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Yao vs. Raptors - 3/5/03

Yao makes it difficult for Vince Carter to score on a late 4th quarter play that would have tied the score. The Rockets held on to beat the Raptors in Toronto, 97-95, to snap a four-game losing streak. (Reuters photo)

The Rockets showed some heart Wednesday night in Toronto by overcoming problems (i.e., scoring) that had haunted them during their four-game losing streak and mediocre season overall. The Rockets beat the Raptors 97-95, thanks in part to Yao Ming's game-high 21 points and clutch performance in the fourth quarter.

While watching this close game, we were just happy that it wasn't going to be another blowout loss for the Rockets. But once Houston took the lead on a spectacular 18-foot jumper by Yao in the fourth quarter (see description in Detailed Yao Analysis below), the Rockets were able to show fortitude that had been lacking in many close games this season. We have said it before with other games, and this time it's more valid than any time previously: if the Rockets make the playoffs this season, this victory might be the one that was the catalyst for turning things around.

We can't say enough good things about Yao in this game. He did get off to a slow start by missing a layup and a dunk, and was 1-for-6 from the field after the first quarter. But Yao then proceeded to hit 8 of his next 10 shots, including 5-of-7 (for 13 points) from the field in the crucial fourth quarter when his teammates fed him the ball. He also hit 3-of-4 clutch free throws to keep his team ahead before the riveting conclusion described below.

We also have to give credit to Yao's teammates for their offensive performance. The team shot 48% from the field, outscored Toronto 31-16 in fast break points, and almost doubled Toronto's points in the paint (66-34). In addition, six Rockets finished in double-figures, including James Posey (13 points), who had a key coast-to-coast drive that ended in a difficult whirling-dirvish layup that put the Rockets ahead 92-90.

But the night belonged to Yao, who proved that he has the skills and mentality to deliver clutch performances when given the ball in crunch time. Yao said after the game, "I have to thank my teammates for their faith in me. This kind of trust builds my self-confidence."

Toronto coach Lenny Wilkins also was impressed. "I think he's gotten better as the season has gone on. He's much more comfortable. And they've learned to play with him a whole lot better. And that's what it takes. He's made tremendous strides. And he's going to be a terrific player," Wilkins said.

Raptor center Antonio Davis marveled, "He's big. He's the biggest thing I've ever seen in my life. His legs are stronger than anything, you really can't move him...You definitely have to respect him and I give him a lot of credit for what he's learned this year."

Even Yao's teammates continue to be amazed by him. Maurice Taylor said, "He doesn't even fall into (doubt). He's a big-time player, regardless of being a rookie. He's one of the most poised rookies I've ever seen. He never gets flustered. You never see him get out of his comfort zone or anything like that...Even at the free-throw line, he was just taking his time. He was calm. He didn't think anything of it."

The Rockets now head back to Houston for a couple of days of rest before playing New Jersey on Saturday night in Compaq Center. The Rockets typically don't play well after 2 or more days of rest, so it will be interesting to see how they perform against one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference.

John

Detailed Yao Analysis
vs. Toronto Raptors 3/5/03
brought to you by Jeff and John

1st quarter - Yao starts the game.

11:05 Yao gets a rebound right next to the basket after a Steve Francis missed. He's bumped by a Raptor as he collects the rebound, but no foul is called. Yao then goes straight up to lay the ball in, but he misses the point-blank layup! Yao should have gone up and slammed it home, but we guess he thought it would be easier to lay it in. It doesn't hurt the Rockets, though, since Eddie Griffin gets the rebound and scores!

10:22
Yao sets a high pick and roll at the upper right 3-point line. Steve Francis loses his man behind the "Great Wall" screen and moves to the right elbow of the free throw line where he is met by Toronto Raptor center Antonio Davis. Francis sees Yao cutting down from the right wing and makes a nifty small lob pass to Yao who catches it and goes for the dunk. Yao misses the slam, but he's there to collect the offensive board, and uses his long arms to go for the easy reverse layup on the opposite side of the rim. Yao scores his first points on 1-for-4 shooting.

It's funny, but while Yao was working down low, he had 4 Raptors all around him, and they all looked helpless as they watched Yao dominate the boards.

We know many Yao Ming fans out there feel like Yao doesn't get the ball enough. But in this game, Yao has already been set up for three plays, and the game is only 1 minute and 38 seconds old!

