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Yao vs. Suns - 3/15/04
Yao prepares to throw one down on the Suns' Casey Jacobsen in Houston on Monday night. Yao scored 29 points, had 19 rebounds and 6 blocks (a season-high), but the Phoenix Suns came back from a 21-point deficit to shock the Rox 99-97 in overtime. The Suns have the worst record in the Western Conference (by far) and snapped a 4-game losing streak to break Houston's 5-game winning streak. Click here for more photos from the game. (Photo courtesy AP). |
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TUESDAY, 3/16/04 - The day after a gut-wrenching loss to the lowly Phoenix Suns, Rocket and Yao fans find themselves asking, "Why?" and "How could they blow a 21-point lead?" I attribute Houston's 99-97 loss to the team with the worst record in the Western Conference to the following reasons:
* The Suns are more athletic, which created problems for Houston defensively. After building a 21-point lead in the first half, the Suns started trapping and pressing, and it threw the offense completely out of whack. Because of it, Houston committed 27 turnovers, including 4 shot-clock violations. Also credit the Suns coaching staff for changing their defensive scheme, and you have to ding the Rockets staff and players for not handling it better. * The Rockets defense fell apart when it counted most. Adrian Griffin left Shawn Marion open for a three-pointer that tied the game. Unbelievable. The Rox probably should have intentionally fouled someone on the inbounds pass. Then in overtime, Yao was caught out on the perimeter while Amare Stoudemire was in the middle of the lane scoring on a baby hook that tied the game. The Houston D could have really used his presence down low during such a crucial time in the game. On the last Phoenix possession, Yao was guarding Phoenix guard Joe Johnson one-on-one. That didn't faze Johnson, who hit a fadeaway jumper over Yao along the baseline to put Phoenix ahead for good. This shot was very similar to Kobe Bryant's backbreaking three-pointer over Yao a couple of weeks ago, except Yao was not the primary defender on that play. Now that we have seen the results of Yao defending quicker guards, the Rockets should probably go back to putting a quicker guy on them. Not that Yao is slow. He actually did a good job, but I don't think he has the same versatility to guard any player on the court like Kevin Garnett can, or how Hakeem the Dream or Scottie Pippen could do in their prime. When guards with great jumping ability start fading away on you, it's difficult for anyone to block those shots. * Steve Francis was 3-for-15. 'Nuff said. * Both Maurice Taylor and Clarence Weatherspoon sat out because of injury, and they sorely missed their punch on offense. Kelvin Cato was also ailing, and he scored 3 points. Scott Padgett subbed and played 29 minutes, but he only scored 5 points. Getting 8 points from the power forward spot isn't a great recipe for winning. The Rockets have been fortunate they haven't been hit by the injury bug like other teams have, so if they lose a few games because of injury to key players, they should still consider themselves lucky (although they were extremely unlucky from the Eddie Griffin debacle, which is a whole different story). * Yao shares some of the blame for the loss, but not all of it. With the Rockets leading by 5 points with less than a minute remaining, Yao didn't secure a defensive rebound that could have put the game away. Instead, Amare Stoudemire tipped the ball away, got it, and scored. Yao also had the ball stripped from him in overtime. As mentioned earlier, he also was on the perimeter when Stoudemire made that baby hook shot with 27.6 seconds remaining in overtime. He should have been down in the paint to contest the shot. But without Yao the Rockets wouldn't have even been in the game. His stats were insane: 29 points on 11-of-16 shooting, 7-of-9 from the line, 19 boards and 6 blocks! He scored 15 points in the fourth quarter alone (6-of-6 from the field, 3-for-3 from the line). So it's hard to complain about Yao. No one can slight him for missing a free throw that could have given the Rockets a 98-97 lead. And Joe