Demiloy

Are you joking?

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My China Hoops Blog

analysis

please do not imply that i am a bandwagon fan
i've been a fan and in support of him since he was drafted
i have argued countless times on his impact on the court
i always known he was a good scorer, but it is difficult in this league now-a-days for a big man like yao to get so many shot away, especially with the double team and all
i noticed his back-to-back-to-back 30+ point games, and became amazed, im sure some of you "real" fans must be somewhat amazed by this, the last time i saw my man play was at the all-star game, and i thought maybe he added a new repitoire to his game, that made him so dominant

marketgod

Yao is doing better because he is attacking the double and tripple teams...

as funny as it sounds...

it just came to him that... instead of passing out when he is double teammed...like he was taught in China to do...realizing that in doing so...that is what the other team wanted him to do....

he is just attacking the rim....



Right after missing 21 games (due to his toe surgery), Yao Ming seemed to become more mature, and play better and better. Using his own words: "I've been inspired, and have finally thought it through."

After he returned from injury, Yao Ming suddenly became more dominant under the post. A local Houston reporter asked him: "Now that you play better and better under the post, so do you think your team should try to pass you the ball to the interior more?"

Yao Ming grinned and said: "Why not ? It seems the effect of such (inside-out) game plan is not bad. After all, I'm a player who used to attack the basket with my back to it, and right now, I'm just doing my part (as a centre)."

But Yao Ming had yet to explain why all of a sudden, after his return from injury, he had become more aggressive (and dominant) under the low post.

Prior to the match with the Golden States Warriors, a reporter asked Yao Ming: "Now Tracy McGrady will not be playing in this match; obviously you need to contribute more to this team. How are you going to contribute more ?"

Yao Ming pondered for a while and then said: "I think today I would recieve a lot of attention and double-teaming. But I can't just give up and pass the ball immediately right upon double-teaming. In China (when I was young), I was trained that way: when you're double-teamed, you just pass the ball out. But the purpose of double-teaming is just not to let you receive the ball, aimed to reduce your offense efficiency. The more they try to stop you from receiving the ball, the more you should try to demand for the ball, and attack the rim, and that would break their double-teaming trap."

Obviously Yao Ming was doing great in that game against the Golden States Warriors. Without TMAC, the Warriors tried to shutdown Yao Ming by double-teaming him. But Yao Ming scored 22 points (8 out of 19), and grabbed 21 rebounds (17 of them defensive). The Warriors were just hapless against a very dominant Yao Ming in the interior. Right after the match, Jeff Van Gundy praised Yao Ming: "He is improving on his lateral movement as well as in defense."

During Yao Ming's recuperation, the reporter had once interviewed Tom Thibodeau, Rockets' assistant coach. When asked how Yao Ming could break the doube-teaming trap, one of the suggestions that Thibodeau gave Yao Ming was: Take initiative and be bold to attack the rim. But that was just the coach's instructions, and it would not have any effect, until the player himself had finally realized and got it.

Actually, this was not the first time the coaches had told Yao Ming so. But finally Yao Ming had thought it through and now got over it.

The reporter asked: "What had made you now finally thought this through ?"

Yao Ming: "You can say it was because I was inspired in this season. I finally thought it through."

"How ?"

"It was all due to the match I had with the Phoenix Suns a couple days back. In that match, I was completely shut down by their double-teaming. Once I received the ball, the Sun players were immediately all over me, and I just habitually passed the ball out to my team mates. Put it in the coach's words, they had successfully taken me out of that match. I just evaporated and disappeared from that match; the team had to play without me, even though I was still physically on the court."

But that was not the first time Yao Ming was double-teamed in the game. Yao Ming said: "It was different. With the other tam, I could still handle and dribble a bit upon receiving the ball. But with the Phoenix Suns, once I received the ball, they were already converging on me. Maybe that match had left a deep impression in me. Anyway, I've just thought it through."

So the inspired Yao Ming suddenly becomes dominant under the rim. This is not only good news to the Rockets. It will also be good news to the Chinese national team. Yao Ming has to be fully dominant under the rim in the forthcoming World Championship in Japan in the summer if the national team is to get good results.

Yao Ming said: "I think I would get the same double-teaming treatment from our opponents in the World Championship. I just can't give up and pass the ball once upon double-teaming. Even though I may not be in the best of position, but once I receive the ball, it would not matter if they double team on me. The effect will still be there if I just keep going (to attack the rim)."

Yao Ming now felt he had made improvement. There will be 27 more matches to go in the regular season, and Yao Ming will still learn and make improvement in his game, one step at a time.

Gotham2krazy

We're not amazed because this is something we've expected out of this guy from day one, it didn't have to be 30+ and 10, but this was something that was expected out of him when he came. Ever since I've seen this guy play, I've always backed him. Yao has always had the talent, but since his toe surgery, he's been watching films and he now realizes and recognizes what must be done to win. He realizes that through him alone he could control the offense and defense. Thank god for that toe surgery and the the surgery he had in the summer, let's hope he doesn't have anything to do next summer so he can improve even more because this summer he's bound to be packed. Other than that, if the Rockets aren't making playoffs this year, it will also provide him with a tremendous gap of time to improve. Chances are he will, but this season has gone so wrong, I'd rather have us not make the playoffs, let T-Mac fix his condition with his back, give Yao time to improve, and draft a scoring threat for our team next season alongside Yao and McGrady.

analysis

dont get me wrong, i always thought yao was capable, in fact before the season started i stated that this was the year for him to shut the haters up. thinking he would have 22/10 numbers, he started off with 19/9, which is no easy task, but not enought to "shut" the haters up. also i predicted the rockets to finish with the second best record and challenging the spurs for the western title, I UNDERSTAND THE CAPABILITIES OF YAO MING. but i was amazed by the recent boost and the 4 30+ points in 5 games because it all happened within a season, i know people boost their game in post-allstar period, but yao's boost has just been huge for anyone, plus the fact he game back from an injury and he had to wear that uncomfortable looking toe-protection shoe (i dont know if he still wears it)
ive seen the man play before, i even had a chance to see him play live (when he had a china vs canada game in vancouver) but have not seen his recent greatness and dominance in play, so i was just wondering if he added soemthing new to his game, like a far jumper, or drive and dunk or whatever

Mavericks_Fan

Sorry, this post just struck me as really funny.

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....and if you don't believe that then you're just not a fan of the game of basketball.

Yao Mania

uhm, am I suppose to edit this?

jokes aside (sorta), the Houston board welcomes posters of all nationalities and sexualities. Maybe that should be our new slogan.

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