he has had clutch performances but also choke performances... i think that's what stars do, they swing big, but sometimes they lose big too. But yao shouldn't be afraid of missing clutch shots, after all, he is the best player on the floor and we take the best chance letting him take the shot (rather than rafer...) but if t-mac or ron comes back, i think it's better they be the closer. In this league, it's much easier for a wing man to take the last shot, they aren't as easily duoble-teamed or trapped as a big man.
Yao's already a superstar in my eyes, but to be a legit MVP contender, you gotta know how to play in the 4th. You have step it up to another level. He's just not there right now. But if he learns to keep his cool and make better decisions with the ball, he may end up being a great closer in the future.
Another reason why Yao can't be a closer. Refs tend to not call fouls late in games and opponents know this so they play Yao even more physical. Don't expect charity calls like the one on Kleiza too often.
Yao must also take care of the ball especially in close games in the 4th qtr. Those 2 turnovers in the last 3 minutes during the Denver game could have been costly. Needs to have his head on a swivel and keep the ball high during a game but especially in the 4t qtr.
no, it doesn't have to be that time consuming. the quick post, off a missed shot, is a option solely based on yao's ability to quickly seal his defender. as far as it being quicker for a perim playe to initiate, the halfcourt trap slows it and he'd be 30+ feet from the basket. again, this is off a missed shot. on a made bucket, yao again can get the ball quickly if he is decisive coming across the low blocks off a down screen. the biggest prob I see with yao in his post setups is he simply does not get wide enough. he presents an amazingly narrow target for someone 300lbs. he needs to get on the low block quickly, plant his rear LOW, shoulders and chest high and give the wings a wide target. even after that, he needs to be more demonstrative and definitive and assertive with his move(s). after watching him levitate ariza, I know he's strong enough to be dominant in the stretch. the question is does he KNOW it and will he WALK it? little men didn't strip dream, duncan, or hell, ewing, down the stretch. yao doesn't need excuses. he has the ability to dominate. dream told him so. ewing told him so. I think he knows it. now he has to walk it.
Personally I thought Yao was pretty damn good at the end of the Denver game. One turnover happened because he was called for traveling. Why did Yao travel? Because Chris Anderson hooked his damn arm and yanked Yao down as he was going up for a shot. It reminded me of a defensive back pulling at a receivers arm while trying to make a catch. Should have been an easy call against the Anderson and a trip to the stripe but instead it was called traveling on Yao which equalled a turn over and also came with a tech against Yao for his reaction. Yao also rushed a shot in the last minute and missed but I think he must have hit 3 or 4 shots in a row during the last few minutes to keep us in it. I'm not saying Yao does not have strides to go to be a good closer but I just don't think the Denver game is a very good example (I thought he was really good)...especially the way the Refs officiated that game.
i just want yao to WANT the ball/shot/making plays. i don't care about the result. usually our best players should make plays down the stretch. if the team loses via its best players, that's all you can ask for. i rather lose it on tracy/yao/artest than on rafer/brooks... PS - making plays don't mean our stars have to shoot, they can pass it to the open guy. as long as our big guns make the plays, i'm fine with the results.
I hate when Yao play loose and does that stupid turnaround left fadeaway jump shot. He usually missed. I mean if you're smart, you want to go to ur go-2-move every freaking time. Unless, UNLESS time is running out or something then u do that stupid fake away move. Because with Yao, when he's backing in and backing and does that right hook shot...that's almost ALWAYS money. Nobody can stop that. So every time i see him do some other moves, it's just a waste of possession.
There have been a few crunch time moments when either Yao or McGrady or both seemed a little rattled by the pressure. In my opinion, their killer instincts tend to come and go; sometimes they have it, while other times they don't. But I don't see this as a "fatal flaw." Through teamwork and preparation, it should be possible to improve in tight situations. And having a guy like Artest, who seems to enjoy the pressure, should help in the playoffs.
Totally agree. In order to become a great player instead of a good player, Yao needs to demand the ball, make the right decision and hit some tough shots.
In all fighting, the direct force may be used for joining battle, but unexpected force will be needed in order to secure victory. ---- Sun Tzu, The Art of War Yao is not necessary to directly close a game, but he should keep opponent pressure. Without the threat from the direct force, there is no unexpected force. In order to be great, he should be smart.
solomon...great job...pick on yao..a guy who is showing up day in and out...even after suffering a possible career threatening injury less that a year ago...and who did his work in the off season even though he had surgery too... jerk off tmac with another on of your kiss ass articles way to g...kudos
In the early 90's, when the Sonics played semi-zone defense, their little guys did strip the ball from Dream more than a few times during clutch time. That's the way the defense played right now. It gives big man hard time to post up at the end of the game. Yao does dominate the other bigs when playing one on one. Imaginate if zone defense is still illegal in the NBA, I bet Yao should have a better scoring number. A lot better.