4:02 Near the left corner of the court, Toronto All-Star guard/forward Vince Carter fakes left, and drives right, dusting by Eddie Griffin. Carter goes for the 5-foot floater, but Yao is there to make him alter his shot. As a consequence of helping out, Antonio Davis is in perfect position to get the offensive rebound. Yao is there to try to stop him, but Davis has too good of a position and dunks on Yao. The Toronto fans go nuts.

I know we beat this dead horse over and over, but we love the way that Yao doesn't give up and ALWAYS tries his best!!! You can always count on Yao's heart and effort in a game!

3:45 Yao gets the ball down low in the paint with Antonio Davis guarding him. Yao makes a strong move, but Davis takes a Mark Madsen-like flop to coax the officials to call a charging foul on Yao. Yao walks away in total disagreement with the refs' call, but does so with a smile on his face.

2:45 Maurice Taylor comes into the game for Yao. Yao leaves with 2 points on 1-for-6 shooting. Although Yao is not shooting well at this point, he has had some good looks at the basket. So need to worry about Yao. On any other given night, those shots would have probably fallen. Yao leaves with the Rockets leading 16-14.

2nd quarter - The Rockets trail the Raptors 16-21. Yao has 2 points and is 1-for-6 from the field.

5:49 Yao checks back late in the game for James Posey. The Rockets trail by the score of 28-31.

4:47 Assist From the right side behind the 3-point line, Steve Francis floats a pass to Yao in the post position. Francis cuts toward the basket on this classic give-and-go play by stepping toward Yao, almost sandwiching Raptor point guard Alvin Williams. As Francis gets into the middle of the lane and leaves Williams behind, Yao dumps a pass right over Antonio Davis' head to Franchise, who makes the easy left-handed layup! Beautiful pass by Yao!

4:19
On a fast break, Francis finds Yao in great position, near the middle of the paint. Yao dribbles once, pivots to his right for a fake, ducks left and leans in to makes a nice layup with his right hand. Sweet move Yao!!! That move reminded us of Tim Duncan! Yao's bucket ties the game 34-34. Yao is 2-for-7 from the field with 4 points.

2:14
Yao sets a high screen for Cuttino Mobley near the top of the 3-point line. Mobley accerlates behind the screen and Yao also cuts toward the basket along side of Mobley. Mobley lobs a nice pass to Yao who gets the rock and dunks it for the easy two! Yao is now 3-of-9 from the field and has 6 points. The Rockets trail 36-41.

0:11
Yao checks out of the game, and Juaquin Hawkins comes in for him. Yao leaves with 6 points.

Halftime - The Raptors lead 40-47. Yao has 6 points on 3-for-9 shooting.

3rd quarter - Yao starts the quarter.

10:36 Assist Yao has the ball on the upper left side of the court. Posey moves towards Yao, fakes a movement behind him and then jets towards the paint. Yao flips Posey a pass, and J.P. dribbles once and swishes a nice 7-footer. That's Yao's second assist and the Rockets are now only behind by 2 points, 45-47!

8:10 Posey passes to Yao who is positioned in the low left-edge post. Yao swiftly pivots to his left, then pivots to his right, bumping into Antonio Davis, and then banks one off the glass for two! Yao has 8 points on 4-for-10 shooting. The Raptors lead 51-53.

5:38 Yao gets shafted and picks up his fourth personal on a ticky-tacky loose-ball foul call. Yao is forced to leave, and Maurice Taylor replaces him. The Rockets are now behind by the score of 51-59.

4th quarter - In the third quarter, the Rockets have come as close as 2 points from tying the game...but by the end of the third quarter, the Rockets trail 65-71. Yao starts the fourth quarter. Let's see if the Rockets get over the hump here.

11:30 Maurice Taylor finds Yao in the middle of the paint. Yao turns and nails a baby right-handed hook shot over Antonio Davis! Beautiful shot Yao!! That's three in a row for Yao, and the Rockets are now only behind by 1 point. Rockets trail 70-71. Yao is 5-for-11 from the field.
11:05 Moochie Norris drives down the left side of the lane. Yao moves out to the left wing to give Norris space, and as Norris gets close to the hoop he kicks it out to Yao. Yao, with plenty of space given to him by Antonio Davis, measures the shot, and hits nothing but net as he drains the 18-footer!!! The Toronto crowd roars in disbelief that a 7'6" guy can hit a shot from that far out! You can even hear the yells from the rafters after Yao shows yet another one of his skills. You also see fans on the baseline shaking their heads and bringing their hands to their faces in shock! Even the Toronto announcer yells, "From 18 feet. Are you kidding me?" This shot was definitely fun to play over-and-over! Yao is now 6-for-12 from the field and has hit his last 4 shots.

