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.

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.

Yao shoots over New Jersey’s Nenad Krstic on his way to scoring 36 points and grabbing 9 boards. But several of Yao’s teammates shot poorly, leading to a disappointing loss, 90-77. Click here for more photos from the game.

by John

MONDAY, 3/13/06 – Behind three games in the standings for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference with only 19 games to play, the Rockets could not afford to lose to the Nets on Monday night. Although the Nets are good, they are beatable since the Rockets had beaten them 3 games in a row. Second, it was a home game for Houston at Toyota Center. Earlier in the season that didn’t mean much, but lately they have won their last 3 games at home.

Yao put his team on his back, scoring 36 points, making 18-of-20 free throws, and grabbing 9 boards. But without T-Mac and David Wesley in the lineup, the Rockets had to rely on Yao’s supporting cast to shoot decently. They didn’t. The Nets ended up with an easy victory, winning 90-77, and IMHO virtually dooming Houston’s chances of making the playoffs. They are now 3.5 games behind with 18 to play, but they still have to play Dallas, San Antonio, the Clippers, and Dallas again over their next four games.

The Rockets shot a season-low 34.2% against the Nets. Here were the culprits:

Stromile Swift: 1-for-5 overall, 2 points
Rafer Alston: 1-for-5 from three-point territory
Keith Bogans: 1-for-12 (ouch), 2 points
Juwan Howard: 3-for-13 (ouch), 9 points

This report is going to be very short because of work deadlines I’m facing this week. In fact, my reports all week will probably be short because of my work duties, and if the Rockets continue to lose as the season winds down. It’s kind of depressing to write much about a game where the Rockets’ role players shoot awful while the season slips away before our eyes.

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 goes up to score two of his season-high 38 points on Wednesday night, leading Houston to a 17-point comeback win against the Indiana Pacers. Click here for more photos from the game.

by John

WEDNESDAY, 3/8/06 – You can’t beat what you saw Wednesday night if you’re a Yao Ming and Houston Rocket fan.

Down 17 points late in the third quarter, the Rockets came back to win one of their most electric – and important – games of the season, 103-99 against the favored Indiana Pacers.

Yao was absolutely unstoppable, scoring a season-high 38 points (14-of-21 from the field, 10-of-10 from the line), grabbing 10 boards and blocking 5 shots. What else can you say about him?

This was his third game in a row where he had scored at least 30 points and grabbed at least 10 rebounds. He scored 20 points in the first half, and scored 13 in a row for Houston starting near the end of the second quarter and the start of the third.

Needless to say, Yao knows what he’s doing down low and shooting with so much confidence, there is no way to stop him when he’s playing this well. He is playing at the level we all knew over the past four years he could reach. Hopefully he can keep it going. If he can, he could be one of the most dominant big men in NBA history.

Scoring 6 points in the fourth quarter, Yao had a lot of help in the fourth with Juwan Howard hitting 2-of-2 from the field in addition to the four points he scored at the end of the third. Keith Bogans scored 7, and Stromile Swift scored six. Altogether, the Rockets shot 7-of-10 from the field and 10-of-12 from the line in that pivotal quarter, while holding the Pacers to only 4-of-25 shooting.

Toyota Center was rocking like a college fieldhouse during the comeback, especially when Swift threw down a dunk off a sweet dish from Luther Head with 3:53 remaining that put the Rockets ahead 94-93 for their first lead since the first quarter!

The lead see-sawed a couple of more times, and then Stromile had another huge play with 2:13 remaining. Indiana’s Scot Pollard caught a long pass on a fast break underneath the basket and was about to lay it in to put Indiana up 99-98, but Stromile came out of nowhere to reject Pollard’s shot at the rim!

It didn’t look like the Rockets were going to be able to pull this game out since they committed 4 straight turnovers in the final few minutes, and gave up 4 offensive rebounds in one possession to the Pacers when Indiana was still down 98-97. After that series of offensive boards, the Rockets gave up a layup to Peja Stojakovic on an inbounds play to give Indiana a 99-98 lead.

But Yao intimidated two shots by Jeff Foster and a block on the next Pacer possession. After Houston got the rebound, Rafer Alston pushed it on offense and got it to Bogans for a hard driving layup that put Houston ahead for good 100-99 with 25.3 seconds remaining.

The rest of the way the Rockets held on defense and sank 4 free throws to get their biggest win of the season.

