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Yao vs. Lakers - 4/17/04


Yao and Shaq go after a rebound Saturday night in Los Angeles. Unfortunately for Yao and Houston fans, Shaq got the better of both to pull the Lakers to victory, 72-71, on a dunk with 17 seconds remaining in the game. Yao only scored 10 points on 4-of-11 shooting. Click here for more photos from the game. (Photo courtesy AP).
SATURDAY, 4/17/04 - The Rockets were close to shocking the world Saturday night. But their loss to the Lakers on Saturday night in Game #1 of their playoff series was the epitome of heartbreaking.

Forgive me for the flashback, but remember that infamous play they always show on TV during the Final Four when the University of Houston Cougars played N.C. State in 1983 for the NCAA Championship, and Derek Whittenburg threw up a long bomb that was an air ball, but Lorenzo Charles caught it at the rim and dunked it home (because Hakeem Olajuwon didn't block out) with no time remaining to win the game and the championship for the Wolfpack? That same play was reenacted Saturday night in LA, as Kobe, Shaq and Yao took the place of the players listed above with less than 20 seconds remaining in the game. Shaq's dunk as the 24-second clock was expiring after a Kobe air ball from 3-point land put the Lakers up 72-71 with 17 seconds remaining. Jim Jackson had a chance to win it with a three-pointer at the buzzer, but he missed. The result? LA now has a very fortunate 1-0 lead in their best-of-7 series with the Rockets.

Houston's bad luck started a few possessions earlier when they had a couple of chances to seal the victory. With 1:18 remaining, Karl Malone stripped the ball out of Steve Francis' hands near the three-point line, and the ball bounced into the lane where Maurice Taylor hustled to get a hand on it and almost gained possession underneath the Laker's basket with no one around him. It surely would have been a dunk for Taylor that would have put the Rockets ahead 73-70, but the ball squirted out of Taylor's hand and the Lakers dodged a bullet.

Then with 43 seconds remaining and the Rockets up 71-70, Maurice Taylor got great position underneath the Lakers' bucket to put a shot off the glass that was about to go down for the score, but it rimmed out at the last second!

Excluding the bad luck, here are the main reasons why the Rockets lost this game:

* As usual, Houston was careless with the ball, racking up 15 turnovers in the first half alone. If the Rockets had taken better care of the ball, this game wouldn't have been close. Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley both had 7 turnovers each. It looked like both players were uncomfortable with how closely the Laker defenders were playing them. It got to the point where every time Francis and Mobley dribbled the ball for more than a few seconds, I would get very nervous the next turnover was just a dribble away.

* Yao has got to hit more buckets! I don't blame him too much for not blocking out Shaq on that last Laker play. Sure, he should have had better position so he could have grabbed the rebound, but his positioning wasn't all that bad if Kobe had drawn iron. It was such a fluke play. But the Rockets need more point production from Yao. 4-of-11 for 10 points won't cut it while on the other end of the floor Shaq is dunking and dominating. Yao needs to make Shaq work harder on defene. Maybe if Yao came outside the paint and shot more facing-the basket jumpers he can get some early offensive momentum and get Shaq flustered defensively.

* The Rockets couldn't hit many jumpers, shooting only 38% from the field. It looked like Francis (6-of-14), Mobley (5-of-13), and Jackson (5-of-19) were tired when they were putting up a lot of jumpers and weren't even close to being made. A couple of shots didn't even hit the rim. As a team, the Rockets were only 2-for-12 from behind the arc. They must have been expending so much energy on defense, it might have sapped their leg strength. I was surprised Francis, who plays "all out," played as many minutes as he did (43). His backup, Mark Jackson, only played 6 minutes.

* Similarly, the Rockets' cold spell in the third quarter really did them in. They were great on defense by holding the Lakers to 9 points on 4-of-21 shooting in the quarter, but the Rockets only made 7-of-22 shots themselves. If they had made 3 or 4 more shots in that quarter, it would have been a completely different ball game.