7:02 Mo Taylor gets doubled-teamed on the left side, and finds Yao in the paint. Yao turns and puts up a right-handed hook shot which goes over Davis, but it's goaltended by Carter. That shot would have gone in whether or not Carter had goaltended. Count that score!!! Yao now has 8 points in the fourth quarter and we're not even halfway through it. Yao's score puts the Rockets up by two, 82-80. Yao is 7-for-14 from the field and he now has 14 points.

2:25 James Posey gets a defensive rebound and makes a quick outlet pass to Steve Francis near the halfcourt line for a Rocket fastbreak. It's two-on-one as Carter is the lone Raptor defender. Francis drives towards Carter and makes a nice bounce pass to Yao who's coming in from the left side, and YAO SLAMS HOME A TWO-HANDED DUNK!!. The Rockets now only trail 86-88. This game is going down to the wire!

1:34 The ball works its way around to Yao who's in the left edge post position. Yao bumps Antonio Davis once, dribbles to his right and shoots a nice 3-footer that kisses off the glass for the deuce!!!! Talk about skill! That's 10 points now for Yao just in this quarter and more importantly, the bucket ties the game at 88-88. Way to step up Yao!

0:35 Bad
Call Antonio Davis gets the ball in the middle of the paint and goes up for the power slam, but Yao is there to thouroughly and beautifully reject the shot. But nooooo!! Yao gets called for his fifth personal! Replays show Yao didn't touch him. Yao can't catch much of a break from the refs on clean blocks lately. Davis hits both free throws and ties the game at 92-92!

0:27 Free
Throws It's clutch time and Yao gets the ball in the left-edge post. Yao and Davis bump and clash several times on the isolation, neither backing down and both holding ground. But as Davis expects another bump, Yao slips in and leans with his right hand for the scoop layup. He misses the shot, but is there to get the rebound, and Jerome Williams wraps him up from behind and fouls him! Great hustle Yao!

With the crowd roaring loudly to distract him from these very important free throws where the Rockets can take the lead, Yao calmly sinks the first free throw. Before the next free throw, Yao is actually seen smiling like he's on a Sunday afternoon walk in the park, and proceeds to sink the second free throw! Talk about clutch! This guy is like Larry Bird with his calm and confident demeanor! Francis runs over to Yao afterwards and buries his face in Yao's chest, and Yao is seen exclaiming something to him. You can tell these guys are becoming very close.

:08.4 Intimidation Vince Carter drives the lane with Yao standing right in front of the basket. Vince decides to try a tough wraparound shot around Yao rather than risk charging into him (see picture above), and the shot misses! James Posey grabs the rebound, is fouled, and makes both free throws to give the Rockets a 4-point lead, 96-92.

:02.8 Free
Throws Toronto's Alvin Williams drains a three-pointer to close the gap to 96-95. Yao is fouled on the inbounds pass, and Yao makes one of two free throws to make it 97-95.

:00.0 Only leading by two points, Toronto throws a long inbounds pass to Voshon Lenard, who shoots a fallaway jumper that has a chance of going in...but it bounces around the rim a couple of times and falls off! Rockets win 97-95!! Yao finishes with a team-high 21 points (9-of-17 shooting, 4-of-5 from the line), 9 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block. In the fourth quarter alone, he had 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting.

