Rockets On The Road... In China
Rockets' Brett Gunning checks in from the Far East with updates from NBA clinics in China

Houston Rockets' Director of Player Development Brett Gunning is in China for the next couple weeks taking part in a pair of NBA clinics which will include the likes of Yao Ming, Dwight Howard and several other NBA stars. While abroad, Gunning will share his insight from the trip with daily blog posts, pictures, videos and more.

Sunday, July 18th: Beijing camp begins

First day of camp went great...the kids were so fired up. It’s always refreshing to be around younger kids who are passionate about learning, and passionate about the game of basketball. I have an interpreter who has to communicate everything I say to the kids...it’s kind of strange, but we’re making the best of it. I’m also starting to learn some Chinese...you should see the look in their faces when I yell out some Chinese phrases! I look forward to saying them to Yao the next time I see him...it’s going to surprise him as well....2 of my favorite phrases are: “Lan-ban” (Rebound!) and “Fang-shou” (Defense)! Tomorrow is going to be a great day...Dwight Howard and I are scheduled to give the kids two different clinics...i’ll try and send some pictures and video afterwards.

Saturday, July 17th: Beijing

Camp doesn’t start until Sunday, so I got a chance to see some Beijing history today, including Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. I also got a chance to see Wukesong Olympic Arena, which was where the “Redeem Team” won the Gold Medal in the 2008 Olympic Games. It was a pretty amazing day for sure...there’s so much history and culture in Beijing. Camp starts in the morning...i’m really looking forward to working with the young kids. That’s one of the great things about this trip...we are so blessed to be a part of the NBA, and to be able to give back and help younger players get better, it’s a great feeling. The camp that I will be a part of is called the Amway Nutrilite Junior NBA City Camp. Dwight Howard from the Orlando Magic will be there as well (He is the NBA Ambassador for the camp). Should be a great time! I’ll let you know how the first day of camp went in my next entry.

Friday, July 16th: Arrival

Arrived in Beijing after a smooth 12-hour flight from San Francisco. I couldn’t read one more page from my book, watch another movie, or listen to another song...it was time to get off the plane for sure. First stop was right to the NBA China Office in Beijing. What was amazing was that there were over 100 people still working in the office at 6pm on a Friday evening...that’s why the NBA is such a class operation! One of the first people I met in the office was a die-hard Houston Rockets fan who had grown up in Katy, Texas. He now works in the Investments and Operations Department for NBA China (he had a huge poster of Luis Scola above his desk)! I got a chance to meet a lot of great people who obviously have a great deal of pride in working for the NBA. Off to check-in to the hotel and enjoy some dinner.

石头写在后面：标注颜色的部分都是准备雅思托福很好的口语素材，也是口语新新人类必用的热词：）
die-hard  ['dɑi,hɑrd] 
adj. 顽固的，死硬的
例句:
A few die-hards are trying to stop the reforms.
一小撮死硬派企图中止改革