Houston Rockets Rules in China !!

pryuen · 03-28-2008, 01:41 AM

Interesting article from China Daily..........

In China, Houston Rockets is considered their home team !! :D :D :D

Quote:

http://english.people.com.cn/90001/9...0/6382719.html

If not Houston, then who?

March 28, 2008

A friend of mine in the US recently asked me if the Rockets were still big in China without Yao Ming.

My immediate reaction was to say yes, of course they are. China's love affair with basketball and the NBA is all-consuming and the team Chinese people seem to overwhelmingly support is the Houston Rockets.

But glancing at the broadcast schedule for NBA games on CCTV-5, which usually shows about four games per week, you can't help but notice a decided downturn in the number of Rockets games shown nationally since Yao got injured.

In January, for example, when Yao was playing some of the best basketball of his career, CCTV showed six Rockets games, more than a third of its total NBA broadcasts for that month. Compare that to March and April when CCTV will broadcast a total of only four Rockets games - barely an eighth of all games scheduled - and it starts to seem as if the national sports network senses fans have grown ambivalent about Houston sans Yao.

Not so, says popular CCTV commentator Zhang Weiping. Although he admits CCTV has tweaked its schedule slightly since Yao went down, ratings have stayed steady for the Rockets games that are shown and for NBA games overall. Zhang says there is no question that Chinese fans are Rocket fans, and no gimpy superstar will change that.

"It's been six years (since Yao joined Houston) and Chinese think of the Rockets as their home team," he said. "No matter who plays for them, (fans) still care."

Now with a more diverse TV schedule, Chinese fans can watch and learn about some other NBA teams they wouldn't otherwise get a chance to see - something CCTV no doubt believes is crucial if it is to sustain its ratings. The playoffs tip off near the end of April and usually last well into June. With no Chinese faces to draw viewers in this year, CCTV needs to flesh out its NBA fan base if it hopes to retain eyeballs into some of those grueling seven-game series, which can test the patience of even the most die-hard basketball fans.

Zhang says most people realize the Rockets won't make it very far in the playoffs this year, but he says fans have already adopted surrogate teams to follow in the postseason. He says people really like the Suns' quick pace and itchy 3-ball trigger fingers. The reigning champion Spurs are always a favorite, as are the new-and-improved Celtics. But he thinks Kobe Bryant and the Lakers are China's second favorite team, and they have supplanted Houston as the most-shown team on CCTV.

If the Bucks were half decent, they would probably be China's next favorite team. But no one wants to support a loser. Yi has a long way to go before he convinces local fans that his teammates are worth cheering for even if he's not there. But for now, it seems, with the Rockets on the wane, China chooses Kobe.

Source: China Daily

theogcasey · 03-28-2008, 01:57 AM

"Zhang says most people realize the Rockets won't make it very far in the playoffs this year, but he says fans have already adopted surrogate teams to follow in the postseason."

BLASPHEMY!

Yaozer · 03-28-2008, 01:59 AM

They're such ROF's...

kenny_chan · 03-28-2008, 02:07 AM

certainly,we r ROCKETS funs.Since YAO played basketball,we begin to concern ROCKS,concern NBA...IN CHINA,there r so many ROCKS funs for YAO u know,we have concerned ROCKS as our home team for many years..all thiny about ROCKS we know about,so i want to say u r unintelligent..my friend.
A MESSAGE FROM SHANGHAI

levintblack · 03-28-2008, 02:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kenny_chan

certainly,we r ROCKETS funs.Since YAO played basketball,we begin to concern ROCKS,concern NBA...IN CHINA,there r so many ROCKS funs for YAO u know,we have concerned ROCKS as our home team for many years..all thiny about ROCKS we know about,so i want to say u r unintelligent..my friend.
A MESSAGE FROM SHANGHAI

Who are you talking to. I understand you are doing your best to write in english (I couldn't even begin to write in Chinese) but your post makes little sense.

Yetti · 03-28-2008, 11:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by theogcasey

"Zhang says most people realize the Rockets won't make it very far in the playoffs this year, but he says fans have already adopted surrogate teams to follow in the postseason."

BLASPHEMY!

That indicates that they have been brain washed by the american media so called experts.

magnetik · 03-28-2008, 12:59 PM

Quote:

"Zhang says most people realize the Rockets won't make it very far in the playoffs this year, but he says fans have already adopted surrogate teams to follow in the postseason."

LOL. talk about a textbook fair weather fan

MD_in_Training · 03-28-2008, 01:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by magnetik

LOL. talk about a textbook fair weather fan

Well, that isn't to say that they still won't root for the Rockets. If we lose in the first round of the playoffs, are you not going to watch the rest of the playoffs rooting (even a little) for the team you like best?

