Yao reacts after hitting a huge fadeaway basket in the final minute of the Rockets-Wizards game that proved to be the winning basket. Yao scored 38 points, tying a season high, on amazing 15-of-25 shooting from the field and 8-of-8 from the line. He also had 10 rebounds, 3 assists, two blocks, and numerous intimidations of Wizard shots. Click here for more photos from the game.

by John

FRIDAY, 3/31/06 – With nothing really to play for except pride, the Rockets and Yao put on a show against the 37-33 Washington Wizards Friday night, perhaps showing the Rockets blowout win of the Sonics Wednesday night was not a fluke.

Even though the game didn’t mean much since the playoffs are out of reach, I was more entertained with this game more than almost any other game this season. Houston fans seemed to get into this game more than expected, getting rowdy many times to urge the Rockets to a moral victory. The Rockets led for most of the game, shot a season high 55.7% from the field, and held on to win for a 105-103 triumph.

I have been surprised at how much better the Rockets are playing all of a sudden offensively. With no T-Mac, what has gotten into them lately?

The Rockets exploded with 62 points by halftime (they scored 64 against Seattle on Wednesday), shooting 58% from the field and hitting 5-of-9 from three-point land. Yao, Luther Head and Rafer Alston were all in double-figures by halftime.

Yao had 20 points by halftime with incredible shooting consistency (7-of-11 from the field, 6-of-6 from the line). That wonderful shooting touch we knew he had before coming into the NBA is really shining through now.

It didn’t hurt that the Wizards were without center Brendan Haywood, and weren’t double-teaming Yao since Luther Head’s outside shooting kept them honest from collapsing on Yao inside.

Luther was outstanding in the first half, scoring 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting. It looks like all of the playing time he has had this season is really paying off. He is hitting from the outside and attacking the basket with much more confidence, it seems. I think he has a chance to really emerge as a force next season, similar to how Cuttino Mobley became an offensive threat his second season with the Rockets.

Rafer Alston was extremely effective, too, scoring 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting and dishing 6 assists.

The Rockets led 62-50 by halftime, but it seemed like the lead was much bigger considering much they were scoring. But being the third highest scoring team in the league, Washington is no slouch offensively, right behind Phoenix and Seattle.

Man. That’s saying something when Houston – second-to-last in points per game (90.7) outscores two of the top 3 offensive teams in the league in consecutive games!

In the second half, Yao kept it rolling, scoring at will with that feathery touch of his and hitting 8-of-14 shots to add 18 more to his scoring pile. He was simply unstoppable against the smaller front line of the Wizards.

When he checked out of the game for a rest, the Wizards whittled away a 15-point deficit by going on an 18-4 run, and closed within one point, 87-86, with 8:22 remaining.

With Yao back in the game, the Rockets went on an 11-2 run, with Yao scoring eight of those points to give them a comfortable 10-point lead with 4:20 remaining.

But the Wizards impressive offensive attack got them back into it, pulling them within 102-101 with 1:15 remaining in the game.

With every other Rocket suddenly struggling offensively, everyone knew that Yao – who had 36 points at the time — was going to get the ball on the next possession. It was just like the glory years when everyone in the building knew Hakeem Olajuwon would get the ball in the same situation.

And just like Olajuwon did many times, Yao got the ball on the left baseline, made a spin move toward the baseline, faded away, and with the utmost confidence like we have seen so much from him lately, he calmly flicked his wrist and swished it for a huge bucket to give the Rockets a 104-101 lead with 53.2 remaining! (The picture above shows Yao’s reaction seconds after hitting that clutch shot).

The Wizards had a chance to win it on a last-second 3-pointer, but unlike games earlier this season where those shots would fall against the Rockets, this time it clanged off the rim for a Houston victory.

By the time it was over, Yao had tied his season-high of 38 points (15-of-25 shooting), made 8-of-8 from the line, grabbed 11 boards, had 3 assists, blocked two shots, and had numerous alterations of Wizards’ shots.

