This is an update to my post late Saturday night after the Rockets lost to the Denver Nuggets at Toyota Center, 107-94. I have updated my post below with my analysis of quarters 2 through 4.

I know there are tons of other Web sites that will go into the details of this game, so I’ll spare you the details here. You can go to those sites to checkout what they’re saying about yet another Rockets’ collapse late in a game. From a Yao standpoint, he looked okay offensively, scoring 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting, and had 6 boards.

For this game I’ve decided to go “old school” on you and do a “Detailed Yao Analysis” like I did when I first started this site 8 years ago. Through my “DYA,” you can read what Yao did (and didn’t do) in the game without having to watch the whole thing. Here’s my breakdowns of quarters 2 through 4 involving Yao and the team.

2nd quarter

10:32 – Yao is still out of the game, but the Rockets are running with Aaron Brooks throwing from the 3-point line an alley-oop to Courtney Lee for a two-handed dunk that gets the whole crowd and bench up! Rockets lead 31-27.

9:36 – The Rockets run a fast break again, this time with Lee throwing an under-handed scoop pass to Chase Budinger who throws it down at the rim! I haven’t seen this many alley-oops on a Rockets’ team since Steve Francis, Cuttino Mobley and Kelvin Cato were together! Rockets lead 33-27.

7:00 – Yao checks back into the game. The Rockets lead 35-31.

6:39 – Yao gets the ball on the right block against Nene, then immediately jumps and shoots a right-handed jump hook, which misses.

5:48 – Just like at the 9:43 mark in the 1st quarter, Yao gets the ball on the left block against Nene, dribbles 2-3 times, turns toward the basket, elevates and shoots a fallaway jumper – and it goes in!

5:04 – Yao gets the ball a couple feet outside of the lane, about ready to post-up Nene. This time, though, the Nuggets bring a guard into the lane to potentially double-team Yao if he spins into the lane like he did at the 5:48 mark above. But even with two guys, they still wouldn’t be able to stop him. For some reason, Yao decides to mix it up and spins baseline on Nene, but Yao mishandles the ball and dribbles it out of bounds. Yao is furious at himself for his mistake.

3:34 – The Nuggets have a 3-on-2 fast break, and Yao is in the lane with very low odds of being able to defend against 3 Nuggets streaking his way. Shelden Williams gets the ball on a dead run just a couple of steps away from the rim and goes up for a slam, AND YAO IS ABLE TO BLOCK IT AS HE WAS ABOUT TO THROW IT DOWN! The crowd goes nuts that we have a guy who can block a shot at the rim again!

2:37 – Yao checks out of the game as Kyle Lowry prepares to shoot free throws. Houston leads 43-42.

At halftime, the Rockets lead 51-48. It could have been 51-45, but Nene hit a fluke 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer. In 12 minutes and 45 seconds, Yao has 8 points on 4-of-6 shooting, and 5 rebounds. Kevin Martin has 14 points on 6-of-9 shots, and Luis Scola has 10 points on 3-of-5 FG attempts.

3rd Quarter – Yao is on the bench as Brad Miller starts the 2nd half at center.

7:33 – Yao checks into the game for Miller. The Rockets lead 60-55.

6:03 – Yao does a good job by backing up as Carmelo Anthony drives to the lane, and manages to block Melo’s shot! The ball comes down, Nene puts up a wild shot that misses, and then Scola is fouled on a loose ball foul. That was Yao’s second block of the game, and wouldn’t have happened last year with no shot blocker in there!

5:39 – Yao posts up Nene on the left block, then passes to Kevin Martin behind the 3-point line. Martin shakes off his defender, gets a little closer to Yao, who is still in the post, and bounces a nice pass back to Yao. Yao then quickly turns to his right to face up, quickly elevates, puts up a shot that hits the rim, rattles around, and drops in! Nice touch from Yao! Houston leads 65-58 and Yao is 5-for-7 from the field with 10 points.

