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Yao vs. Lakers - 4/23/04
 Yao wards off Shaq on Friday night as the Rockets got back in their playoff series against the Lakers by winning 102-91 in Houston. Yao delivered when the Rockets needed him, scoring 18 points on 9-of-13 shooting and 10 rebounds to give the Rockets a chance at tying the series 2-2 on Sunday. To see more photos from the game, click on the following links: [1] [2] [3]. (Photo courtesy AP). |
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SATURDAY - 4/24/04 - I'm sure most of you either saw the nationally (and probably world-wide) televised Game #3 last night between the Rockets and Lakers. Or perhaps you saw the highlights, or have read some of the articles in the Latest Articles section. As you probably know, the Rockets played with heart and desire to beat the Lakers in Houston 102-91, and LA now holds a 2-1 lead in their best of seven playoff series.
The Rockets should be proud because they are the only lower-seeded Western Conference playoff team to win a game in a playoff series this post-season. Every other higher-seeded team in the West has won (in 10 games), and Houston's win Friday night was only the second win (in 20 tries) by a lower-seeded during the entire NBA playoffs thus far. Because of all the media coverage (just look at how many articles are in the section below!), it would probably be redundant if I rehashed a lot of the same information that all of these articles most likely cover. So I am going to touch upon a few things that the media might have missed or didn't address like I would have done. Yao's back! Yao finally had a breakout game in this series, scoring 18 points on 9-of-13 shooting. He hit 5 of his first 6 shots which did wonders for his confidence against Shaq. Perhaps playing under Toyota Center lighting and Houston rims makes it easier for him (as it might have done for his teammates, who collectively shot 48%). And when he hit a long 22-foot jump shot just inside the three-point arc at the beginning of the fourth quarter, we loved how the Laker now has to account for another threat: Yao's ability to make shots from that far outside. If he continues making long jumpers like those, it will open up opportunities for other players inside since Shaq will have to come out and try to defend those long bombs by Yao. I also know how demoralizing it can be to a defense when you've got a big guy outside making long jump shots, like how Sacramento's Brad Miller and Vlade Divac has done to the Rockets, or Seattle's Vladimir Radmanovic has done. The shot that clinched the game was Yao's left-handed hook shot over Shaq in the lane that put the Rockets ahead 92-86 with 1:52 remaining. Not mentioned anywhere was how Shaq had his arm wrapped around Yao's waist during that shot attempt, and no foul was called. But I don't think it can be overemphasized how instrumental it was for Yao to hit a big shot like that in the clutch against the Lakers -- which will continue to add to his confidence. It also illustrates just how unstoppable Yao can be for Shaq. We also loved the huge pick that Yao put on Gary Payton! Just thinking about it gives me goosebumps! ESPN played it over-and-over, and if you didn't see it, you will eventually. It is most definitely the "pick of the year." Yao set himself up on the right edge of the lane and stood his ground as Payton ran straight into the Great Wall without looking ahead of him. Payton went flying backwards like he had been "clotheslined" like you see on a football tackle. It was a thing of beauty, and it could be the play that everyone talks about if the Rockets are able to steal this series. I can already imagine how that play could be considered the physical kind of play that showed the Rockets were not going to lay down and let the Lakers steamroll over them. Shaq's foot About two seconds after that pick occurred, Shaq stuck his foot out and tripped Steve Francis to pick up his third foul. Earlier in the game, Shaq got away with fouling Cuttino Mobley by kicking his foot out. Shaq has used his foot as an illegal defensive stopper many times this season, including a game earlier this season when he got away with kicking a Steve Francis dribble underneath the Laker basket, picking up the loose ball, and slamming it through for a game-clinching slam dunk. Keep an eye out for how Shaq uses his size-21 (or 23) foot as a defensive weapon. Francis' future Over these past two playoff games, Steve Francis might have solidified his position as a Houston Rocket next season. He had his second outstanding playoff game in a row, this time scoring 27 points on 7-of-16 shooting from the field (4-of-5 from three-point range), 9-of-12 free throws, 9 rebounds and 7 assists. He also only had 3 turnovers. Maybe the light bulb has finally gone off in his head on how to play in clutch situations. Coach Jeff Van Gundy is very pleased on how he has been playing, which would have been unthinkable a couple of months ago. To me, I think Francis is just concentrating better because he realizes now how important every possession is in a playoff game. We all know he has the athletic ability; the mental part of the game has been the issue. He also knows everyone is watching this playoff series on television. When he has played in the past on national TV, he seems to play better than when the Rockets are not on national TV. Maybe this will be a big breakthrough in Francis' maturity level and confidence. Out of all the developments in this series to continue following, this one is probably the top one to watch for Rocket fans. Another Rocket player's confidence boosted There were lots of big buckets in this game, but probably the first important bucket was Boki Nachbar's three-pointer at the 5:05 mark in the first quarter when the Rockets were struggling from the field. That shot gave the team -- and crowd -- a big psychological lift, and closed their deficit to 15-17. It was a fluke that Nachbar entered the game that early in the game since starter Jim Jackson injured his back (temporarily) a few moments before. Then a little bit later, he was able to draw a charge on Rick Fox. From that point, the Rockets three-point shooting -- which has been terrible this series -- improved, and they took a lead they never relinquished. A couple of minutes later, Nachbar was able to get the ref to blow the whistle on Karl Malone for throwing an elbow. Boki's defense also has dramatically improved, and after the game Van Gundy commented on how far he has come since training camp. Not-so-good Rocket performance One Rocket performance painful to watch was Kelvin Cato's defense on Shaq, which was non-existent and embarrassing. Defensively, the Rockets put Yao on Karl Malone and Cato on Shaq, and it didn't work. Too many times Cato tried to strip the ball out of Shaq's hands and then bailing on the play, leaving Shaq with an easy dunk. Or he would try to flop on Shaq. That's not going to get it done. Cato has been an enigma this season. He was complimented by Van Gundy earlier this season because of his work ethic, defense and rebounding. And when he got hurt, the Rockets hit the skids because they were apparently missing his rebounding and defensive intensity. But when he returned near the end of the season and had a poor performance because of an attitude problem, he was benched by Van Gundy. Now that he is back in the rotation and let Shaq walk all over him, Van Gundy had to put Yao back on Shaq. Long term, Cato's inability to be an offensive threat is a big problem for Yao, who needs help on the front line. Look for the Rockets to try to acquire a big-time power forward in the off-season. Who knows, maybe it could be Karl Malone? Mo's the man Speaking of power forwards, we loved 6th man Maurice Taylor's performance. He doesn't seem to be getting much attention from what I've read in the articles covering this game, but he hit 3 big buckets in the fourth quarter when the Lakers were making their charge. Without his key baskets, the Rockets might have folded. I wouldn't mind the Rockets keeping Taylor as the backup power forward next year and have the Rockets try to find a big rebounding and shot-blocking type who can also score more than 10 points a game and give Yao some help. Pre-series predictions becoming a factor I said before the series that Houston would have a chance because of Shaq's free throw shooting, which definitely played a factor in Friday night's Rocket victory (5-of-14 from the line). I also said it would be interesting to see how the Lakers react to a loss given their soap opera of a season thus far. So we'll see what kind of controversy and doubt this loss might have introduced into the Laker locker room. Another thing I mentioned is that now that Game #5 will be played, it brings into question if Kobe will be able to return to LA from Colorado where his pre-trial hearings before that games starts (the time is TBD). If Kobe cannot play in all or part of that game, look for the Rockets to have a big advantage both physically and psychologically. |