ClutchCity.net Game Thread: Rockets vs. Hornets 10/12/2003 (PRESEASON)

I can't help but think are starters are going to play well together in this system. I can almost taste it. I like our chances.

 

Mobley were in street clothes. I think Jeff gave him the night off.

Tonight's features were Boki and EG. Both got major minutes and tried hard and both bordered in failing. They helped Houston wins the board's battle but they shot miserably.

Mooch, Wilks, Amaechi, Braggs, Gabe: ineffective.

Coupled with the team's weak defense -> another loss.

Bright spots on offense: Steve, Yao, JJ.
Our team is miles away in playing together, at both ends!!

1 more note: Yao Ming again did not line up for FTs at the offensive end. He also did not inbound balls in the backcourt.

On 1 occasion, Yao and the PG were the only 2 in the back court, Yao headed out of bound (near our bench) to throw in but was waived up court by JVG. EG came back from the front court to inbound the ball.

 

it's nice to see coach try to save Yao. but Yao's stamina is still worrisome.

 

I'd just like to throw this idea out to ya'll - Tierre Brown and Matt Maloney are both available.

 

If you are a true fan of the rockets and not just a homer then you should be willing to critcize players on the team when they don't do some thing well or right. FRANCIS DOES NOT PLAY MUCH D AT ALL and he does not avg nearly as many assists that a good point guard should avg. I know he avg over 6 last year, I was being sarcastic when I said he got his usual under 5 assits. The whole point behind that was to say that he does not get many assists. Look at Marb from PHX, scores over 20 points per game and has avg over 8 assists for his career. He was totally right when he said "I am a real all star" to Francis. He is much better then him at this point and proved it last year by leading his team to the playoffs with less talent then the rockets. They had a high school kid and Marion, the rest of the team pretty much sucks.

 

Yeah, the high school kid sucks so bad that his numbers were right up there with our rookie's. It's not like he was the rookie of the year or anything.

Marion is a scrub as well. Mabye that's why the coaches (and not the fans) put him on the All-Star team.

I guess having a healthy Penny Hardaway (a tall PG playing SG) didn't help either.

 

Well, its hard for francis to get assist when the team is shooting 30 something%. You do the math.

we should have kept posey,traded rice, and added pike.We would be looking alot better on Defense.What do you think?

 

great post, i said the exact same thing in another thread

 

If Marbury is the "all-star" you think he is, why don't you change your name to sunsguy113? I doubt anyone here wants to here this kind of "critcize" of the players during a freaking pre-season game that JVG is basically using to help Yao and Steve adjust to the new scheme, as well as kick-start Boki's game. Please don't tell me that I should be making rediculous statements like yours to be a "true fan of the Rockets."

 

Besides the obvious of passing the ball around, JVG has to do something about the shooting... Eddie + Nachbar again went 5 out of 21 (23%) & the whole team at 34%. I'm sure when the regular season starts the forwards won't be able to shoot misearably like that + at the same time playing more minutes than everyone else...

Next game against the Kings is a biggie & the Rox better win... perhaps JVG & the players should treat it with regular season mentality... losing 5 games in a row won't help their confidence at all.

 

I think the D would look a heap better if mobley (compared to JJ) was out there..

 

CRC the team does not have to win the next game. They have to continue improving their play. Those forwards are getting open shots and you want them to continue getting them because they will hit them sooner or later. Nothing is more important to the success of the team than those guys hitting those shots. It will make the big 4 (SF,Yao, Mobes and MoT) even better. Since it is so important, we should all be patient and stick with it. Give it time.

Despite what JVG thinks I would think that he has not really focused on defense yet since it would be more citical to get the offense down first.

If JVG wanted to win any of the last two games he could simply have riden his horses and we would have won. At this point there are more important things than a victory on the scoreboard. I like his no excuses approach though.

 

Bill Ingram from Hoopsworld with an indepth summary of the game. Also some quotes from players and coach.
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Since We Last Saw Them
The Rockets have already played three preseason games, all three of which turned out to be losses. Francis and Mobley had cameo appearances in their first game, a loss to the Blazers. Jeff Van Gundy took a long look at Alex Scales, Gabe Muoneke, and Mike Wilks, in particular, as the Rockets dropped a 24-decision to the Sonics a couple of nights later. Yao Ming finally jumped into his new uniform on Friday, scoring 20 points (8-10 FG) and 10 rebounds against the Sonics in Arkansas. Francis and Mobley played more minutes in that game as well, but the Rockets still fell, 96-86. The real question for the Rockets tonight will be who plays and who sits. The Hornets will be playing to win.

