In a Milwaukee Bucks' 93-88 pre-season win over Chicago Bulls on
Wednesday, Chinese player Yi Jianlian's debut for the team ended
with unexpected disappointment.
Yi Jianlian takes a deep
breath on the bench during the Chicago Bulls game on Wednesday,
October 10, 2007.
The 7-foot-6 power forward played for only 16 minutes and walked
off the court with a series of poor records: three points, two
interceptions, a block and six fouls.
Yi stepped into the court with 59 seconds remaining in the first
quarter, in front of the exultant local supporters. But these were
not able to encourage Yi, who had three foul records by the half
time.
"I know there are many with high hopes for me, I feel a great
pressure", Yi said after the match.
The player's performance turned for the better after the break,
scoring a three-pointer, his only score in the game, minutes into
the second half.
But three more fouls later forced an early end to his first game
appearance.
"I must try to get rid of bad manners in defense, beware of my
actions to avoid unnecessary fouls," said Yi, who also promised to
adapt himself to the special rules in the NBA games as soon as
possible.
(CRI October 11, 2007)
