http://today.reuters.com/news/newsA...TRIDST_0_SPORTS-CHINA-BASKETBALL-SHAME-DC.XML China sees basketball brawl as 'night of shame' Sat Jul 30, 2005 2:01 AM ET By Brian Rhoads BEIJING (Reuters) - A basketball game between China and visiting Puerto Rico deteriorated into a mass brawl that state media denounced as a "night of shame," saying it set a bad example for the 2008 Olympic hosts. The fighting erupted at Beijing Capital Gymnasium on Friday night after two Chinese players charged off the bench to fight Puerto Rican players in the dying moments of a game in which China was leading comfortably. The bad feeling spilled into the stands where 3,000 home fans hurled insults and missiles, the China Daily reported on Saturday. Officials abandoned the game as the visitors fled to the locker room, one shielding his head with a plastic chair. Chinese players Li Nan and Mo Ke had reacted after seeing teammate Yi Jianlian fouled hard by Puerto Rican center Manuel Narvaez, the newspaper said. "Fists, plastic cups, water bottles and even a fan's shoe went flying during the fracas with China's Yi Jianlian, Tang Zhengdong, Mo Ke and Li Nan right in the middle of it," the official China Daily reported on Saturday. China's basketball association deplored the violence as setting a poor example just three years before Beijing hosts the summer Olympics and said it would adopt measures to prevent such violence from recurring. "Such behavior is very disgusting and leaves an extremely bad impression," the China Sports Daily quoted association spokesman Li Jinsheng as saying. NBA superstar Yao Ming, out with a toe injury, watched from the sidelines as the melee erupted but took no part. "The Chinese basketball team should learn a lesson from this incident," Yao was quoted as saying by www.sports.sohu.com. Victory in the Stankovic Cup game, abandoned with China ahead 91-80, was later awarded to the hosts. A basketball association official said China should apologize to fans. State media railed about the team's behavior. In a story headlined "China suffers night of shame," China Daily said the brawl "badly hurt the growing reputation of Chinese basketball." "China and Puerto Rico stage 'free for all'," said the Guangzhou Daily. It said they had turned the Capital Gymnasium, a 2008 Olympic venue, into "the Palace of Auburn Hills arena," where Detroit players and fans brawled near the end of a game against the Indiana Pacers in November 2004. Three thousand fans hurled abuse along with drinks, plastic bottles, yoghurt and popcorn at the Puerto Rican team as it headed off-court. "This is the ugliest scene I have ever experienced in my life," 31-year-old fan Wang Kai was quoted as saying. "The Puerto Rico players have traveled more than 30 hours to come to China and they are our guests. As the host team, how can we treat them with such disdain?" It was not the first instance of violence for Chinese basketball.In Shanghai in July 2001, China and Lebanon clashed just 10 days after Beijing won the right to host the Olympics. Both benches emptied after the final buzzer of a physical game, Chinese fans threw water bottles and other objects and several Lebanese players were bloodied before police broke it up. In other sports, overzealous Chinese supporters have frequently embarrassed the authorities. Soccer in particular has seen a number of violent incidents. Fans rioted in Beijing in 1985 after the national soccer team lost a World Cup qualifier against tiny Hong Kong, missing out on the 1986 finals in Mexico. In August 2004, angry fans went on a rampage in the capital after the national team lost the Asian Cup final to Japan.
That's a totally one-sided BS report. The PR players were a bunch of punks and sore losers, and deliberately started the fight because they were getting their butt kicked on the court. Then they got their butt kicked in the fight too. The reaction from the Chinese fans, as judged by internet chat, is actually overwhelmingly supportive of the CNT. You cann't take no non-sense on your home-court.
The draft experts are saying this kid (His name is Yi Jian Lian right?)will be the next lottery pick from China. He looks very eager to fight in these pictures. At least it fits the NBA style.
i wanna see the clip for this! i wonder if yao was playing, how many folks would have got knocked out?
Sportscenter showed the fight last night in their "NOT Top 10" List. It was pretty funny. They were fighting like girls, slapping and kicking each other.
If you have AOL they have a video clip. Very very nasty. Shockingly hostile. I have to believe the players' emotions were boiling throughout the game and the hard foul was the last straw. From the AOL video, there was no way this brawl was totally spontaneous from the one foul. And the Chinese fans would have made Detroit proud.
this is what I found.. you dont see much but it is all I could find. http://aolsearch.aol.com/aol/video?...=&query=china+basketball+&category=&duration= J
This is a good exposure for Yao. He should learn from this experience and apply it on the number 2 center of the NBA.
I watched the clip on the net and they were karate kicking and swinging at one another. Did the Sportscenter edit out all the violent stuffs?
Puerto Rico supposedly almost got in a fight the day before with Australia. Apparently they start playing dirty once they are getting beat.
Exactly, Team China had every right to respond. u cant let someone physically mess with u on your home court.
It seemed that a short guy from PR team went way out of line with a right hand hook and after that it turned into a team browl. Before that, it was only usual pushing the yelling.