4:51 – With the shot clock down to 3 seconds, K-Mart has the ball behind the 3-point line and has a perfect opportunity to bounce another pass to Yao again, who has good position on Nene in a post-up on the right block. But Martin blows off that opportunity, doesn’t feed his big man, and jacks up a 3-pointer that misses badly.

4:43 – Fortunately, Kyle Lowry grabs Martin’s missed shot, brings it out, passes it back to Martin who is at the top of the 3-point line, AND MARTIN REDEEMS HIMSELF BY WHIPPING A ONE-HANDED PASS TO YAO WHO HAS GREAT POSITION IN THE LANE ON A SMALLER MAN (Al Harrington). YAO GOES UP IMMEDIATELY AND SHOOTS A RIGHT-HANDED HOOK SHOT THAT RATTLES AROUND THE RIM AND FALLS THROUGH AGAIN! THAT’S THE WAY TO DO IT, MARTIN! REWARD YOUR BIG MAN FOR WORKING HARD TO GET GOOD POSITION!

3:46 – Like the play directly above, K-Mart throws a pass from the top of the 3-point circle down to Yao who has great position down low in the paint. Yao goes up and shoots a right-handed hook shot, but he seems to rush it, and it falls short.

2:38 – Yao gets the ball on the left block, guarded by Nene again. Yao dribbles a couple of times, is double-teamed, and is fouled on the shot. Yao makes both free throws, and the Rockets lead 69-65. He has 14 points now.

1:25 – Yao checks out of the game. He has played19 minutes so frar. The Rockets lead 69-67.

0:00 – At the end of the 3rd quarter, the Nuggets lead 72-69. Houston hasn’t scored in 2 ½ minutes. Denver ended the quarter on a 7-0 run to take the lead.

4th quarter

9:21 – The Nuggets have gone on an 11-0 run to take an 85-76 lead.

7:19 – Yao is still out of the game. Chuck Hayes has been fouled two possessions in a row, and he makes 2-of-4 free throws. Nuggets lead 88-82.

6:29 – The Rockets fast break and Scola scores on a layup. 88-84 Denver.

6:05 – Shelden Williams is called for a loose ball foul and a technical for “disrespect.” K-Mart hits a technical. 88-85.

5:56 – K-Mart is fouled on a layup attempt, hits two free throws, and the Rockets only trail 88-87.

4:33 – Yao checks into the game. Denver leads 90-89. Billups proceeds to hit a dagger of a 3-pointer over Aaron Brooks. 93-89.

4:10 – Martin shoots up a low-percentage 3-pointer that misses.

3:56 – Shane Battier tries to help out Brooks by double-teaming Billups, but he’s late in sliding over and is called for a block. Billups gotes to the line and hits both free throws. 95-89 Denver.

3:40 – Yao gets the ball in the post. He’s double-teamed, but dribbles once, AND IT’S STOLEN AWAY LEADING TO A FAST BREAK THE OTHER WAY. DENVER SCORES. 97-89, Nuggets.

3:15 – K-Mart misses a runner from the baseline. Denver gains possession.

2:46 – Scola misses an open jumper.

2:29 – Carmelo grabs a missed shot and lays it in. Yao was blocking out his man so that Scola, who was in front of the rim, could grab the rebound. But Melo slid in between Yao and Scola to get the board. 99-89 Denver. That just about does it.

1:03 – With the score 103-94, the game is practically over, the stands are just about empty, and they just have to play this one out. Yao gets the ball in his usual position – on the left block against Nene. He fires a turnaround jumper and it misses badly.

To read what I posted late Saturday night for 1st quarter coverage, click the link directly below…

Read the rest of this entry »

I know it’s only the first game of the season, but the Rockets should have beaten the Lakers at Staples Center Tuesday night.

The Rockets looked awesome in the first half, scoring 62 points and leading by 12 points at halftime, and they even held a 15-point lead in the second half. I thought they were on their way to dominating with guys like K-Mart, Aaron Brooks, Courtney Lee, and Chase Budinger scoring in bunches.

