EDITED: Added pictures Coming to this game I had very low expectations. I've read most of the reports regarding our #1 draft pick and I wanted to see for myself if the hype is warranted. Well here are my thoughts about the game and Ming in general. 1. Ming has a sweet shot. I was watching him shoot the ball at half-time and I swear I think he only missed like 2 times. I'm like this guy is gonna be money 15-18 ft out. He even made an Olajuwon like fadeaway that made me go WHOA. 2. 6 BLOCKS! I dunno about this cuz for some reason I think I counted like 7-8. I dunno who said that this guy isn't a shot blocker, cuz if 6 blocks against some very talented NBA players makes someone not a shotblocker... then hey I'd take this non-shotblocker any day! 3. One thing that bugged me was that during the second quarter the ball got poked out of Ming a lot, which resulted in a couple break away dunks. But, he seemed to have learned from it cuz after halftime he was holding on the ball more. 4. The chinese guards do suck! I don't need to explain this cuz I think this has been talked to death. 5. Something that I was really impressed with is Ming's passing ability. During the 3rd quarter he threw a sweet behind the back pass to someone cutting off the baseline, too bad that play didn't end in a score cuz well the other people! 6. Finley was on FIRE! Marion had a dunk fest! (When Ming was on the bench) 7. Whenever Ming was in the game, the US team didn't penetrate as much. This guy is so intimidating inside. Seeing this just makes me drool over the possibility of EG and Ming blocking shots left and right. lastly... This guy is tall with a capital T! He makes Jermaine O'neal look like a point guard. Man when is the season going to start! Final Words: Although his offense is not fully there yet, this guy will definitely have an immediate impact on the Rockets. Plus in a team with Francis and Cat carrying the load on offense why worry. After the first quarter. Sitting on the bench in the second quarter Ming #13 Score at half-time Ming #13 Half-time shootaround. Kinda blurry, but you can see Ming as he's the only one not wearing the white shirt. Ming waving to the fans at the end of the game. Well that's all folks. Sorry the images are kinda blurry.
Thanks SlvrBtl. Remember Ming is 21 and only relying on his raw talents to play the game now. Think about what kind of player he will become with NBA coaching, weight training programs and better teammates. I am very excited. Can't wait for your pictures.
you did a good job on the pics.. Thanks!!! oh yeah! did any nba player blocked or reject any of yao's shots??
As far as I know he wasn't blocked by anyone, but don't quote me on that cuz I missed the entire first quarter.
man. i missed the first quarter too! my friend swore the game starts at 7:30 i was angry to see when we finally got in, it was already midway through the second quarter!!! and i was told by other spectators i missed Yao's finest moments, during the first quarter (before USA adjusted to slow him down). this was my first glimpse of Yao in action... and I too was impressed. the guy will NO DOUBT someday be an unstoppable force in the post. he can score almost anywhere on the court (just like Hakeem) and he's just too tall to block. He's a better rebounder than Smits and Bradley combined... and he did shut down any kind of scoring in paint when he was in the game. pre-draft, i was hoping houston would trade down to get Dunleavy... but i should never doubt Rudy T again, another good move by the Rockets. The only thing I'm worried about is that these tall players always seemed to be injury prone. And does he have the desire to be one of the best??? What's driving his motivation to improve and to try to dominate the NBA?
You can check another guy's photos and comments who also attended the game last night. Go to www.YaoMingMania.com and read his "Latest summary" and then click on the link to see some photos he took. I love the photos of the poster the Warriors mocked up for their Great Wall game plan. You can tell the Warriors wanted him bad!
great stuff and insight!!!!! btw: there were probably seats that were used last night for the first time since that place opened......
Good point. I saw the Rockets play the warriors this past season here in Oakland and I swear, compared to last nights game, that game last season was a ghost town. As mentioned in other posts, there was a huge influx of Asian fans wanting to see Ming play. Once the season starts, I believe this will be the case everywhere in the league when the Rockets come to town!
break out the dragons!!!! I am in and I am not Asian I hope it spices up the compaq center...the past few seasons have been slow.....we cannot wait here...
Unfortunately, video cameras weren't allowed into the Oakland arena last night. I think 3814 snuck his in in Vancouver cuz he had luxury box access. I guess the rich folk get their own entrance, although I saw Terrell Owens walk in at halftime through the regular entrance like anyone else. I can't believe this game wasn't televised by Fox Sports Net. Can you imagine what kind of mania we would be having on these boards if we had been able to witness every move on the tube?
Nah, the Warriors are fortunate the Rockets won the lottery. Despite the fact the Warriors were tied for worst record in the league last season (and thus tied for best chance for the #1 draft pick), it was pretty obvious in the period leading up to the lottery that they had zero interest in Yao. And after a game like last night, the local fans might've really lynched the ownership and Garry St. Jean. Despite Rick Barry (former Warrior great, and now local Bay Area sports radio DJ) lobbying for Yao Ming consistently, the Warriors gave every indication they had no interest in Yao. When Yao was in Chicago, the Warriors did nothing to evaluate the guy... or establish links with the Chinese program. Contrast that with Chicago's high-friendliness approach, or even the Rockets which had sent guys to China previously. The Warriors had *no* prior history with the Sharks/Yao, basically. And every comment from the front-office made it clear Yao wasn't high on the list.
With all due respect, heech, I totally disagree. I would say the Warriors having zero interest in Yao leading up to the lottery is a total overstatement. Like every team, witness the Rockets, they put Yao in their top 2-3, and would have been willing to talk to anyone willing to do a deal. That's just good business. But when the dust would have settled, they would have picked Yao without looking back, especially since the Bay Area has one of the best demographic profiles to fill those empty seats, as we saw last night. You can see that through the "got yao?" posters at the Oakland Arena last night - http://www.YaoMingMania.com/oaklandsummary.html The reason why Golden State hadn't established much contact with Yao and the Sharks before is because they aren't the most forward-thinking bunch of guys--hence, their deplorable record. But let's face it, showing up at the Chicago workout wasn't the end-all to evaluating the dude. Shooting jump shots over Chris Christofferson doesn't qualify as a full-scale workout. No, it would have had to take place primarily through watching films, talking to scouts, and cramming in whatever visits they could after the lottery. And that's what the Warriors would have done, and after doing their research, they would have salivated at the chance to pick him. Not only to become more competitive, but to build excitement and fill seats.
