YaoMingMania.com

Back to Home

100% dedicated to Yao Ming's life in the NBA

Yao vs. Timberwolves - 3/29/04


Yao battles for a rebound against Minnesota's Wally Sczcerbiak and Michael Olowokandi Monday night in Houston. The Rockets made a run late in the fourth quarter to take the lead, but Kevin Garnett was too much and pulled the Timberwolves to victory 94-88. Yao finished with 16 points on 8-of-14 shooting. (Photo courtesy AP).
MONDAY, 3/29/04 - If you had to pick one game for the Rockets to lose, their game Monday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves would have been the one. And that's exactly what happened, with the Rockets losing 94-88. But we're okay with it, especially considering the Rockets pulled out a tough, emotional overtime victory in Milwaukee about 24 hours earlier while Minnesota had the day off on Sunday.

The T-wolves entered the game as the #2 seed in the Western Conference playoffs, just ½ game ahead of the red-hot Lakers and 1 ½ games ahead of San Antonio. Meanwhile, the Rockets held a commanding 5 game lead over the Portland Trailblazers for the #7 spot. At this point, Houston and Minnesota are matched up to play each other in the first round of the playoffs, which is a good thing for Houston. In three previous games this season between the two teams, the Rockets had won two of those games.

Houston matches up well against the T-wolves, but if they had beaten them Monday night, then the Rockets would have given the Lakers or the Spurs an even better chance to overtake Minnesota as the #2 seed. Houston has played the Lakers well this season, but if they have to face the Spurs in the first round, well…you can forget the idea of a first-round playoff victory. So in a weird way, if the Rockets had beat Minnesota on Monday night, they actually would have hurt their chances of winning their first round playoff series.

Not that we like to see the Rockets lose, but if they are going to lose, we'd like to see them lose in encouraging fashion. That's also what happened Monday night. Down 79-70 in the fourth quarter, the Rockets continued to show a great ability of being able to come back when it counts. Houston went on a 14-2 run to actually take an 84-81 lead, but eventually lost the game because of great plays by Kevin Garnett.

Yao had a chance to tie the game with 10 seconds remaining, but he missed a wide-open jumper from the top of the key. That was one of the few shots the Rockets missed during their scoring run.

Even though they lost the game, you had to be happy (if you're a Rockets fan) that they can hit big baskets when they need them (Yao will hit that jumper he missed almost every other time). This newfound Rockets' comeback mentality was almost nonexistent early in the season when the Rockets struggled just to score a point in ANY quarter.

What we also liked to see was the playoff atmosphere of this game. It was intense the entire game, and in the fourth quarter when the Rockets mounted their comeback, the crowd at Toyota Center was shouting DE-FENSE! louder than any time this whole season.

Houston's scoring was also as balanced we had seen it all season. Late in the third quarter with Minnesota leading 66-65, all five Rockets starters had 12 points each! That balanced scoring continued the rest of the way with Jim Jackson and Yao Ming finishing with 16 points each, and Steve Francis, Cuttino Mobley and Maurice Taylor finishing with 17 each. The rebounds were also evenly distributed, with each one of the aforementioned players racking up (in order) 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 rebounds respectively.

The Rockets also shot better from the field than Minnesota (45.8% vs 42.5%) and out-rebounded them 56-50. The difference in the game for the Rockets was turnovers (17 vs. 11) and free throws (9-of-13 for Houston vs. 21-of-22 for Minnesota).
Detailed Yao Analysis
vs. Minnesota Timberwolves -  3/29/04