What’s amazing is that the Rockets went through most of the second half without T-Mac, whose back flared up on him again. T-Mac finished with “just” 15 points in 20 minutes of action.

But his teammates picked up the slack. Bogans, who replaced T-Mac in the second half, scored 14 points and grabbed 8 boards. Juwan Howard scored 16 points, and Rafer Alston dished a season-high 14 assists (and scored 5 points).

Altogether, the Rockets shot an amazing 53% from the floor, 81% from the line, and held Indiana to 39% shooting.

Now the Rockets will have a full 3 days of rest after winning their fourth game in a row, and their 7th win in their last 9 games. But it’s not going to get any easier. They play a brutal stretch of games against San Antonio, New Jersey, Dallas, San Antonio again, the Clippers, Dallas, New Orleans and Cleveland.

This stretch of games will make or break the Rockets season. No doubt about it. I have predicted sour results before against tough competition, but with the way Yao is playing, anything is possible – even without T-Mac.

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 rises above the T-Wolves for a beautiful hook shot on his way to 30 points, 13 boards and 4 blocks in an impressive Rocket win over Minnesota without T-Mac in the lineup. Click here for more photos from the game.

by John

TUESDAY, 3/7/06 – Before the Rockets game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, it was announced that T-Mac wouldn’t play so that he could rest his back.

I then wrote down a note to myself that said, “If the Rockets win this game, it will be quite an accomplishment.” After all, the odds were stacked against them. They were playing without T-Mac (2-13 without him) on the road against a Minnesota team that also is vying for the 8th and final spot in the Western Conference playoff race.

And as we continue to witness the evolution of his greatness before our eyes, Yao Ming came up with yet another dominating performance, scoring 30 points, grabbing 13 boards and blocking 4 shots to propel the Rockets to a huge 93-87 victory Wednesday night in Minneapolis.

The chips were on the line, and he delivered big-time. The only thing he didn’t do was hit all of his free throws. He missed all four of his FT attempts in the first half (0-for-4), but he made all eight of his attempts in the second half to finish 8-for-12 from the line.

Also coming up big was Houston’s team defense. The Rockets trailed at the beginning of the fourth quarter 67-61, but then locked down on D and forced the T-Wolves to make only 1-of-19 shots in the quarter while the Rockets went on an amazing 18-3 run to take a 81-70 lead with 1:52 remaining.

It would have been cool if the Rockets could have played good defense through the final 1:52 and hold Minnesota to 3 points overall in the quarter, but then they (e.g. Rafer Alston) started committing stupid fouls and putting Minnesota on the line.

The T-Wolves ended up scoring 17 more points in garbage time to salvage their reputation, but give credit to Houston and their defense. It was a thing of beauty as they forced Minnesota to take bad shots.

Houston was awful in the first half. In the first quarter, the Rockets shot only 35% and trailed 25-16. In the second quarter, both teams shot terribly, with each team shooting 1-of-7 to start the quarter. But that’s when Yao made his move, shooting 4-of-7 from the field. Excluding Yao, the rest of the team shot only 3-of-15.

Except for that fourth quarter stretch where the Rockets clamped down, it was frustrating through the whole game watching lots of boneheaded plays, like missed layups (Keith Bogans, Alston), traveling on the way to an easy layup (David Wesley), throwing dumb passes when they had wide-open layups (Luther Head, among others), and missing 17 free throws!! (28-of-45)

Even with all those mistakes, Yao came through when the Rockets needed him most. He also got help from Alston, who hit 4-of-7 three-pointers. Without those threes, Minnesota would have run away with this game in the first half. Also chipping in was Stromile Swift, who went strong to the hole, finishing with 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting, and playing great D.

Houston is now only 3 games behind the Lakers for that final playoff spot, but they have a tough back-to-back on Wednesday night against Indiana at Toyota Center. The Pacers are in the middle of a pack of teams in the Eastern Conference where only two games separate the fifth team (currently Indiana) and the #8 team.

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 shows great reaction to a loose ball to snatch it away from Portland’s Brian Skinner, then takes it strong to the hole for a score. Yao was incredible again with 32 points and 13 rebounds to overwhelm the Blazers in a 102-84 victory Sunday night. Click here for more photos from the game.

by John

SUNDAY, 3/5/06 – For the past four years, I have waited for the time where stating, “Yao dominated another game” would get old, but I never had reason to say it consistently. I can now.

