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Yao doesn't disappoint record Oakland crowd, international television audience
Yao lived up to the expectations of a San Francisco Bay Area crowd that awaited his arrival for quite some time, and to television viewers in China, Hong Kong, The Philippines, and Japan. Heavily promoting Yao's first game as a pro to the Asian-American community, the Golden State Warriors had their largest attendance of the season at 18,401, but saw their team lose 84-91. It didn't help the Warriors that they shot 33% from the field. It's interesting that Warrior coach Eric Musselman had his staff prepare tapes of every shot Yao had taken in the NBA -- 69 going into Wednesday's game -- for Adonal Foyle and Erick Dampier to study. It didn't work. Yao started the game quickly by scoring 9 points in the first quarter (half the Rockets points), but got in foul trouble and played only 16 minutes in the game. He finished with 14 points on 6 of 8 shooting, 3 rebounds and 2 blocks. The shots he did sink were spectacular and amazed the crowd (see Detailed Yao Analysis below). The crowd was so pro-Yao and vocal, the Man himself said after the game, "I felt like I was the only person on the court at times." Thanks for showin' him love, Oak-town. Someone else stepped up After the Rockets' 18-point first quarter, it looked like it was going to be a repeat of the previous night's game against the Blazers where they shot 35.5% from the field and no one rose to the occasion. But after Yao sat down with foul trouble, they got a surprise performance from backup center Kelvin Cato, who scored on plays he never would have finished last year. Cato scored 15 points by halftime, which they needed because Steve Francis had only scored 2 points by that time. Go figure. Cato eventually finished with 22 points on 9 for 11 shooting with 6 blocks. It looks like the Rockets' patience with Cato over the past few years is starting to pay off. With Cuttino Mobley on the injured reserve list, the center position may be the Rockets' strongest position--at least for another week until Cat gets back. Thanksgiving break The Rockets travel to Seattle for a game on Friday night, and will spend Thanksgiving with each other at a Seattle hotel. Make sure to check out the "What Yao is saying" section below on Yao's take on American Thanksgiving, and other related topics. |
| 1st quarter | ||
| 10:56 |  |
Yao gets the ball in his favorite spot, the left side of the basket a couple of feet outside the paint. With his back to the basket, he turns right toward the baseline and puts up a fadeaway jumper, but Erick Dampier blocks it. It looks like Dampier touched him on the right hand, which should have been a foul. |
| 10:04 |  |
On Houston's next offensive possession, the Rockets swing the ball around the edge of the three point line and then pass it to Yao, who is standing to the right side of the basket along the edge of the free throw line. With his back to the bucket and Dampier guarding him, he quickly turns right and shoots a fadeaway jumper over the guy who just blocked him. Swish! The Bay Area crowd yells their support for the guy they wished lived there. The Rockets did a great job in moving the ball with crisp passing and not dribbling it and forcing up a bad shot. Maybe this will be a trend from here on out. |
| 8:03 |  |
Rocket Juaquin Hawkins enters the lane from the left side and puts up a fadeway jumper in the middle of the paint, but it bounces high off the back iron. Yao is there to sky for the rebound, then he brings the ball down in traffic, and goes up for a shot about 3 feet from the basket. He banks it high off the glass and into the bucket. All those years shooting bank shots in China (uncool in America) is paying off now. And it was a beautiful shot with a nice, soft touch and flick of the right wrist. Not only that, but he shoots it as he's coming DOWN from his jump shot. What great body control! The Rockets trail 4-6. Yao is 2-3 from the field with all of the Rockets points. |
| 6:42 | For the second time in the game, Erick Dampier shoots a jump hook over Yao to score. This shot of Dampier's is designed perfectly to go over Yao's height. | |
| 6:24 |  |
In their half-court offense, Glen Rice throws a nice lead pass to Yao in the lane who was able to get ahead of Dampier. Yao dribbles once to get about 4 feet from the left side of the basket, pump fakes, then elevates to easily lay it in off the glass over Dampier's attempted block. Yao is 3 for 4 from the field and has all of his team's points. Rockets trail 6-10. |
| 5:06 |  |