Johnson's shot would have have won it for them anyway. Nor can you complain about Yao's missed turnaround jumper at the buzzer that could have tied the game. Sometimes those shots just don't fall. They will another day, though. I have been hoping that Yao would get more opportunities to take buzzer-beating shots rather than have Francis shake-and-bake, only to put up a low-percentage jumper or throw it away. If the Rockets stay with the plan and get Yao the ball in the clutch, and those shots start falling for Yao, you'll see it all over SportsCenter. Just like that big bucket against Dallas a little over a week ago. Choke City II? Naah... I can't help but think of the infamous "Choke City" game in the 1994 playoffs when the Rockets blew a 21-point lead against these same Phoenix Suns, but came back to win the playoff series and ultimately win the championship. That loss made the Rockets really suck it up and show some pride. As cliché as it sounds, I believe this loss can make the Rockets stronger like it did for those '94 Rockets. In addition, they can probably afford to lose a few games they are expected win if their goal is to stay in the #7 spot in the Western Conference playoffs, which isn't a bad place to be. Right now the Rockets would be matched up with Minnesota, which is a heck of a lot better than playing the Lakers, San Antonio or Dallas in the first round if they moved up to the #6 spot. Houston matches up better against the Timberwolves, and Minnesota has the added pressure on them to win in the first round of a playoff series, which they haven't done in their franchise history. Now the Rockets embark on a long road trip. It's no secret the Rockets seem to play better on the road and against good teams. They seem to thrive on having to overcome challenges. I think playing at home for five straight games like they just did can make them complacent. They need change and variety in order to stay focused. The Rockets play Golden State this Friday, and look for them to come out focused and not take for granted another team that is struggling. The Warriors have lost 9 of their last 10 games, although they did beat the Duncan-less San Antonio Spurs on Monday night. The Rockets rebounded against a tough loss against the Lakers to string together 5 wins in a row, which really surprised me. There's no reason why they can't do it again after this loss to Phoenix. |
| 1st quarter | ||
| 11:42 |  |
Yao gets the ball in front of the rim and dunks it! He is getting off to a nice start! Yao is now 1-for-1 from the field. |
| 9:16 |   |
Amare Stoudemire drives down the right edge of the lane and runs into a brick wall (Yao). Stoudemire then goes up for a shot over Yao and double-pumps it, but there's no foolin' Yao BECAUSE HE REJECTS IT! The ball comes down to Stoudemire, who dribbles the ball to the right baseline and faces up on Yao. Stoudemire is determined to score, so he dribbles down the baseline to the hoop and tries to force a layup from underneath the basket, BUT YAO BLOCKS HIM AGAIN! Two rejections in 7 seconds! The ball comes down to Cato, who throws an outlet pass to Jim Jackson, and Jackson dribbles it down the court and drains a 15-foot jumper! The Rockets lead 9-2. |
| 4:41 |  |
Cuttino Mobley shoots a 3-pointer that misses, and the ball is tipped by the Suns to Yao, who grabs the rebound to the left of the rim. Yao fumbles the ball himself above his head, then goes up for a point-blank layup off the glass THAT MISSES! OH NO! Yao grabs the rebound, but loses control of it and the ball goes out of bounds.. That's one of those layups that Yao should have hammered home! Yao grimmaces as he walks back up the court. Yao is now 1-for-2 from the field with 2 points. The Rockets lead 18-8. |
| 4:08 | Yao checks out of the game for Scott Padgett. The Rockets lead 18-10. | |
| 2:26 | Yao checks back into the game for Kelvin Cato. The Rockets lead 21-13. | |
| 2:19 |  |
Yao sets a pick for Jim Jackson on the left side of the court. Yao rolls off the pick, and Jackson passes him the ball. With only 2 seconds left on the shot clock Yao squares up to the basket, launches a long bomb from 21-feet away, AND DRILLS IT! Yao is 2-for-3 from the field with 4 points. The Rockets lead 23-13. |
