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Yao vs. Timberwolves - 1/7/03

Yao is forced to shoot a tough shot over the Minnesota Timberwolves' Rasho Nesterovic Tuesday night in Houston. Yao received a surprise pass from Steve Francis while tangled up with Nesterovic, and was forced to shoot with only one second on the shot clock. Houston defeated Minnesota 94-86.

as of 1/7/03

After losing to Minnesota on December 21st, the Rockets redeemed themselves by defeating the Timberwolves 94-86 at Houston's Compaq Center. They got off to a slow start in the first quarter by only scoring 15 points. But Minnesota didn't do much better by scoring only 19. The Rockets then caught fire in the second quarter by going on a 19-0 run, and power forward Maurice Taylor had his breakout game of the season by scoring 10 points in the second quarter (18 overall). Yao was resting on the bench the entire quarter, so the Rockets didn't need him too much.

The Rockets took the large lead they had built in the third quarter into the fourth, which meant they really didn't need Yao in the fourth quarter either. But the Houston fans were so bored with the Rockets' large lead (20 at one point), they started chanting for Yao's insertion into the game with about 3 1/2 minutes remaining. Coach Rudy acknowledged the crowd's request by putting Yao into the game, much to their delight.

It was a good thing because the Wolves continued to chip away at a big 20-point deficit and narrowed it to 7 seven points late in the fourth quarter. But then Yao came through with a beautiful assist to Taylor with 2:07 remaining. The Wolves threatened once more to close the gap to 6 with a little over a minute remaining, but it was too late as the Rockets put the game away.

Yao's stats

As mentioned earlier, because the Rockets had opened up such a big lead in the second quarter, Yao didn't play as many minutes (26) as normal. He finished one point shy of a double-double, scoring 9 points and racking up 12 rebounds. For the second game in a row, Yao struggled from the field by hitting only 3-of-10 shots. But his shooting wasn't as bad as the statistics may convey. Yao was forced to take one of the shots (at the 5:29 mark of the first quarter) despite getting tangled up with Rasho Nesterovic (picture depicted above). Two other shots were taken within a few seconds of each other, in traffic, while he was trying to get the ball on the rim and maybe pick up a foul. So take those shots away and Yao would have been 3-for-7 from the field.

The main difference in this game is that the Rockets seemed to run their offense through Yao more. Steve Francis only took 4 shots the entire game (and had 11 assists), whereas in the first quarter alone Yao took 5 shots. Yao also was given the ball in the post so he could work his passing magic and open up opportunities for other players, and the strategy worked (as we and other Yao-believers have been saying it would all year). Yao tallied 3 beautiful assists, and could have had a fourth if Glen Rice hadn't fumbled a beautiful pass out of bounds.

Like 'Mych'

We love watching the Timberwolves' telecasts because Mychal Thompson, the Minnesota TV analyst, always gives props to Yao and expresses his befuddlement on why the Rockets don't use Yao more. Thompson is not bashful in saying he wants to see Yao play more minutes and take more shots, even if it hurts the Minnesota he is paid to cover. Gotta love it. He even stated he believes by the time Steve Francis' career is over, he will have been the only guard in NBA history to have played with two of the top 6 centers in NBA history: Hakeem and Yao. I included more of Mychal's quotes in the "Detailed Yao Analysis" section below (soon forthcoming).

The Posey trade is paying off

As we predicted a couple of weeks ago, James Posey is getting more playing time because of his ability to score and play stellar defense. He only scored 5 points against the T-Wolves, but one basket was a spectacular fast break layup that matches the finishes Steve and Cuttino make in the running game. Posey also had 3 steals, showing he is the defensive stopper the Rockets have needed at the small forward/big guard spot. Juaquin Hawkins was that guy earlier in the year, but because Juaquin has a hard time scoring, the Rockets can't give him extensive minutes.

Moving Kenny Thomas out for Posey has also paid off for the Rocket power forwards, where there are now more minutes for Eddie Griffin and Mo Taylor to share. The Thomas-Posey trade could have been the move that changed the Rockets season around…along with the realization (hopefully) that the offense needs to go through Yao more.

Going to Disneyworld (almost)

The Rockets started a rough stretch of games Tuesday night. They jumped on a plane to Orlando after the Minnesota game for the second game of a back-to-back against the Magic Wednesday night. The Rockets then play in Atlanta Friday, and the Denver Nuggest in Houston on Saturday night.