Yao went off on the Blazers Sunday night in Houston, scoring 32 points and grabbing 13 boards to put away Portland, 102-84.

Surprisingly trailing 40-39 at halftime, the Rockets turned it around in the third quarter when Yao scored 17 points on 5-of-5 shooting from the field (and 7-of-9 from the line) to lead Houston to its highest scoring quarter of the season (37 points).

With those kind of stats, Yao was obviously unstoppable scoring down low with relative ease since Portland’s 7-foot center Joel Pryzbilla was out and their tallest starter was only 6’9”.

Portland’s coach Nate McMillan conceded how difficult it was to stop Yao. “Yao was too much for us,” McMillan said. “We tried doubling him and playing him straight up and he had an answer for whatever we put on him. When we double-teamed, he knocked down his shots.”

Portland’s Darius Miles agreed with McMillan: “(Yao) looked real good tonight. He was patient in the post and did what he had to. Yao is getting better ever year. You can see it.”

Jeff Van Gundy, who has been throwing a lot of compliments Yao’s way lately, had nothing but great things to say again about Yao after the game. Check this out from JVG:

“I think he is the best regular-season center in the NBA now. Some other guys may play better in the playoffs, but he’s the best during the season because he comes to play every night.”

“He’s had many good stretches, it’s just that sometimes we get caught up in the numbers. I look at the whole thing, his pick-and-roll coverage, his transition defense. I think he’s gotten better from his first game in the NBA through now.”

Teammate David Wesley acknowledged the same: “He’s becoming a powerful force inside for us. He’s doing a great job. Yao is becoming that dominating player we really need.”

Yao had the following to say:

“Since I came back (from toe surgery), my body feels the best it has ever felt. And I feel I’m playing my best. It’s a very special feeling right now. I can’t figure out what it is but I’m trying to keep it to the next game and the next game until the end of my career.”

More about the game:

Okay, enough about how great Yao is playing these days. He didn’t get off to that great of a start on Sunday night, going 2-for-10 from the field in the first quarter. But he recovered nicely, going 8-for-11 the rest of the way and making 12-of-15 free throws overall.

In that first quarter while Yao was struggling, T-Mac took over to score 12 points, equaling Portland’s offensive output and giving Houston a 25-12 lead. But their offense was dreadful in the second quarter, shooting 5-for-17 from the field, not scoring over a 5-minute stretch of play, and seeing Portland get back into the game with a 19-4 run.

I was a bit worried that they had let Portland – the team with the worst record in the Western Conference – back into the game and let them hang around. It would have been devastating if the Rockets had let Portland win this game since Houston needs to win as many games possible to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Luckily in that third quarter the Rockets finally got some separation from the Blazers thanks to Yao’s dominance, and took a 76-62 lead into the fourth quarter.

The Rockets didn’t let up in the fourth, staying aggressive and opening up a 92-70 lead at one point. They coasted the rest of the way.

It wasn’t all good news on Sunday, though. T-Mac (18 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals) had to leave the game near the end of the third quarter because of those back spasms again. Man, that’s all the Rockets need. Here they are playing a lot better, still have a chance to get the final playoff spot, and they get another injury. Hopefully it’s not serious, though. We’ll see before a big game Tuesday night in Minnesota, a team also battling the Rockets for that final playoff spot.

But even with Yao playing the way he is, they still won’t have a chance to win that spot unless T-Mac and Yao are in the lineup together for every remaining game left in the season. With the Lakers shocking upset of the Detroit Pistons on Saturday night, the Rockets are still four games behind the Lakers with 22 games remaining. I think the Rockets will have to go 15-7 the rest of the season and finish 42-40 to have a chance to play in the post-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 contests a shot from Orlando’s Dwight Howard on Sunday afternoon. Yao had another excellent game, scoring 29 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in 34 minutes of play to hold off the Magic 89-84. More analysis of the game is forthcoming late Sunday night. To see more photos from the game, click here.

by John

For those NBA fantasy league managers who have Yao on their roster and were hurt earlier this season when he was out 21 games with his toe injury, surgery, and recovery, I have great news for you. You are now being rewarded for your suffering.

In the four years I have been running this Web site, I don’t think I have ever seen Yao play so well with such consistency.

Yao has had stretches like this previously in his career, only to take a few steps backward. But not this time around, Yao has really hit his stride and is racking up double-doubles consistently.