You can’t get any more dominating than that, folks. Even Wizards’ coach Eddie Jordan acknowledged Yao’s incredible performance after the game:

“The big guy (Yao) earned his check and he put his team on his back and carried them. I’ve seen him do some good things, but with that soft touch, he is unbelievable. The guy is playing phenomenal.”

The only down side is that Yao had 7 turnovers, with a couple coming down the stretch that allowed Washington to get close near the end of the game. But considering how Yao has improved in so many facets of his game, reduction of turnovers is sure to happen over time, too.

Yao had plenty of help in this win, with Luther finishing with 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting, 3-of-4 from 3-point territory, and doling 7 assists.

Alston finished with 19 points and 8 assists, and was definitely a key contributor in this game. As effective as Alston has been lately, and as much as I want to give him tons of credit, I learned that Mike James had an even more amazing night: 36 points and 10 assists. Right when I want to “move on” and appreciate Alston for what he is now bringing to the team, that trade continues to haunt the Rockets and me.

If only we had that production from the backcourt earlier this season when T-Mac was out, we wouldn’t be counting down the end of the Rockets’ season.

john@YaoMingFanClub.com

To see the boxscore from the game, click here.

To read the Houston Chronicle’s article about the game, click here.

Yao throws one down Wednesday night against the Sonics on his way to a dominating 29-point, 10-rebound, 5-assist, 3-steal game. The Rockers enjoyed a rare blowout victory, defeating Seattle 115-97 after holding a huge 40-point lead in the third quarter.

by John

WEDNESDAY, 3/29/06 – If only the Rockets could have played like this without T-Mac weeks ago.

That’s what I was thinking after watching the Rockets destroy the Seattle Sonics Wednesday night at Toyota Center, 115-87.

Although Seattle had a mediocre record before the game (29-41), they actually have beaten some decent teams recently: San Antonio on Sunday in Seattle, then Memphis Tuesday night in Tennessee. But playing 3 games in four days really isn’t fair for any team. You had to think the Sonics were dead tired, and it didn’t help that their second-leading scorer, Rashard Lewis, was sitting out because of a sprained ankle.

The game was over after the first quarter as the Rockets held a 29-10 lead, the lowest number of points they have allowed an opponent all season in a first quarter. Seattle shot only 3-of-21 in the first quarter while Houston pushed their fast break more than any other time this season.

I’m sorry, but the league’s scheduling has got to be overhauled. It’s ridiculous that teams are forced to play so many games in such a short period. They need to cut down the length of the pre-season and spread those extra days throughout the regular season.

The Rockets widened the lead to 32 points by halftime, doubling Sonics’ offensive output to lead 64-32. They had 9 fast break points to Seattle’s three, and had a 22-8 advantage in points in the paint.

Yao was amazing, scoring 12 points and grabbing 6 points by halftime. He had a couple of sweet moves around the basket that befuddled smaller Sonic defenders, showing his “unstoppability.”

Even more impressive was Stromile Swift, who was scoring at will (6-of-8 for 12 points by half) both inside and outside, including a jump hook along the baseline that hit the top of the backboard, bounced a couple of times on the backboard, dropped and hit the rim, bounced a couple of times, and fell through for the basket! He also had a couple of sweet dunks off assists from Yao, and a couple of long jumpers near the top of the key. He was showing it all.

A lot of people have been down on Stro’ this year, including Jeff Van Gundy, but I am still bullish on him. He reminds me of how many critics who cracked on Robert Horry early in his career, and didn’t get more consistent until a few years into his career.

Another big unexpected surprise was newly acquired Richie Frahm hitting 3-of-3 from three-point territory. Maybe the Rockets have found a consistent 3-point shooter in this disappointing season after all!

Back to the game…scoring their most amount of points in a first half this season (64), the Rockets were shooting an incredible 63% at half compared to 22.5% for Seattle.

The Rockets kept pouring it on in the third quarter, opening up a 40-point lead. Yao was even better in the third, scoring 17 more points in the quarter on 6-of-7 shooting and 5-of-5 from the line. He rested the entire fourth quarter, finishing the game with 29 points (9-of-14 from the field, 11-of-11 from the line), 12 rebounds, a season-high 5 assists, and a career-high in steals (3), all in just 29 minutes.

