http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/sports/1545838 Yao impresses in first U.S. test Rockets' draft pick shows flair By JONATHAN FEIGEN Copyright 2002 Houston Chronicle OAKLAND, Calif. -- His fists were pumping as he turned toward the bench and shouted in delight. Yao Ming blocked shots and the adrenaline almost showed. He saw teammates score meaningless baskets and he roared happily. Yao seemed to relish every moment, to cherish every second. China trailed the United States by 40 at the time with 80 seconds left. It hardly mattered. Yao had gotten his chance to face the United States and the best its young centers could throw at him. He showed just what the Rockets wanted. He belonged. He was a factor, and occasionally special. And he seemed to love it. "Very impressive, very impressive," Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich said, fighting his urge to gush. "Those were great shots. And he showed his emotion for the game. He has a love for the game. Charles (Barkley) had it. Dream (Hakeem Olajuwon) had it. He has it." Yao could not do enough to change the inevitable. The U.S. rolled with little difficulty, 84-54. Michael Finley led the U.S. with 19 points, but the U.S. centers that had pledged to measure the first player taken in the NBA could not expose him. More than that, he did something that might be more impressive than the turnaround jumpers or blocked shots. "He earned our respect," Mavericks guard Michael Finley said. "To play against him was eye-opening. He was a lot better than I thought." Yao finished with 13 points, on 5-of-12 shooting. But he had 11 rebounds, three assists, three steals and six blocked shots. He had just two points in the second half when Ben Wallace and Antonio Davis fronted him and the United States even threw a few double teams at him, keeping the ball out of his hands as they had not in the first half. But even that was a sign that he had earned respect. "We talked about him at halftime," USA coach George Karl said. "Our big guys all shook their head. He's pretty good. "His size is very intimidating, bot defensively and his ability to shoot and pass over people. I think he'll get better and better. You're going to have to get near his shot to make him miss it and that's a very difficult thing to do. "He had a double double with a lot of blocks. No question he was a major factor around the basket. Offensively it looks like he's going to be very difficult to be covered. It looks like he always will be able to shoot and get over the top of you." But with that, Karl went further, several Yao-sized steps further. "His size reminds me of Wilt Chamberlain's size when Wilt Chamberlain had a lot of size on people," Karl said. "Wilt had that fade-away on the backboard. No one could block it. No one in the league could get near it. "Wilt had more athleticism. This kid is not a bad athlete. He's more of a basketball player than an uncoordinated big man." To the USA centers, he was more of a U.S. player than a China-caliber player. They had called him out on Wednesday, promising to beat him up. That plan was quickly revised. "After he turns and scores in your mug a couple of times, you have to try something else," Antonio Davis said. "I think he did a good job under the circumstances. There's a lot of pressure on him and he handled it pretty well." There were all sorts of signs of the attention Yao will command. If nothing else, his appearance drew a rare sellout to The Arena, with the large Chinatown communities of San Francisco and Oakland helping to fill the arena the way Kings fans travel from Sacramento during the season. (There were promotions in English and Chinese for a "Great Walking Wall Pack" of tickets to Warriors games against Yao and the Rockets and Mengke Bateer and the Nuggets.) "It felt like my home game," Yao said. The crowd called for the Chinese guards to get Yao the ball. There was a buzz with his every touch of the ball, no matter how inconsequential. After his 6-of-6 sharp-shooting in Vancouver, Yao missed his first shot, but then hit his next three attempts, twice hitting jumpers. Yao slammed in an offensive rebound, made a sharp pass out and of a double team and in the second quarter made a quick turnaround jumper from 16 feet. Most of his shots had to come on rapid turnarounds, the Olajuwon shot he said he most admired. Yao's turnaround was not that quick and there was nothing in the vicinity of a Dream Shake. But he was able to get his own shot, a talent he did not get his hands on the ball enough to show in Vancouver. There was no sign at the game of Mavericks free-agent forward Wang Zhi Zhi. Absent from training with China all summer, Wang met with the Chinese delegation at Thursday's practice, but no changes to the roster for the World Championships next week in Indianapolis have been announced.
