The Los Angeles Clippers' Blake Griffin will see a marked increase in his team's rivalry with Andrew Bynum and the Lakers - even their exhibition game last week drew a record number of TV viewers. Danny Moloshok / Associated Press

The time for talking is finally, mercifully over - now we'll see if the wait was worth it, Sun Xiaochen writes.

After months of arguments, indecisiveness and greed, the NBA season is finally here. Somehow, the whole mess makes it all the more exciting.

Delayed and shortened, the salvaged season still promises to be dramatic for a fan base desperate for some basketball, NBA China CEO David Shoemaker told China Daily last week.

"When the first game tips off, it will actually bring more buzz, excitement and interest than perhaps a regular-season tip-off in the past," Shoemaker said. "And I am sure fans here will be glued to their TV sets watching."

The 66-game season will tip-off with high-profile matchups and a group of motivated stars, which in Shoemaker's mind are the league's most marketable commodities.

"The lockout no doubt had a global impact on our business. Normally, fans are accustomed to seeing the season start at the beginning of last month," Shoemaker said. "In fact, it also created bottled-up anticipation. What I found interesting is that over the course of the lockout, the interest and support from fans didn't waver."

Is Shoemaker's prediction overly optimistic? Maybe, but the numbers don't lie.

On Dec 19, a matchup between the Clippers and Lakers drew 509,000 TV viewers, the most ever for an NBA preseason game.

Meanwhile, the number of followers on the league's online social media in China reached almost 37 million, more than double the combined fans of MLB, the NFL and the NHL, according to NBA China.

"It's important that we stay true to our fans. We need to make sure we continue to provide authentic NBA experiences, top-quality entertainment to them throughout the season," said the Canadian, who assumed his post in July after overseeing the Women's Tennis Association for years.

At any rate, it's finally time to see what kind of effect the new labor agreement will have on the on-court product.

Thanks to an overhaul that delivered all-star guard Chris Paul, veteran Chauncey Billups and swingman Caron Butler, the Clippers are enjoying the kind of buzz usually reserved for Kobe Bryant and the Lakers, who share the Staples Center - but rarely the spotlight - in Los Angeles.

"I think it's very symbolic of what we set out to do with the new labor agreement, to create more competitive balance to the league, to create greater parity in teams' appeal," Shoemaker said.

"The Lakers have been perennially a powerhouse and a fan favorite. Now we have a season upon us where one of the attractive story lines is, will the Lakers even be the most popular team in LA any longer? That's one of the dozens of exciting storylines this new season will bring us."

In the East, the Miami Heat figures to be motivated after coming up short in the NBA Finals to the Dallas Mavericks.

"I think it is the hangover from last season, which ended with tremendous drama. It ended with the triumph of a veteran team over a superstar team. I believe the biggest story is, can the super trio get over that final hurdle and help LeBron (James) win his first ring?" Shoemaker said.

The void left by the lockout was partially filled by the new-look Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), which imported a stream of out-of-work talent.

The NBA looks at the CBA as more a partner than a threat, Shoemaker said.

"I actually think CBA has done a great job and deserves to be congratulated. It becomes more popular, which means basketball becomes more popular. From my perspective, the more Chinese people watching basketball, the better," he said.

"I regard the CBA as our partner. We work on so many different levels, which include the competition that is the five-time NBA China Games, the grassroots cultivating and the coaching development. That's a great partnership."

(China Daily 12/25/2011 page8)