| 1:57 | After picking up his second foul on Jahidi White, Yao checks out of the game for Kelvin Cato. The Rockets lead 23-13. | |
| 0:00 | Adrian Griffin dribbles the ball all the way down the court and puts up a three-pointer at the buzzer, and it's good! The Rockets lead 33-15! Who would have expected Griffin, who has hardly scored this year, to hit a shot in such spectacular fashion! | |
| 2nd quarter - At the end of the first quarter, the Rockets lead 33-15. The Rockets shot 12-of-22 from the field while the Suns only made 5-of-17. Jim Jackson tore it up with 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting (3-of-4 treys). Cuttino Mobley had 10 points on 3-of-6 shooting. Steve Francis had a good quarter, shooting 4-for-5 from the field for 8 points. The Rockets made 6-of-9 three pointers. | ||
| 8:29 | Yao checks into the game for Kelvin Cato. The Rockets lead 36-22. | |
| 6:00 |  |
Yao gets the ball along the right edge of the lane near the baseline and immediately goes up for a right-handed hook shot, and SWISHES IT OVER STOUDEMIRE! Boy, did the Rockets need that one! That breaks a 13-0 run for the Suns. The Rockets now lead 38-28. Yao is now 3-for-4 from the field with 6 points. |
| 4:01 |  |
Yao misses a hook shot close to the same spot he made one two minutes earlier. He is now 3-for-5 from the field. The Rockets lead 40-28. |
| 3:03 | Free Throws |
Yao gets fouled on a layup attempt just to the right of the rim. He goes to the line and makes both free throws. He now has 8 points on 3-of-5 shooting from the field, 2-for-2 shooting from the line. The Rockets lead 42-28. |
| 1:41 |  |
Yao misses another hook shot from the right baseline along the edge of the lane. He is now 3-for-6 from the field, and 1-for-3 from that same spot. |
| :12.9 | Yao checks out of the game for Eric Piatkowski. The Rockets lead 48-35. | |
| Halftime - At the end of the second quarter, the Rockets lead 48-35. The Rockets only made 5-of-16 shots (15 points) in the second quarter, but the Suns' field goal percentage was worse: 5-for-20 (but 20 points total). The difference was free throws where Phoenix outscored Houston 8-2. Phoenix also had a 15-7 advantage on points off turnovers for both quarters. However, the Rockets are 9-of-14 from three-point territory at the half. The Suns' Amare Stoudemire is 1-for-10 from the field (he missed his first 9 shots). Jim Jackson has 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting with 4 three-pointers. | ||
| 3rd Quarter - Yao starts the quarter. | ||
| 10:59 |  |
Yao gets the ball along the left edge of the lane and is guarded by Stoudemire. Yao fakes to his left, THEN SPINS TOWARD THE BASELINE ON STOUDEMIRE LEAVING HIM IN HIS DUST AND SCOOPS IT OFF THE GLASS FOR THE BUCKET! That was as easy as they come! I'm surprised the Suns continue to put Stoudemire on Yao one-on-one. There's no way he can guard him! Yao is now 4-for-7 from the field with 10 points. He also has 8 rebounds. The Rockets lead 50-40. |
| 9:13 |  |
Jim Jackson throws the ball to Yao in the lane about 4 feet inside the free throw line. Yao then takes a step toward the right edge of the lane and lofts a right-handed floater over Jake Voskuhl off the glass for the score! That's the first time we have seen Yao score on a play like that! He is now 5-for-8 from the field with 12 points. The Rockets lead 56-43. |
| 5:09 |  |
Yao misses a turnaround fadeaway jump shot from the right baseline. He is now 5-for-9 from the floor with 12 points. The Rockets lead 61-57. |
| 3:29 |    |
Stoudemire spins toward the baseline and puts up a right-handed shot, BUT YAO COMES OVER FROM THE WEAK SIDE AND BLOCKS HIS SHOT! That's Yao's third block, all on Stoudemire! The Suns gain possession of the ball and Barbosa drives towards the lane and puts up a tear drop shot that misses, but Joe Johnson gets the ball underneath the boards and puts up a shot, BUT YAO BLOCKS THAT ONE, TOO! The ball comes down again to Johnson, AND HE'S BLOCKED AGAIN! The loose ball comes down to Stoudemire in front of the rim, who is fouled by Mobley. Although Stoudemire is going to the line to shoot free throws, the Houston fans roar their appreciation for Yao's defense!
