I couldnt catch the game and was wondering if anyone could comment on how yao looked after playing such uncharacteristically high minutes. The numbers look pretty good in terms of points and rebounds - is this a sign that he will be able to meaningfully increase his stamina once and for all? Just looking for some positives.....
he didn't play too well it was probably the worst 20 pt , 10 reb performance that you'll see out of Yao. sure he did contribute, but he missed too many shots in between each contribution and then the rest of our offense went south.
He looked like a real monster padding his stats towards the end of the game. I don't think it's stamina that's his biggest problem. It's the fouls. If you ask him to run up and down the court 3 or 4 times non-stop, of course he's gonna be more tired than the average NBA player. He's simply taller and bigger than most, and his body needs to work harder to supply his muscles and brain with oxygen. But there are enough lower energy plays (fouls, free throws, slower half court sets) for his heart and lungs to catch up with the oxygen demand most times. Overall, he didn't look any worse at the end of the game than at the beginning.
In all fairness to Yao, he was very aggressive and played very hard but missed shots he usually makes...some nights shots just aren't going to fall. Yao has has really been more aggressive overall this season and showing more emotion than in the past. He did pad his stats towards the end but oh well.
I disagree, I think Yao has a genethic problem with maintaining his strength and endurance for long periods of time. This is probably why he will never be a consistent player and be able to bring it every night. I also think this is one of the reasons why he is not dominant. That's just my opinion and I threw out there.
Its also what he does that contributes to his limited minutes. Have you ever seen Shaq sweep out the the three point line to guard the shooter then have to sprint back to the blocks? All shaq does is go from basket to basket. Thats also why the pick'n'roll was so effective against the Lakers (Utah) for so long. He was a horrible pick and roll/pop defender. Yao exerts a lot of energy and is constantly moving around setting picks etc. I think it makes him a more well rounded player but it takes its toll on him. Yao cannot establish position as well as Shaq the rockets use cuts and him sweeping across the lane to get better position. I think if he learns to seal his man off better, then he will limit his exertion by running around sweeping across the lane to get into a good position. I have been very, very excited at his emotion and drive the last few games. Ben Wallace stole a ball from him and he went right back at him hard and dunked over him numerous times. He also fought for loose balls and rebounds and jumped to the floor several times like against desmond mason. He's showing that fire that we've been waiting for, but truly T-Mac is the Jordan on this team and we cannot dominate without him.
I don't know really where to ask this so I'll just tack it on here. It seems ever one is ragging on Yao, but I remember hearing about him hiring the rockets trainer as his personnel trainer and how hard he had been working out in the off season. He is on the court and providing something. What does McGrady do during the off season to improve his conditioning? Early season injuries seem to point to a problem there. It really hurts us not having both our top guys on the court. This not meant to be a slam on T-Mac just a question/observation.
Read this: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/3472788.html He worked really hard. maybe a little bit too hard as it turned out...
The 42 minutes was important thing to bring up. I never really saw him get tired during the 42 minutes, except for that foul at the end of the first 15 minutes. That was a tired play. And I think one other time he gave up on offense and set the high pick (another sure sign that he's wailing for air). But even at the end of the game he had plenty of energy. I think he found a second wind there even tho we were getting humiliated. I personally thought he was strong for most of that game. Maybe the shots weren't falling, but it's not like they were utter bricks. Missing is missing, don't getm e wrong, but they did not appear to be tired misses if you ask me. I thought the drive and dish may be signs of things to come. Getting him some easy baskets ought to help out the confidence. But also seems to me that Yao is much better when he works quickly. No more of that looking around to pass crap. Just go to the hole with your move. Should be interesting to see if Yao logs more and more minutes now.
