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Yao vs. Bulls - 3/14/03

Triple Towers: Yao goes up for a shot over Chicago's two 7-footers Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler Friday night. Yao and the Rockets ran the Bulls out of Houston, 121-91. (AP photo)

Dare I say it: the Rockets are becoming a consistent team. On Friday night they took care of business again by beating a team they should beat, this time the Chicago Bulls (3-32 on the road), by the score of 121-91 to win their fourth straight. Houston opened up a huge 22-point lead in the first quarter and never looked back. The Rockets shot 66% in the first quarter compared to the Bulls 33%. Chicago's mind-numbing 11 turnovers in that period didn't hurt the Rockets chances either. Houston also tied its season high for team points via 58% shooting from the floor.

Star of the game

James Posey got the Rockets off to their fast start by scoring 11 of the Rockets first 15 points in the first five minutes of the game, along with 2 steals. JP was all over the place, and finished with a season-high 26 points and 5 steals.

I love the fact that Posey had such a great game, but I'm kicking myself personally. Having him on my NBA fantasy league team, and seeing his lack of production over the past few games (5 PPG over the past 6 games), I finally decided to put him on my bench. Wouldn't you know it, the day I do that, he goes off and has a HUGE game! I can't catch a break!

That's one of the difficult things about having Rocket players on your fantasy teams: they have so much firepower on this team, a player can have a big game one night, then not be needed the next. On any night it could be Yao, Francis, Mobley, Taylor, Rice, and now Posey who scores a bunch of points...unlike the Lakers, where you know not many players other than Shaq and Kobe can have a big night statistically. Watch out Dallas Mavericks, with Houston's potent offensive talent, this Rocket team could give you a run for your money next season.

No rookie wall visible in Houston

Yao had an incredible third quarter where he scored 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field, hitting from the outside and inside and playing well against Chicago Bull center Eddy Curry. Curry has been getting a lot of respect lately for his great play, even getting compliments from Shaq the other day after Curry outplayed him in the Bulls' upset of the Lakers. See Yao's quote in the "What Yao is saying" section below about his respect for Curry leading up to their match-up. Yao finished with 16 points on 8-of-11 shooting, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks.

Becoming more of a team

The Rockets continue to pass the ball around to get everyone involved (29 assists) to balance their scoring efforts, this time for the fourth game in a row having at least five guys score in double figures. This time it was Posey, Yao, Francis (23 points on 5-of-5 shooting from the field), Mobley (13), and Rice (16), who had another stellar night beyond the arc, hitting his first 3 attempts from three-point range (4-for-7 overall). And two other guys came one point shy of scoring in double-figures: Taylor and Cato both had 9 points.

"Here come the Suns"

Now tied with Phoenix for the 8th and final seed in the Western Conference playoffs, the Rockets now face 'a showdown at Compaq Corral' Sunday night. If the Rockets win that game, they will win the series against Phoenix 3-1 and hold the tiebreaker in the event both teams are tied for the final spot, which could happen with only 18 games remaining in the season. Look for the Suns to give the Rockets a lot of problems Sunday night, especially since they have beaten Portland, San Antonio and Sacramento over the past two weeks.

cYAO,
John

Detailed Yao Analysis
vs. Chicago Bulls 3/14/03
brought to you by John & Jeff

1st quarter - Yao starts the game.

11:21 Intimidation Chicago center Eddy Curry is dished the ball down low with Yao between himself and the hoop. Boldly, Curry goes up for a jam, BUT YAO ALTERS HIS SHOT and the ball caroms off the rim. Yao grabs the defensive rebound.

10:30 Steve Francis passes to Yao in the right edge post. With Bull center Eddy Curry guarding him, Yao faces up to the basket, pump fakes, dribbles once, spins baseline, launches a long jumper from the baseline and SWISH! The Rockets lead the Bulls 4-2.