* The Rockets came out tight at the start of the game. They quickly fell behind 8-0 and turned the ball over 3 times in the first few minutes of the game. I would have hoped they would have started the game with a "nothing-to-lose" attitude since everyone is predicting they will lose this series. You wouldn't have thought they would have come out as tight as they did to start the game.

* The Rockets need to double-team Shaq early. Shaq dominated Yao and anyone else the Rockets put on him at the beginning of the game by scoring on an array of dunks. In the second half, the Rockets got smarter. Their double-teaming of Shaq limited him to 4 points in the second half.

Encouraging signs:

* Except for a couple of breakdowns, like when Shaq grabbed his own missed free throw and slammed it home, overall the Rockets' defense was outstanding. As painful as it is to watch Van Gundy-ball, it's now starting to pay dividends. His grind-it-out defense is designed to give his teams a chance to win in playoff games where teams play more methodically, and defense becomes more imperative to winning. The Lakers made 4-of-21 shots in the third quarter (9 points), shot 25% in the second half, and 32.9% overall. Mobley held Kobe to only 4-of-19 shooting (16 points). Shaq only scored 4 points in the second half, including the lucky air ball he caught and dunked home.

* Maurice Taylor was clutch offensively, especially against Karl Malone, one of the best power forwards in NBA history. Taylor scored a lot of key buckets and free throws in the second half, hitting 4-of-7 shots and making 3-of-3 free throws.

* The Rockets actually ran a decent play on the last play of the game as Francis drove toward the basket and dished it to Jim Jackson behind the three-point line for a shot. It would have been better if Francis had dished it to Clarence Weatherspoon, who happened to be standing underneath the basket and would have had a sure layup. But all things considered, I am thankful Francis dished it off rather than try some wild, crazy shot like he has done many times before.

* As careless as Francis was with the ball (even Bill Walton said at one point, "The decision-making by Steve Francis still leaves a lot to be desired"), he actually had some spectacular layups, grabbed key rebounds and had important tip-in baskets. Late in the game, Francis was smart with aggressive penetration into the lane on Shaq, getting fouled, and hitting most of his free throws. He also had 9 rebounds and 5 assists. But those 7 turnovers and 3 free throws missed overall loom very large in a one-point loss. In addition, he fouled Shaq intentionally late in the game when it appeared coach Jeff Van Gundy didn't authorize him to do so. Shaq made one of two free throws to cut the Houston lead down to 71-70 with 1:30 remaining, which was all the Lakers needed to put them in a position to win it on Kobe's air ball that turned into Shaq's dunk.

* Although Yao's shooting was sub-par, his rebounding (11) along with his teammates' crashing of the boards was key to their staying close in this game. The Rockets out-rebounded the Lakers 51-41.

Now that the Rockets are down 1-0, they MUST win their next game on Monday night, or this series might quickly be over.

Note: since I have spent more time than normal on this game summary for Game #1, I will provide my customary Detailed Yao Analysis and shot chart on Sunday.



FRIDAY, 4/16/04 - I have been monitoring Los Angeles media outlets since Kobe hit his three-pointer against Portland on Wednesday night to clinch the Pacific Division title, and to force a match-up between the Rockets-Lakers and Yao-Shaq in the first round of the playoffs. I thought I would share with you what I have been reading and hearing lately.

This article in today's LA Times does a good job documenting many of the internal problems within the Lakers this year, which makes the Francis-Van Gundy SuperBowl controversy look like a love fest. It's these kinds of internal problems within the Lakers that gives Houston a chance. If the Rockets are able to win Game #1 or #2, they may be able to introduce doubt among the Lakers players that this is not their year.

And this LA Times article talks about how the Laker season changed from underachievement to delight all in one Kobe Bryant three-pointer. But again, my feeling is if the Rockets can win Game #1 or #2, alot of those doubts among the Lakers from earlier in the season will rise to the surface very quickly.

This article talks about the pressure on the Lakers to win a title this year with their four future Hall of Famers. Perhaps the Rockets can start making them nervous if they are able to gain some early momentum.

