Can't wait to see Yao play against Shaq!

I don't really think Shaq is all that like people project him like he's invisible or something. I am a Kings fan and if someone like Llade can prevent Shaq from doing what he is doing and Llade is weighting in much much less than Yao. If Llade with his weight can push SHaq out of the paint why not Yao who weight much more than Divac. If Yao can just push Shaq out of the paint...and with his height, that's the secret to stopping Shaq. Nobody in the league that Shaq dominate weight anything close to Shaq, that's why he's been dominating, but Yao is the closest to Shaq in terms of weight. If Yao play smart defense and keep SHaq in front of him, i think he should have no problem. The only thing SHaq is better than Yao is power, that's about it in my opinion. Yao is better than Shaq in almost every category (and he's just a rookie)....be it shooting, passing, team defense, court awareness, block shot, free throw, ability to drive, IQ, leadership.

 

I don't think Ming will affect Shaq's game all that much, because Shaq's game is all about his size and power and deceptive speed close to the basket. But if Ming shoots well (Ming, as well, is deceptively quick), then it won't matter much because the two will end up neutralizing each other offensively. If they both go 20/10, then the other people on the teams have to win the game.

But solid is right, Ming is an erratic rookie and there is no guarantee he'll score 20-30 on Shaq all the time.

Dave

 

We <i>should</i> win against the Lakers. Countering Shaq will be easy. Defensively, we could use Cato to push him off the block, and therefore, limit his scoring as best we can. Offensively, Yao just might punish Shaq. Why? Because Yao is much quicker than Shaq, has more finesse and has a much better jump shot. This can only result in Yao scoring or getting Shaq in foul trouble. Let's not forget Yao's taller than Shaq. He might not stop him, but I'm betting Yao will hold his own against Shaq, and then some.

With Yao, can beat the Lakers. Period.

 

My family moved to LA from Houston four years ago and I have watched enough Lakers games to predict that Yao will be thoroughly embarrassed on Jan. 17th.

IMHO, Yao is too much of a finesse player to play effective defense on Shaq. And Shaq will tire Yao out on offense with his 350 lb body. At least for this game on Jan 17th, I see a mismatch.

Don't get me wrong. I haven't been this excited about the Rox games since our Championship run. Yao will be great but this is still Shaq's court for a few more years.

 

I see a mismatch in your logic. Yao's finesse has nothing to do with defense. As long as we keep him off the block, Yao can simply stay back and block Shaq's shot (EG and Cato has done this often).

As far as Shaq's weight, Yao is almost 300 lbs himself. No, he might not stop him, but Yao and Cato combined will definitley limit him.

Now answer this: Can Shaq stop Yao? This should be LA's biggest worry.

 

I've noticed Shaq struggle somewhat against the Twin Towers. It was Kobe who beat SA two years ago. When Shaq has to turn to the baseline to do his jumper, his percentage is not as high when he plays the twin towers. Hopefully, the rockets can limit him to that shot where MIngs height can give him some problems.

 

Based on my limited exposure to Yao's play (only 5 games), he seems to be soft on defense. He may weigh close to Shaq but he doesn't have the strength to move Shaq out of the paint. OTOH, Yao may be able to make life difficult for Shaq on the other end.

At least in this first encounter, I see the veteran taking the rookie to school. I hope Yao proves me wrong.

 

Ming definitely has the edge in freethrow shooting, but Shaq is a very good passer from the center position.

 

I think Yao will have his assist record that night. Everyone's expecting the postup slugfest with Shaq, but I think he'll play it smarter by using his passing abilities, or draw Shaq further out from the paint where he can shoot or open up the lanes for the small guys.

If Yao is going to ever try shooting 3's, that's the game to do it! Imagine Shaq getting all pissy/frustrated he can't dominate Yao defensively in the paint. That'll make him foul even more.

OK, but at the end of the night, I think Shaq will school him the first time they meet. But Yao has surprised me so far so many times, so you never know...!!!

 

Yao will block Shaq at least twice!

 

DW,

Exactly! I think alot of the hardcore Yao fans are setting themselves up for disappointment come Jan. 17th. Just like Yao had 27 and 18 against SA, he could very well followup with a 8 pts 6 board performance against Elden Campbell. Hes a rookie and these things happen.

That being said, I think well end up seeing more Cato than Yao against Shaq. Yao still has foul prone tendencies and we know Shaq will go after him. The best player in the league will always get alot of foul calls against a rookie. Yao could easily get two fouls in the first 2 mins if the Lakers decided to take it to him from the get go, which I think they will.

One last thing, if Yao does see alot of mins, my guess is, we wont see Yao with single coverage on O'Neal. If Rudy is smart, well use a little bit of zone to keep the ball out of O'Neal's hands when Yao is in (just like Dallas did to Yao in the 2nd half). Also, with LA being weak at the 4, Griffin may get the start in that game and if so, I predict we will see KT with alot of time at the 3. That way, Rudy can send KT to help Yao with Shaq, while EG covers the basket. Key is Rick Fox. Our guards will have to be on their rotation game that night to make sure the open shots the Lakers will get will be contested.

 

YEP. That's what I said too. He won't care.