He had another one Sunday afternoon in Orlando, scoring 29 points (15-of-19 from the line, the most makes and attempts this season by a Rocket) and grabbing 11 boards to lead the Rockets to an 89-84 win. You can honestly say that without Yao in the lineup, the Rockets would be losing most of these games. It used to be that’s what you would say about T-Mac. Don’t get me wrong – T-Mac has been very important, but without Yao, the Rockets would not have won 10 of their last 12 games.

One of the reasons for Yao’s improvement lately is his ability to stay out of foul trouble. Another is his improved conditioning. It also helps he had more of a physical and mental break this past summer without as many commitments to the Chinese national team. Another is that his toe feels a lot better after finally getting it treated.

That was no more evident when he made one of his quickest baseline spin moves this season in the second quarter Sunday, exploding around Tony Battie, leaving him in his wake, then throwing down an authoritative one-handed jam sideways!

But the main reason for Yao’s success has to be his increased confidence after seeing how much his team needed him during his 21-game absence. When you realize your team is better with you in the lineup than not, you tend to play a lot looser and relaxed knowing a mistake or two isn’t going to kill your team.

In the first half against Orlando, Yao scored 11 points on 3-of-5 shooting, giving the Rockets a 44-39 lead. T-Mac was also a stud in the first half, hitting 5-of-10 shots and scoring 14. But the rest of the way, T-Mac struggled, making only 1-of-6 field goals and scoring 5 points.

Yao picked up the slack for T-Mac in the third quarter, scoring 13 points – 7 points coming from the free throw line.

Early in the fourth quarter, the Rockets opened up a 20-point lead (74-54), and it looked like the Rockets were going to cruise to an easy victory. But then Orlando went on a 25-8 run – thanks to lots of free throws – and pulled within three points with 1:21 remaining when Hedot Turkoglu hit a three-pointer from the corner to make it 82-79, Houston.

But an unlikely hero, Juwan Howard (12 points on 6-of-12 shooting), hit a cold-blooded baseline jumper on the following possession to push Houston’s lead to five points and was able to hold on the rest of the way.

I’m not too concerned the Rockets have been blowing big leads lately. If they were leading the Western Conference and were looking to tune every facet of their game for the playoffs, it would be a different story. But the Rockets are just trying to scratch and claw their way into the playoffs, and I will take a ‘W’ any way I can get it.

And with the Lakers losing to Boston by one point Sunday night, the Rockets are now only 3 games behind LA for the 8th and final spot in the Western Conference playoffs. Amazing the Rocket have gotten themselves back into the hunt.

The only problem is that on Monday night at Toyota Center the Rockets play a back-to-back and face the sizzling Phoenix Suns, winners of 6 games in a row and the team that handed the Rockets their worst loss of the season just 10 days ago, 109-75.

Unfortunately, I probably won’t be able to file a report for that game since Monday is my wife’s birthday. For you married guys out there, you know how bad of a move it would be for me to stay home and watch that game versus taking my wife to dinner on such a special day.

If history is any indicator, it won’t matter much that I miss that game since it could be over by the third quarter. But just in case they surprise me, I’m going to record it.

John

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 down a two-handed jam in the second quarter Friday night after his patented spin move on the baseline against Golden State’s Troy Murphy. Yao had a monster game, scoring 22 points, grabbing 21 boards and blocking 2 shots to lead the Rockets to a 91-88 victory. To see more photos from the game, click here.

by John

When it was announced that Tracy McGrady wouldn’t be able to play Friday night because of the death of his fiancee’s mother, the Rockets faced a test they had failed 13 times before in a row – trying to win a game without T-Mac in the lineup.

But this team is a little different now, and the Rockets finally got the monkey off their back, beating Golden State 91-88 Friday night at Toyota Center.

Once again, Yao put in a magnificent performance, scoring 22 points, grabbing 21 boards, blocking 2 shots, and committing only 2 fouls in 37 minutes of play.

He started off slow, hitting only 1-of-5 in the first quarter. But he then went on a tear in the second, making 5-of-7 shots to rack up 16 points by halftime and propelling the Rockets to a 52-45 halftime lead.

He scored 4 more points in the third, contributing to a Rockets 76-68 lead heading into the fourth. Unfortunately, he missed all four of his field goal attempts in the final quarter, and the Rockets only shot 5-of-17.

Everyone else struggled, too. The Rockets missed their first 9 shots in the fourth quarter, didn’t score for the first six minutes, and the Warriors capped a 16-0 run to take an 82-76 lead.