The Hornets have added two new faces since preseason started. Paul Shirley is a 6'10" 230 pound power forward who spent a 10-day contract with the Hawks last season but only made it into two games. Shirley played one year of college ball with Kelvin Cato under Tim Floyd, who replaced Paul Silas this summer as the head coach of the Hornets. Kareem Reid has a more colorful résumé. The 5'10" 170lb. point guard spent four years playing with Arkansas and since graduating has done time in the IBL, the USBL, and Europe. He spent the 2001-02 season with the Harlem Globe Trotters.

As for the familiar faces, Moochie Norris and Eddie Griffin have been all but MIA so far this preseason. Griffin doesn't look like he spent much of the summer in the weight room, and his game looks like he didn't spend much time on the court, either. Moochie struggled with turnovers in his first game and has struggled with his shot, as well. Camp invitee Mike Wilks has been giving Moochie a run for his money in practice and with his on-court hustle, so the pressure is on for Moochie to step up.

After tonight the Rockets have four preseason games before the scores start to matter, which means Jeff Van Gundy is just about out of time for making decisions about his camp invitees and excess roster names. The Rockets need to begin to establish their identity as they prepare for a new season, a new building, and a new coaching philosophy. Tonight we should get a good look at the players who will be the regulars for Van Gundy.

Eric Piatkowski will not play tonight due to a left ankle strain. Adrian Griffin is out following knee surgery. Alex Scales, who has played well in all three preseason games, is out with a groin strain. Maurice Taylor is out as he recovers from a dislocated shoulder. He was shooting around prior to game time and looked like he was feeling pretty good.

No one works harder before a game than Yao Ming. Yao was out 3 hours before the game, taking shots, working on his post moves, and teaching Patrick Ewing a thing or two about playing in the paint. The coaching staff actually had three different guys running against Yao in turns and Yao was working them all over with relative ease.

Scouting the Hornets
I was able to catch the Hornets last night in Dallas, and they were impressive. The force a lot of turnovers, make a lot of good interior passes, and attack the zone aggressively. Dallas' zone allowed them 60% shooting in the first quarter, due primarily to the slashing and dishing play of the entire Hornets' lineup. The Hornets looked ready to give up when the Mavs had them down by 16 in the third quarter, but newcomer Darrell Armstrong poured 22 points, including a three at the end of the game, that nearly brought his team back for an upset win. David West is an exciting young prospect, drafted by the Hornets after being named AP National Player of the Year in 2003. He was all over the glass and played exceptional interior defense in Dallas, where he recorded 9 points and 13 rebounds. He also has an unusually good passing touch for a big man. West is averaging 9 points and 12 rebounds in preseason play.

Jamal Mashburn is suffering from a right knee sprain and will not play tonight. Former Rocket Bryce Drew is a Hornet now, but he is not with the team due to an upper back strain. For much more on the Hornets, check out Saturday's late edition of The Texas Triangle.

FIRST QUARTER SUMMARY

Answer to a trivia question: The first ever NBA player announced in Toyota Center was . . .David Wesley. The first Rocket ever announced was . . .Yao Ming!! Yao, Eddie Griffin, Bostjan Nachbar, Jim Jackson, and Steve Francis start the game for Jeff Van Gundy.

Yao got the opening tip, which Francis brought across the middle only to have it turned over by an offensive foul call against Yao - away from the ball. David Wesley got the scoring started with a three at the other end. Yao Ming got the Rockets going with a baseline jumper on a sweet pass by Francis. PJ Brown put back a blocked shot, but Jim Jackson hit a mid-range two to tie it up again. Baron Davis teed up a trey, and Yao was called for his second offensive foul at the 9:10 mark. Jamal Magloire pulled Yao down to get the call. Just when you thought Stockton had retired . . .Davis put the Hornets up 8-4 with a pair of freebies at the other end. Nachbar threw up a terrible brick on one end and fouled Davis on the other. Davis hit one of two, Jackson bricked an open jay, but a Yao rebound and a Francis dribble drive made it 6-11 Hornets. Rooks hit a top of the key jumper (his shot), Francis answered with a long two. A Houston stop, a drive by JJ, and a sweet dish to Yao turned into a quick dunk. The Rockets were within three, but Wesley hit a two to push it back out to a five-point deficit. Francis hit JJ for an up-and under and then hit a jumper of his own to get the Rockets within one, 14-15. Lynch popped a deuce, Wesley got open and drilled a two, Lynch hit a three, and suddenly the Hornets were back up by 8. Davis added two more after Francis missed a long two, forcing a Houston timeout. 14-24 Hornets at the 1:56 mark.