But then the young guns went cold in the second half, and Laker reserve Shannon Brown killed them with four 3-pointers in the 4th quarter to save the Lakers from losing on the same night they got their championship rings. It also didn’t help that Brooks left Steve Blake wide open with a 3-pointer to give the Lakers a 2-point lead with 18.8 remaining.

Houston should have won this game, but they couldn’t seal the deal. Even the usually eliable Luis Scola was missing shots he would normally make, making only 4-of-14 shots and keeping the Rockets in a hole before redeeming himself by making 3 of his last 4 shots to give them a chance to tie or win it.

But then with 2.4 seconds remaining and down by two points, the Rockets ran a pretty dumb play when Shane Battier inbounded the ball to Brooks who had no chance of getting a shot off with Blake and Lamar Odom there to collapse on him. Maybe A.B. should have put up a shot earlier by banking a runner off the glass, but he opted to go underneath the rim, and there was no chance — it was blocked. Game over.

Yao looked good at times in his first regular season game back since May 2009, but he missed a few shots he normally would make. That will improve over time. He finished with 9 points on 4-of-11 shooting, 11 boards, 2 blocks, and 4 turnovers in 23 minutes and 21 seconds before fouling out, just 39 seconds before reaching his 24-minute limit.

But like what you’d expect from a young team, they collapsed down the stretch and let the Lakers steal one in their own gym they had no business winning the way the Rockets were dominating offensively through most of 3 quarters.

Battier was awful offensively, making only 1-of-5 shots as a STARTER. And he didn’t do that great of a job on Kobe Bryant, who scored 27 points on 8-of-20 shooting. Meanwhile, Chase finished with 13 points on 6-of-10 shooting in just 21:41. Does Shane deserve to remain a starter if he keeps repeating disappearing acts like years’ past?

Here’s some notes I took of Yao’s actions during the game. It’s not comprehensive, but enough to give you an idea of how he did:

1Q

9:55 – Yao looks good shooting over Gasol from the baseline

8:53 – Yao misses a short chip shot. He got the rebound, but couldn’t convert then, either.

7:30 – Yao was called for a foul inside on the offensive boards.

6:50 – Yao intimidates Artest in the lane to alter Ron-Ron’s shot and make it come up short.

4:56 – Yao loses control of a rebound to Artest underneath he basket, but he holds his position well and Artest does his normal thing by trying to force up a shot with Yao hovering over him. The ball goes out of bounds off Yao. Yao checks out of the game for Brad Miller.

2Q

7:25 – Yao grabs an offensive board and lays it in.

5:39 – Odom grabs an offensive board over Yao and scores over him.

3Q

11:14 – Good D by Yao on Gasol

10:39 – Yao misses badly on a fadeaway jumper

10:15 – Yao scores on a nice jump hook in the lane

6:56 – Yao grabs an offensive rebound and tries to throw it down over Gasol, but Gasol fouls him.

6:23 – Yao is called for a foul on Gasol

4Q

9:35 – Yao makes a nice move to the basket but misses a layup. I’m surprised he would try a move like that so early in the season being so rusty.

The Rockets’ guards throw up two consecutive jumpers when Yao’s minutes were running out. Why not use him while they can?

7:54 – Yao is stripped on a post move

7:33 – Yao throws one down over Gasol

6:30 – Yao fouls out right close to his 24-minute threshold

Thanks to our friends at ClutchFans for posting this video on YouTube of Yao responding to a question from the media Monday afternoon…

The season starts tomorrow in L.A against the Lakers!

In case you’re wondering why there haven’t been any posts on this site for the past few days while Yao and the Rockets have played two games in China (they won their second game just a few minutes ago), I have been in The Phillipines on a business trip. I’ve been so busy working, I haven’t had much time to write about the Rockets’ two games in China. But I have been able to watch most of them at a Chili’s on this country’s “Basketball TV” before crashing at the hotel after long days working.

I’m flying back to the U.S. in a few hours (just like the Rockets), so I gotta get out of this Chili’s and get some sleep before my flight…and I probably won’t be back online for another day or two.