3:27 Intimidation On a Bulls fast break, Bull point guard Jamal Crawford pushes the ball up the floor. Crawford passes to Donyell Marshell who's planted right next to the left side of the rim. It seems like Marshall's got the easy two, but as he goes up for the layup, he spots Yao coming over and changes his mind at the last second, but can't stop his forward progress and travels! Chalk another intimidation up for Yao. He gets everyone thinking twice about themselves!

0:00 Thanks to the strong play of James Posey (15 points and 3 steals), the Rockets close the first quarter with a 22 point lead! With the last game being a nail-biter, it's such a relief to see the Rockets with a comfortable lead. The Bulls trail the Rockets 33-11. Yao has 2 points on 1-for-2 shooting.

2nd quarter - Kelvin Cato starts the 2nd quarter.

5:05 Yao comes in for Kelvin Cato. The Rockets lead 43-22.
3:29 Near the top right region of the 3-point line, Yao sets a high screen for Francis. Eddy Curry and Jamal Crawford proceed to focus on Francis as Yao starts fading down to the basket. Francis then zips a beautiful pass to Yao, who gets the ball in the middle of the paint and immediately spins to the bucket for the uncontested one-handed jam! Yao has 4 points on 2-for-3 shooting. The Rockets lead 50-25.

Halftime - The Rockets finish the first half maintaining their 22 point lead, 55-33. Yao has 4 points (2-for-3 shooting), 2 rebounds and 1 steal. With Yao only taking 3 shots in the first half, we hope to see Yao get more action in the second.

3rd quarter - Yao starts the third quarter.

11:39 James Posey passes to Yao in the left edge post. With his back to Eddy Curry, Yao dribbles once, fakes to the right, then spins to his left and shoots a turnaround fadeaway AND HITS IT! Yao now has 6 points and is 3-for-4 from the field. The Rockets lead 57-33.

11:03 Eddie Griffin finds Yao at the left elbow of the free throw line. As he's posting up on Eddy Curry, Yao makes a small fake pass to keep Tyson Chandler from double-teaming him. Yao then goes to work as he dribbles with his back to Curry. Instead of taking it inside, Yao fakes left, turns right and drains a turnaround fallaway 18-footer with Curry's hand in his face!!! The crowd loves it! Talk about range!!! Even Moochie Norris is amazed as he gets up from the Rockets' bench to cheer Yao on!

The Bulls TV play-by-play announcer exclaims, "You cannot do any more than that! Eddy Curry cannot do any more than that!"

Yao has now hit his last three shots and is 4-for-5 from the fied. The Rockets extend their lead to 59-35.

8:59 From the right side of the rim, Tyson Chandler receives a pass and goes in for the one-handed monster dunk, but Yao is there challenge Chandler's jam. The result: The ball flies all the way to the other side of the rim, not even touching the basket! Even though Yao officially gets the block, on replay, it's debatable if he actually touched the ball. But without a doubt, Yao definitely intimidated Chandler into missing horribly.

7:41
At the arc of the 3-point line, Yao sets a high pick-and-roll play for Cuttino Mobley. As Mobley crosses behind the screen Yao cuts to the basket, and Mobley makes a sweet left-handed pass that flies by Curry's back, right into Yao's hands. From the left side of the rim, Yao goes up but gets blocked by Curry from the side. The ball flares up, and Yao juggles it for a bit and recovers it.

Curry tries to use his body weight to push Yao away from the basket since Yao is virtually unstoppable this close to the hoop, but Yao counters the pushing by jumping up, stretching his long body toward the basket, and finger-rolling it in for the deuce! The crowd roars in elation to Yao's unstoppability! Yao is now 5-for-7 from the field and has 10 points. The Rockets lead 65-40.

3:31 James Posey passes to Yao who has fantastic position deep down in the left paint. With two Bulls on him (Curry and Chandler), Yao pump fakes once and goes up and hits the short two-footer! Yao now has 12 points on 6-for-8 shooting. The Rockets continue to lead, 78-56.