So far this looks very much like the Houston team we saw last season. Lots of dribbling, half of the players on the floor seem to be lost in the offense, Griffin is tentative, Francis is quick to give up on getting his teammates to move, and no energy being displayed defensively except by Jim Jackson.

Francis scored out of the timeout, as he was joined by four new Rockets. Lots of movement on the first set with the new unit. Francis was able to cut to the basket and score easily. Robert Traylor drew a foul on the other end and made both freebies. Francis came right back with a turnaround baseline jumper. Traylor scored to keep the Hornets' lead at 10. Francis hit Braggs on a drive as the clock wound down, but Braggs blew an open lay-up after he beat his man. The period expired with the Rockets down 10. 18-28 Hornets.

The first quarter stats for Eddie Griffin jump right out. He played 7 minutes without recording a single positive stat. He missed one shot - badly - and had no rebounds, no blocks, and no assists or steals. Bostjan Nachbar played 10 minutes and went 0-for-1, but at least he found three rebounds. Only Steve Francis appeared to be ready for the game. He played 12 minutes, hit 5-of-7 field goals for 10 points, and even dished out two assists. The Hornets out-rebounded the Rockets 13-6, shot 53% from the field, and did not put the Rockets on the line at all. Only two other Rockets besides Francis scratched the scoreboard. Yao had four before he had to sit with two fouls and Jim Jackson hit two-of-five field goals for four points.

SECOND QUARTER SUMMARY

Having seen enough of his starters, Van Gundy began the second period with Amaechi, Braggs, Nachbar, Muoneke, and Moochie. Courtney Alexander scored easily to give the Hornets their largest lead of the game. Mike Wilks, who subbed for Muoneke right away, made a nice move to the basket to draw a foul, but he missed both free throws. Nachbar drew a charge and then turned the ball over. A Hornets miss and a Moochie banker made it 20-30 at the 10:15 mark. Alexander drew a foul on Amaechi and made two free throws to push it back to a 12-point lead, but Cato scored to cut it to 10 again moments later. Rooks hit yet another jumper, Alexander dropped a deuce . . .and Yao Ming finally returned to the game for Braggs, who was anything but impressive in his time on the court. Yao Ming slammed home a nice dish on the break, after which the Rockets forced a shot clock violation. Yao made a nice move on Rooks and made the lay-up while being fouled. He made the freebie and the lead was down to 9. Francis returned. A Houston stop and a Francis dish to a cutting Cato got the Rockets to the line looking for a seven-point lead . . . and Cato made both! Mike Wilks forced a turnover and the Hornets called time, with their lead reduced to 36-29 at the 5:45 mark.

Yao drew a foul from Sean Rooks as play resumed and put the Rockets in the penalty. Yao made both, making it a five-point game. Yao swatted Traylor, but Traylor got it right back and scored anyway. Cato then fouled Brown on a loose ball scramble and Brown made one of two. Yao put back a Francis miss, Lynch answered, Cato got a shot blocked, Lynch hit an open three . . .back to a double-digit deficit. Francis miss, Davis lay-up, Wilks drew a foul from Wesley, timeout Hornets. 33-46 Hornets at the 2:47 mark.

Wilks missed two more free throws as action resumed. Wesley got to the line at the other end and made both as Van Gundy replaced Wilks with Jackson. Francis missed two shots, Davis buried a three, Moochie hit a mid-range jumper, Wesley answered. Jackson cut to the hoop and scored easily, Francis fouled Davis who made one of two. Francis just beat the shot clock with a jumper over two Hornets, which turned out to be the final score of the half. 39-54 Hornets.

Before I jump on the Rockets too much I have to point out that the Hornets were playing their primary players for the entire first half while the Rockets did not play Mobley at all and gave a lot of playing time to guys who are likely to be elsewhere next week. Mike Wilks played 9 minutes, going 0-4 from the foul line. Braggs saw 7 minutes and had only a missed shot, a rebound, and a turnover to show for it. Yao Ming was the star of the quarter, scoring 9 points in 7 minutes. The Hornets continued to shoot 53% and scored 26 points in the period, to just 21 for the Rockets on 47%.