The thing I like is that the U.S. team double-teamed him and he still seemed to hold his own. And 6 blocked shots??? He did that against our top competition. I cant wait to see what he's capable of when he's surrounded by his Rocket teammates instead of the Chinese National Team. I know this was just one game but Yao gives us a lot of hope for the future.
great quotes in there. see how everything changes once people actually see him play. wait till he gets here and plays with people who can get him the ball or when he has the league's most explosive backcourt taking pressure off of him. the rocket's future looks awesome.
R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Oh, yeah. H town is back. Yao Ming. David Carr. The future's so bright I gotta wear shades. Seriously, the respect is critical. The game is all about the mental edge, and right now, Ming is developing that edge. It's absolutely critical that the NBA big men don't believe that they can just shove him around. They know they'll pay the price if they play him too tight. Respect from other players and coaches begets respect from the refs. I'll bet that Yao didn't catch a single penetrate and dish for a easy dunk or alleyoop. Finally, the most impressive video clip on Ming wasn't his blocked shots or his pretty turnaround J's (although some of those low/high post moves looked a lot like tim duncan). It was Ming pumping his fist. The kid loves the game and wants to win. Mobley and Francis will see it.
It was Ming pumping his fist. The kid loves the game and wants to win. Mobley and Francis will see it. soon cato will see it too
"His size reminds me of Wilt Chamberlain's size when Wilt Chamberlain had a lot of size on people," Karl said. "Wilt had that fade-away on the backboard. No one could block it. No one in the league could get near it. I nearly cried when I read that, Houston Yao Ming is come!!!!!!! Tonight was great, I love this team's chances! Houston we have respect, its a great feeling
i went to the game and I completely agree with the article. Yao was impressive. He wasn't the superstar of the game, but I definitely think he can come in and help the Rockets immediately. If he can last through the entire season, then the Rockets have found their man in the middle. He did look like he wasn't interested in the game though. Many times he was caught unaware of what was going on and wouldn't see a pass coming or try hard for a rebound. Maybe he was pacing his energy... I was sitting a few rows behind Rudy. At one point, Ben Wallace jumped on top of Ming and floored him. Rudy just watched and didn't even move. I'll post more tomorrow I guess.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2002/08/23/SP120357.DTL The San Francisco Chronicle talks more of the respect earned by Yao: Brad Weinstein SF Chronicle During nearly every timeout Thursday night, the Warriors promoted their "Get Yao now" regular-season ticket package on the Arena in Oakland's big screen. If Yao Ming's performance against the United States is any harbinger, his two visits here with the Houston Rockets would be worth a look. The Warriors' advertising, featuring clips of Yao dunking and dominating, is not false: The No. 1 pick in the draft can play. "At halftime," U.S. coach George Karl said, "we said, 'This kid is pretty good.' " Said swingman Michael Finley: "He earned our respect. To play against him was an eye-opening experience." The 7-foot-5 Yao held his own in his U.S. debut against elite NBA competition: 13 points and game highs with 11 rebounds and six blocked shots in 34 minutes. The same could not be said for China, which Team USA overwhelmed 84-54 in an exhibition before an announced capacity crowd of 19, 873. Not that anyone paid attention to the score after the United States ripped off a 24-3 first-half run, with an offense straight out of an All-Star Game, to turn an 11-8 deficit into a 32-14 cushion. Only Karl would quibble with his team's 20 turnovers and meager 33-point second half. An enthusiastic, flag-waving, bipartisan throng did not pack the Arena to see the crispness of the United States' weak-side defensive rotations in the midst of preparations for next week's World Championships in Indianapolis. The night centered on Yao, with the building buzzing every time a U.S. player attempted to dunk over him -- 6-2 guard Jay Williams failed memorably in the last sequence of the second quarter -- and brimming with anticipation when the big man measured a defender in the post. "I just feel like it's my home court," Yao said through an interpreter after the game. Asked to assess the opposition, Yao said: "The NBA player is very aggressive. I hope one day I can be as good as them, but I know I have a long way to go." Yao's expressiveness throughout the evening belied the tenor of his pregame remarks, when he said he did not "have a strong feeling" about the matchup. He emphatically pumped his fist after his jumper cut the