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Yao vs. Clippers - 11/24/02

Yao and old rival Wang Zhi-Zhi of the LA Clippers battle for position Sunday afternoon

as of 11/25/02

A painful way to lose

Let's forget for a second about how Yao scored only 4 points on Sunday against the Clippers. We'll try to explain what happened in a few moments. Let's first talk about how the Rockets blew one of their most painful games in recent memory for a final score of 89-90. Since YaoMingMania.com traveled to Los Angeles for the game, it was bad enough to see Yao NOT get the opportunity he deserves. Seeing his team collapse in such dramatic fashion was even worse.

Despite playing 'ugly ball,' the Rockets made up a 17-point first quarter deficit and overcame 23 turnovers for the game to lead by six points with 1:31 remaining in the game after Moochie Norris hit a 3 pointer. But after the Rockets traded quick baskets with the Clippers, the wheels fell off for Moochie shortly thereafter. He missed two critical free throws with 1:10 remaining that could have essentially iced the game. Then with 45 seconds in the game with a three point Rocket lead, Moochie did too much dribbling (which is common for him) instead of passing the ball and ended up 'carrying' the ball (getting too fancy) for a turnover.

Olowokandi came back and hit a hook shot over Yao to pull the Clippers within one point. Yao missed a fallaway jumper, and then the Rockets had a chance to steal the ball and the victory when the ball was thrown to Juaquin Hawkins by mistake. But Hawk couldn't hold onto the ball and it bounced out of bounds. The Clippers' Eric Piatkowski came back and hit a shot with 1.4 seconds to go up by one point, and Steve Francis missed a fallaway jumper at the buzzer.

There were other reasons why the Rockets blew this game. From the field Eddie Griffin struggled (1-7) as did Hawkins (2-7) and Kenny Thomas (2-7 after hitting his first 4 shots). Although Stevie Franchise had 31 points, his field goal percentage continued its downward trend (8-22) after his hot start this season (the law of averages is catching up with him), and he turned the ball over 8 times. And without Cuttino Mobley in the lineup to provide more scoring punch and slashing to the basket, the other Rockets had to step up and make up for Cat's absence. Glen Rice delivered (23 points), but no one else really did.

An irrelevant goaltending call

By the way, if you hear anyone blaming Yao for blowing the game by goaltending the final Clipper shot, tell them they don't know what they are talking about. Piatkowski's shot with 1.4 seconds remaining rattled above the cylinder and was on its way down before Yao tipped it for the goaltending call. In fact, it was probably the best thing Yao could have done because if he hadn't done it, the ball would have taken a few extra tenths of a second before falling through the net. And every tick of the clock at that juncture was precious in giving the Rockets one last shot to win it.

The Rockets final shot

Instead of going to Yao for the final shot, they designed a half-decent play to Steve Francis for a tough fallaway jumper, but he missed it. We know Yao is new and hasn't earned a reputation for being a clutch shooter yet, but we would have endorsed lobbing a high pass to Yao (which no one else would have been able to tip) and have him shoot one of his deadly and accurate jumpers. Although Yao missed a shot with 18 seconds remaining, he has rarely missed two shots in a row. So perhaps the Rockets might play those percentages next time. Who is going to block a 7'6" center's shot anyway? Not very many people.

Why only four shots for Yao?

So why did Yao only shoot four shots in this game? Part of it had to do with a collapsing zone defense around Yao, the Clippers' Michael Olowokandi playing pretty good defense, and Glen Rice getting hot in the third quarter and the Rockets feeding the hot hand (which we endorse, and worked). But we think much of it revolves around the Rockets desire to balance the scoring, keep everyone happy, and keep the defense guessing. We believe that's a valid approach, but we also think Yao needs to shoot the ball at least 10 times a game. Since he only shot it three times in the first half, he deserved more touches in the second half.

We also have to look more closely at the Houston guards' playmaking abilities. They need to find a way to get Yao the ball, and close to the basket. By looking at Yao's shot charts on this web site--it's evident if you give Yao the ball down low, he will deliver. And he has to get the ball in good scoring position THROUGHOUT the game, not just in the final seconds when it's hard to get a rhythm started. Since the Rockets are trying to improve the guard play and because Moochie is struggling (especially at the free throw line), let's see what reserve guard and second-round draft pick Tito Maddox can do. He came off the injured reserve list when Cuttino Mobley went on the list, and we've heard lots of good things about him, so let's see what happens. Who knows, maybe he'll be the next Jamaal Tinsley, who came out of nowhere last year as a rookie to star for the Indiana Pacers at point guard.

