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Yao rejects David Robinson to record his only block against the Spurs on Monday afternoon. Yao scored 11 points, but sat out the fourth quarter as the Rockets lost to San Antonio 87-82.

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We've heard for quite some time the Rockets bench is deep, and Monday afternoon against the San Antonio Spurs they proved it. Thanks to the Houston bench, the Rockets rallied from a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter to take the lead at one point, and coach Rudy Tomjanovich decided to leave them in the game and keep the starters on the bench. While the Rockets starters only shot 17-for-60 from the field, the crew of Terrence Morris, Maurice Taylor, Moochie Norris, and Kelvin Cato went 10-for-13 in the fourth quarter. Unfortunately for the Rockets, the bench ran out of gas and the Spurs squeaked out a victory 87-82 in San Antonio. It's always tough to lose, but having the second team get clutch game experience every once in awhile is important if this team is going to get to the next level. Sacramento wouldn't be as good as they are without the bench they have, and developing a good bench doesn't happen by accident. So the Rockets may have to endure a couple of disappointments along the way, and they took a nice-sized step in becoming a 10-deep team on Monday. Terrence Morris had an incredible game, hitting 7-of-7 shots for 15 points, and has looked like a different player this year. People were skeptical of Morris last year as a rookie; they thought the only reason he made the team was because he was Steve Francis' friend from their University of Maryland days. But Morris has been able to come out from behind Francis' shadow this year by showing an accurate long-range shooting touch and athleticism around the bucket. Power forward Maurice Taylor showed his value by scoring 10 points on 5-of-9 shooting, and also had four beautiful assists in the 4th quarter comeback. We've said since the beginning of the year that Taylor can pass and he showed it again Monday. He also had a couple monster rebounds and offensive plays that knocked some Spurs to the floor (legally without being called for a foul). Steve Francis had a game that was the exact opposite of his 44-point effort against the Lakers Friday night. Remove the second digit in that number, and you've got Steve's career low as a Rocket (4 points). It didn't help Francis' chances of returning that he was 1-for-12 from the field and that Moochie and the reserves were playing well. Rudy decided to keep both Francis and Yao on the bench through the fourth quarter comeback, and we don't have a problem with that philosophy. The psychological lift and confidence a game like that could have for the entire second team can do wonders for their confidence. And if Rudy had benched the second string after they had brought the Rockets back from the dead, and the starters then blew that comeback effort, then everyone would be second-guessing that decision, too. The only thing we really question is the fact that the Rockets had Mo Taylor guarding Tim Duncan in crunch time, and it didn't work. Duncan scored two big buckets and was fouled by Taylor both times, and that was the ballgame. If Yao had been in there with his extra height and shot-blocking ability, it might have been a different outcome. But Taylor had been doing a decent job on Duncan before those shots. We all know Francis and Yao are the cornerstones of this franchise, and although Yao didn't have that bad of a game (11 points on 4-for-11 shooting, 8 rebounds and 1 block ), we're going to cut Rudy some on this one. It's very rare to have your bench play as well as the Rockets' bench was doing Monday, and when it's happening against touch competition, that experience can be invaluable. Moreover, one of the reasons why free agents want to play in Houston is because Rudy is a "player's coach" and he wants them all to be happy. We can live with that philosophy if it can keep attracting and retaining top talent (but not at the expense of letting the players do whatever they want on the court). We just think Rudy takes it a little too far and lets his players do whatever they want on the court sometimes. To be honest, we were pleased with the Rockets' ball movement, passing and smarter shot selection (until the last four minutes of the game when they seemed to panic and take low-percentage shots). Although the starters' shot attempts weren't falling, the shots themselves seemed to be high-percentage in nature and were taken without being forced. This game seemed to be the Spurs' destiny anyway, who went 21-for-24 from the line although they are ranked 27th in the league in free throw percentage. Although the Rockets lost, they seemed like a different team during this game even with all the missed shots by the starters. Perhaps winning the Laker game on Friday was the catalyst that made this Rocket team a smarter ballclub. We'll see Tuesday night against the Mavericks in Dallas, the team with the best record in the NBA.