From about 18 feet away from the basket just beyond his favorite spot on the left side, Yao spins quickly to the baseline and leaves Dampier behind wondering 'what happened?' Yao dribbles twice along the baseline, elevates and slams it home with his right hand over Dampier's flailing arms. If you were in the local towns of Fremont or Walnut Creek, you could hear the crowd roar! Rockets trail 10-12. He now has 8 of the Rockets 10 points. |
| 4:29 | Free Throws |
Yao gets the ball in his favorite left side spot, turns immediately for a fadeaway jumper over Dampier, and THIS time (unlike at the 10:56 mark) the refs call a foul on Dampier. We knew the only way Dampier could block Yao's shot is if he catches his arm or hand. That's Dampier's second foul, and he's replaced by Adonal Foyle. Unfortunately Yao misses the first free throw off the back iron. He makes the next one perfectly. |
| 4:10 | Yao checks out of the game for Kelvin Cato to rest. He has 9 of the Rockets 11 points, who trail 11-12. | |
| 0:00 | At the end of the first quarter, the Rockets are tied 18-18, and have shot a woeful 31% from the field. Just think how bad it would have been if Yao had not shot 4 for 5 from the field himself. It's evident he carried the team in this quarter. | |
| 2nd quarter (did not play) | ||
| 3rd quarter | ||
| 10:05 | Yao is double-teamed just beyond his favorite spot from the left side, and throws a perfect pass one-handed hook pass to Juaquin Hawkins, who is cutting down the middle of the lane. The crowd loudly expresses its awe for Yao's dexterity, but Hawkins dropps the ball and fumbled it out of bounds. Juaquin dropped a similar type of pass from Yao just a few days earlier. Boy, the Rockets miss Cuttino Mobley right now. | |
| 9:03 |  |
With only four seconds left on the shot clock, Steve Francis inbounds the ball by passing the ball to Yao, who is parked at the edge of the paint. He goes up for the jump shot uncontested, but shoots it too hard and misses. But that's okay: as we have said here over the past couple of games, the Rockets should run that play all the time in a quick shot situation. No one would be able to tip the ball away on the inbounds pass, nor block Yao's shot. |
| 8:57 |  |
On the resulting fast break off Yao's missed shot, Gibert Arenas is driving the lane, but Yao is there to get a piece of the ball to start a fast break the other way. Great hustle by Yao to get back! |
| 7:45 |  |
Kenny Thomas passes from the top of the 3 point line to Yao along the edge of the paint on the right side. Guarded by Dampier, he immediately turns right and hits a beautiful fallaway jumper over his hand. What beautiful form he has, especially being 7'5". The crowd loves it! Yao is 5 for 7 from the field. Rockets lead 47-44. |
| 5:55 |  |
Troy Murphy has the ball in the lane and THINKS about shooting over Yao, who is converging on him from underneath the basket. But Murphy passes a wraparound pass to Dampier, who is standing behind Yao underneath the hoop. Dampier fumbles the pass, but brings it in and goes up for a shot with Yao standing over him. In a normal situation, Dampier would have probably tried to pivot to get a better angle on the shot, but instead he rushes the shot thinking Yao is going to block it, which he does. |
| 4:22 |  + Free Throw |
Yao flashes to his favorite spot, gets passed the ball and does a pump fake to get Dampier to come down on him. But Yao continues with the play, leans in and lays it in off the glass for an 'AND 1!' Jason Richardson also comes over to accidentally poke Yao in the face. Yao is probably going to need some Kareem goggles with the way he's going to get hacked in his career. Moochie, who is sitting on the sideline, rolls around on the floor yelling at Yao, loving what he just saw while giving him the '#1' sign. Yao makes the free throw, and is 6-8 from the field with 14 points. The Rockets lead 58-48, their biggest lead of the night. |
| 3:28 | Yao picks up two quick fouls, #4 and #5. On his fifth foul, Antawn Jamison drives toward the lane and Yao has great position, but Yao jumps straight up trying to go for the block instead of taking the charge. Because he left his feet, that's a foul on Yao. Occasionally Yao will jump when he doesn't really need to do so. Guess he's got that shot blocker's mentality, kind of like Hakeem did early in his career when he tried to block everything but got in foul trouble as a result. Yao checks out of the game, and assistant coach Jim Boylen is seen talking to Yao (with Colin Pine interpreting), probably about this very same principle. The Rockets lead 58-51. | |
| 4th quarter - Yao doesn't play, but the Rockets didn't need him since the Warriors shot so poorly, and backup center Kelvin Cato had one of the best games of his career.
In 16 minutes of action, Yao finished with 14 points (6 for 8 from the field) and was 2 for 3 from the line. He also left with thousands of new Bay Area fans impressed with his performance. |
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