OAKLAND, Calif. -- That the USA Men's Basketball World Championship team easily dismantled China wasn't much of a surprise. Paul Pierce's deep three balls and Shawn Marion's circus dunks weren't, either.

	Yao Ming has plenty of fans in the United States.

But that's not what the people came to see. OK, maybe some people. But most flocked to the Arena in Oakland to see what the league's No. 1 pick, Yao Ming, really had to offer. Enough of scouting reports, forget video footage, no more word of mouth. Thursday night was the real thing. And just what did he offer the predominantly Asian sellout crowd of 19,873?

Quite a bit, actually.

The U.S debut of the Yao Ming Show opened to rave reviews as he skillfully knocked down mid-range jumpers, aggressively banged bodies and in just one night proved he belongs in the NBA.

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"We realized tonight that he's pretty good," USA head coach George Karl said. "I think he surprised a lot of people."

The first minute of Yao's night looked like a bad omen. First Jermaine O'Neal stole the jump ball before Yao could even leave the ground. Then Antonio Davis got by him easily on the game's first possession and drew a foul. Uh-oh.

But at the 8:04 mark Yao swished a 17-foot turnaround jumper over Davis, who didn't even get a hand up. Two minutes later he picked up a loose ball and slammed it home. The next trip he drilled a jumper from 14 feet out, this time on the right side. And this time Davis got a hand up. Didn't matter. At 6-11, Davis gives up seven inches to Yao. This is what will make him a weapon: Yao can shoot over seven-footers without even jumping.

"His size advantage reminds me a little of Wilt Chamberlain who had an unstoppable bank shot in his day," Karl said.

China's high post offense, a distant cousin of the triangle, had Yao operating at the foul line with his back to the basket most of the night. This brought out the best and worst in his game. One such play he faked a pass with his right hand to a cutter, then went left in one fluid motion and knocked down a jumper from the elbow. But he was routinely stripped of the ball because of his tendency to bring it down in traffic. Baron Davis got him from behind three times by himself. He hasn't yet learned to use his height advantage to pass over the defense, something the Rockets plan to work on right away.

By the second half USA's length and speed wore China down. But Yao was the player least affected by the Americans' superior athletic ability.

Skills aside, the biggest question Yao faced was whether or not he would be able to withstand the physical pounding and keep pace with the aggressive mentality of the NBA game. Not only did he hold up to the banging, he was the one who most often initiated contact.

Already Yao has nearly mastered the very American art of backing down by leading with a shoulder to the defender's chest. Once in the second half he banged Antonio Davis so hard that Davis retaliated with a little frustration elbow as the two ran back down the court. Yao promptly responded with one of his own. He actually seemed to get more physical as the game wore on. So much for intimidation.

Yao also took the time to address the toughness issue with two spectacular, borderline goaltends on Nick Collison. This after he bruised his hand accidentally banging it into the backboard early in the second half.

"I still have a long way to go but I'm just so excited to be here," said Yao through an interpreter after the game.

He's right. Despite a solid outing he does have a lot to learn and a long way to go. And that's really good news.

Chris Palmer is a senior writer for ESPN The Magazine and frequent contributor to ESPN.com.