YaoMingMania.com

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Yao creates space for his fadeaway jumper along the baseline to score his first bucket in the game against the Spurs Tuesday night.

Yao battles MVP Tim Duncan on one side and David Robinson on another. He still scored the bucket and was fouled on the play.

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Domination of The Duo Before Yao's match-up Tuesday night against San Antonio Spurs' Tim Duncan and David Robinson, many NBA observers thought it was going to be more of a WAKE-UP call for the Houston 7'6" center. He was going to be put in his place, they believed. That if you had Yao on your fantasy league team, go ahead and sit him down because he wasn't going to do anything statistically against the Twin Towers. That the 7-footers are just too experienced for this 22-year old rookie to handle. Well, Yao proved Tuesday night he not only belongs in the NBA (that happened awhile ago), but that he is one of the top centers in the league. In a season that continues to be unpredictable for YaoMingManiacs and general Yao-watchers alike, the Houston coaching staff apparently decided to give Yao the "green light" to shoot more. In the end, Yao surprised everyone by scoring 27 points on 10-18 shooting (7-7 from the free throw line), and he racked up a career-high 18 boards, blocked 3 shots and altered the trajectory of many others. With his domination, the Rockets beat the Spurs 89-75 in Compaq Center. Check out some of the quotes below from the impressed Spurs. We also articulate Yao's excellence in the Detailed Yao Analysis section, which includes some impressive quotes about Yao from Mike Dunleavy, the San Antonio TV analyst

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"He played very well, obviously. He did a great job of playing a complete basketball game. He's a natural. "He's going to be a big-time force in this league. Those who think differently are few and far between now."   -  San Antonio Spur coach Gregg Popovich, after playing Yao and losing to the Rockets, 12/3/02

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"He's for real. At that age? He's for real. He did that against three 7-footers — three 7-footers who can play. David Robinson. Kevin Willis. Tim Duncan. Those aren't three stiffs. "He played well. And he can only get better."   -  San Antonio Spur Steve Smith

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"He was very impressive. He has a great touch, and he is bigger than you think he is in person. He shot the ball better than I thought he could. We had a hand in his face, and it didn't matter. He played great."   -  Spurs center and NBA MVP Tim Duncan

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"He played great. He was all over the boards. He shot the ball well and he moved the ball around with his passing. He was a handful. He was the difference in the game. "He's definitely going to be one of the top players in the league."   -  David Robinson

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What removed the yoke from Yao? We said here in our last summary that an article written by a Houston Chronicle sportswriter yesterday might be the impetus to putting "more heat" on the Houston coaches to allow Yao to shoot more. Through our experience, we believe Houston sportswriters are fairly nice in how they cover their local teams and don't really 'stir the pot' compared to other newspapers around the country. It's only when things are chronically wrong (no pun intended) will they write an article that is critical and questioning. And when they do, it tends to get the attention of all Houston fans, and ultimately team management. We don't know if this article had anything to do with the chains being removed from Yao's offensive game Tuesday night against the Spurs. But if it did, all we can say is, "Thank you, Houston Chronicle," and we hope the trend continues.

