易建联2013中国国家队首亮相

China’s national team is hosting Ukraine at this very moment in the eastern city of Wuxi, which lies about halfway between Shanghai and Nanjing.

It’s the first contest in a two-game warm-up set between these two sides. The Dragons are currently preparing for the Asian Championships, where they will look to defend their title in August.

The latest update on this contest had Ukraine leading by a score of 30-29 at halftime. It’s rare for these two teams to meet on the court in international competition, but Chinese fans are excited by the return of CBA Regular Season and Playoff MVP Yi Jianlian to the national team.

This event marks his 2013 debut for new coach Panagiotis Giannakis, who has a veteran counterpart on the Ukraine sideline.

That would be former NBA coach Mike Fratello, who has previously led the Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Memphis Grizzlies. The second game of this series will take place on Tuesday in Beijing.