Perspective: Maverick diplomacy

U.S.-Chinese tensions did not prevent the NBA debut of 7-foot Chinese center Wang Zhizhi Thursday night. Despite a nasty standoff between Washington and Beijing over the fate of a U.S. plane and crew detained on a Chinese island, the Dallas Mavericks rookie received an enthusiastic welcome from fans. They were chanting "We want Wang" long before the NBA's first Chinese player entered the game. Of course, New York Knick fans cheer for Latrell Sprewell. The scoreboard trumps political correctness in the NBA.

Wang also was well received by his new teammates, including Germany's Dirk Nowitzki, Canada's Steve Nash and Vernon "Mad Max" Maxwell from parts unknown. Like the economy and the Internet, basketball has gone global.

Wang obviously is tall and talented, but some aspects of the American game are going to take some getting used to. He was especially nonplused late in the game when his basket gave the Mavericks their 100th point and won everyone in the crowd -- what else? -- a chalupa. Nothing in China had prepared him for a chalupa-related standing O.

Despite current tensions, U.S.-China relations have moved well beyond the pingpong diplomacy of the 1970s. Still, a successful transition to the NBA for Wang could be one more small step in the opening of Chinese society.

Just one other question, though: Shouldn't Dallas fans win an egg roll when Mavericks rookie Eduardo Najera -- a native of Chihuahua, Mexico -- scores the team's 100th point?

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