Don't be surprised the Rockets lose Wednesday night against the Magic. The Rockets just got through playing six games in a row at home and probably don't have their road game mindset yet, and they don't play all that well on the road anyway. I wouldn't be surprised to see Tracy McGrady and/or Mike Miller light up the Rockets. T-Mac is unstoppable, and most small forwards in the league have been successful at torching the Rockets this year. But now with Posey getting more minutes, look for JP to get lots of playing time to try to slow those guys down.

as of 1/6/03

I'm now concerned that Yao is not a lock to be the NBA Rookie of the Year. Just a couple of weeks ago he was a shoe-in, but fellow rookie Amare Stoudemire is really coming on strong and getting a lot of press. He's also getting a lot of highlight reel plays shown on ESPN Sportscenter, and for good reason. Stoudemire's dunks are spectacular, and reminds you of Vince Carter.

Stoudemire also dropped 38 on Kevin Garnett and the Minnesota Timberwolves on December 30th, and more importantly the Suns have won 12 of their last 14 games and are the fourth seed in the Western Conference with a 22-13 record. Fellow teammate Stephon Marbury has been giving Amare lots of props: "He's playing like an All-Star. If the guy wasn't deserving and wasn't playing the way he's playing, you don't say that. But he's playing that way every night. He wants to be the best. I wouldn't say I'm surprised. You never look at him and say, 'Wow, I can't believe he could do that,' because you know he can."

In comparison, before Amare went on his tear, Yao was getting all the buzz in the NBA. But now the Rockets are underachieving with an average 18-14 record, have only won 6 of their last 12 games, and are just barely the 7th seed in the Western Conference.

Here are more comparisons between Stoudemire and Yao:

	Stoudemire	Yao
Points per game	12.5	13.2
Season high points	38	30
Rebounds per game	12th in NBA - 8.9	25th in NBA - 7.9
Offensive rebounds per game	5th in NBA - 3.3	19th in NBA - 2.6
Double-doubles	13th in NBA - 13	18th in NBA - 10
Blocks per game	33rd in NBA - 1.18	14th in NBA - 2.0
FG%	46.6%	56.7% - #2 in NBA
Team record	22-13	18-14

It's very important to note that fans do not get to vote for the NBA Rookie of the Year like they can for the NBA All-Star game. Instead, a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States votes. So don't think it's automatic that Yao will win the award, especially if the Rockets continue to disappoint in the standings, fail to make the playoffs, or don't do as well as the Suns (which is currently happening).

So what needs to happen for Yao to win Rookie of the Year? We think Rudy needs to pay more attention to giving Yao the minutes and shots he needs to help make the Rockets victorious, and the rest will take care of itself because Yao's stats will also rise. If he doesn't get those important minutes and touches, then Rudy will have to live the rest of his life knowing he had one of the greatest players on the planet, but STILL wasn't able to help him maintain his lead for NBA Rookie of the Year (a much easier award to win compared to the League MVP award).

One more thing: Amare's success at the tender age of 20 years old has turned the argument against those people (like Rudy?) who earlier in the season believed that Yao was not ready, or still isn't ready, to be playing more minutes. Less than a year ago, Amare was playing HIGH SCHOOL ball whereas Yao was in his fourth year as a pro in China. The argument that Yao was playing against inferior competition is bunk--what do you call high school players? And Yao has shown he has the skills and the goods. Case closed, just like when I pointed out how Kobe Bryant and Tony Parker were very young rookies who still experienced tremendous success.