U.S. lead to 39-19 in the second quarter; smirked after blowing a wide-open fourth-quarter dunk; and looked quizzically at referees Ed Rush and Lonnie Dixon after picking up his first and only foul 50 seconds into the game. With Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich watching from the front row, Yao, matched up against the 6-9 Antonio Davis, started quickly with six points in the first 4 1/2 minutes. Two of his early baskets came on 12-foot jumpers that Davis was helpless to defend. Yao's offensive production lagged as the game progressed, in part because he banged his right hand on the rim in the third quarter, but mainly because NBA Defensive Player of the Year Ben Wallace shadowed his every move. Yao finished with five turnovers and that botched slam -- "When you have pitiful moments, that makes the good moments more valuable," he said -- but his smooth mid-range shooting touch, presence around the basket and general feel for the game impressed Team USA. "If he gets stronger and continues to work, he'll be worthy of that No. 1 pick," Davis said. Said Williams: "He surpassed a lot of our expectations. I thought he'd be a little softer, but he played really strong. We learned a lot about him tonight. " The education will continue Aug. 31 when the two teams meet in Indianapolis. NOTES: Wang Zhizhi was in Oakland Thursday, but Chinese Basketall Association officials have not cleared him to play. Wang, a Dallas Mavericks restricted free agent, angered the CBA by skipping national-team training in China after the regular season ended, instead working out in Los Angeles and later joining the Warriors' summer-league team. . . . Finley scored a game- high 19 points and forward Shawn Marion added 14 for the United States. . . . U.S. forward Elton Brand sat out with a sprained right knee. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- U.S. debut How Yao Ming, the first overall pick in June's NBA Draft fared Thursday in an exhibition game against the U.S.: POINTS 13 REBOUNDS 11 BLOCKS 6 ASSISTS 3 STEALS 3 TURNOVERS 5 FG SHOOTING 5-12 FT SHOOTONG 3-4 MINUTES 34 E-mail Brad Weinstein at bweinstein@sfchronicle.com.
Yao Ming, am come!!! I might need to learn sign language from losing my voice from all the whoopin' and hollerin' I'm doing! Are You ready HOOOOOOOOOOOUUUSTONNN!!!!
Hey Rileydog, what was that bit about David Carr? You think the Texans' future is that bright already? I think we are going to need a running back and a defensive line before we start cheering too loud. But as for the Rockets.... Yes Yao looked like a beast. I had really never seen him play before in an entire game. But I had seen Nachbar play. I was all stoked on Nachbar because he looked so good and I thought even if Ming was a bust then Nachbar would still improve our team. But now with both of them being jaw dropping it looks very good. If all are healthy I put us at the 4 seed in the west next year. Under Kings, Lakers, Spurs. Better than the mavs.
LeGrouper - I think the Texans will win 4-5 games. Most of them in the 2nd half of the season, when the o-line shapes up. Carr just looks like he will be a stud qb. our running backs are not supposed to be good this year. We will probably use our top pick on a franchise back next year. I kinda liked cliniton portis, but casserly was smart to use lotsa picks on the line. but i digress... hopefully, no foul trouble. the refs are learning ming too. If they assume early on that he is getting clean blocks, that bodes well for him in the regular season.
You know that 6 blocks AND 3 steals are very Dream-esque. Also that 3 assists are decent considering his teamates...heck, it took Dream 3-4 in the league before he started passing well. Although those 5 TOs are very Steve-esque...
I would like to know how many points that Steve Francis wannabe Jay Williams had? He was suppose to be "better" than Yao and Houston missed up by picking Yao over him, Man where are those naysayers now! huh! lol Man Im excited!!!!!!!!!!!!
I believe Yao had his shot block by Antonio Davis once on a putback attempt. Any time he had the ball that close to the basket, they had 2-3 guys on him. I think Jay Williams had 2-4 points...The game was basically a Finley show and a Marion Dunk fest. Mengke Bateer got a lot more looks in the post than Yao. He was definitely more aggressive than Yao but not at all impressive. I felt bad for Yao. Every little thing he did was being watched last night. If he missed a rebound, ppl commented. If he tipped the rebound the wrong way, ppl commented. If he missed a shot, ppl said he should have made it. If he didn't block a shot, ppl said he wasn't trying. When he missed a wide open dunk attempt, he looked very embarrassed. The crowd definitely didn't help. On the other hand, the crowd was ecstatic every time he did something right.
I thought I was more like about 7-8 years. He didn't start trusting his teammates until Rudy became the head coach.
