http://www.indystar.com/print/articles/0/009335-4290-036.html Pacers know Houston's Yao has improved Recent surge is unlike his lackluster NBA debut against the Pacers in October. By Sekou Smith sekou.smith@indystar.com December 18, 2002 DALLAS -- Credit the Indiana Pacers for seeing in Yao Ming what many others couldn't at the start of this NBA season. The Pacers were quick to praise Houston's 7-5 center after the Pacers pounded the Rockets 91-82 in the Oct. 30 season-opener for both teams at Conseco Fieldhouse. Yao wasn't a factor then, going scoreless, with three fouls, two rebounds and two turnovers in 11 hyped but uneventful minutes. But the Pacers could tell then that there was much more to come from the reigning No. 1 overall draft pick. The Pacers will see just how far the Chinese phenom has come through the first quarter of the season when they tussle with Yao and the Rockets tonight at the Compaq Center. "When everybody was saying he's not good enough, I was saying when he gets touches he can be extremely tough to guard," said Pacers forward Jermaine O'Neal, who like the first game, will spend a considerable amount of time working against and guarding Yao tonight. "I'm going to take the same game plan in this game I took in Game 1. That's get him off the box and make him make tough plays. "The thing he doesn't have is NBA experience, and that's what I'm going to try and use against him." What Yao lacks in experience, he's more than made up for in sheer size and a surprisingly uncanny knack for the game. After a slow start he's evolved into, at times, a dominating force for the Rockets. He's the team's third leading scorer (12.0), leading rebounder (7.6) and second-leading shot-blocker (1.74). He's recorded six double-doubles in his past seven games, including 15 points and 12 rebounds in a 105-100 overtime win at Miami on Monday. "Yao Ming is playing excellent right now," Pacers forward Ron Artest said. "We didn't face this Yao Ming (before). We faced the Yao Ming who didn't even know what the NBA was all about. But he's tough now."