You can also listen to one of the sports talk radio in the LA area over the Internet by going to this website and clicking on the "Listen Live" button on the left side of the page. They have a Laker show at 10:00 AM Central time on the weekdays hosted by Laker radio play-by-play man Joel Meyers. If you feel compelled to call one of their sports talk shows and represent yourself as a Yao fan, I encourage you to be as classy as Yao is dealing with the media.
Detailed Yao Analysis
vs. L.A. Lakers -  4/17/04

1st quarter
7:48 Yao gets the ball along the left edge of the lane with Shaq guarding him one-on-one very closely. Yao then dribbles once, steps toward the semi-circle in the lane and lofts a fallaway jumper, but it misses. However, Steve Francis crashed the boards and tips it in! Francis caught Gary Payton napping and went straight to the glass when Yao took the shot. The Rockets score their first basket and trail 2-8. Yao is 0-for-1 from the field.

ESPN analyst Bill Walton says astutely, "And that is why you have to have somebody who Shaq has to guard if you're ever going to beat Los Angeles because with Karl (Malone) limping out there you have a chance on the offensive glass with Shaq playing his defense away from the boards."
7:12 Steve Francis is double-teamed at the three-point line along the right sideline, and he zips a pass to Yao in the lane about 2 feet inside the free throw line. Yao squares up, elevates and launches a soft jump shot over the oncoming Shaq, and it's good! Yao is on the scoreboard with his first bucket, and the Rockets trail 4-8. Yao is 1-for-2 from the field with 2 points.
6:07 Assist From the top of the three-point line, Cato dumps the ball into Yao along the inside left edge of the paint, with Shaq guarding him closely. At the same time, Jim Jackson fakes out Rick Fox and breaks toward the basket, AND YAO DELIVERS A PERFECT BOUNCE PASS TO JACKSON, WHO GOES TO THE BUCKET AND REVERSE LAYS IT IN! Yao did a great job on that assist by seeing Jackson break to the basket. After being down 0-8, the Rockets now only trail 6-10.

Once again, Walton has a great observation when he says, "When you run your offense through the center -- the guy who Shaq has to guard -- anything is possible because it exposes the flaws of Shaq's teammates on the defensive end."
5:52 Good
Defense!		 Karl Malone drives toward the basket on the right side of the lane, and Yao slides over from the left side of the lane and gets in front of Malone to draw a charging foul on the Mailman as Yao falls to the floor from the impact! Great sacrifice by Yao to put his body in front of Malone. The replay shows that Yao had his left heel on the semi-circle, which technically means he was blocking on the play, but it was too close of a call for the ref to make. Francis comes over to help Yao up, and the Rockets' bench claps with appreciation.
5:02 Yao lofts a left-handed hook shot from the left edge of the lane, and it clangs off the back iron. Yao is 1-for-3 from the field for 2 points.
4:01
Yao drives down the left side of the lane and puts up a running jumper off the glass that misses, but Yao skies high for the rebound (photo pictured above) in the middle of the lane, brings the ball down, then goes straight up with a right-handed hook shot, and swishes it! The Rockets now trail 10-16, and Yao is 2-for-5 from the field with 4 points.
2:23 2nd foul! Shaq rebounds a missed jumper in front of the Lakers' rim, goes up for slam dunk, but misses it! However, Shaq grabs the rebound, goes up again, is fouled by Yao, and the ball drops for the score. That's Yao's second foul, so he has to sit down.

After a timeout is called, Shaq goes to the line and misses his free throw, but the Rockets fail to block out Shaq who gets the rebound and is fouled!

Walton says, "Where is the box out? Complete breakdown...You're coming out of the timeout with one of the league's worst free throw shooters, and you're not going to step somebody in front of him at the line? What are they thinking?"

