Sacramento Bee: "They both hurt us," Adelman said.

About Hakeem's blocking------
He always seemed to be able to lull the other guyinto thinking that he was gonna be able to get a chance at a clean shot, but Dream would always meet them at the rim and bam! a clean block!!

I don't know how, maybe he made himself seem to disapper under the basket, and being actually only 6'10", maybe all those guys were always thinking, "he's not that tall, he can't possibly get this one again",
but you know what, he was always there, like a lion crouching under the grass noticing the weakest one in the herd. It was beautiful.

Off topic--I used that analogy because that's how (in his book) Hakeem described Jordan when he ruled the NBA, some lion who could just walk and sleep anywhere he wanted in the plain 'cause nobody was gonna mess w/ him.

 

There's a big difference in how the opponents react because Hakeem and Yao present different problems for the offensive opponent.

Hakeem could be standing on the weak side of the court and some player would drive and lay-up the ball. Hakeem, was so quick and so explosive that he could recover and leap to block the shot. He covered a lot of ground to block the shot that the offensive player never saw it coming. He was so quick and so explosive that most players never thought he could block their shots once they got the shot off. It's important to note that Hakeem was 6'10". It was very deceptive that a guy of his size could jump so quick and high. Plus he had long arms! Guarding the paint, he owned it. If he was not guarding the paint, he was still able to recover and block shots against opponents that thought they had Hakeem beat. Surprise! Swat!!!!

Yao is different. There are times that opponents are able to dunk on Yao. There are times that Yao can't recover enough to block the lane against a driving guard. The advantage that Yao has is his 7'5" height. Once in the paint, he just has to stand there. That sheer size is intimidating! So, any guard in their right mind wont even try, as long, and I repeat, as long as Yao is already in the paint.

So, Yao is like a mountain! Not very mobile, but great and expansive.

Hakeem was like a flying Red Wood Tree like the monsters in the Two Towers!

 

Watching Hakeem as a kid in the 80's then 90's definitely spoiled me. I thought the three point inside play was a normal thing. I think Yao at 21 could equal Hakeem's dominance...... But we're gonna have to wait 10 years.

 

oh man...we were at my friend's place drinking and whatever and we found this old video of hakeem after the 1st championship that highlighted his career. god that brought back so many memories. that guy is amazing. his game is like watching an artist paint a picture or something. when people challenged dream they got punked. dream would freaking come out of nowhere and block shots. it is amazing watching a guy like that play. yao will NEVER be that kind of defensive player. hakeem had the instincts...yao does not. you don't learn how to block shots...either you do or you don't. yao can keep people from driving based on his size but never will he be the defensive force that dream was. dream was the best there was inside and i don't care what anyone says.

 

Instinct doesn't indicate good shot blocking. Attempts to block a shot are almost always, if not always, spontaneous reactions to the opponent player motioning to shoot/lay the ball. Every pro basketball player should have that instinct. Good shot blockers are quick leapers that have explosiveness in their jumps(It helps to have long arms too and be tall).

PLayers that win openning tips and jump balls are usually good shot blockers.

 

Also from the Sac Bee:

Big and bigger -- At 7-foot, Brad Miller normally casts shadows over players on the floor. Against Yao Ming, he looks rather small, and the Kings' new forward-center found out Thursday that the 7-6 Yao is still improving. Yao rejected a shot so emphatically on Miller on Thursday, it looked like a rejection at the net in a volleyball match, with the ball slamming off the Toyota Center floor.

"Shoot," Miller said. "He's not 7-6 and Shawn Bradley; he's 7-6 and very good. He's going to be a dominating player for many years."

 

Sometimes I feel bad for Shawn Bradley. A lot of people when giving compliment to Yao can't help dissing Shawn Bradley at the same time. Yeah Yao did receive his share of bashing last year by some idiots. But Bradley was not one of them.