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Time Out? China's NBA Row Suddenly Cools

Agence France-Presse

   SHANGHAI, CHINA - China's state press and internet were notably lacking
   in fresh attacks on the NBA Friday, in a possible sign that authorities
   were working to de-escalate a bitter political row.

   The American basketball league suffered a ferocious backlash after
   Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey voiced support for Hong
   Kong's pro-democracy protests on Twitter.

   But after adoring fans cheered on the Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn
   Nets in a Shanghai exhibition game Thursday night, China's censors and
   propaganda machine avoided further inflaming the issue.

   In contrast to days leading up to the pre-season game, when state media
   editorials ripped into the NBA for interfering in Chinese affairs, the
   government-controlled press barely mentioned the issue Friday.

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