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1st quarter - Yao starts the game.
11:05		Yao gets a rebound right next to the basket after a Steve Francis missed. He's bumped by a Raptor as he collects the rebound, but no foul is called. Yao then goes straight up to lay the ball in, but he misses the point-blank layup! Yao should have gone up and slammed it home, but we guess he thought it would be easier to lay it in. It doesn't hurt the Rockets, though, since Eddie Griffin gets the rebound and scores!
10:22		Yao sets a high pick and roll at the upper right 3-point line. Steve Francis loses his man behind the "Great Wall" screen and moves to the right elbow of the free throw line where he is met by Toronto Raptor center Antonio Davis. Francis sees Yao cutting down from the right wing and makes a nifty small lob pass to Yao who catches it and goes for the dunk. Yao misses the slam, but he's there to collect the offensive board, and uses his long arms to go for the easy reverse layup on the opposite side of the rim. Yao scores his first points on 1-for-4 shooting. It's funny, but while Yao was working down low, he had 4 Raptors all around him, and they all looked helpless as they watched Yao dominate the boards. We know many Yao Ming fans out there feel like Yao doesn't get the ball enough. But in this game, Yao has already been set up for three plays, and the game is only 1 minute and 38 seconds old!
4:02		Near the left corner of the court, Toronto All-Star guard/forward Vince Carter fakes left, and drives right, dusting by Eddie Griffin. Carter goes for the 5-foot floater, but Yao is there to make him alter his shot. As a consequence of helping out, Antonio Davis is in perfect position to get the offensive rebound. Yao is there to try to stop him, but Davis has too good of a position and dunks on Yao. The Toronto fans go nuts. I know we beat this dead horse over and over, but we love the way that Yao doesn't give up and ALWAYS tries his best!!! You can always count on Yao's heart and effort in a game!
3:45		Yao gets the ball down low in the paint with Antonio Davis guarding him. Yao makes a strong move, but Davis takes a Mark Madsen-like flop to coax the officials to call a charging foul on Yao. Yao walks away in total disagreement with the refs' call, but does so with a smile on his face.
2:45		Maurice Taylor comes into the game for Yao. Yao leaves with 2 points on 1-for-6 shooting. Although Yao is not shooting well at this point, he has had some good looks at the basket. So need to worry about Yao. On any other given night, those shots would have probably fallen. Yao leaves with the Rockets leading 16-14.
2nd quarter - The Rockets trail the Raptors 16-21. Yao has 2 points and is 1-for-6 from the field.
5:49		Yao checks back late in the game for James Posey. The Rockets trail by the score of 28-31.
4:47	Assist	From the right side behind the 3-point line, Steve Francis floats a pass to Yao in the post position. Francis cuts toward the basket on this classic give-and-go play by stepping toward Yao, almost sandwiching Raptor point guard Alvin Williams. As Francis gets into the middle of the lane and leaves Williams behind, Yao dumps a pass right over Antonio Davis' head to Franchise, who makes the easy left-handed layup! Beautiful pass by Yao!
4:19		On a fast break, Francis finds Yao in great position, near the middle of the paint. Yao dribbles once, pivots to his right for a fake, ducks left and leans in to makes a nice layup with his right hand. Sweet move Yao!!! That move reminded us of Tim Duncan! Yao's bucket ties the game 34-34. Yao is 2-for-7 from the field with 4 points.
2:14		Yao sets a high screen for Cuttino Mobley near the top of the 3-point line. Mobley accerlates behind the screen and Yao also cuts toward the basket along side of Mobley. Mobley lobs a nice pass to Yao who gets the rock and dunks it for the easy two! Yao is now 3-of-9 from the field and has 6 points. The Rockets trail 36-41.
0:11		Yao checks out of the game, and Juaquin Hawkins comes in for him. Yao leaves with 6 points.
Halftime - The Raptors lead 40-47. Yao has 6 points on 3-for-9 shooting.
3rd quarter - Yao starts the quarter.
10:36	Assist	Yao has the ball on the upper left side of the court. Posey moves towards Yao, fakes a movement behind him and then jets towards the paint. Yao flips Posey a pass, and J.P. dribbles once and swishes a nice 7-footer. That's Yao's second assist and the Rockets are now only behind by 2 points, 45-47!
8:10		Posey passes to Yao who is positioned in the low left-edge post. Yao swiftly pivots to his left, then pivots to his right, bumping into Antonio Davis, and then banks one off the glass for two! Yao has 8 points on 4-for-10 shooting. The Raptors lead 51-53.
5:38		Yao gets shafted and picks up his fourth personal on a ticky-tacky loose-ball foul call. Yao is forced to leave, and Maurice Taylor replaces him. The Rockets are now behind by the score of 51-59.