Detailed Yao Analysis
vs. Timberwolves 1/7/03

1st quarter - Yao starts the game, but is not jumping for the tip. Instead, it's Eddie Griffin. For being 7'6", we had noticed in previous games that Yao rarely won jump balls, so the Rockets must be adjusting for it.
11:21		Steve Francis drives the lane and dishes the ball out to Yao out on the perimeter. All alone and facing up to the basket, Yao calmly drains an 18-foot jumper! That's one of the few non-fadeaway jump shots we have seen Yao attempt, even though we know he can hit regular jump shots with regularity. We also like how he was assertive and took the shot even though there were still 8 seconds on the shot clock.
6:11	Assist	From his favorite spot on the left side outside the paint, Yao makes a strong move toward the lane that makes it look like he's going to shoot one of his fadeaway jumpers. Three Timberwolves converge on him, but as he's about to go up for his shot, Yao spots Glen Rice wide open at the three-point line. Yao throws a perfect pass to Rice who FINALLY DRAINS THE THREE! Great assist by Yao to draw the triple-team, and to spot Rice in the middle of his move. Rockets trail 8-12.
5:29		Francis shakes-and-bakes into the lane with the shot clock winding down, then throws a tough behind-the-head pass to Yao in the middle of the lane (who wasn't expecting the pass). Rasho Nesterovic sticks his arms up to try to deflect the pass, but Yao somehow is able to get his hands on the ball as Nesterovic's right arm gets caught in between Yao's arms. The shot clock is almost to 1 second, so Yao has no choice but to put up a very awkward shot as Nesterovic's arm is still tangled in between Yao's arms (photo at top of page). No surprise that he misses the shot.
4:33		From his favorite spot on the left side, Yao dribbles twice toward the edge of the paint, jump stops in the middle of the lane, then goes up quickly for a smooth 8-foot jumper from the middle of the lane...SCORE IT! Yao is 2-for-4 from the field with 4 points. The Rockets trail 11-14. *Timberwolves' announcer Mychal Thompson remarks, "Is that simple or what? I would do that 20 times a game, 5 times a quarter."*
2:50		From the three point line, Glen Rice delivers a rocket of a pass to Yao, who has perfect position in the lane. Yao lays a ball up for a relatively easy basket, but it rolls off the rim for the miss. This is one of the few times we've seen Yao miss a shot this close. He seemed to rush the shot just a little bit.
2nd quarter - The Rockets trail 15-19 at the end of the first quarter. Yao is 2-for-5 from the field. This is the most amount of shots we have seen Yao have in the first quarter in a long time. Maybe the Rockets are changing their ways and are telling Yao to shoot the ball more.
12:00		Cato starts the quarter in place of Yao.
Halftime - Rockets lead 42-36. Yao doesn't play the entire second quarter, but the Houston bench did pretty well by outscoring the Wolves 27-17, highlighted by a 19-0 run and 10 points from Maurice Taylor, who looks like he is coming out of his season-long slump.
3rd quarter
9:32		Steve Francis steals a pass in the backcourt (near the T-Wolves' basket), and all who remains in the backcourt with Steve is Yao. Rather than go in for an easy dunk, Francis shows Yao some love and passes him the ball for an easy TWO-HANDED JAM! That's the easiest bucket Yao has had all year! Yao has six points, and the Rockets lead 47-39.
4:52	Free Throws	Glen Rice shoots a three and misses, but Yao grabs the rebound on the other side of the rim and goes right up for a little jump hook, but he's fouled by Kevin Garnett. Yao misses the first free throw, but makes the second. Yao now has 7 points.
3:32	Assist	From the right side outside the paint, Yao is passed the ball from Cuttino Mobley, who then cuts into the lane. Yao then bounces A PERFECT PASS TO CUTTINO ON THE RUN, AND 'CAT' LAYS IT IN! You can't run this give-and-go play any better than that. Yao and Cuttino seem to execute this play flawlessly more than any other combination on the team. The Rockets have blown open the game 66-47. Mychal Thompson: "I tell you man, he can be as good as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in that low post because of his unselfishness, his willingness to help out his teammates. I just don't understand why the Rockets have taken this long to figure out you run your offense through Yao Ming."
2:02	Free Throws	The Rockets start a fast break and Cuttino is leading the charge, but Yao is also running down the floor next to him on this fast break. Could it be, could it be? Yes, Cuttino passes the ball to Yao so he can finish the break, but Yao is fouled as he goes up for the score. That's the way to reward the big man for running the floor! It would have been spectacular to see a 7'6" guy finish a fast break--I don't think that's ever been done before by a man that size. When's the last time you saw Shawn Bradley do that? Yao makes both free throws for 9 points. He's 3-for-9 from the field and 2-for-4 from the line.
1:09		Yao checks out of the game for Cato.
4th quarter - The Rockets lead 74-57 at the beginning of the quarter.
3:33		The fourth quarter has been extremely boring. The Rockets have held a big lead (20 at one point), even though both teams had not scored a field goal until the 7:05 mark when Kevin Garnett scored. The Rockets' first field goal didn't occur until the 6:08 mark after going 0-for-8. The crowd became so restless, they started chanting to Rudy T. to put Yao back in the game for some excitement. Surprisingly, Rudy obliges. Right after he checks in, the Wolves hit a 3-pointer to close their deficit to 9 points, and later close it to 7. They finally have hope again after going on an 11-1 run.
2:07	Assist	Needing a bucket desperately holding only an 83-76 lead, Maurice Taylor passes Yao the ball on the right side directly opposite his favorite spot. After passing the ball to Yao, Taylor cuts through the middle of the lane WHERE YAO DELIVERS A PERFECT TWO-HANDED PASS TO TAYLOR, WHO GOES IN AND SCORES A LAYUP OVER GARNETT! BIG ASSIST AND BUCKET! The Rockets lead 85-76, and go on to win the game 94-86. Yao finishes with 9 points (3-for-10 from the field, 3-for-4 from the line) and 12 rebounds.

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