THIRD QUARTER SUMMARY

The same unit that started the game took the court to start the second half. Jamaal Magloire kept the Hornets rolling with a score on Yao. He also drew a foul, but missed the extra point. Eddie Griffin got an offensive rebound and put-back on the other end to get the Rockets started. Yao hit Nachbar on an inside out - three! - but Lynch answered with a three for New Orleans. Francis missed a three, Yao missed the put-back, and Lynch scored on a drive to force a Houston timeout. 44-61 at the 9:25 mark.

Nachbar committed a five second violation after the timeout. Griffin swatted PJ Brown's shot attempt but missed an open three on the ensuing break. Francis got the rebound, but was tied up. He won the tip, but Jackson missed a baseline turnaround. Houston stop, two Griffin misses, but a steal by Griffin, offensive foul Nachbar. It's not pretty, folks. Baron Davis pushed the New Orleans lead to 19 with a drive and lay-up. Francis traveled, but the Rockets got a stop. Yao drew a foul and made both free throws at the 6:39 mark. A high screen freed Wesley, who dropped a deuce, and a give-and-go between Francis and Griffin found Francis dunking home a pass. Timeout. 48-65 Hornets at the 5:38 mark.

Griffin and Nachbar came up with a steal, Francis got a dunk, Yao forced a miss, JJ rebound, and a Griffin dunk cut he lead to 13. David West got his first basket of the game, but Francis came right back and drew a foul on West. He made one of two. Armstrong swished a two off a screen, JJ drew a foul on the dribble drive. JJ made both. Griffin blocked Rooks at the other end, but Francis couldn't connect on an open jay to cut the deficit. Hornets miss, timeout. 55-69 at the 2:46 mark.

A turnover and a foul gave the Hornets two more points. Cato got a dunk on a nice dish from Griffin at the other end. Alexander scored on Cato, JJ missed a crazy shot, Cato with a rebound on the other end. Griffin with a nice pass to JJ, who made the lay-up with under 40 seconds to play. Another stop, missed shots by both teams, and the third came to a close with the visitors up by 14. 59-73 Hornets.

Someone woke up Eddie Griffin at half time. He came out like a totally different player in the third period. He scored four points, but his rebounding and defense were the biggest difference. He also had three really nice passes that resulted in easy baskets for his teammates. Griffin finished the third period with 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 blocks to go with his two baskets. The Rockets controlled the glass in the third period and took a 33-30 edge for the game, but they also missed a ton of easy shots off of those rebounds. After three the Rockets hold an 11-9 edge in second chance points.

FOURTH QUARTER SUMMARY

Mike Wilks started the period with an offensive foul, giving the ball back to the Hornets. Another Griffin rebound led to a Cato score with a foul on top of it. Cato hit the free throw, Griffin denied the Hornets again, but the bugs got it back and Davis scored on Moochie. Nachbar miss, a West free throw (1-for-2 on a Nachbar foul), Griffin miss, Alexander deuce, timeout Rockets.

Wilks bricked a tough jumper after the timeout, Alexander stretched the Hornets lead to 18 with a two. Nachbar fed Griffin for a dunk, but Armstrong answered immediately. Timeout Rockets. Moochie hit a three to make it 67-82. Wesley miss, Griffin deuce, Rockets stop, Wesley three. The Rockets had a shot at cutting it to 10, but Mooch missed a three, Wesley made one, and the lead was right back to 16. With the Rockets tanking and the Hornets keeping their starters in, everything was over but the game clock at the 3:00 mark. Both teams went to their roster hopefuls to close out an ugly loss for the Rockets. 71-89 Hornets win.

POST-GAME NOTES

A very dejected Jeff Van Gundy addressed the media after the game with a voice that was so hoarse it could barely be heard. "Nothing. I have seen no improvement. There's not one area that's close to being good enough," Van Gundy responded when asked about the progress of his team. "You get out of a game what you deserve. We got our butts kicked once again because we deserved to. It's pretty simple. We're not adapting to the change as quickly as we need to, we have a few pockets of resistance, but I do know what a winning team looks like and what a losing team looks like. I've been fortunate to be a part of winning teams for a long time. This has nothing to do with time, there are a lot of things I have to get our team better at."