Noob Cake · 03-28-2008, 01:58 AM

Don't worry, all those Lakers fans will turn back into Rockets fans next year.

levintblack · 03-28-2008, 02:03 AM

This article contradicts itself to me. If all these people stayed Rockets fans even with Yao out they wouldn't be looking for a surrogate playoff team to root for. To me this means that without Yao Chinese people would rather root for a different team hence the Rockets aren't China's favorite team sans Yao unlike what the article says.

theogcasey · 03-28-2008, 02:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by levintblack

This article contradicts itself to me. If all these people stayed Rockets fans even with Yao out they wouldn't be looking for a surrogate playoff team to root for. To me this means that without Yao Chinese people would rather root for a different team hence the Rockets aren't China's favorite team sans Yao unlike what the article says.

Haha I agree, it doesn't make much sense. We can blame it on the language barrier.

levintblack · 03-28-2008, 02:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by theogcasey

Haha I agree, it doesn't make much sense. We can blame it on the language barrier.

Or the article is just plain wrong and doesn't understand what fan means.

DaRock1 · 03-28-2008, 12:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by levintblack

Or the article is just plain wrong and doesn't understand what fan means.

Rather than trying to diss other people's English ability to give a boost to your manhood, you should instead use your time to work on your own reading comprehension ability. Re-read the article now. Let me know if you still do not get it. I will try to lay out what the writer said for you in a more simple way so hopefully you will be able to understand.

Riz · 03-28-2008, 02:13 AM

I guess other than Rockets, it sounds like trend to me.

teemacatac · 03-28-2008, 02:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by levintblack

This article contradicts itself to me. If all these people stayed Rockets fans even with Yao out they wouldn't be looking for a surrogate playoff team to root for. To me this means that without Yao Chinese people would rather root for a different team hence the Rockets aren't China's favorite team sans Yao unlike what the article says.

maybe thatz b/c they think rockets wont go far in the playoff this season without yao. so fans want to find another team to support if rockets is eliminated in first or second round. b/c it is more fun to watch the games when you are a fan of some team, rather than being indifferent.
but thatz just bs for me, I wont find a so-called surrogate. if not rockets, I dont care who wins the title, but itz better not LAL.

levintblack · 03-28-2008, 02:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by teemacatac

maybe thatz b/c they think rockets wont go far in the playoff this season without yao. so fans want to find another team to support if rockets is eliminated in first or second round. b/c it is more fun to watch the games when you are a fan of some team, rather than being indifferent.
but thatz just bs for me, I wont find a so-called surrogate. if not rockets, I dont care who wins the title, but itz better not LAL.

exactly. A lot of people (a large majority of sports fans) would say you have one team you root for and no others. If you have multiple you are really a fan of the sport and league than a fan a team. (not saying you can't be a fan of a team and the league itself. Some people are just fans of a league)

teemacatac · 03-28-2008, 02:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by levintblack

exactly. A lot of people (a large majority of sports fans) would say you have one team you root for and no others. If you have multiple you are really a fan of the sport and league than a fan a team. (not saying you can't be a fan of a team and the league itself. Some people are just fans of a league)

in that case, if you are a fan of a league or sport, then you are not a fan strictly speaking. The word fan is used so often and broadly these days, so it's lost its original meaning, IMO

hashmander · 03-28-2008, 09:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by teemacatac

maybe thatz b/c they think rockets wont go far in the playoff this season without yao. so fans want to find another team to support if rockets is eliminated in first or second round. b/c it is more fun to watch the games when you are a fan of some team, rather than being indifferent.
but thatz just bs for me, I wont find a so-called surrogate. if not rockets, I dont care who wins the title, but itz better not LAL.

we haven't gone far in the playoffs the previous years WITH yao, so how come there was no talk about surrogate teams then?

longbow111 · 03-28-2008, 02:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by levintblack

This article contradicts itself to me. If all these people stayed Rockets fans even with Yao out they wouldn't be looking for a surrogate playoff team to root for. To me this means that without Yao Chinese people would rather root for a different team hence the Rockets aren't China's favorite team sans Yao unlike what the article says.

Please think this way:
1. Most Chinese fans think of Rockets as their home team(even w/o Yao);
2. Many fans also like Kobe and his Lakers very much and will root for them if Rockets are not playing them;
3. Chinese fans are realistic fans. Although they really hope Rockets to win it all, most of them think it's not possible this year,especially w/o Yao. When that happened, they need another team to root for.

So I think this article didn't contradict itself. The conclusion is: If Rockets are still playing, they will always be thier team; if Rockets are eliminated in the playoff, they need to find another team to support.

pmac · 03-28-2008, 10:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by longbow111

Please think this way:
1. Most Chinese fans think of Rockets as their home team(even w/o Yao);
2. Many fans also like Kobe and his Lakers very much and will root for them if Rockets are not playing them;
3. Chinese fans are realistic fans. Although they really hope Rockets to win it all, most of them think it's not possible this year,especially w/o Yao. When that happened, they need another team to root for.

So I think this article didn't contradict itself. The conclusion is: If Rockets are still playing, they will always be thier team; if Rockets are eliminated in the playoff, they need to find another team to support.

I think we all understood what they mean...

but to a Rockets fan its like saying, "I believe there is a God but i'm just being realistic because there is big chance there isn't one"

You're job as a fan is to believe, even when it looks impossible, who would have thought we would have won 10 straight w/o yao, it happened.

that's the reason for the blasphemy post and others.