Yao Ming is Frustrated but Yet Determined to Win

pryuen · Mar 23, 2006

For those who suggested Yao Ming should be rested or the Rockets should tank the rest of this season: Be ashamed of yourselves !!!

http://sports.sina.com.cn/k/2006-03-23/17392119397.shtml

Reporter Wang Meng reports from Dallas March 22

The Houston Rockets had had 5 successive defeats; they had been completely demolished, cut and bruised and exhausted.

For consecutive weeks and nights, the feeling was really bad to have to walk out from the court with the head hanging low to the chin at the end of a game every evening. Has the Rockets given up ?? Or should the Rockets give up ?? Very many people/fans have had that question.

In these past weeks, Yao Ming played to his best capabilities and was completely exhausted; he was so tired that he was not interested to celebrate even when he reached the landmark of 5000 career points scored in the game against LA Clippers on the 21st on home court. Now he had much much longer play minutes in every game; and more and more the ball was passed to him; but yet 5 successive defeats (no matter how hard he tried). Every time at the post match press conference, when reporters asked him: "How disappointed and frustrated are you ?", he would just wave his hand and said: "Regardless how disappointed I am, I will have to find ways tonight to resolve it." or "Would it be more appropriate if you can ask me the same question tomorrow ?"

Yao Ming is not willing to disclose his disappointment (and frustration); but this is so apparent for everyone to see and understand. Who will not be depressed if after giving his best efforts, he is not seeing good results ?? Yao Ming is a normal person of flesh and blood; therefore these days had been painful for him.

But even when the team is in its current plight, Yao Ming has yet to give up. He said: "As a (professional) player, once you go onto the court to compete, you must want to win. This is instinct."

Yao Ming acknowledged sometimes he also relaxed mentally. "Sometimes when we played bad, or when I came across personal setbacks, I will also relax mentally or be in low spirits. But I know I should not think so, because if I had the thought, I will become more lax and even more depressed. At such time, I would have to inject morphine to my spirit to psyche myself up; I will think of the 35 second-13 points come-from-behind victory over the San Antonio Spurs to motivate myself to be positive again.

In the past week or so, the Houston Rockets were playing with very strong teams. Including this game with Dallas Mavericks, they had continuously played in the past 10 days against those championship contenders: San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks etc. Such fixtures are really torture, and no matter how hard they played, the results were the same: routs.

But Yao Ming is not of such thoughts. To him, all 82 games (in the regular season) are the same; all that is different is the change of game plans/tactics against different opponents; his point of view has not changed; his goal has not changed. Even now when the chance to make the playoff is already only theorically/mathematically possible, his goal has not changed.

Yao Ming said: "When I first came to NBA, I had this theory: #1 is #1 and #2 is #2; if there is disparity between the teams, the stronger team will win. But now I know even weaker teams can beat you, and you can also beat the stronger teams; it all depends on how you play. I have been in NBA this long, and we face different teams every other night; actually they are just different faces putting on different jerseys, and every other things are no difference. Our point of view (goal ??) throughout is the same."

So what has been the Rockets' "point of view" ??

Yao Ming further elaborated: "Actually our point of view is very simple. We have to win. Nothing more. Nothing less."

The reporters continued to press: "Then will you ponder to think, now that this season (and the Houston Rockets) is at this plight, what further signifance it has for the subsequent games ? If there is no more hope for making the playoff, why not start experimenting with the team for the long term interest of the team ?"

At hearing this, Yao Ming looked very unhappy: "Hey buddies, we are just (professional) basketball players; we are not authors/writers; we don't think so complex, particularly when we are here at the courtside ready to play." He stopped, pointed to the whiteboard written all over with game plan/tactics and the TV set playing video tape of competitive games they played, and continued: "Our response is simple and straightforward. We just defer to what we saw from these video, follow the game plan/tactics drawn on the whiteboard, just concentrate on how to beat our opponents. I could not describe how I think inside, not as complicated as you would think, because originally, we are just this simple."

Actually, Yao Ming's current wish is so simple. After losing that many games, all he really wants now is just to win the next one. It is not about proving anything; his statistics and all the praises from his opponents (players and coaches) after each match have already revealed to him what kind of a player he currently is. But the taste of defeat really sucks, and Yao Ming just wants to jump out of that vicious cycle as soon as possible.

He had already lost so many games that he was almost desperate to the brink of breaking down.

He just spelled out his aspiration: "What kind of plight we have come to ? We have come to this plight that we will no longer consider what signficance this game means or where our team currently ranked (in the Western Conference). We now only consider practical tactical question, because we are so desperate to win. And only with this kind of mentality can we win again."

Yao Ming just straightened out his jersey, bite his lips, and stepped out onto the court.
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pradaxpimp · Mar 23, 2006

we don't want to tank, we just want the #1 pick.

That just happens to coincide with tankin's results.

cenbo416 · Mar 23, 2006

There is nothing more needed to be said about Yao. He just needs the right teammates to win a ring. He is doomed to have one.

real_egal · Mar 23, 2006

Pryuen, as always, appreciate your great work. It was a good read, but I don't like how they paint Ming as a tragic hero. Those are just bumpers on the way to glory, he has to overcome it mentally and physically. I understand the media is always looking for dramas, just like TMac's personal issues etc. As Ming said it clearly, that as players they don't have all those dramatic thoughts over every single minute on the court, they just want to win. I like that. If you tank now, you might put yourself into 7th or 8th, probably one place better than if you play hard the rest of the season. However, once you tank, you quit on yourself, on the fans, that will follow you forever, and I don't think it's healthy for you to reach the ultimate goal.

It's always easy to quit, and it's always easy to find very good "rational" reasons to quit, but those ones hang on to go through those hardships, will eventually rewarded.

tigermission1 · Mar 23, 2006

Hmm...so Yao Ming's favorite memory to 'psyche' himself up and give himself hope is the "T-Mac Miracle" and not one of his own personal performances in the past (the Suns game last season when he got 20-20, etc.)?

Interesting, I guess he really does see everything in a team concept...

real_egal · Mar 23, 2006

tigermission1 said:

Hmm...so Yao Ming's favorite memory to 'psyche' himself up and give himself hope is the "T-Mac Miracle" and not one of his own personal performances in the past (the Suns game last season when he got 20-20, etc.)?

Interesting, I guess he really does see everything in a team concept...
Click to expand...

No, he's lying. He sits in the huge bathtub every night, watching himself rejecting Amare over and over again

happyricky · Mar 23, 2006

real_egal said:

It's always easy to quit, and it's always easy to find very good "rational" reasons to quit, but those ones hang on to go through those hardships, will eventually rewarded.
Click to expand...

Well said! So you can see it is not just about basketball, and you can really learn something from the court.

OddsOn · Mar 23, 2006

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