After Stoudemire makes only one of two free throws, the Rockets lead 63-60. |
| 2:11 | Yao checks out of the game for Kelvin Cato during a timeout where Francis hits two free throws. The Rockets lead 65-63. | |
| :23 | Yao checks into the game for Kelvin Cato. The Rockets trail 65-67. | |
| :14 | Yao checks out of the game for Kelvin Cato. The Rockets still trail 65-67. | |
| 4th Quarter - At the end of three quarters, the Rockets trail 66-67. The Suns outscored the Rockets 32-18 in the third quarter. Phoenix is shooting 33% and Houston 40%. The Suns have 12 more free throws than the Rockets, and a 22-11 margin on points off turnovers. The Rockets have 20 turnovers. | ||
| 11:40 |  + Free Throw |
Mobley misses a three-pointer that doesn't draw iron, BUT YAO IS UNDERNEATH THE BASKET, CATCHES THE AIR BALL AND LAYS IT IN FOR THE DUECE, AND HE'S FOULED! Yao goes to the line and makes the extra free throw. He now has 15 points (3-for-3 from the line, 6-for-10 from the field). The Rockets lead 69-67. |
| 10:49 |  |
Amare Stoudemire drives into the lane on Yao and puts up another wild shot, AND YAO BLOCKS HIM AGAIN! That's Yao's sixth block! |
| 8:41 |  |
From the left sideline, Adrian Griffin breaks through a double-team and jets toward the basket for a layup attempt, but he misses it! However, Yao is right there for the put-back, and he lays it in! Yao is now 7-for-11 from the field with 17 points. The Rockets trail 72-73. |
| 8:08 |  |
From the top of the key, Francis does alot of dribbling and shaking-and-baking, then sprints toward the basket, runs into Casey Jacobsen and puts up a wild shot off the backboard that is nowhere close to the rim, BUT FORTUNATELY THE BALL COMES TO YAO WHO GETS IT IN FRONT OF THE RIM AND LAYS IT IN! Francis was lucky there! Yao is now 8-for-12 from the field 19 points. The Rockets lead 74-73. |
| 6:49 |  |
While Cuttino Mobley has the ball along the right baseline and is double-teamed, Yao breaks away from the logjam and gets himself free between the right elbow of the lane and the three-point line. Mobley does a great job of bounce-passing the ball to Yao at the three-point line. That's when Yao DRIVES PAST A LUNGING SHAWN MARION, THEN DRIBBLES ONCE WITH HIS LEFT TO THE FREE THROW LINE, SEES A SUN COMING OVER, SO HE CROSSES OVER TO HIS RIGHT HAND, TAKES ONE GIANT STEP INTO THE MIDDLE OF THE LANE, ELEVATES OFF HIS LEFT FOOT AND GOES IN FOR THE RIGHT-HANDED THROWDOWN!!! That is the first time we have seen Yao take it to the hole like that from so far out, and crossing over, too! What is it this guy can't do?
Yao is now 9-for-13 from the field with 21 points. The Rockets lead 78-73. |
| 4:29 |  |
Yao gets the ball in the middle of the lane on Stoudemire, pivots toward the basket, AND THROWS IT DOWN IN STOUDEMIRE'S MUG!! TAKE THAT, STOUDEMIRE! Yao is now 10-for-14 from the field with 23 points. The game is tied at 81-81! |
| 3:52 | Free Throws |
Yao is fouled away from the ball by Stoudemire, who pushed him from behind and sent him to the floor. Yao goes to the line and makes both free throws. He now has 25 points and is 5-for-5 from the line. The Rockets lead 83-81. |
| 2:26 | Jim Jackson hits a three-pointer to put the Rockets up 86-81! | |
| :55.7 |  |
Leading 86-83 with the ball, Steve Francis bounces a pass to Yao at the top of the key all alone, SO YAO JUST SQUARES UP AND DRAINS A 22-FOOTER! UNBELIEVABLE HOW COLD-BLOODED THAT SHOT WAS! Yao is now 11-of-15 from the field with 27 points! He also has made 8 of his last 9 shots! The Rockets lead 88-83.