Frahm and Swift both finished with 16 points each. Juwan Howard played another solid game, scoring 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting. And both of Houston’s guards, Rafer Alston (10 points, 8 assists) and Luther Head (14 points, 5 assists), shot 5-of-12 from the field. A solid game all the way around.

The 31-40 Rockets are now 4.5 games behind the Sacramento Kings for the eighth and final spot for the playoffs, with only 11 games remaining. You already know there’s no way they will make the playoffs, but after Wednesday’s game you’ve got to be encouraged that the talent is in this team to position them decently for next season.

john@YaoMingFanClub.com

To see the boxscore from the game, click here.

To read the Houston Chronicle’s article about the game, click here.

LeBron James runs into Yao on Sunday. James, the #1 pick in the 2003 NBA draft, was finally able to beat the Rockets and Yao, the #1 pick in the 2002 draft. James scored 36 points while Yao scored 27. Click here for more photos from the game.

by John

SUNDAY, 3/26/06 – The Rockets (30-39) fought valiantly against Cleveland (40-29) Sunday afternoon. Houston’s Keith Bogans and Rick Brunson were providing a nice scoring bonus by hitting lots of three-pointers (4-of-5 and 2-of-2, respectively). With that kind of offensive outburst, you had to think the Rockets’ chances were good to win their second game in a row.

Indeed, there chances were very good. The Rockets had a 13-point lead at one time in the third quarter with their offense finally humming like we hadn’t seen in awhile with T-Mac out of the lineup.

But Houston couldn’t put the Cavaliers away, couldn’t make big defensive stops down the stretch, and disappointingly lost their fifth straight at home in overtime, 104-102.

The Rockets made a few preventable defensive blunders that cost them the game. I’m not saying they were out-coached. However, I still wonder why Jeff Van Gundy insists that Yao come out to the top of the key to help apply defensive pressure on the man with the ball. That seems to risk leaving the middle open and tiring out the Big Man a little too much.

That defensive plan may work against players who can’t penetrate into the lane, but when you’re doing it to freakin’ LeBron James, it’s probably going to cost you leaving your top shot blocker out of position to defend the rack. It happened twice late in the fourth quarter, and both times LeBron took it strong to the hole for a layup and a dunk.

The other defensive mistake took place with the Rockets holding a three-point (91-88) with 25 seconds to play. You would think if the situation looked like the Cavs were close to getting an easy shot, all they had to do was foul the man with the ball to keep him from scoring.

Instead, the Rockets let LeBron drive to the hole, elevate, draw contact from Yao for a foul, and score for a three-point play, tying the game! Yao was not happy with the call. After the game, he said, “Believe me, the contact that I get inside is much more difficult than he (LeBron) did on that one, and I haven’t gotten that kind of a call all year.”

Good for you, Yao. Speak out when the refs blow a call. I’m not blaming you on that one. However, I do blame the fact the Rockets gave LeBron an opportunity to go to the hole, especially with a foul to give!

The Rockets had a chance to win it on the ensuing possession, but Yao turned the ball over down low. Yao atoned for the mistake by scoring 6 points in OT.

But LeBron showed his greatness once again. With less than 15 seconds remaining King James penetrated into the lane, drew Yao over to his side of the court, then astutely dished to Zydrunas Ilguaskas for an easy jam to put the Cavs up 103-99 with 9 seconds remaining. Even by keeping Yao down low in the lane, it still didn’t work. That’s what great players like LeBron do: draw the defense to them, then pass off to other players for layups or dunks.

Yao came back to hit a jumper to make it 103-101 with 7 seconds remaining. The Rockets then fouled Damon Jones intentionally and put him on the line. The gamble paid off. Jones missed a free throw, and the Rockets had a chance to tie the game with a three-pointer.