2:54 A bit of a duel is going on between Eddy Curry and Yao since Curry has hit 3 shots in a row for the Bulls. Up for the challenge, Yao posts up in the middle of the paint and receives the entry pass from Posey. Yao dribbles once to his right, turns back to the middle, and hits a long right-hand hook shot! Yao is on fire in the third quarter! He now has 14 points, 10 of them in the third quarter alone! The Bulls trail 80-58.

A timeout is called, and as Yao heads to the bench, he is seen patting his new rival's back (Curry's) in an act of sportsmanship as he walks by him. Class act, Yao.

2:31 Near the outer left edge, Yao receives a pass from Francis. Yao puts a swift spin move to the baseline to burn by Eddy Curry, dribbles twice and goes up and THROWS DOWN THE 2-HANDED DUNK! THAT'S WHAT WE LIKE TO SEE, YAO! The crowd hoorays in excitement! Even Moochie gets in on the act as he rises up from the bench and jumps up and down in celebration! Amazingly, Yao now has 12 points in this quarter alone! The Rockets aren't going to let the Bulls get close on this one! The Rockets lead 82-60! And Yao is winning his duel with Curry!

1:36 Eddy Curry gets the ball in the right edge post position. Curry bumps Yao, and takes it strong to the middle of the paint. Thinking that Yao's been pushed out of position, Curry shoots a one-handed 3-footer, but Yao is able to recover from the Curry bump and blocks the shot from the side! This block caps off an incredible 3rd quarter performance by Yao! All we can say is, "WOW YAO...."

4th quarter - The Rockets carry over their big lead and are beating the Bulls 89-67.

With a 22 point lead, the Rockets rest Yao for the remainder of the game. Cato starts the quarter.

0:00 The Rockets defeat the Bulls 121-91. Yao finishes the game with 16 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 1 steal.