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Detailed Yao Analysis

1st quarter
12:00		Yao starts the game at center. Maurice Taylor starts in the power forward spot. Yao wins the tip over David Robinson.
11:47		On the Rockets first offensive possession of the game, Yao gets the ball in his favorite spot on the left side about 14 feet away from the basket. He quickly turns and shoots a fadeaway jumper, but misses. It's nice to see the Rockets trying to get Yao warmed up quickly on their first possession.
10:41		Again, Yao gets the ball in his favorite spot. With his back facing the basket, he dribbles left, then pivots right, pump fakes Robinson, then takes two big steps toward the baseline to put more distance between himself and Robinson. As his momentum is carrying him out of bounds, he shoots a fallaway jumper over Robinson practically from behind the backboard...and SWISH!! The Rockets lead 4-2, and Yao is 1-2 from the field.
8:33	Intimidation	The Spurs run a pick-and-roll between Robinson and Steve Smith. Yao switches away from Robinson and contests a jumper by sharpshooter Smith, who has to arc the ball high over Yao's 7'6" frame (and block attempt) at the elbow of the free throw line. Smith misses, and the Rockets gain possession.
7:43	+ Free Throw	Posting up Robinson along the baseline on the left edge of the lane, Yao quickly puts up a right-handed sky hook that misses short. But Yao is able to grab the rebound over Robinson. Yao brings it down and goes right back up with it about 3 feet from the basket. Tim Duncan is behind Yao and is able to put his hand on the ball as Yao has the ball over his head as he goes up with it, BUT YAO IS STRONG ENOUGH TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE BALL, LAY IT IN, AND ROBINSON ON THE OTHER SIDE HACKS HIM AND IS CALLED FOR A FOUL! Great strength shown by Yao to not let the ball come out of his hands. And a beautiful site to see him powering through the "Twin Towers" of the Spurs. Yao makes the 'AND 1' free throw, and he's 2-4 from the field with 5 points. The Rockets lead 11-10.
6:14		From his favorite spot on the left side, Yao is being guarded by Robinson while dribbling with his back to the basket. Yao dribbles left a couple of steps, then shoots a fadeaway jumper, which is too strong off the back iron. As we expected might happen after the Houston Chronicle article from yesterday, Yao is getting more touches after shooting the ball in four possessions over a six minute span.
5:54		On the following Spur possession, Robinson tries to zip a pass inside from the top of the key with Yao guarding him, but Yao reacts quickly and catches the bullet in mid-air for a supposed steal--however, the ref calls a foul on Kenny Thomas for impeding the movement of the intended recipient (Duncan) of the pass. But GREAT REFLEXES shown by the big guy, as well as using his height and jumping ability to intercept the pass of a 7-footer like The Admiral.
5:39		Steve Francis drives the lane and misses a layup, but the always-hustling Yao isn't too far away. On the missed shot, Yao is behind Robinson and Duncan BUT IS ABLE TO TIP THE BALL OVER ROBINSON FOR THE BUCKET. The Twin Towers' height appears to be a non-factor tonight. Yao is now 3-6 from the field with 7 points. The Rockets tie the score 15-15.
5:11		From his favorite spot, Yao faces up toward the basket (he's always trying something different from this spot) and goes up for a jump shot over Robinson, but he misses. Yao is now 3-7 from the field.
3:54	Free Throws	Francis misses a jumper and the ball bounces high off the rim. Yao is standing in the middle of the lane and outhustles Robinson to grab the rebound and goes up for a shot under the bucket, but he's fouled from behind by The Admiral. Robinson checks out of the game with his second foul, and Kevin Willis checks in. Yao hits both free throws. He now has 9 points (3-3 from the free thrown line) and 6 rebounds.
3:42	Intimidation	Spur guard Tony Parker drives the lane with Yao underneath the basket, but Yao's attempt to swat it away makes Parker loft the shot higher than normal. The ball clangs off the rim and Yao grabs the rebound.
3:32	Intimidation	Kevin Willis shoots a jumper over Yao from the left side about 18 feet away, but his shot is short. Yao is able to tip away the missed shot. Eventually on this Spur possession, Tony Parker drives to the bucket with Yao underneath. But Parker gets intimidated and alters his layup attempt, and blows it! Yao tips the missed shot to Kenny Thomas, who starts a fast break. Although he won't get credit statistically, credit Yao's presence on this sequence!