But that’s when Cleveland’s coach Mike Brown opted to do what Jeff Van Gundy didn’t do in regulation: he intentionally fouled Rafer Alston, putting him on the line with .6 seconds remaining. Alston made the first free throw making it 104-102, then purposely missed the second hoping a miracle rebound and shot could tie the game. But the ball was swatted out of bounds as time expired.

It’s a shame the Rockets didn’t win this game considering they outplayed the Cavs in most statistical categories:

Field goal %: 48.6% vs. Cleveland’s 43.2%
3-point shooting: 50% vs. 38%
Free throw shooting: 25-of-29 (86%) vs. 14-of-20 (70%)
Assists: 20 vs. 17
Blocks: 6 vs. 2

The main stats they lost were offensive rebounds (14-to-5), turnovers (17 vs. 9), and points in the paint (46 vs. 28).

LeBron finished with 36 points, although Bogans did a decent job holding him to 14-of-34 (41%).

Yao led all Rockets with 27 points and 4 blocks. He also grabbed 7 boards. But he did have 5 turnovers and was 9-of-21 from the field. However, to reiterate, you can’t blame Yao for this loss. Blame it on LeBron’s greatness, and perhaps a flawed defensive strategy that gave him easy shots up close down the stretch.

john@YaoMingFanClub.com

To see the boxscore from the game, click here.

To read the Houston Chronicle’s article about the game, click here.

Yao scores two of his 22 points on a nice dunk Thursday night in Oklahoma City. The Rockets finally snapped their 6-game losing streak, and 0-for-13 record against Southwest division foes, beating the Hornets 93-92. Click here for more photos from the game.

by John

THURSDAY, 3/23/06 – I’m writing this while I’m in the middle of pulling an all-nighter on some work stuff. As busy as I am, I wanted to jot a few notes about the Rockets-Hornets game Thursday night. I was able to watch the fourth quarter and was pleasantly surprised at how well the Rockets played down the stretch to pull out a 93-92 win in a very hostile Oklahoma City arena.

The win snapped a 6-game losing streak, and they finally beat a team in their own division this season after losing their previous 13 games against them.

Yao was money, of course. He hit 3-of-4 shots and scored six points in the fourth quarter to complete a 22-point, 8-rebound , two-block game.

So was Rafer Alston, who hit clutch jumpers late in the game to be the difference. He equalled Yao’s 22 points, and actually shot above .500 for once (9-of-16). Good for you, Rafer.

The difference in this victory was not only the big shots at the end of the game, but also the 26-10 third quarter advantage the Rockets enjoyed after trailing 54-45 at halftime.

Amazingly, the Rockets were out-rebounded on the offensive boards 21-3. Normally that would have meant another loss. But for once their shooting was excellent, hitting 49% of their shots, and 95% (20-of-21) from the free throw line! Where has that kind of shooting been all season? Meanwhile, the Hornets only shot 36% from the field.

You’ve also got to give props to Juwan Howard, who had another solid game with 16 points (5-of-7 from the field, 6-of-6 from the line) and 12 boards.

Even more incredible games…

As exciting as the Rockets victory was in the fourth quarter, I can’t help but write about two extremely exciting “Sweet 16” college basketball games that were being played simultaneously while the Rockets were playing. Yes, I was switching channels among all three games, and my fingers got tired.

I’m sure many of you hoops fans saw the college games I’m talking about, or at least saw the highlights. My undergraduate alma mater, The University of Texas, pulled out a dramatic victory with a buzzer-beating three-pointer to beat West Virginia. That final three-pointer made me jump out of my chair!

But less than 30 minutes later, I was in store for even more unbelievable excitement. My post-graduate university, UCLA, pulled out the most astounding comeback I have seen since T-Mac scored all those points (13?) in 35 seconds against San Antonio last year.

Down 17 points in the third quarter to Gonzaga, and trailing 9 points with less than three minutes remaining, UCLA was dead in the water. But they kept battling, and came up with a steal in the final few seconds remaining in the game, and scored on a layup to win one of the most incredible college basketball games in recent history! Man ,oh man!