When asked to expand on the "pockets of resistance," Van Gundy said, "We have to change how we go about things, do things, game habits, stuff that every coach would say. You play hard, you prepare right, pass the ball to the open man, every coach says the same thing. Habits (have to change). The only thing I have been impressed with so far, Kelvin Cato's effort has been very good. Practice, games, I think basically every day of the ten days we've been together he's been ready. He needs to get in much, much better shape. He knows that. But his effort level has been terrific. Offensively right now we're just trying to hit a homerun every time down, and sometimes Steve is so great that he can do that, but that's not how you win big in this league is having one guy shake somebody and then take on another guy and hit a tough shot. Steve has done some good things, but we're leaving him because we're not playing team offense right now. We blow play after play and assignment after assignment and what we're reduced to Steve fighting the shot clock."

On choosing starters and staying with them: "Well, I would just say that I have all of the intentions of playing our guys big minutes (when the game starts)."

On Bostjan Nachbar's reputation as being a shooter: "I wasn't here when he was drafted, but I would say the biggest area he needs to improve is his shooting. He's more of a slashing type of player. I think the ability to make the jumper is something he would easily have to continue to work on."

Final thoughts: "I don't really try to evaluate each guy, I try to evaluate the team as a whole. The only group I liked out there tonight was the line up that had Moochie, Steve, and Mike Wilks together. That's the only time that we showed some basketball character and heart. We actually played with some passion. The only thing that matters is, when a guy's in a game is the score going in a positive direction or a negative direction. That tells you how you play as an individual. and how you play as a team."

Steve Francis: "I know this is a preseason game, but I felt we all would be more motivated to go out and play hard, but it didn't work out like that. We need to go back and think about what we did to get to the NBA and play hard. I've been playing the same way I've been playing for five years. I play hard. If that means I go one on one when the shot clock's going down, that's what I've got to do. We just have to want it. We have to want to win. The will to win doesn't come from one layer or two players, it has to come from the team. Right now we're 0-4, so we have to sacrifice certain things. For me it starts with moving the ball and I thought I moved the ball great tonight (he had 4 assists in 27 minutes). We've only been together for 10 or 11 days and we're trying to implement a whole new offense and a whole new defense, so it's kind of hard to know the different calls."

TRG: "Coach said he is getting resistance, is that what you see, as well?"

SF: "I don't think it's resistance, I think it's guys not really knowing. Nobody's resisting, we're trying to execute our offense. I don't think we're resisting anything."

Yao Ming: "There are a lot of areas we need to fix and we need to use these experiences to get better and decide what our priorities are. I think we remember most of the plays in practice, but when we get out there and the crowd is yelling, we get really nervous and we are thinking alot and we have to work through that."

The quote of the night comes from Jim Jackson. After being asked about how the preseason reflects the regular season, JJ responded: "This is preseason. Quit asking about the regular season."

A LITTLE COMMENTARY

Fans of Star Trek could definitely have related to the situation we faced as we got to know this new arena that the Rockets are calling home. It is extremely close and has a homey feel. Even the nosebleed seats are pretty close to the action. The suites are very luxurious, there are plenty of lounges for VIP's, equipped with pool tables and tv/sofa/wet bar lounge areas. A few things seem to be missing though, and my partner Andy and I were reminded of the Enterprise in the movie "Star Trek: Generations." The Enterprise NCC1701-B was getting a sendoff by James T. Kirk, Pavel Chekov, and Scotty, but it was not quite ready for full time duty. Little things like the tractor beam and the medical staff were still pending. Well, Toyota Center is not much different. Here's a list of a few minor details that were not quite right when tip off came around.

1) The press box - a temporary table and chairs was set up for the media because the press box was not finished in time for the game.

2) Microphones for the people who sing the National Anthem. That would be a good thing to have.

3) The practice court for the team

4) The team store was not ready, meaning Rockets fans still can't find much in the way of team gear.

5) The snack stands didn't have their souvenir cups, but we still paid the souvenir cup price. If you were there and got one, don't put it in the dishwasher. That paper just falls apart.

6) The Rockets' arena voice was not there - at least we hope the guy who was there is not the new arena voice. There were also no sound effects, so the temporary (we hope) arena guy was calling out the chants. Not as effective.

7) Clutch was there in his new Rockets colors, but no Turbo. Turbo - where are you???

