In an era that claims with increasing validity the true center is dead in the NBA, Yao Ming is a throwback. But being old school means having to resist an overwhelming trend of NBA teams going smaller, faster and more athletic at the center position; essentially, playing power forwards at center. It’s been no easy feat for Yao to keep up, as 3 seasons of missing 25+ games may attest, but then again, that size advantage or disadvantage, however full you see your cup, cuts both ways.

When healthy, Yao is the the best offensive center in the league (yes, this point is still arguable with Amare Stoudamire thrown in the mix but he won’t be because he’s officially a PF again this season) but the list isn’t restricted to centers but to those players assigned to guard him. This is a breakdown of the match-ups that should not only be the most entertaining to watch, but also the ones that may be the toughest on Yao.

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It wasn’t pretty, but the Rockets won their preseason opener at Toyota Center against Memphis 96-93.

Here’s what the Chronicle wrote about Yao’s performance:

Yao Ming, despite struggling so much in the first quarter that he said he felt like a rookie again, looked fully recovered from last season’s stress fracture. On one occasion, he got the rebound on one end and was the first player down the floor on the other. After missing his first four shots, he dropped in a jump hook, scored on a spin move to a lefthanded layup, and finished with 10 points and nine rebounds in 22 minutes.

“It (felt) new,” Yao said. “I think eight months not playing NBA games — this high-intensity, high-speed game — in the first quarter, I felt like I am new here.”

Click here for more of the game story from the Chronicle. Click here for more photos.