In the meantime, you can check out in the forum Raymond’s coverage of the last two games right here.

Before going dark for a couple of days, I can tell you even though I have missed analyzing in depth the Rockets’ games in China, Filipinos know their NBA, just like in the States. I’ve been impressed, and it has helped fill my basketball fix while away.

Yao Ming and the Houston Rockets arrived in Beijing early Tuesday morning (5:00am, which is around 3pm Houston time) after a 17-hour flight. Here’s Yao sitting with wife Ye Li on the plane:

The boot on Yao’s foot is the an Ankle Wrap from Game Ready, which conveniently and simultaneously delivers intermittent compression and adjustable cold therapy to Big Yao’s left foot.

And here are Yao Ming and Ye Li after arriving at the airport…

Click here to see many more photos of Yao and the Rockets on the plane and exiting the airport. There will be plenty more coverage in this forum of the Rockets’ activities in China for this week’s preseason games against the New Jersey Nets, thanks to Raymond as always.

Yao looked alot like his old self in only his third preseason game since his comeback started on the court. Playing Saturday night against the Indiana Pacers, Yao in his 12 minutes scored 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting, 4 rebounds, and 2 blocks, his best outing thus far this preseason.

You can see video highlights here on NBA.com. A dunk from Yao as well as a nice jump hook start around the 1:20 mark, and the Chase Budinger one-handed alley-oop throwdown at the end of the clip is absolutely SICK! Chuck Hayes finished a sweet alley-oop of his own after starting a break with a steal. I could go on-and-on. Watching all of these highlights makes you think the Rockets are going to be something special this year. I know it’s only the preseason, but Indiana’s defense was pretty good last season.

One of Yao’s dunks came after an offensive rebound and he took it strong to the rim. Yao had this to say post-game:

“That really gave me that feeling back, not just the physical but mentally. Mentally is built by your physical. If you are confident with your body, you’re not afraid to hit people, not afraid to take hard foul or to fight. Then you can build the next step, which is mentally.”

Kevin Martin had this to say about the Great Wall:

“Yao was very impressive. You can tell he’s starting to get into the flow. His confidence is there and he is finishing around the basket, getting rebounds and altering shots.”

Since my time is limited here at my hotel here in The Philippines (my Internet is about to run out and I have to checkout of the hotel now), I’ll refer you to the Chronicle’s story about the game, which is excellent.

I’ve been out of the country this whole week, so I have missed the first two Rockets preseason games. Well, actually, I tried to watch Thursday’s game against the Spurs using my Slingbox, but the video was so choppy being on the other side of the world, I had to give it up.

However, I’ve scoured the Net and read that Yao did okay. In a 90-87 Rockets win, he played 12 minutes and 48 seconds, going 2-for-8 from the field for 5 points, both on layups and pick-and-rolls with Aaron Brooks. He also grabbed 7 boards and blocked 3 shots. He also had two turnovers, which is to be expected after the long layoff from game action.

Click here for more photos from the game, including photos that Raymond posted of Yao going up against Rockets rookie Patrick Patterson in pre-game.

Tim Duncan had the following to say about how Yao looked:

“I thought he looked pretty good. He’s still working himself into shape, but he still has his touch. The basketball stuff will come with time.”

The post-game interview responses that Yao provided were the same as what we’ve been hearing from him the past couple of weeks since training camp began: “One step a day.” But he did make a comparison to his first game on Tuesday against Orlando:

“I just tried to be a little more active than the first game. I tested myself in the first game, and I tried to do a little bit more.”

Encouraging was the progress of Yao’s backup Jordan Hill, (at least while Brad Miller is out with a sprained ankle). Here’s what Rick Adelman had to say after Tuesday’s game in which he scored 16 points, a career high with the Rockets, on 6-of-9 shooting, 3 rebounds, but 5 turnovers.

“He’s the most athletic big guy we have. We need him to be that. By the same token, he needs to be consistent. He can’t be up and down. It’s got to be a consistent effort.”