1:11		Yao gets the ball on the right side of the bucket about 17 feet out. He's guarded one-on-one by Kevin Willis and holds onto the ball for about 5 seconds, and then decides to loft a jumper that misses.
:37.5		Tim Duncan checks out of the game, as does Yao for Kelvin Cato. Yao has 9 points and 8 rebounds. At the end of the 1st quarter, the score is tied 21-21.
2nd quarter
5:01		On a perfectly timed play, Francis drives the lane from the left side while Yao enters the lane from the right. As he is running, Francis hooks a pass from about 3 feet inside the free throw line to Yao, who catches it in mid-air and lays it in off the glass! Beautiful play! Yao is now 4 of 9 from the field. The Rockets lead 38-33.
4:22	Assist	On another beautifully timed play, Moochie passes the ball to Yao in his favorite spot on the left side. Moochie then takes off into the lane without the ball and YAO BOUNCES A PERFECT PASS TO MOOCHIE, WHO GOES UNCONTESTED FOR THE LAY UP! A great bang-bang play! THE CROWD JUMPS OUT OF THEIR SEAT! This is the same bounce pass that Yao has executed perfectly to Juaquin Hawkins over the past several games, only to have Hawkins fumble the ball out of bounds or miss the lay up. This time Moochie finishes! This is Yao's second assist tonight. He's showing everything tonight!
3:48		Francis passes the ball to Yao, who posts up Tim Duncan on the right side outside of the paint (opposite side of Yao's favorite spot on the left side). Yao immediately goes up for a fallaway jumper that hasn't been falling tonight like it normally does (see shots 1, 3, 5, 7, & 8) and BANG! Count it! Yao pumps his fist after breaking the dry spell from outside! And he did it in Tim Duncan's grill, who couldn't do anything but watch Yao's untouchable shot! The crowd is loving it! Yao is dominating. He's now 5 for 10 from the field. The Rockets have extended their lead to 42-33. After this play, Spurs analyst Mike Dunleavy says, "Boy, he really extends up. He's 7'6" already, and then when he extends, he's got such a soft touch. You really gotta do a good job of forcing him away from the basketball." "It makes so much sense to put the ball in his hands, with all his skills."
3:03		From his favorite left-side spot, Yao has Robinson on him. You can tell Yao wants to find an open man since he feels he has been shooting the ball too much, but since no one is open he shoots the fallaway jumper, but misses. Eddie Griffin grabs the offensive rebound...
2:53		...a few seconds later, Griffin passes to Francis on the left side. Francis drives the lane and draws a crowd, and zips a waist-high bullet past Robinson to YAO, WHO IS STANDING 4 FEET FROM THE BASKET AND HAMMERS DOWN A TWO-HANDED 'FACIAL' DUNK OVER DUNCAN!! THE CROWD JUMPS FROM THEIR SEATS ONCE AGAIN!! You have to give credit to Yao for hustling and staying involved with the play, even after his missed shot! Yao is now 6 for 12 from the field, and has 15 points. Rockets lead 44-35. Mike Dunleavy states: "I tell you what. Francis had nothing else in his mind but creating that shot for Yao Ming. These two guys are starting to develop some nice chemistry together."
2:10		Once again, Yao holds onto the ball in his favorite spot. Everyone of his teammates clears out for him. Not having anyone open, Yao just seems to say, "What the hell, I'll shoot it." Eighteen feet away from the basket, he turns toward the baseline for his patented fallaway jumper over Kevin Willis. The ball goes high in the air--almost to the same height of the shot clock--AND IT SWISHES THROUGH THE NET. Mike Dunleavy sums it up best by saying awestruck, "That is SICK." Yao is 7 for 13 from the field with 17 points, and has taken over the game.
1:23		Feeding the hot hand, the Rockets clear out for Yao as he goes to his favorite spot. Yao pivots right and shoots another fadeaway, but this time it's a little too strong and it bounces off the back iron. Yao finishes the half with 17 points on 7-14 shooting, with 11 rebounds. Amazing.
3rd quarter
12:00		Yao is starting, and the Rockets lead 49-39.
10:52		On a defensive rebound, Yao goes up high to tip the ball to himself, but it actually goes to Bruce Bowen underneath his own basket, and Bowen lays it in. This is the second time Yao has lost a tipped rebound in this game. He will need to rip these balls down and bring them in rather than trying to finesse the rebound. But hey, we're not complaining with the performance he's putting on.