But Houston made some big shots to get back into the game and take the lead. Thanks to great defense in the final seconds by Yao on Jason Richardson, who had made 7-of-11 treys in the game, J-Rich’s shot missed badly, and the Rockets held on for a hard-fought 91-88 win.

Give credit to Houston’s defense for holding the Warriors to 9-of-25 shooting in that fourth quarter. Otherwise, a couple of more Golden State field goals, and this could have been a devastating blow to the Rockets attempt to pull within a half game of the Warriors in the scramble for the final playoff spot. That final position, held by the Lakers, is now only 4 games away with 27 games left to play.

I would be negligent if I didn’t give props to Keith Bogans, who played superb in T-Mac’s absence. In the first quarter alone, Bogans scored 9 points on 4-of-5 shooting and grabbed 3 rebounds. He finished with 13 points and 5 rebounds. Not bad, Bogie (not sure if he’s called that, but it sounds good).

And Juwan Howard rebounded from a terrible shooting performance on Wednesday (2-of-11) to match Yao in the points column (22), making all of his free throw attempts (6), and grabbed 8 boards. What a great time to step up in T-Mac’s absence!

Finally, Luther Head had one of his best games in a long time, hitting 3-of-7 treys, scoring 11 points, and dishing out 7 assists – the most assists he has dished in 3 months.

The Rockets next play the Magic in Orlando on Sunday afternoon, this time without Steve Francis, traded a few days ago to the Knicks. We still don’t know if T-Mac will be able to play in that game because of bereavement, but I’ll bet he will play to 1) take his mind off the sadness, and 2) not miss the only game he gets to play in his old team’s arena and stick it to ‘em.

John
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 challenges the Clippers’ Elton Brand Wednesday night at Toyota Center. The Rockets handed the Clippers their fifth loss in a row, winning 106-102. Yao dominated with 29 points, 15 rebounds and two blocks. To see more photos from the game, click here.

by John

WEDNESDAY, 2/22/06 – After losing their worst game of the season against the Phoenix Suns right before the All-Star break, it was going to be interesting to see if the Rockets could put that debacle behind them leading up to their game against the LA Clippers on Wednesday night. It could have been very easy to let that loss affect all of the confidence they had built up winning 7 of their previous 8 games.

Give the Rockets credit for not only coming back with a nice win against the Clippers, but having the strength to fend off a very motivated team that was probably very angry they got blown out 128-97 in their own gym just eight days prior, and had lost four in a row.

The Rockets blew some leads in this game, but I’m not complaining. The Clippers are a very talented team, and they are going to make runs. I’ll take a 106-102 win against them anytime. The Rockets need as many wins as they can get over the remaining 28 games if they are going to hunt down that final playoff spot, which is currently 4 1/2 games above them.

Yao had a monster game, scoring 29 points and grabbing 15 boards. His teammate Tracy McGrady remarked after the game, “Yao has been playing out of his mind lately. Since the guy’s been back, he’s been extremely aggressive, he’s playing with a great deal of confidence.”

T-Mac got himself out of his recent funk, at least for now, scoring 26 points and dishing 5 dimes. He did only hit 9-of-23 from the field, however. Hopefully he meant it after the game when he said about his recent personal problems off the court, “That’s over with. It’s time to move on. We’re not even mentioning that. I’m not going to talk about it.”

The main surprise in the game was the offensive production from David Wesley, who shot an amazing 8-of-10 from the field, including 4-of-6 three-pointers, to score 21 points. Combine Yao, T-Mac, and Wesley’s points, and they scored almost 75% of Houston’s points. Reminds me of “The Big 3” days of Hakeem, Clyde and Barkley. If this Rockets team goes as far as that team did — the Western Conference championship round — I’ll be extremely happy (and shocked).

Last but not least, Rafer Alston continues to play well, scoring 9 points on 4-of-9 shooting, and doling out 11 assists. No wonder Wesley is playing better these days — Rafer has taken alot of those point guard responsibilities off his shoulders to make him very refreshed.

The Rockets next play on Friday a Golden State team that has been really struggling lately, so that game should be a win for the Rockets (it better be) and their fourth win at home. If they don’t win that game, you can just about write off the rest of this season because there is not much room for error over the remaining 28 games. They have to win every game they are expected to win, and pull off a few upsets to grab that final playoff spot.

John
john@YaoMingFanClub.com

To see the boxscore from the game, click here.

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