“He was OK. He’s got to be more consistent. We talked about that. He made some fouls he didn’t have to make. He’s got to be more consistent in his concentration. He gave the effort and he was effective. You’ve just got to see growth in him.”

The Rockets play a back-to-back this weekend. Yao will play the first game, sit out the next game, then immediately after the game they will leave for China to play two games against New Jersey. I can only imagine how tired they will be after getting off a 14-hour flight (maybe longer) right after playing a pre-season game. It’s all part of the glamor of playing on one of China’s favorite NBA teams.

The Rockets held their final practice in Austin yesterday, and for the first time all week, they let members of the media in to see the team scrimmage against each other (thank you Rockets!). This was the first real practice the media had been able to watch since training camp started.

It struck me how intense the action was. The players were going “all out” against each other to the point it’s a surprise that no one really got hurt other than Kyle Lowry and Jermaine Taylor bumping their knees into each other earlier in the week, which was minor.

Afterwards, coach Rick Adelman said he wasn’t pleased with what he saw Saturday:

I just didn’t think we came with the energy, or maybe it’s just a long week. They knew they were just going to scrimmage, but I felt we could have played much better. I don’t think we executed very well, especially our main guys. I just thought they weren’t into it. It’s been a long week, but overall, I think it has been a good week.

We don’t have alot of practices now. Like next week we’re going to have four games, so the practices we’ll have will be more breakdown, half-court things.

There are more quotes from Adelman in the video below. Look below the video for a breakdown of the highlights.

0:00 – Kevin Martin and Shane Battier draining shots one after another. I know these guys are professionals and they’re supposed to make these shots, but it’s always amazing to see them do it in person consecutively without missing.

1:16 – Yao warms up before entering the scrimmage

1:33 – Yao plays in the scrimmage. Included are some good plays where he scores. It’s great to see him running the court at full speed.

2:51 – Chuck Hayes drums on Yao’s head playfully

2:53 – More good plays involving Yao

3:25 – Chuck Hayes dunks it and makes everyone in the gym go wild

3:47 – Jared Jeffries scores on a sweet spin move in the lane

3:58 – Yao ends his scrimmage and takes off his shoes and socks, then does stretching drills with new Rockets’ physical therapist Jason Biles

4:14 – Yao does stretches with Darryl Eto, the Rockets’ Director of Strength and Conditioning

4:33 – Kevin Martin scores on a nice jumper off the glass

4:47 – Adelman is interviewed about what they will do now that the schedule changes dramatically (four games next week), the new players who have made an impact (Courtney Lee, Ish Smith, and Patrick Patterson), as well as Yao’s progress during the week in Austin

8:39 – Yao is interviewed

9:11 – Battier goes through some stretching drills on a big stretching rack

Another day is done at the Rockets’ training camp in Austin. Here’s a photo of some of the Rockets’ heavy hitters after practice all in one spot (which is unusual to see): Luis Scola, Chase Budinger, Aaron Brooks and Yao Ming. You can tell they’re working pretty hard by how fatigued they look (Yao is on the phone).

Yao said he practiced with the team about the same amount of time he’s been doing all week, which is about half of the team’s scrimmage.

Because Yao goes to the practice facility so early in the morning, I asked if he’s getting enough sleep since he’s working out harder during training camp getting his body prepared for the regular season. Yao replied he is getting enough rest since he’s really not doing anything other than staying in his hotel room at night.

Furthermore, the Rockets’ director of strength and conditioning Darryl Eto said that most of the players are sore having worked so hard in Austin. After practice, many of them go down to the training room to take a cold plunge in an ice bath that goes up to about waist high. That’s probably why Yao is wearing sweats in the above photo since he mentioned the other day after practice that the gym was a little cold, and putting half of his body in ice probably would make him colder.

Since the team left Houston last Sunday night (five days ago), I asked Yao if he missed his wife and baby, and he replied with emphasis, “Yes, I really miss them.”

I got a little bit of video with Yao’s backup, Brad Miller, and his new (and former) coach Rick Adelman. In the video, Adelman refers to “J.T.” which is Jermaine Taylor.