I really felt bad for Gonzaga’s Adam Morrison, though. He was devastated, and his emotions after losing were as raw as you have ever see an athlete display. It was painful to watch it, and I feel bad for him. But I am excited about two of my favorite college basketball teams being in the “Elite 8.” In some way, it makes up a little bit for this lousy Rockets season we’re all going through.

john@YaoMingFanClub.com

To see the boxscore from the game, click here.

To read the Houston Chronicle’s article about the game, click here.

TUESDAY, 3/21/06 – I can’t take it any more. There’s only so much you can say after the Rockets were dominated again, losing to the Dallas Mavericks on national TV Tuesday night, 88-72.

I know, I know. T-Mac is out. David Wesley is out. I don’t care. A team shouldn’t be so dependent on one player, no matter how much of a superstar that one player is. Going 0-13 against teams in their own division — worst in the league — is unbelievable. The Rockets also have the worst home record in the league (13-22).

We couldn’t even find solace in a Yao domination. Yao only scored 13 points on 6-of-15 shooting, snapping a streak of 14 games where he scored 20 points or more. He was blanketed by two or three defenders each possession, and his teammates couldn’t capitalize when he kicked it out to them.

The only hope the Rockets have is to hope for as many ping-pong balls in the NBA Draft lottery in a couple of months.

Sorry. No photo tonight. I’ve got too much work to do and I need a break from this depression. The only highlight for me was when Stromile Swift (5-of-8, 10 points, 5 rebounds in 12 minutes) threw down a monster one-handed dunk so powerful over Erick Dampier, even Yao opened his mouth wide in awe and yelled “WHOOOOAAAA!” to Swift.

By the way, did you see how former Rocket Mike James on Tuesday night scored 37 points, grabbed 8 boards and had 5 assists? Nice.

Before signing out, you won’t believe the email I received tonight. It was from the Rockets promoting their “Early Bird Campaign” for next year’s season ticket packages. Can you believe that? They have the brilliance to send marketing emails on the same night they got shellacked for the sixth game in a row! That’s about as smart as some of the players moves I’ve seen this season (e.g., aforementioned Mike James, Derek Anderson, Rick Brunson, Richie Frahm).

Just for kicks, here’s an excerpt from the email:

This season started off with the type of enthusiasm and high expectations that Rockets fans have not experience since our championship years. The results so far have not lived up to our expectations. A rash of injuries has kept us from reaching our potential. While we are disappointed in our current record, we remain confident in this team’s ability, desire and work ethic. Yao and Tracy will continue to form the foundation of our team through the end of the 2009 season and our expectations will remain high going into the 2006-2007 season.

I will probably respond to this email reminding them they were playing terribly even before the injures to T-Mac and Yao hit them, along with a few other comments.

john@YaoMingFanClub.com

To see the boxscore from the game, click here.

To read the Houston Chronicle’s article about the game, click here.

In advance of tonight’s game between the Rockets and the Mavericks, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram did a nice story on Yao today. Click here to check it out the story.

Yao sports a throwback warmup outfit Monday night before the Rockets game against the L.A. Clippers Monday night. Yao scored 25 points and grabbed 17 boards in the game, but the Rockets’ shooting went south again in the fourth quarter, leading to their fifth loss in a row. Click here for more photos from the game.

by John

MONDAY, 3/20/06 – Don’t you love how ex-Rockets keep haunting their old team during a season they really could have used their experience and scoring punch? On Saturday it was Robert Horry with 12 points and two treys in a big Spurs win over the Rockets.

Then you’ve got Toronto’s Mike James who has been making Houston’s front office look bad after trading him away last October for Rafer Alston (4-of-14 shooting Monday night). Fortunately, James plays in the Eastern Conference, so he can only haunt them twice a year.

On Monday night, it was Western Conference players Sam Cassell’s (24 points) and Cuttino Mobley’s (14 points) turn, leading the Clippers to a 99-91 victory over the Rockets — Houston’s fifth loss in a row.

Yao had a solid game with 25 points (7-of-16 shooting) and grabbed an incredible 17 boards. That makes for a 30-point and 12-rebound average over his past eight games.

