Yao was a "shaq stopper" is not the main story. Shaq didn't try to get the ball and nobody passed him either. What we really see is Malone plays good defense. On Yao, TD and Garnett.
sorry man, but that is a bad analogy... i believe magic won it all his rookie year and bird in his 2nd or 3rd. im not arguing your point here though...those are 2 of the 5 greatest players of all time in my opinion. they set a high standard. most people will agree that yao is a guy who will win it all...just a matter of time.
I hate this crappy excuse from laker fans. Cruise control my a$$...give credit where credit is due. The Rockets took them out of their comfort zone and because of this they really didn't get into a rhythm. The lakers played hard against us. Maybe not the best they can because of our D, but they played hard I tell you. The reason why they played a lot better is because they made a lot of good coaching adjustments, especially their P&R defense that turned the tide. Good post haven.
I am most a assuredly NOT a Laker fan. I’m just not going to let any Laker-hate I may have keep me from being objective. When the Lakers are at their best (like during the 5 game win streak), they are virtually impossible to beat. I give the Rockets credit for playing hard and having a good gameplan, but they did not face the Lakers at their best. They faced a team that was very similar to the one Minnesota faced last night. A lackadaisical team that looked completely satisfied with playing just good enough to win, just like they were completely satisfied going 1-1 with the Wolves last night.
There were several reasons why we matched up well with the Lakers, but most of them came down to Yao; Against most teams, Shaq plays a middle zone, and moves to his guy in the (rare) event that the ball goes into him. If the ball goes up few if any players can effectively block out Shaq as the refs let him bull his way back in if he's caught out. So what this means is few if any deep penetration options, and fewer still rebounds or put backs. Against the Rockets, Shaq stayed glued to Yao, and our penetration options opened up considerably. Additionally, Yao simply got to the boards in ways most centers couldn't have dreamed against Shaq. On the other end, almost no other player on the league can hold SHaq from bulling his way in, and while hardly constant, there were many times when SHaq's traditional dribble shoulder lunge move simply didn;t garner him the ground he is accustomed to, and he either put up a shot from farther out than he wanted, or he kicked it out. We were also afforded far more opportiunities to play straight up against Shaq than any team I've seen. Hardly all the time, but enough that the Lakers were not confortable with the idea that they need simply set up for the 3 off of a Shaq double. But the biggest difference with Yao vs. Shaq was the one not measured in numbers, and hardly noted at all; Yao's consistent ability to box Shaq out and prevent him from getting offensive boards. Sure, he got some, but far fewer than he would have otherwise. I couldn;t believe the number of times Shaq started trying to bull his way for his traditional put back and stare, and then simply wasn't involved in the rebound because Yao had hardly given an inch. People lamented the fact that Yao s boards were not all that extrem at times, but IMO, they were missing what was happening. Remember who gets the rebound if every defender does their job exactly right...the floor. That's how Yao played Shaq most of the time; he didn't get the board, necessarily, but neither did Shaq. Against the most dominant player in the game, that's saying something. Remember that, for the Lakers, everything starts with Shaq. There are games where Kobe or someone else has better numbers, but SHaq is still more important, because he and he alone are what prevent teams from doubling Kobe much, and he alone is the man who simply gets the boards, offensive or defensive, whenever the Lakers need an important one. In the series against the Rockets, Yao's ability to take Shaq one on one, on both ends, for more than just the odd surprise play malso meant that there were stretches where Cat got help doubling Kobe, who then didn't catch fire down the stretch the way he is usually able to facingsingle and sometimes no defenders. The Lakers didn't get all the big boards at the big moments, something they are used to. We play them well, and I think they know it. That, too, is something. But I also want to add that we are fans, and as fans we forget the numbers, a little, and the 4-1 seems better because many of the 4 were close. While true, I am sure that many Spurs fans recall a fouple of close ones in their series as well.