4th quarter - In the third quarter, the Rockets have come as close as 2 points from tying the game...but by the end of the third quarter, the Rockets trail 65-71. Yao starts the fourth quarter. Let's see if the Rockets get over the hump here.
11:30		Maurice Taylor finds Yao in the middle of the paint. Yao turns and nails a baby right-handed hook shot over Antonio Davis! Beautiful shot Yao!! That's three in a row for Yao, and the Rockets are now only behind by 1 point. Rockets trail 70-71. Yao is 5-for-11 from the field.
11:05		Moochie Norris drives down the left side of the lane. Yao moves out to the left wing to give Norris space, and as Norris gets close to the hoop he kicks it out to Yao. Yao, with plenty of space given to him by Antonio Davis, measures the shot, and hits nothing but net as he drains the 18-footer!!! The Toronto crowd roars in disbelief that a 7'6" guy can hit a shot from that far out! You can even hear the yells from the rafters after Yao shows yet another one of his skills. You also see fans on the baseline shaking their heads and bringing their hands to their faces in shock! Even the Toronto announcer yells, *"From 18 feet. Are you kidding me?"* This shot was definitely fun to play over-and-over! Yao is now 6-for-12 from the field and has hit his last 4 shots.
7:02		Mo Taylor gets doubled-teamed on the left side, and finds Yao in the paint. Yao turns and puts up a right-handed hook shot which goes over Davis, but it's goaltended by Carter. That shot would have gone in whether or not Carter had goaltended. Count that score!!! Yao now has 8 points in the fourth quarter and we're not even halfway through it. Yao's score puts the Rockets up by two, 82-80. Yao is 7-for-14 from the field and he now has 14 points.
2:25		James Posey gets a defensive rebound and makes a quick outlet pass to Steve Francis near the halfcourt line for a Rocket fastbreak. It's two-on-one as Carter is the lone Raptor defender. Francis drives towards Carter and makes a nice bounce pass to Yao who's coming in from the left side, and YAO SLAMS HOME A TWO-HANDED DUNK!!. The Rockets now only trail 86-88. This game is going down to the wire!
1:34		The ball works its way around to Yao who's in the left edge post position. Yao bumps Antonio Davis once, dribbles to his right and shoots a nice 3-footer that kisses off the glass for the deuce!!!! Talk about skill! That's 10 points now for Yao just in this quarter and more importantly, the bucket ties the game at 88-88. Way to step up Yao!
0:35	Bad Call	Antonio Davis gets the ball in the middle of the paint and goes up for the power slam, but Yao is there to thouroughly and beautifully reject the shot. But nooooo!! Yao gets called for his fifth personal! Replays show Yao didn't touch him. Yao can't catch much of a break from the refs on clean blocks lately. Davis hits both free throws and ties the game at 92-92!
0:27	Free Throws	It's clutch time and Yao gets the ball in the left-edge post. Yao and Davis bump and clash several times on the isolation, neither backing down and both holding ground. But as Davis expects another bump, Yao slips in and leans with his right hand for the scoop layup. He misses the shot, but is there to get the rebound, and Jerome Williams wraps him up from behind and fouls him! Great hustle Yao! With the crowd roaring loudly to distract him from these very important free throws where the Rockets can take the lead, Yao calmly sinks the first free throw. Before the next free throw, Yao is actually seen smiling like he's on a Sunday afternoon walk in the park, and proceeds to sink the second free throw! Talk about clutch! This guy is like Larry Bird with his calm and confident demeanor! Francis runs over to Yao afterwards and buries his face in Yao's chest, and Yao is seen exclaiming something to him. You can tell these guys are becoming very close.
:08.4	Intimidation	Vince Carter drives the lane with Yao standing right in front of the basket. Vince decides to try a tough wraparound shot around Yao rather than risk charging into him (see picture above), and the shot misses! James Posey grabs the rebound, is fouled, and makes both free throws to give the Rockets a 4-point lead, 96-92.
:02.8	Free Throws	Toronto's Alvin Williams drains a three-pointer to close the gap to 96-95. Yao is fouled on the inbounds pass, and Yao makes one of two free throws to make it 97-95.
:00.0		Only leading by two points, Toronto throws a long inbounds pass to Voshon Lenard, who shoots a fallaway jumper that has a chance of going in...but it bounces around the rim a couple of times and falls off! Rockets win 97-95!! Yao finishes with a team-high 21 points (9-of-17 shooting, 4-of-5 from the line), 9 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block. In the fourth quarter alone, he had 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting.