"We always stay at home and watch the game, but A-lian (Yi's nickname in China) and Big Yao gave us a passion we want to share, so we will go out and enjoy the game together for the first time."

Compared with sports-crazed Western fans, who routinely go out to bars and restaurants for major sporting events, Chinese fans tend to be more introverted and are somehow not as willing to share their feelings.

That's why you won't find any major fan parties like the ones at The Den earlier this year, where Australian and Indian fans battled it out during the Cricket World Cup, a sports gala that very few Chinese even know about.

But the upcoming Chinese NBA derby is about to change things. According to Yaomingfanclub.com, there will be about 50 fan parties with some 2,000 fans getting involved tomorrow morning in Beijing. And the locations are everywhere - from bars and restaurants to college gyms.

Yi Jianlian NBA China will also stage its coming-out party at the Goose and Duck Pub. They expect to attract as many as 300 fans.

"I am not shy to say this is a big step for me," said Shen Ye, a 16-year-old fan of Yi. "Stepping out of my private space and into the crowd is an exciting move for me. I don't know how it feels to watch my idol with 100 guys like me, but I am sure it would be more interesting than watching my small television on the sofa."

And these would-be barflys couldn't care less about the end result of the game.

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