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Yao vs. Pistons - 1/7/04
 Yao gets hassled by Piston center Mehmet Okur on Wednesday night. It was a terrible night for the Rockets, who lost to Detroit in a big way, 85-66. The Rockets also tied a franchise low for points scored in a game. Yao had only 4 points on 2-of-5 shooting, 5 rebounds and 2 blocks in 22 minutes of play. For more photos from the game, check out this topic in the YaoMingMania.com discussion forum. (Photo courtesy AP) |
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WEDNESDAY, 1/7/04 - The Rockets are baaack! Unfortunately, it's in a bad way. The 2003 Rockets team that always seemed to underachieve resurfaced again in 2004. Since the New Year started, the Rockets had won three straight games and had us all believing maybe they had turned the corner. We also thought the instruction that coach Jeff Van Gundy gave to Yao (in the "What they are saying" section below) after the Utah game on Monday night would have changed some things statistically for Yao. We were wrong on both counts.
The Rockets tied a franchise low for least points scored in a game on Wednesday night, losing to Detroit 85-66. The Rockets only shot 33% from the floor, including 3-for-17 from the floor in the second quarter. Steve Francis was 0-for-4 in that quarter, and recently hot-shooting Maurice Taylor was 0-for-6 (2-for-12 overall for 6 points). Yao scored only 4 points on 2-of-5 shooting in 22 minutes of action, and he wasn't really in foul trouble (he finished with 3 personal fouls). He also had 4 turnovers. He played the first five minutes of the third quarter and missed two shots, and didn't play the rest of the way as the Pistons opened up 20+ point leads. Coach Van Gundy really seemed to get on Yao when asked why Yao didn't play more minutes. His reply: "I played players that I thought deserved to play." Even Steve Francis seemed to make reference to Yao's lack of intensity when he said: "This (bad defeat) was a lack of intensity. A couple guys played hard, but that won't do it. You need eight or nine guys -- your whole rotation -- to play hard. I don't think they did anything to take us out of this game. We did that to ourselves." Who would have thought that it would get to this point? I never thought I would hear words like this. Part of the problem may be that Yao needs to take more shots when he touches the ball, even if he's covered, and forget what other players may think. He may also be tired after playing during the off-season with the Chinese national team. But I hate to make that an excuse. Overall, this game was a complete disaster. But Francis is not blameless. Francis started talking smack to Piston guard Chucky Atkins after Francis got off to a hot start on him, but Atkins returned it. After that, Atkins then said about Francis, "He started playing a one-on-one game, and I knew I had help. So it was one-on-five so that was to our advantage." Dumb. At least the Rockets can try to make amends quickly on Thursday night when they play the New York Knicks, Van Gundy's old team. Hopefully they will be motivated to play well for their coach as he makes his first coaching stint at Madison Square Garden since resigning a couple of years ago. If they don't, it's going to be embarrassing since the game will be nationally televised on TNT. By the way, I'm working on a project for work right now that will be keeping me up very late, so I will try to publish a Detailed Yao Analysis and shot chart for tonight's Piston game later. If I am able to complete one, it will be available in a few hours. If it's not, look for one tomorrow night after the Knicks game. |
| 1st quarter | ||
| 11:45 |  |
Ben Wallace drives down the right side of the lane on Yao, then crosses over to the left side of the lane and tries to lay it off the glass, BUT YAO TRACKS HIM THE WHOLE WAY AND SWATS HIS SHOT AWAY! The Detroit crowd oohs and ahhs!
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| 11:28 |  |
On a pick and roll play on the right side of the court, Yao comes out near the three-point line and sets a pick for Francis, then rolls off and Francis bounces a pass to Yao on the right edge of the lane. Yao gathers in the pass while taking a step closer toward the basket, then lofts a soft, right-handed hook shot over Mehmet Okhur, AND IT'S GOOD! Nice touch by Yao! The Rockets lead 2-0.
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| 10:50 |  |
From the left side of the court, Francis drives into the lane from an angle, jumps up into the air as he reaches the center of the lane, then while in mid-air drops the ball off to Yao, who came into the paint from the other side of the court. Yao catches the pass and goes straight up and shoots a 12-foot jump shot, AND IT'S GOOD AGAIN! As normally the case, the Rockets try to get Yao involved early and he ends up taking the Rockets' first two shots of the game, and he usually makes them! Yao is now 2-for-2 from the field and has 4 points. The Rockets lead 4-0. |
| 6:54 |  |
With three Piston defenders covering him, Yao shoots a fallaway jumper in the lane and misses. He is now 2-for-3 from the field with 4 points. The Rockets trail 9-12. |
| 3:27 | Yao checks out of the game for Maurice Taylor. Yao has 4 points on 2-of-3 shooting for 4 points, and 1 turnover. | |
| 2nd quarter - At the end of the first quarter, the Rockets trail 20-18. The Rockets shot 8-for-19 from the floor. Yao does not start the second quarter. | ||
| 5:10 |  |
The Rockets trail 22-32. The Piston's Elden Campbell gets the ball on the left edge of the lane, then tries to put up a jumper over Yao, but Yao partially deflects it for his second block! |
| 3:24 | Yao checks out of the game for Kelvin Cato. The Rockets are trailing 22-34. Yao did not take a shot in the second quarter, and he is 2-for-3 with 4 points. | |
| Halftime - At the end of the second quarter, the Rockets trail 30-44. The Rockets shot only 3-for-17 from the field in the quarter. The Pistons have 16 assists to Houston's seven. | ||
| 3rd quarter - Yao starts the quarter. | ||
| 11:46 |  |
Yao misses a difficult left-handed hook shot in the lane that's shot mainly with his arm, no body. |
| 10:45 |  |
Yao gets the ball on the left edge of the lane guarded one-on-one by Ben Wallace. Yao spins baseline, then pump fakes, leans in, and then rises to launch a baseline jumper, but it's no good. Yao is now 2-for-5 from the field with 4 points, and the Rockets trail 30-47. |
| 6:56 | After Yao fouls Ben Wallace for his third foul, Yao checks out of the game for Maurice Taylor. The Rockets lead 36-58. | |
| 4th quarter - At the end of three quarters, the Rockets lead 51-74. Yao does not start the fourth quarter and does not play the rest of the game. The Rockets go on to lose 66-85. In 22 minutes of play, Yao finishes with 4 points on 2-of-5 shooting, 5 rebounds and 2 blocks. | ||
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