9:55		From the right side outside the lane, Tim Duncan has Yao isolated one-on-one. Duncan dribbles left around Yao to go for a baby hook shot 4 feet from the basket, BUT YAO SLIDES WITH DUNCAN AND BLOCKS HIS SHOT AT THE APEX OF HIS SHOT! Roars erupt from Compaq after the block by Yao of the League MVP! This is Yao's first block of the game.
8:19		Jockeying for position in the paint on Robinson, Yao is fronted by the Admiral on the left side of the lane. Juaquin Hawkins throws an entry pass over-the-top to Yao, but Robinson tips it up into the air. HOWEVER YAO CATCHES THE TIPPED BALL IN MID-AIR AND SOFTLY LAYS IT IN ALL IN ONE MOTION! Yao looked like Jerry Rice on this play, showing great concentration as the defender tipped the ball in the air, but still having the presence of mind to put it in before the other defenders had a chance to react! What a smart play! Dunleavy states: "You couldn't pick a handful of guys in the league who could make that play." Yao is 8-15 from the floor with 19 points. The Rockets lead 53-43.
6:45		After a missed Duncan free throw, Yao tips the ball but it goes back to Duncan about 10 feet from the basket. Duncan dishes to Robinson, who drives the lane and goes up for a crazy up-and-under shot, but Yao smacks it away with authority!
4:52		After the Spurs go on a 14-2 run, they have taken a 55-53 lead. Robinson shoots a jumper from the middle of the lane, but sensing that Yao is a few feet in front of him, hesitates on his shot and shoots it on the way down, but Yao is still able to tip it to record another block.
4:20		Hawkins delivers another pass to Yao over Robinson so that Yao has a relatively easy shot he can take over Bruce Bowen. But he decides to pass it off instead of going up for the shot, and Robinson recovers to defelect the pass for the steal. Yao should have definitely shot it, but like the rest of the Rockets, everyone is out of sync after blowing a 10 point lead.
3:47		The next time down the floor, Francis goes up for a jump shot from the right of the free throw circle, but passes off at the last second to Yao, who gets the ball all alone at the edge of the paint on the right side. Seeing Robinson in front of him, Yao dribbles once to establish position, pivots right toward the baseline and puts up a hook shot over Robinson for the bucket! Thank you! The Rockets needed that score. It was also interesting that Yao put the ball on the floor to draw contact from Robinson, rather go up for an uncontested jump shot. I guess Yao is more comfortable with having a body on him being so close to the basket rather than being wide open. Hakeem was the same way. He always liked the contact because it helped with his timing. The Rockets tie the score at 55-55 on this shot. Yao is 9-16 from the floor.
2:08		Yao checks out of the game for Cato. The Rockets are down 59-60. At the end of the quarter, the Rockets are down by three, 61-64. They were outscored 25-12 in this quarter while only shooting 31% from the field.
4th quarter
10:01		Yao checks back into the game for Cato. The Rockets are down 65-66.
6:37		Yao gets the ball at the right elbow of the paint facing the basket, pump fakes, then spins right and takes two steps down the side of the lane and shoots a leaning jumper, which misses. Yao showed his nimbleness on the spin move--we had never seen him start his spin move from the top of the free throw line.
3:40	Free Throws	On a loose ball on the defensive end, Yao is trying to grab the rebound. But Duncan wraps his arm around Yao's neck going after the loose ball. Duncan is called for his fourth foul, and he has the gall to complain about the foul after mugging Yao. Yao gets to shoot free throws at the other end, and makes both. Yao is 5-5 from the line. The Rockets have an 80-73 lead.
3:03		Francis drives the lane, and Yao hustles to crash the boards in case Steve misses. Steve does miss off the back iron, BUT YAO RUNS PAST ROBINSON AND IS THERE TO SLAM HOME A DUNK WITH HIS RIGHT HAND! BIG BUCKET! The crowd rewards Yao for his effort! And give credit to Steve for driving the lane and putting up a shot, realizing Yao would trail behind him to clean up the mess. Moochie runs down the floor and bumps chests with Yao in celebration (of course, Moochie had to jump pretty high). The Rockets lead 82-73. Yao is 10 for 18 from the floor with 25 points.
:45.2	Free Throws	The Rockets go on to extend their lead to 12 points by holding the Spurs defensively. Yao is fouled by the Spurs to stop the clock, so Yao gets the opportunity to pad his stats with two free throws. He makes both to go 7-7 from the line! Yao finishes with 27 points, 18 rebounds and 3 blocks.

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