1st quarter
11:20 Cuttino Mobley whips a pass from the three-point line into Yao on the left edge of the paint. The pass was thrown so quickly, Yao's man was caught off guard and is nowhere near him. With an open path to the basket, Yao then quickly spins into the lane, steps toward the hoop, stops, pump fakes, sheds off Kevin Garnett who jumped high to try to block his shot, and lays it in off the glass for the bucket!
6:47 Assist Yao gets the ball on the right edge of the lane and is quickly double-teamed by Earvin Johnson and Kevin Garnett, but he sees Maurice Taylor entering the lane from the other side all alone, so Yao whips a pass to him and Taylor goes up and slams it home! Credit Yao with the assist and for making Garnett pay for double-teaming him! The Rockets trail 10-13.
6:13 Yao misses a short little jumper in the lane off the glass. He is now 1-for-2 from the field. The Timberwolves lead 16-10.
4:54 Yao misses another short jumper in the lane over Earvin Johnson. Yao is now 1-for-3 from the floor. The Rockets trail 12-18.
3:48   Yao checks out of the game for Clarence Weatherspoon. The Rockets trail 12-20.
2nd quarter - At the end of the first quarter, the Rockets trail 20-28. The Rockets were 9-of-21 in the first quarter, and the T-Wolves were 13-of-24. Maurice Taylor was 4-of-8 from the field with 8 points, and Garnett was 5-for-8 with 10 points.
10:00   Yao checks into the game for Steve Francis who has three fouls. The Rockets trail 25-30.
7:05 Mark Jackson grabs a defensive rebound and dribbles it all the way up the court on a fast break. As he reaches the three-point line, Jackson sweetly drops the ball off behind his back to Yao who is running along the left edge of the lane, AND YAO TAKES TWO STEPS TOWARD THE HOOP, ELEVATES AND THROWS DOWN A MONSTER TOMAHAWK JAM WITH THE RIGHT HAND! Yao is now 2-for-4 from the field with 4 points. The Rockets trail 31-35.
5:20 Yao gets the ball about three feet outside the right edge of the lane and faces up on Earvin Johnson. He then pump fakes like he is going to drive, dribbles once to his left then spins quickly toward the baseline, elevates and launches a fadeaway jumper that's good! Yao is now 3-for-5 from the field with 6 points. The Rockets take their first lead, 36-35, and have gone on a 9-0 run!
Halftime - At the end of the second quarter, the Rockets lead 43-42. Houston outscored Minnesota 23-14 in the second quarter, and the T-Wolves only shot 5-of-17 from the field. Cuttino Mobley scored 8 points in the quarter on 3-of-6 shooting.
3rd Quarter - Yao starts the quarter.
11:25 Yao misses a fallaway jumper from the right baseline. Earvin Johnson may have gotten a hand on it while the ball was still in Yao's hands, but Yao was still strong enough to get the shot off and make it go in. Yao is now 3-for-6 from the field with 6 points. The Rockets trail 43-44.
10:40   On a pick-and-roll, Steve Francis comes around a Yao screen near the top of the key, then lofts a pass to Yao who is running toward the basket along the left side of the lane. Yao goes high to catch the pass with his left hand, and as he is coming down YAO INTENTIONALLY TIPS THE PASS TO MAURICE TAYLOR IN THE MIDDLE OF THE LANE, but Taylor is blocked by Earvin Johnson. If that shot had gone in, that would have been one of Yao's best assists of the year!
9:39 Yao makes a 20-foot jump shot a couple of feet inside the three-point line on the left side of the court. We haven't seen him hit very many long jumpers in awhile! Yao is now 4-for-7 from the field with 8 points. The Rockets trail 47-49.
6:53 Latrell Sprewell drives down the right side of the lane and puts up a running jumper, but Yao is able to get a hand on the ball for the block and save a sure basket! That's Yao's first block of the game! The Rockets trail 52-53.
5:50 With the ball in his hands about 4 feet outside the right edge of the lane, Yao is doubled-teamed by Sprewell and Earvin Johnson. Once Yao faces up to the basket, though, they drop off him which leaves him wide open. So Yao just squares up to the basket and swishes a 15-foot jumper! Yao is now 5-for-8 from the field with 10 points, and the Rockets take the lead 54-53!
4:43 Yao gets the ball on the left edge of the lane, dribbles, then takes two large steps into the lane and toward the basket with Earvin Johnson on him, and Yao finger rolls it in the basket for the score! Yao is now 6-for-9 from the field with 12 points! The Rockets tie the game at 56-56.
4:02   Yao checks out of the game for Maurice Taylor. The Rockets trail 56-58.
4th Quarter - At the end of three quarters, the score is tied at 68-68. Minnesota scored 26 points to Houston's 25 in that third quarter. Sam Cassell torched the Rockets with 11 points, and Steve Francis had 10. Yao scored 6 points in the quarter.
11:36 From the left side of the court near the three-point line, Yao drives all the way to the hole and puts up a running jumper that misses. However, he gets the rebound and is fouled right in front of the rim. Unfortunately, the refs don't count that foul as a shooting foul, so Yao doesn't get to shoot free throws! What's up with that?
10:27 Yao gets the ball in the middle of the lane and quickly turns on Michael Olowokandi and leans in toward the rim right in front of the basket and puts up a finger roll, BUT HE MISSES IT! WOW! Yao has missed two easy baskets in a row! He is now 6-for-11 from the field with 12 points. The T-wolves lead 70-68.
2:18 The Rockets have gone on a 12-2 run to lead 82-81, and the Houston crowd is going crazy! Looking to extend their lead, Steve Francis drives into the lane and dishes off to Yao on the left side of the rim, and Yao lays it in off the glass for the score! Yao is now 7-for-12 from the field with 14 points. The Rockets lead 84-81!
:56 After Sam Cassell hits a big three-pointer to put the T-wolves up 86-84, Yao gets the ball on the left side of the lane, steps into the lane and puts up a right-handed hook shot that swishes through the net! Yao ties up the game at 86-86! He is now 8-for-13 from the field with 16 points.
:18.8   Kevin Garnett makes a tough jump shot over Yao in the middle of the lane to put the T-wolves up 90-88. You have to give credit to KG for making a tough shot over the long arm of Yao.
:10 With the Rockets trailing 90-88, Steve Francis penetrates into the lane and kicks the ball out to Yao who is standing all by himself at the top of the key. Yao has a chance to tie the game when he launches a shot he has made so many times, but this time it clangs off the front iron and Latrell Sprewell gets the defensive rebound. The Rockets foul Sprewell, who goes to the free throw line and puts the game away. Yao finishes with 16 points on 8-for-13 shooting, and he didn't go to the free throw line once!