However, he did shoot 0-for-3 in the fourth quarter. The rest of his teammates didn’t do much better, making only 4-of-18 shots in the fourth. But Yao did make all five of his free throw attempts in the final quarter, and 11-of-11 overall. Nice.

Over the past month, Yao has shot 87% from the line, and is now 84.5% overall for the season As Rick Kamla said Monday night on NBA Fantasy Hoops on NBA TV, “87% over the last month is hovering around the neighborhood of the elite – the best free throw shooters in the NBA….Yao is a marvel. Please marvel him.”

Juwan Howard has been winning some brownie points in my book, having another good shooting game Monday night, scoring 16 points and hitting 8-of-12 shots for the second game in a row.

Probably the most encouraging sign is that one of the key players to Houston’s future – Luther Head – has been getting lots of playing time recently, playing his fourth game in a row with 40+ minutes Monday. In 46 minutes, Luther scored 20 points on 8-of-17 shooting, dished six assists, and had three steals. Not bad, Luther. Just keep it up, even after T-Mac returns to the lineup.

Meanwhile, the Rockets made a major move by picking up a guy named Richie Frahm off waivers from Minnesota. What a great move for the Rockets that shows they are starting to think about their future…NOT! Frahm has played a grand total of 3 minutes and 28 seconds since January 10th! Add Frahm to the pile of other “no future” players the Rockets have picked up recently, like Rick Brunson, who admits he would rather be a coach than an NBA player.

The Rockets now have 15 games remaining in a season we all can’t wait to end. Unfortunately, Houston has to play Dallas Tuesday night on national TV.

Have mercy on them, Mavericks.

john@YaoMingFanClub.com

To see the boxscore from the game, click here.

To read the Houston Chronicle’s article about the game, click here.

Yao clears out for a rebound against San Antonio’s Tim Duncan Saturday. Yao grabbed 10 boards and scored 20 points, but the Rockets lost to the Spurs again, this time 92-77. Click here for more photos from the game.

by John

SATURDAY, 3/18/06 – The Rockets surprised no one by losing 92-77 to the Spurs on Saturday night. In fact, they have surprised no one over the past four games against tough opponents, losing all four. They have also lost all 12 of their divisional games this season, and are 2-17 without T-Mac.

There is really no point to go into the details for this game, other than…

* The Rockets got to within 5 points of the Spurs (60-55), but then Robert Horry stole a ball and hit a three-pointer to create a bigger cushion, and that was the beginning of the end for the Rockets. Houston climbed within 7 points at the end

* Focusing on playing more defense (holding Tim Duncan to 14 points), Yao scored 20 points and grabbed 10 boards, but was only able to take one shot in the game’s last 7 minutes.

* The Rockets couldn’t stop Tony Parker, who burned them for 23 points. Overall, the Spurs shot 48.7%.

* While Juwan Howard improved his play from recent games with 18 points on 8-of-12 shots, Rafer Alston was awful, hitting 2-of-14 for 8 points. At least Alston had some insightful comments after the game when he talked of another Houston failure to win a game down the stretch: “You’re supposed to get better. When other teams turn it up a notch or two levels, we turn it down a notch or two. Teams make it hard for us to get it to our best player (Yao Ming). We don’t make it hard to get it to some of their best players.”

* I am really getting tired of the Rockets losing to the Spurs. Surprise me for me once, won’t you?

The Rockets are now 4.5 games behind the Lakers with 16 games to play. The season is over. So let’s start thinking about next year and getting a high lottery pick. Can the Rockets get lucky again like they did in 2002 and get the #1 pick? Adam Morrison or J.J. Redick could really help the Rockets. Fat chance they’ll get one of them.

You go, JVG

As much as I have been underwhelmed by Jeff Van Gundy‘s coaching this season, I have to give him props for a comment he made Saturday. Discussing how players around the league celebrate when one of their teammates dunks on Yao, like in last Sunday’s game against the Spurs when Michael Finley supposedly dunked on Yao (although Yao just came over to help at the last second because Finley had driven past Rick Brunson):

“I think some of those same people that like to mock Yao’s negative plays are the same people who predicted that he wasn’t good and would never really (make an impact). So instead of just saying, ‘I’m wrong, I’m an idiot, I have no idea what I’m talking about,’ they try to pick out a couple plays where it may not have gone as well for Yao. Saying you’re wrong is difficult.

