players coming to play in the best basketball league in the world. "It doesn't matter who wins. It's the best thing that can happen in China, because people will be excited either way," the sports writer says.

"The numbers are just extraordinary," Heidi Ueberroth, the NBA's president of global marketing partnerships and international business operations told the Titan Sports writer. "It's very significant. It's showing how much the globalization of the league is on the rise."

But both Yao and Yi really see things in perspective regarding their upcoming game. "I just play the game on the court. I don't know what the fans think about the game, but I know they are excited, very excited" Yao said.

Meanwhile Yi, nicknamed 'A-lian', said it was just another NBA game.

(CRI.cn November 10, 2007)