Rockets summary Studying Yao Warriors coach Eric Musselman sent his centers home with homework -- enough to make them among the nation's top Yao Ming experts. Musselman had his staff prepare tapes of every shot Yao had taken in the NBA -- 69 going into Wednesday's game -- for Adonal Foyle and Erick Dampier to study. "He's the leader in the league in field-goal percentage," Musselman said. "We only saw him for a seven-minute stretch in that first game (against the Rockets). That (film study) was initiated by me. I wanted every shot taken by Yao Ming to go to both centers. "Hopefully, we didn't let the film take us out of our game." Yao had made 47 of those 69 shots (68 percent). He had taken only four shots in each of the previous two games. But Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich said he thought Yao was heavily involved in the Rockets' offense and aggressive against Portland. "He just got fouled a lot," Tomjanovich said. "Also, they played a zone and double-teamed a lot. But I thought he did a good job swinging the ball." Tomjanovich said he has been as impressed by Yao's ability to handle pressure and scrutiny. Wednesday's game drew far more media coverage and demands on Yao than any other road game. "It seems like I've been magnified to much larger than I actually am," Yao said. "He's impressive," Tomjanovich said. "He's still young. He's going to have his up days and his down days. Just to be doing what he's doing, just the way he carries himself -- I mean, come on. He's only been here for a couple months." Musselman, having previously seen Yao on Aug. 22 with the Chinese national team in Oakland and Nov. 9 in Houston, has been impressed. "He's been phenomenal," Musselman said. "Having seen him against Team USA, you could see his skills, and it was scary." Not blaming injury After starting the season by making at least half of his shots through six games, Rockets guard Steve Francis has struggled with his outside shot in the seven games since. He has made just 39 percent of his attempts since, with the majority of his made baskets coming on drives, rather than his outside shot. Francis said he is still sore from the shoulder injury he suffered against the Warriors last season and the offseason surgery it required. But he said the soreness is not to be blamed for his struggles in shooting from the perimeter. "My shoulder is still bothered a little, but that's not a factor," Francis said. "Once you get on the court to play, you play. It hasn't been 100 percent all year, but it has not affected me in any way." Rudy praises Brown Expected for more than a week, 76ers coach Larry Brown was officially named to coach the USA Basketball senior national team in an Olympic qualifying tournament next summer -- and if it qualifies, in the 2004 Olympics in Athens. Brown served as Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich's assistant in the 2000 Olympics and filled in for Tomjanovich at the 1999 qualifying tournament in Puerto Rico. "He's a good man, a very good man," Tomjanovich said. "He's been in the Olympics as a player (in 1964). He did a great job for us when I was there. I really enjoyed my time with him. "That whole staff was a great experience. I loved Tubby (Smith), and I love Gene Keady. Those guys are heroes to me." -- JONATHAN FEIGEN