“A lot of players, if you remember, tried to say he was not that special. I think a lot of it, player-wise, is just talk. A lot of players never appreciated Yao’s slow and steady improvement. There’s something beyond it, but I’m sure natural size has something to do with it.”

Update from Ric

On a different note, I had a chance yesterday to speak to Ric Bucher, the co-author of Yao’s book. Like myself, even Ric is amazed at how well Yao is playing this early in his career. That’s saying something considering how much time Ric had spent with Yao in writing that book.

Ric also is impressed with how great Yao’s English has improved and how he can now understand the nuances and subtleties of the language. We both agreed that Yao is one smart dude.

john@YaoMingFanClub.com

To see the boxscore from the game, click here.

To read the Houston Chronicle’s article about the game, click here.

Take a look at some of the photos taken at the Rockets’ annual Tux & Tennies benefit on Thursday night.

Yao shoots over a cluster of Mavericks on his way to 36 points. But Houston’s defense couldn’t stop Dallas, while the rest of the Rockets shot less than 30% in a 95-81 loss. Click here for more photos from the game.

by John

WEDNESDAY, 3/15/06 – Very rarely have I seen a player dominate a team in one half, and still be down 12 points at halftime.

That’s what happened Wednesday night in Houston as Yao scored 27 points and grabbed 11 rebounds by halftime (36 points and 12 boards overall), yet the Rockets still trailed Dallas 57-45.

The Rockets got within 6 points in the fourth quarter thanks to three-pointers, but the Mavericks just turned on the jets and pulled away to win 95-81

Yao was 8-of-10 shooting by halftime while the rest of the team shot 7-of-20.

On top of that, they couldn’t stop any of the Mavs, who shot 60% in the first half and 52% for the game. And that’s with four of their top eight players out because of injury.

It looked like Yao was on his way to 60 points the way he was playing. It reminded me a lot of Kobe Bryant’s 81-point game where his numbers just kept going up and up. He just couldn’t be stopped. I was looking forward to buying this game on Google Video so I could save it for my personal collection.

Dallas’ Jason Terry described Yao after the game: “An animal. He is playing like a beast. He is playing real aggressive. This is the best I have seen him play since he’s been in the league.”

Jerry Stackhouse said, “This is the best I have ever seen him play. He’s the best center in the NBA right now on one end (offensive) of the court. Every team has to focus on him more than any other center in the NBA, even Shaq (O’Neal).”

After that monster first half, the Mavericks blanketed Yao down low, and only shot 7 times, making four. So Yao would kick the ball out to his teammates for open shots, but they couldn’t make the Mavs pay.

Some of the same culprits as the last game were the Rockets’ Achilles’ heel. Keith Bogans, playing in place of T-Mac, was 2-of-12 for six points. Juwan Howard was 3-of-11 for 7 points.

Houston’s bench was outscored 20-6 in the first half. Believe it or not, that’s all the bench scored the entire game – six.

Despite Yao’s monster offensive game, coach Jeff Van Gundy still though there was improvement ahead for Yao.

“We can expect much better from (Yao) defensively and on the boards. He had one rebound in the second half, and he was not active defensively. He’s been playing great on offense, really great, and he’s not been as good on the boards or defensively in the last three games.”

This type of criticism toward Yao may be unfounded since he is playing so well while everyone else isn’t. I think the good thing is that these kind of words from JVG doesn’t really faze Yao. I think he takes it and uses it to motivate himself even more. That’s probably why he is as good as he is right now.

Houston is now 4.5 games behind the Lakers with 17 games left to play. It’s over folks. Time to start thinking about next year.

john@YaoMingFanClub.com

To see the boxscore from the game, click here.

To read the Houston Chronicle’s article about the game, click here.