Well that sucked.

Not for the faint of heart.

The first reaction for me was frustration, which gradually ceded to misery. It is shocking to go from riding such a wave of euphoric hope to being humbled like that. We fans were in the stratosphere going into this playoff opener. Fifteen-thousand people don't show up to a mid-day team rally on a weekday if there isn't a little magic in the air.

Then the game had start, and soon everyone in Rip City had their fun ruined. Yao Ming played the best first half of anyone so far in the playoffs. After his first twenty minutes or so of action he was able to kick his feet up and enjoy watching his teammates carry the load the rest of the way. Rockets players referred to as "X-factors" by some analyst or another all came up big: Brooks, Scola, Artest. Dude, even Brent Barry threw a dunk down. It really, really sucked to watch this game.

But take a step back with me. However disappointing this game was, Portland is still ahead of schedule even being in this situation. Also keep in mind that this series is far from over. For the most part Portland came out looking tentative and then shell-shocked. But this team has shown an ability to learn quickly, and I'm sure Western Conference Coach of the Month Nate McMillan will have their undivided attention. 

Even if they can't solve the Rockets this time around, can you imagine how much these players could improve with an off-season of being pissed off and with first hand knowledge that further improvement is required for playoff success?

On to some random thoughts:

- Brandon Roy is the undisputed Everything. But he needs help.

- It would be nice if Roy's teammates would dare to take their usual shots. Especially if they did so with their usual confidence.

- If you have to play Bayless just so Brooks can't do whatever he wants, do it.

- Front Yao Ming, even if you don't want to.

DeceptivelyQuick will welcome our Asian Overlords

Not too long ago, China got interested in basketball. Soon after, we saw an endearing 7'1 small-forward by the name of Wang Zhizhi hang around in the NBA for a while. What a cute and harmless little example of globalization, arrogant Americans thought. Wrong.

After the 7'1 SF, we saw a sliiiiightly better 7'6 Center. Then a 7'0 SF that can play. I don't want to freak you out too much, but China has a 6'9 guy on the way that can play pointguard. It really is only a matter of time before the Chinese Olympic team consists only of players over nine feet tall (the center will be 15 feet tall). Trust me, they have 1.3 billion people and those intense baby athlete training programs like in the movies. They will do it.

And China's ambition must be inspiring other Asian Countries. Observe this footage I stumbled across at the NYTimes (yep). We see Japan once again using some ingenuity to outdue the Americans, this time it isn't about car production, its about basketball.

China still loves Houston

I'm over the "fans don't vote for the right people as All-Stars" rant. If the All-Star game is for the fans, its never going to be a meritocracy. I've even let go of the belief that the coaches have some moral obligation to pick those most deserving and thus bring at least some justice to the situation. Of course, if we're submitting to the tyranny of the majority, maybe they should just have the game in China from now on. It's possible.

I was interested to see how China would support Yi in the voting this season. Would we see the same dedication that has made Yao a lock since his rookie season? He came in with a lot less hype than Yao, but the analysts told me Yao's support is mainly due to his nationality. This in mind, there is probably a baseline of fame and ability one has to achieve to earn this home-country love. Sorry, Big Dodger.

Yi was a high draft pick, is starting as a rookie, and has been a meaningful contributor. Yet he comes in at just #5 in the Eastern Conference Forward voting. Note that being a highly drafted Chinese player does not guarantee you a spot. You'd have better luck as a Houston Rocket.

The increasingly China-savvy NBA has been making sure to keep the Rockets on as many Chinese televisions as possible since Yao came along. Not surprisingly, team loyalty has grown. Despite the Rockets sucking, Shane Battier is 7th among Western Conference Forwards, with rookie teammate Luis Scola coming in 8th. Take that, Durant.

Tracy McGrady is second amongst Western Conference guards, trailing only Mamba. This puts him ahead of guys like Steve Nash, AI, Baron Davis, and Tony Parker. Of course Yao deservedly leads all Western Conference centers.

Battier and Scola both have more votes than Yi. Sure, this could be attributed to votes outside of China. As far as market size goes, Houston dwarfs Chinese-hating Milwaukie. But China was supposed to wield an enormous axe in this vote. Either the Yao belief that you get on the team if you come from China with any hype has always been wrong, or has recently changed.

Many Chinese fans, like non-Chinese fans, like the players and teams they see the most of. Perhaps this is reason enough to let them watch the good teams, too.

NBA.com: 2008 NBA All-Star Balloting Presented by T-Mobile Second Returns Announced