8) Half time entertainment. We had a group of kids jump-roping all over the court. It was colorful and some of them were good at it, but this is supposed to be entertaining, right?

9) Defense. The Rockets still don't play much.

Other than that, a pleasant evening in the new arena.

Bill "The Rocket Guy" Ingram is Senior Editor for NEWS@ HOOPSWORLD.com and covers the Rockets, Mavs, and Spurs for Basketball News Services.

http://www.hoopsworld.com/article_5621.shtml

 

Man, JVG really needs to get w/ the players that need improvement (Mooch, EG, Nachbar, etc.) and develop them more into the offense. I know he's trying to motivate this team into a playoff contender, but we can't do it w/ guys who are playing the same crap from last year. SF needs to step up also and be a team leader instead of being selfish w/ the ball.

 

To those of you in rage of me saying a few bad things about Francis. Mark my word, he is not a JVG guy, unless he starts playing D and get's with the program, he will be traded.

 

DearRock,

If the players are thinking the same way as the coaches do, then yes, it is not necessary for the Rockets to win the next game as long as they show signs of improvement.

But apparently the coaches & the players (especially Francis) are not on the same page (Priority wise). In JVG's mind, it's apparant that he thinks it's more important to get players learning/implementing the new system instead of winning games & that's exactly what he's doing for the first 3 games. And perhaps that's also what the players thought for the first three games.

However, lastnight's game (the first in the new building/ in front of the home crowd) was probably a game that both coaches/players would like to have won. I think in JVG's mind, after getting Yao to practice the new system with everyone it's time to show some major improvement & perhaps winning the game under the new system (especially after losing 3 in a row). In Francis mind, there is no doubt that he wanted to win the game by all means... & that's why he went back to what he does best - going one-on-one... & that pissed JVG off because that basically means the previous 3 'experimental' matches are non-existent & the team are not moving forward with the new system at all.

Right now, I think it's important for JVG to tell the player what the priority is - implementing the new system instead of worrying about winning/losing. The problem though, is that time is running out fast. JVG knows there are not a lot of times for experimentation right now... they need to find a way to win & get in a groove/comfort zone before the season starts.

I hope that starts to happen the next game.

 

I really did not like the 3 guard line-up (Mooch, Wilks, Francis) - we were a giant hole on defense. However, having Cata and Yao together was working pretty well.

Wilks has spirit, but cannot make a shot or a free throw - hard to see him making the team.

Moochie was unimpressive.

Francis has a nice shot - it's hard to get down on him when it seems like he and Yao are the only ones who can score consistently.

Yao did everything I expected.

Jackson will be a key contributor this year.

Eddie cannot make the ball go in the basket, but at least his defense seems to be improving.

Boki - ah, poor Boki. At least he can rebound and move. His defense is terrible, and he cannot make a shot either. I was surprised at how much playing time he received.

It will be interesting to see what happens when Mo and Mobley are back.

 

Could not agree with you any more.

Well said.

 

Couldn't disagree more. A true fan is someone who is objective and is willing to give praise as well as criticism. What we have far to many of on this board are people who love to bash (only certain players by the way) and never praise.

Francis did miss players on a couple of occasions, but I felt he did a fair job of distributing the ball early. I would love to see more of the pick and fade type of plays that Francis and Yao ran in the 1st quarter that got Yao an open set shot on the baseline.

I also think Francis played decent defense. What many of you fail to mention when siting that Steve plays poor defense is that Steve gets picked quite often and the Rockets defensive rotation is still too slow, which leads to alot of open looks for not only Steves man, but most of the perimeter players.

Yao also played a decent game. His post defense appears to have improved (thought he hasn't really faced a true threat in the post this preseason) and he is looking for his shot more. I would love to see him stop shying away from contact though. There were a couple of plays where he either got his shot blocked or missed point blank becaused he faded away (that's the only way you're going to block his shot) or did not attempt to finish strong. Both are unacceptle for someone Yao's size. In order for him to dominate he must not be afraid of contact... especially with him being able to shoot free throws so well... he could make living at the free throw line.

 

I maybe the only one to say this:
I am tired of hearing excuses from this team. I have not seen a lot of differences in this years team vs. last years, except for the new recruits. Last year, Yao had to settle into a new country, teammates, coach, etc. and he did well, especially against some of the bigger teams. Why no one else on our team can do something similar so far yet baffles me.