Shaq goes to the line and makes one of two. The Rockets trail 14-19.
2nd quarter - At the end of the first quarter, the Rockets trail 18-20. The Rockets made 9-of-19 from the field and the Lakers made 8-of-21 (38%). Shaq shot 4-of-8 from the field, scored 10 points, grabbed 6 rebounds, and dominated. The Rockets had 6 turnovers in the first quarter, with Francis having 4 of them! Yao has 4 points on 2-of-5 shooting from the field with 3 rebounds.
8:54   Yao checks into the game for Scott Padgett. The Rockets trail 22-24.
8:29 Yao shoots a long 22-foot jumper from a foot inside the three-point line, but he misses. The Rockets trail 22-24, and Yao is 2-for-6 from the field with 4 points.
4:26 Free
Throws		 Jim Jackson throws a nice pass to Yao to the left of the basket in great position down low, and Yao goes up for a shot off the glass, but he is fouled by Shaq. So Yao goes to the line and makes both free throws. He now has 6 points on 2-of-2 shooting from the line, and 2-for-6 from the field. The Rockets trail 27-33.
3:36 Steve Francis drives down the left side of the lane and puts a shot off the glass that Shaq tries to block, but the shot misses. However, Yao crashes the boards, grabs the ball underneath the basket, and dunks it home! Yao is now 3-for-7 from the field with 8 points, and the Rockets trail 29-35.
:56.1   Yao checks out of the game for Clarence Weatherspoon. The Rockets trail 34-39.
Halftime - At the end of the second quarter, the Rockets trail 34-40. The Rockets have 15 turnovers and are shooting 39% from the field, and shot 6-for-19 in the second quarter. The Lakers shot 42% from the field and have 9 turnovers. Karl Malone is 1-for-9 from the field. Houston is outrebounding Los Angeles 24-17.
3rd Quarter - Yao starts the quarter.
11:47 Yao gets the ball just outside the left edge of the lane, then quickly goes up for a turnaround jumper and BANG! Yao makes the first shot of the second half, and he is now 4-for-8 from the field with 10 points. The Rockets trail 36-40.
7:26 Yao gets the ball about two feet outside the right edge of the lane, then dribbles once into the lane, takes a big step and goes up for a fadeaway jumper, but Shaq gets a hand on the ball as Yao elevates for the shot and he rips the ball out of Yao's hands! How embarrassing for Yao! Yao is now 4-for-9 from the field. The Rockets trail 40-42.
7:09 A few seconds later, Kobe drives toward the bucket and dishes to Shaq underneath the basket. Shaq goes up for an easy layup, BUT YAO JUMPS UP AND SWATS THE SHOT AWAY FOR THE REJECTION! Yao records his first block of the game and redeems himself quickly from the last play.
6:05   Steve Francis scores on a spectacular left-handed layup to tie the game at 42-42! The Rockets have gone on an 8-2 run to start the second half!
3:19   Yao checks out of the game for Maurice Taylor. The Rockets trail 44-45.
4th Quarter - At the end of three quarters, the Rockets lead 51-49 after the Lakers only scored 9 points in the quarter on 4-of-21 shooting. Houston wasn't much better by scoring 17 points on 7-of-22 shooting (0-for-6 from three-point land).
11:15 Yao gets the ball on the right edge of the lane guarded by Shaq, and he goes straight up and shoots a right-handed jump hook that's an air ball! Yao is now 4-for-10 from the field, and the Rockets lead 51-50.
7:38 With the Rockets trailing 57-60, Yao gets the ball along the right baseline at the edge of the lane. He quickly turns and puts up a fallaway jumper, but the shot is too strong and it misses. Yao is now 4-for-11 from the field with 10 points.
2:12   Shaq gets the ball on the right edge of the lane and makes a strong move toward the basket, but Yao fouls him and pick up his fifth foul. However, Shaq misses both free throws. The game is tied 69-69
:17.4   With the Rockets leading 71-70, Kobe shoots a three-pointer that's an air ball after being defended well by the Rockets, but the ball comes down to Shaq underneath the rim. Shaq catches it and slams it home, and he's fouled by Yao! That's Yao's sixth foul, and he's out!

Shaq misses the penalty free throw, though.
0:00   Jim Jackson misses a three-pointer at the buzzer that could have won the game, and the Rockets lose a heartbreaker 71-72. Yao finishes with 10 points on 4-of-11 shooting, 11 rebounds and 1 block.