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1st quarter - Yao starts the game.
11:21	Intimidation	Chicago center Eddy Curry is dished the ball down low with Yao between himself and the hoop. Boldly, Curry goes up for a jam, BUT YAO ALTERS HIS SHOT and the ball caroms off the rim. Yao grabs the defensive rebound.
10:30		Steve Francis passes to Yao in the right edge post. With Bull center Eddy Curry guarding him, Yao faces up to the basket, pump fakes, dribbles once, spins baseline, launches a long jumper from the baseline and SWISH! The Rockets lead the Bulls 4-2.
3:27	Intimidation	On a Bulls fast break, Bull point guard Jamal Crawford pushes the ball up the floor. Crawford passes to Donyell Marshell who's planted right next to the left side of the rim. It seems like Marshall's got the easy two, but as he goes up for the layup, he spots Yao coming over and changes his mind at the last second, but can't stop his forward progress and travels! Chalk another intimidation up for Yao. He gets everyone thinking twice about themselves!
0:00		Thanks to the strong play of James Posey (15 points and 3 steals), the Rockets close the first quarter with a 22 point lead! With the last game being a nail-biter, it's such a relief to see the Rockets with a comfortable lead. The Bulls trail the Rockets 33-11. Yao has 2 points on 1-for-2 shooting.
2nd quarter - Kelvin Cato starts the 2nd quarter.
5:05		Yao comes in for Kelvin Cato. The Rockets lead 43-22.
3:29		Near the top right region of the 3-point line, Yao sets a high screen for Francis. Eddy Curry and Jamal Crawford proceed to focus on Francis as Yao starts fading down to the basket. Francis then zips a beautiful pass to Yao, who gets the ball in the middle of the paint and immediately spins to the bucket for the uncontested one-handed jam! Yao has 4 points on 2-for-3 shooting. The Rockets lead 50-25.
Halftime - The Rockets finish the first half maintaining their 22 point lead, 55-33. Yao has 4 points (2-for-3 shooting), 2 rebounds and 1 steal. With Yao only taking 3 shots in the first half, we hope to see Yao get more action in the second.
3rd quarter - Yao starts the third quarter.
11:39		James Posey passes to Yao in the left edge post. With his back to Eddy Curry, Yao dribbles once, fakes to the right, then spins to his left and shoots a turnaround fadeaway AND HITS IT! Yao now has 6 points and is 3-for-4 from the field. The Rockets lead 57-33.
11:03		Eddie Griffin finds Yao at the left elbow of the free throw line. As he's posting up on Eddy Curry, Yao makes a small fake pass to keep Tyson Chandler from double-teaming him. Yao then goes to work as he dribbles with his back to Curry. Instead of taking it inside, Yao fakes left, turns right and drains a turnaround fallaway 18-footer with Curry's hand in his face!!! The crowd loves it! Talk about range!!! Even Moochie Norris is amazed as he gets up from the Rockets' bench to cheer Yao on! *The Bulls TV play-by-play announcer exclaims, "You cannot do any more than that! Eddy Curry cannot do any more than that!"* Yao has now hit his last three shots and is 4-for-5 from the fied. The Rockets extend their lead to 59-35.
8:59		From the right side of the rim, Tyson Chandler receives a pass and goes in for the one-handed monster dunk, but Yao is there challenge Chandler's jam. The result: The ball flies all the way to the other side of the rim, not even touching the basket! Even though Yao officially gets the block, on replay, it's debatable if he actually touched the ball. But without a doubt, Yao definitely intimidated Chandler into missing horribly.
7:41		At the arc of the 3-point line, Yao sets a high pick-and-roll play for Cuttino Mobley. As Mobley crosses behind the screen Yao cuts to the basket, and Mobley makes a sweet left-handed pass that flies by Curry's back, right into Yao's hands. From the left side of the rim, Yao goes up but gets blocked by Curry from the side. The ball flares up, and Yao juggles it for a bit and recovers it. Curry tries to use his body weight to push Yao away from the basket since Yao is virtually unstoppable this close to the hoop, but Yao counters the pushing by jumping up, stretching his long body toward the basket, and finger-rolling it in for the deuce! The crowd roars in elation to Yao's unstoppability! Yao is now 5-for-7 from the field and has 10 points. The Rockets lead 65-40.
3:31		James Posey passes to Yao who has fantastic position deep down in the left paint. With two Bulls on him (Curry and Chandler), Yao pump fakes once and goes up and hits the short two-footer! Yao now has 12 points on 6-for-8 shooting. The Rockets continue to lead, 78-56.
2:54		A bit of a duel is going on between Eddy Curry and Yao since Curry has hit 3 shots in a row for the Bulls. Up for the challenge, Yao posts up in the middle of the paint and receives the entry pass from Posey. Yao dribbles once to his right, turns back to the middle, and hits a long right-hand hook shot! Yao is on fire in the third quarter! He now has 14 points, 10 of them in the third quarter alone! The Bulls trail 80-58. A timeout is called, and as Yao heads to the bench, he is seen patting his new rival's back (Curry's) in an act of sportsmanship as he walks by him. Class act, Yao.
2:31		Near the outer left edge, Yao receives a pass from Francis. Yao puts a swift spin move to the baseline to burn by Eddy Curry, dribbles twice and goes up and THROWS DOWN THE 2-HANDED DUNK! THAT'S WHAT WE LIKE TO SEE, YAO! The crowd hoorays in excitement! Even Moochie gets in on the act as he rises up from the bench and jumps up and down in celebration! Amazingly, Yao now has 12 points in this quarter alone! The Rockets aren't going to let the Bulls get close on this one! The Rockets lead 82-60! And Yao is winning his duel with Curry!
1:36		Eddy Curry gets the ball in the right edge post position. Curry bumps Yao, and takes it strong to the middle of the paint. Thinking that Yao's been pushed out of position, Curry shoots a one-handed 3-footer, but Yao is able to recover from the Curry bump and blocks the shot from the side! This block caps off an incredible 3rd quarter performance by Yao! All we can say is, "WOW YAO...."
4th quarter - The Rockets carry over their big lead and are beating the Bulls 89-67.
		With a 22 point lead, the Rockets rest Yao for the remainder of the game. Cato starts the quarter.
0:00		The Rockets defeat the Bulls 121-91. Yao finishes the game with 16 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 1 steal.