I dont think Yao will ever be like that. The Chinese way of thinking isnt like that at all, and you cant say Yao isnt a competitor because he doesnt think that way. 5000 year of philosophy is deeper than that.
I think everybody is over hyping Chen. I mean, comparisons to A.I.? Sure he may have handles and quickness similar to A.I., but I doubt he'll ever become half the scorer Iverson is, He's a former MVP. Good thing is, the kid is only 17 so he has loads of room to improve his game.
LOL., Are you a professional psychologist? I've seen many games where Yao goes out before tipoff and talks and jokes around with the opposing team and then goes out and still does his job. And did you also forget that Yao was coming off a broken foot and would be playing limited minutes? Seriously, I can't believe somebody would be using the "playful tap to the chest" to anazlyze Yao's game. What a joke.
Nobody says Chen is AI already, many people think he is got the potential to be AI, that is my impression.
I see your point about the broken foot and the limited minutes. Yao is a more valuable basketball player than Dirk is, imo. Yao's performance against Germany doesn't mean anything. I just don't want p*****s like Dirk playfully tapping my boy Yao on his chest like he's lonely giant who needs friends then scoring 30 on him and his team in his own country in the same episode. I want Yao to use better judgment in who he allows to playfully tap his chest, thump his ears, cover his eyes, and frog his arms. IMO, only his teammates and that little humdinger he calls his gilfriend should be allowed to do all that to him before games.
Didn't the game recap article call the slap a hard slap to the chest? They make it sound like Dirk slapped Yao down and Yao took it like a sissy.
Heres the BT link for the game if anybody is interested: http://bbs.hoopchina.com/job.php?action=download&pid=tpc&tid=115339&aid=11691
Actually, if YAO is 100% healthy, he could easily get another 11 points and China could win the game. As far as the Dirk slap, I don't think that is a big deal and wouldn't call it (the lose) an insult. Players do that all the time, but they give their best on the court no matter what, that is why they are pro. According to your logic, the only way Dirk wouldn't insult Yao is to lose, which insults his own country. Now the real insult is that, the CNT and Yao's teammates think Yao is their solution for all problems like he is God. Many of his teammates are not nearly as half as dedicated as Yao, and sometimes they are just intimidated. It is pathatic that a 5-man game finally relies on one and only one.
That is why Chen is so refreshing. The kid has no fear, not against LJ or Wade or anyone. He will attack anyone, instead of acting like scared kids like many of the other Chinese players.
11 points in 22 minutes isn't bad at all considering how long he's been out. i mean he's been practicing for what a week?
You don't have to go to that link. Just right click that link and click "save target as" to save the torrent file.
I'm more dissapointed that Yao only got 2 rebounds (in international competition), then the 11 points. I hope he doesn't regress in that area, next season.
Wow so much criticism of Yao in his first game back. Relax guys it's just one game. It is going to take time for him to get his rythym let alone his confidence in his foot back. Once that happens I anticipate good things. Whether he will be as dominant as he was the second half of the NBA season depends on his teammates and the trust they have in him and also way defense is played in FIBA. You have to also remember their is no defensive 3 second rules in FIBA so they can pretty much zone him up all game and if his teammates don't hit open shots Yao is pretty much neutrilized. But all in all for a first showing in an a WARM UP game-- it was decent. He was just gettig his feet wet (pardon the pun). My two cents.
Totally agree. Jordan and Barkley were hanging out every night during the 1993 Finals- do you think that affected Jordan who had some of the highest-scoring games in Finals history? Not to mention that Barkley played great, too. Guys in the NBA all acknowledge each other when they meet in non-NBA competitions. Plus, Dirk and Yao have both been on the All-Star team for the past couple of years, both play in Texas, both are the 2 top foreign players in the NBA, and both are probably the only 7-footers in the game who put up excellent shooting percentages in practically all respects- particularly free throws. So, I think Yao and Dirk have much in common and can both relate to each other very well, probably more than most NBA compatriots. Plus, Dirk is a generally well-liked player as is Yao. What would be awesome would be to have both on the same team. Yes, and I hated Dirk up until this year, but the guy can just flat-out play. With a healthy McGrady, though, you get Dirk-times-10, thus the reason for our general optimism.