TNT analyst Steve Kerr says, "Jeff Van Gundy said it before the game. He said Yao is getting better in big-game situations. He's hitting big shots, making important plays, and he did just that right there." |
| :38.5 | Stoudemire tips a rebound that looked like it was going to be Yao's the whole time. Stoudemire grabs the loose ball, drives toward the hole from the middle of the lane, elevates, draws contact from Yao, and makes the shot! What a back-breaker that shot was! If Yao had secured that rebound, the game would be over. Stoudemire goes to the line and misses the penalty free throw. The Rockets get the rebound and still lead 88-85. | |
| :14.3 | Jim Jackson drives to the hole from the left side of the court and puts up a shot, but Shawn Marion is able to block it out of bounds with one second left on the shot clock. On the inbounds play, Cuttino Mobley misses a three-pointer. The Rockets still lead 88-85. | |
| :05.5 | Shawn Marion hits a three-pointer to tie the game after Adrian Griffin leaves him unguarded at the three-point line. Unbelievable. The Rockets fail to score on the ensuing possession. We go to overtime tied 88-88. | |
| Overtime - Yao starts the overtime. | ||
| 4:16 | Free Throws |
Yao is fouled and goes to the line and misses the first free throw, but makes the second. Yao has 28 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the line. The Rockets lead 89-88. |
| 3:14 | Turnover | Joe Johnson strips the ball from Yao along the right baseline. The Suns proceed to score 5 points over the next 1 minute and 17 seconds. |
| 1:57 | With the Rockets trailing 89-93 (their largest deficit of the game), Cuttino Mobley drives past two Suns down the right baseline and throws down a spectacular dunk! Give credit to Mobley for making such a strong move to the rack when they really needed a bucket. The Rockets trail 91-93. | |
| 1:42 | Shawn Marion drives past Yao from the three-point line and drains a pull-up jumper. These Suns just won't quit! The Rockets trail 91-95. | |
| 1:04 | Down by four points, Jim Jackson hits a big three-pointer to keep the Rockets within striking distance. At least Houston is showing some poise here! The Rockets trail 94-95. | |
| :48 | With the Suns leading 95-94, Shawn Marion misses a jumper and Yao grabs a big rebound. Cuttino Mobley comes down the other way, drives past Joe Johnson at the three-point line and scoops in a tough shot in the lane! The Rockets lead 96-95! | |
| :27.6 | Barbosa drives into the lane and drops off a pass to Stoudemire, who puts in a little baby hook shot from the right side of the rim. Unfortunately, Yao was out of position on the three-point line when his intimidating presence could have been used down low. The Suns lead 97-96. | |
| :18 | Free Throws |
Down by one point, Yao gets the ball in the middle of the lane and is fouled by Amare Stoudemire. He goes to the line and makes the first free throw to tie it, but misses the second free throw. At least the Rockets have tied the game at 97-97. Yao has 29 points and is 7-of-9 from the line. |
| :01.4 | Joe Johnson hits a high-arching baseline jumper over Yao to put the Suns ahead 99-97. It was unusual to see Yao playing a guard as quick as Johnson on this last possession. It reminded me very similar to Kobe Bryant's shot over Yao a couple of weeks ago. | |
| :00 |  |
Yao misses a turnaround jumper at the left elbow! That play obviously would have been huge for Yao's career. The Rockets lose 97-99. Yao finishes 11-of-16 from the field with 29 points. He also had 19 rebounds and 6 blocks. |