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Detailed Yao Analysis
vs. San Antonio Spurs 1/20/03

1st quarter - Yao starts the game.
9:21		Cuttino Mobley drives the lane and passes to Yao, who is standing on the edge of the paint near the baseline. Unfortunately, Mobley's pass is a little low and Yao loses the handle on it. By the time he recovers possession (only took a fraction of a second), David Robinson comes over to block Yao's shot as he goes up for either a dunk or a layup off the glass.
7:34		Steve Francis shoots a long jumper, which bounces high off the rim. Yao elevates high in the middle of the lane to tip the ball to himself. Yao then dribbles once, jump steps a couple of feet closer to the basket, then leans in and lays it off the glass for two with the left hand over Tim Duncan! This type of shot has been one of Yao's most accurate shots this year!
6:29		Yao sets a pick out high near the three-point line and Francis curls around it with the basketball. Yao and Steve both start heading toward the basket, and as Francis reaches the top of the key he delivers a perfect high strike to Yao, who catches the ball on the run and jams it down two-handed! Yao even hangs on the rim for a little bit of theatrics! We love it!
2:54		Yao checks out of the game for Cato. Yao has 4 points on 2-for-4 shooting from the field.
2nd quarter - Cato remains in the game for Yao.
6:40		Yao checks back in for Cato.
4:26	Assist	From his favorite spot on the left side just outside the paint, Yao spins toward the baseline on David Robinson, then spins back toward the inside of the lane. Tim Duncan comes over from the weak side to double-team Yao and seal him off. Yao fakes a shot to get Duncan in the air, then at the last second throws a pass to Terrence Morris out on the wing. Morris launches a 20-foot jump shot and hits it! Nice assist by Yao!
4:05		Emanuel Ginobili of the Spurs drives the lane and puts up a shot in front of the rim and over Yao. Yao falls backward trying to coax a foul from the ref because he believes Manu pushed off with his other hand. The shot by Ginobli misses, and David Robinson is there to pick up the loose ball. The Admiral puts up another shot in front of the rim, but YAO RECOVERS AND BLOCKS HIS SHOT! Unfortunately for the Rockets, the loose ball comes down to Ginobli, who puts a shot off the glass for the bucket.
3:54		Moochie drives the lane but has no shot, so he dishes to Yao who is standing near the middle of the lane. Yao takes one step, stops, pump fakes on Robinson and Duncan to throw off their timing, and then puts one off the glass for two! Yao now has 6 points on 3-of-7 shooting. Rockets trail 33-36.
Halftime - The Rockets trail 41-48. The Spurs have gone to the free throw line 11 times, and made all of them. The Rockets have gone to the line ZERO times! What's up with that?
3rd quarter - Yao starts the quarter.
11:49		Eddie Griffin puts a bank shot off the glass, but it's a little too strong and it comes off the front of the rim...BUT YAO IS THERE WITH PERFECT TIMING FOR THE TIP-IN! Yao is now 4-for-9 from the field with 8 points.
10:05	Free Throws	Steve Francis drives along the right side of the lane and is sealed off from going to the rack, so Francis throws a no-look behind-the-head pass to Yao in the middle of the paint! Yao has the awareness to snag the surprise pass, puts up a shot and is fouled by Duncan. Beautiful pass by Franchise, and great soft hands by Yao to catch it. Yao goes to the line for the first time for the Rockets, and he makes the first one but misses the second. Rockets trail 46-50.
6:32	Free Throws	From the left baseline, Eddie Griffin shoots a long jumper which is too strong, but Francis grabs the rebound on the other side of the rim. Sensing Yao is in the vicinity, Francis throws another no-look behind-the-head pass to Yao who is standing right in front of the basket! Again, Yao has the presence of mind and soft hands to catch this surprise pass, and puts up a layup attempt in one motion. But he's fouled from behind and goes to the free throw line. Yao makes both free throws beautifully. He's now 3-for-4 from the line. Rockets trail 52-57.
3:21		With 3 fouls, Yao checks out of the game for Cato. Yao will not return to the game since the bench plays extremely well in the fourth quarter to overcome a 13-point deficit to take the lead, only to lose it. Yao finishes with 11 points, 8 rebounds and 1 block.