Chron: Orlando pays for ignoring Yao

Didn't see this posted, but it was a very interesting article....

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/2370768

Rockets' center scores 37 in easy win

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Perhaps the Magic did not notice him.
Yao Ming. Big guy. The reason they had another Asian-American night in Orlando.

Still not sure? He was the one torturing poor Andrew DeClercq. He was the focus of the two plays the Rockets ran most of the night, the guy taking all the shots.

One more clue: He was the guy who when he was through carrying the Rockets to a 99-87 win over the Magic on Sunday inspired several Shaquille O'Neal references.

Maybe the Magic just did catch the magazine covers. But Yao knew pretty much any shot he tried would go in. So when the Magic did not send the customary double teams to surround him, Yao punished them with a career-high 37 points, making (15) and taking (23) more shots than he ever has.

"That's just like somebody not (double-teaming) Shaq," Rockets forward Jim Jackson said. "I'm not saying Yao is in that class yet. But he's dominant enough that he demands a double team. If you're not going to double-team, we're not going to reinvent the wheel. We're going to run the same play over and over."

While they posted him up time and again, Yao was determined to demand double teams or the ball. He began the second half by slamming in a missed shot.

But he had the most sustained stretch of dominant play in his NBA career, scoring 15 consecutive Rockets points to carry them to a 15-point lead. He drove the lane. He hit turnaround jumpers. By the fourth quarter, he was so automatic, that he never hesitated on a catch-and-shoot jumper from 21 feet.

"I can't wait for people to attack me," Yao said. "I have to attack them."

The Magic attack amounted to peashooters in a combat zone. Actually, Magic coach Johnny Davis said he did have his team double-teaming. They were just so bad at it, the Rockets did not notice.

"Our game plan was to double-team, but we were just late getting there tonight," Davis said. "If he was deep, obviously it was too late. But if he was coming two or three dribbles, we were supposed to double-team him on the first dribble as he started his way back to the post."

But if help was coming, it never arrived in time to keep DeClercq and, briefly, Zaza Pachulia from being exposed and overmatched. On the rare occasions Yao noticed a double team coming, he turned away from it to drop in baseline jumpers. With 21 points in the third quarter, he made Tracy McGrady's 31-point night seem mundane.

"Every time I answered, Yao Ming answered," McGrady said. "He's going to look over you, passing out of double teams if you double-team. And if not, then he's going to kill you all day because he's so big. He's knocking down the 15-footers, so he's really scary.

"You can't stop him from getting his position. Because he's that big, I don't think even Shaq can stop him from getting his position. The guy is big, has strong legs, and he's a beast."

Actually, the Magic did not merely fail to double-team Yao. They also did not send double-team help against Maurice Taylor. So when Yao rested to start the fourth quarter, Taylor burned Orlando for 12 of his 20 points.

"I loved it," Taylor said. "They came at me once. That's unheard of. When you have two frontcourt guys going like that, usually you double-team every time. It's hard (to double-team) when you have backcourt guys bringing the ball up. But when it's guys just sitting in the post, running the same plays, it's unbelievable."

In that case, it did not take Mark Jackson's 16 years of experience to figure out what to do with the ball. But as long as he was out there for 24 minutes, he collected 10 assists on passes so on-target they forced the Rockets to make the shots they had been missing.

In the first half, the Rockets missed all five of their 3-pointers, while, excluding Yao, they made just 11 of 28 shots. Steve Francis did not score until the last minute of the third quarter. But in the second half, with Mark Jackson guiding the Rockets' offense for 17 minutes, they made five of nine treys and a few of the alley-oops he placed perfectly at the rim.

"Mark played great on the offensive end, kept us organized, some great passes, a terrific job," Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy said. "You're going to shoot the ball better, the better the pass is. Mark has an innate ability to hit people on time and on target and allow guys to shoot the ball particularly well."

He also found out just what Yao could handle, sending him a high-speed, no-look alley-oop on the break that Yao threw down easily.

"I just tried to put it in a position where I know he's going to get it," Jackson said. "You're going to have to try a guy sooner or later. If he couldn't catch them, he would have to learn, because I'm not going to stop throwing them.

"The big fella played great. He creates havoc when he's rolling like that. Not many teams have a weapon like that, other than the Lakers. The guy is so big and skilled. He's unbelievable."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rockets summary

Jackson will stay

When he left Houston last week, Rockets guard Mark Jackson packed two contracts. He was sent on the road with a 10-day contract and a new contract for the remainder of the season. He was told to feel free to sign the one he wanted.

"I wish it was always that simple," Jackson said after choosing to sign for the rest of the season.

The Rockets signed Jackson to a 10-day contract Jan. 15. The decision to sign him short-term was largely to give him a chance to determine how he felt about spending the season with the Rockets.

"I understood what coach (Jeff Van Gundy) was trying to do," Jackson said. "He wanted the best for me. He wanted to make sure I was comfortable and I appreciate that. But I knew right away this is where I wanted to be.

"Like I said from day one, I wouldn't have done it anywhere else. I have so much respect for him. Jeff was really looking out for my best interests, which is rare. It's a great group of guys, and a team that's only going to get better."

Because Jackson is playing limited minutes, Van Gundy said he wanted to be sure Jackson would accept his role.

"You never know if you're going to enjoy the situation until you're in the situation," Van Gundy said. "It (initially giving Jackson a 10-day contract) wasn't really for my standpoint. I had no problem signing him (for the season). But I thought it was important for him to see how many minutes, what our group was like, (to be) separated from his family."


Changing rotation

The Rockets' starting lineup has stayed unchanged in 41 of 43 games (Jim Jackson's flu and Kelvin Cato's sprained foot caused the two one-game, one-man changes), but the rest of the rotation has become fluid.

Clarence Weatherspoon played 17 minutes Friday. On Sunday, Bostjan Nachbar played as the backup small forward. Power forward Scott Padgett has played substantial minutes in several games, none in others.

"Ideally you'd like to have five names up on the board for 82 games and an eight- or nine-man rotation, but that's not how it works out," coach Jeff Van Gundy said.

Van Gundy played Weatherspoon largely for defensive reasons against the Pacers' Ron Artest and Al Harrington, with a few minutes matched up with Jermaine O'Neal. Few teams have small forwards as physical as Harrington and Artest, but Van Gundy said Weatherspoon showed enough agility defensively to earn time in certain situations.

"He's got quick feet and plays the post well," Van Gundy said. "We've been fortunate to get a guy for our fifth post guy with quality and the flexibility to play at the three (small forward)."

Press row view

For the few moments Mark Jackson and Rod Strickland chatted on the court, it looked like an episode of I love the '80s. The rest of the night, Jackson seemed to be enjoying himself much more. Strickland can still play, but he's caught on a team in which almost every scorer needs the ball to get his own shots. Jackson said he found all sorts of choices when tossing his passes. Jackson has found a place on a team ready and eager to use his talents.

Inside the numbers

Yao Ming's 37 points were the most for a Rocket since Steve Francis had 38 last March 23 at Sacramento. ... With 31 points, Tracy McGrady has led the Magic in scoring in 35 of 45 games. ... Yao has had double doubles in six of his past seven games. ... The Rockets' frontcourt of Yao, Kelvin Cato, Jim Jackson, Maurice Taylor and Bostjan Nachbar combined to make 31 of 52 shots for 80 points; guards Francis, Cuttino Mobley, and Mark Jackson combined to make seven of 25 shots for 19 points.

Did you know?

The Rockets made 49 percent of their shots to move to 17-1 when shooting 45 percent or better.