The atmosphere for Yao at Staples

Having attended the game, we can say the crowd had a nice Asian community turnout (maybe 50% of the crowd was Asian), probably because of L.A.'s large Asian population and since Yao did very well here in his breakout game again the Lakers the previous Sunday. What struck us was how vocal this Clipper crowd was for Yao! It felt in many ways like attending a World Cup soccer match with the enthusiasm they showed. Anytime Yao did ANYTHING, like grab a rebound or shoot a free throw, the crowd roared. If you looked around, you would see people having a great time and celebrating the fact that Yao was 'representing' very well. We have attended games at Compaq when Yao has played, and we were surprised this L.A. crowd was almost as boisterous for Yao. We have never heard an opposing player get this type of response in another team's gym other than Michael Jordan. Believe me, you can't really tell how loud it gets unless you're there--TV audio has a way of getting muffled by the time it reaches your ears. So if Yao comes to your town, try to go to the game--you should be in for a treat!

Detailed Yao analysis

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1st quarter
11:13		Yao grabs a fairly routine defensive rebound, and the crowd loves it. They want to see Yao do good things, and to do it often! This game should be fun!
9:34		Clipper Michael Olowokandi hits a nice turnaround hook shot over Yao. This guy has really improved over the past two years.
8:44		Yao gets the ball about 17 feet from the basket near his favorite spot on the left side. Holding the ball in his right hand with his arm outstetched, he dribbles the ball twice methodically into the lane, jumps off his left foot and hits a difficult fallaway jumper. The Los Angeles crowd erupts! It's like he's playing in Compaq Center with this type of response! We've also never seen him try this type of shot. He's got a complete arsenal of shots!
8:04		Getting the ball about 4 feet from the left baseline about 16 feet away from the rim, this time Yao quickly shoots a jumper, which misses.
5:17	Great Defense	Olowokandi posts up on Yao and tries to bull his way backwards, but Yao has great position and is pushed backward by the Kandiman, who is called for an offensive foul.
5:03		Juaquin Hawkins passes the ball to Yao in his favorite spot in the high post on the left side, and Hawkins then cuts into the lane. Yao bounces a perfect pass towards Hawkins' direction, but Hawk isn't even looking for the ball and it bounces off him out of bounds. The Rockets are committing alot of turnovers; as a result, they trail 18-6. Yao's old buddy from China Wang Zhi-Zhi checks into the game, and the crowd gives Wang a great reception (to be expected).
4:36		Yao posts up against Wang in his favorite spot, dribbles twice, but Andre Miller comes over and steals it and starts a Clipper fast break.
3:47		Cato checks into the game for Yao.
2nd quarter
8:44		Yao checks back into the game to join Maurice Taylor and Kenny Thomas in the Rockets' frontcourt.
7:24		Yao gets the ball in his favorite spot (high post, left side), dribbles twice toward the lane and shoots a fallaway jumper, but it misses. Yao has missed his last two shots and is 1 for 3 from the field so far.
3:47		Eric Piatkowski drives the lane, but Yao glides along side him to swat the ball away. The crowd oohs and ahhs.
1:35		From Yao's favorite spot in the post with his back to the basket, Wang defends Yao. Yao dribbles a couple of times to his left, but Wang tips it away from behind and the Clipper fast break begins. Credit Wang for his experience playing Yao in China and knowing his tendencies.
1:13	Free Throws	Yao is held by Wang on a rebound, and a foul is called. Since the Clippers are in the penalty, Yao shoots and makes both free throws. Even when he makes free throws, the crowd yells and screams! Yao now has 4 points, but will only take one more shot the rest of the game (in the final seconds). Now how does that happen?
:38	Technical Free Throw	Yao is picked to shoot a free throw because of a Clipper technical foul. With no one standing alongside the lane, Yao misses it.
3rd quarter
8:32		After starting the third quarter, Elton Brand drives the lane and gets underneath the bucket, but Yao is there to intimidate and makes Brand shoot it too hard off he glass. Brand grabs the rebound and puts up another shot right away, but Yao tips it, grabs the rebound and passes to start a Rocket break.
7:26		Olowakandi backs up Yao in the post, then takes one step backward to shoot a fallaway jumper over Yao's outstretched arm, but shoots an air ball. Add another tick mark to Yao's 'silent statistics.'
4:03		Yao checks out of the game after picking up his 4th foul. Cato replaces him.
1:27		With Yao still out of the game, Glen Rice hits one of a series of shots to score his 18th point in the quarter right in front of the Rockets' bench. Yao pumps his fist and gets out of his seat before anyone else. You can tell Yao is really into the game, is happy for his teammate and wants to win! A similar thing happens when the 3rd quarter clock expires when Francis shoots a 25-foot 3-pointer at the buzzer. As the ball is in the air, Yao crouches on the bench with his fists cocked wanting badly for the ball to go in the basket. Once it does, he is the first to jump off his bench seat again. It's refreshing to see Yao build an affinity for his new teammates and ballclub in 3-4 weeks.
4th quarter
3:04		Yao checks back into the game.
:18		With the Rockets holding an 89-88 lead, Yao gets the ball in his favorite left-side post-up spot. He takes one step back and shoots a fallaway jumper, which is too strong and hits the back of the rim. The ball is rebounded by the Clippers, and the Clips go on to win the game. Don't blame Yao too much for this loss, though.