NBA electrifies Macau

The Orlando Magic and Cleveland Cavaliers brought major league entertainment to Macau at the weekend, wowing a pumped-up crowd of more than 11,000 at the Venetian Macao's indoor arena.

With music blasting, cheerleaders flying through the air, and the "Scream Team" of hip-hop dancers working the crowd, the energy level at the game was a major rush. This was not only for spectators (many of whom had never seen an NBA game live before), but even for the players, who were able to see for themselves just how big of a following the NBA games get outside their own country.

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A total of 11,572 people came to watch their heroes on the court, such as Orlando's Dwight Howard and Cleveland's LeBron James. Many were wearing their idols' jerseys. Some were in colored "afro" wigs. Most were there for an incredible party – which is exactly what they got.

One fan sporting a #23 jersey flew into Macau from Malaysia just to watch the NBA for the first time. "The NBA really puts on a good show," James Ong said. "The atmosphere is great, and I'm very glad that the NBA has come to Macau. It's not just a game, it's like a show, with all of the entertainment and performances that go on throughout the match."

Two amateur basketball players from Hong Kong - one originally from India and the other from Brisbane - came across to Macau to watch Saturday's NBA match and a rugby game on Saturday.

"Yeah it was quite fun. Quite a good game with Cleveland and Orlando. We'll come here again, definitely," they said.

After the Magic's big win on Saturday (100-84), big man Dwight Howard got a big cheer from the crowd by saying, "We look forward to being back again next year."

Lebron James, who has been to China several times said he was pleased to see how much the fans in China and Macau appreciate the game.

"The fans here respect the games so much," he said. "It's great to see that. They really showed their appreciation, and we enjoyed that."

Hong Kong singer and actress Karen Mok took to the floor at halftime to keep the crowd juiced with a Mandarin song. “I'm totally high!” she said afterwards.

Orlando Magic Coach Stan Van Gundy was visibly pleased with the game and the vibes from the crowd.

“I thought this was a decent display of basketball for the fans here,” he said. “This was a good NBA showing today. We started the game getting absolutely manhandled, throwing the ball all over the building, but by the second half we settled down and played the best game of the entire pre-season.

“We're 3-0 in China now, and one thing you worry about is security in this business, so if I need another job, I should have a pretty good shot at a spot in the CBA,” he added jokingly at a post-game press conference.

Cavaliers' Coach Mike Brown was also impressed. "This trip [to China and Macau] was great. I thought we had a chance to do things as a ball club and it was a good chance for the team to get away in an environment like this. Overall, I thought our experience here, we got something out of it, basketball wise. On top of it all, the Chinese people are flat out outstanding and a joy to be around."