http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_y...0aA--?slug=ap-rockets-kings&prov=ap&type=lgns Rockets 88, Kings 86 By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN, Associated Press Writer October 14, 2004 AP - Oct 13, 2:46 pm EDT SHANGHAI, China (AP) -- Yao Ming was the star in the NBA's first China game, scoring 14 points and grabbing seven rebounds to lead the Houston Rockets past the Sacramento Kings 88-86 Thursday. There was a capacity crowd on hand at Shanghai's city gymnasium to cheer the 7-foot-6 center, whose return has dominated headlines in his hometown. The crowd chanted Yao's name repeatedly -- even when he wasn't on the court. However, he missed his first two shots and was shaky defensively at the start. ``I didn't play a great game. I was really nervous in the first half. It was almost like the feeling I had playing in my first NBA game,'' Yao said. ``I felt suffocated and I just wanted to find an exit, but I just tried to focus on technical details and then things settled down.'' His first points came on a dunk 7 minutes into the game, and he brought the fans to their feet when he scored on an alley-oop pass from Tracy McGrady in the second quarter. Brad Miller led the Kings with 19 points, but the game was clearly a showcase for Yao. He was even tough on Liu Wei, his teammate on the Chinese Olympic team who was invited to Kings camp in July. Liu made his Sacramento debut early in the second quarter, making a jumper moments after. But Yao fouled Liu with about two minutes left in the half, sending his former teammate to the floor. When Liu looked for some help in getting up, Yao stood still, his hands on his hips. Still, he was gracious to Liu after the game. ``He played very well and his performance was really up to his usual high standards,'' Yao said. Chris Webber scored 14 points for Sacramento, including a half-court buzzer beater that gave the Kings a 72-67 lead heading into the fourth quarter. McGrady had 12 points, seven rebounds and three assists for Houston. Still, Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy is looking for more out of both McGrady and Yao. ``I don't think either one played as well as they could have tonight,'' Van Gundy said. ``But I think they'll have very good seasons, both individually and together.'' Sacramento led by as many as nine points in the final quarter before the Rockets came back. With the crowd chanting ``Yao Ming! Yao Ming!'' Houston clinched the win with two free throws by Tyronn Lue. The teams will play another exhibition game in Beijing on Sunday. ``Coming over here we had two objectives,'' Van Gundy said. ``One was to get a lot done and two, was to get a lot done.''
look at those fans in shanghai... http://image2.sina.com.cn/ty/k/p/2004-10-14/U687P6T12D1194793F44DT20041014200235.jpg
I was a nice win. I like the way our new guys shut it down in the 4th. Hawkins looked good out there. On his posting up moves I kept thinking he was MO, he looked so good making his move to the basket. Boki didn't look too bad out there. He was aggressive but had a hard time finishing. He didn't look that bad on D either, he had a nice steal late in the game. Lue needs to be more careful with his dribbling . Nice to finally see the guys on tv. I didn't get to see any baskets by TMAC. I tuned in in the 3rd quarter.
I hope JVG treat at least one of these pre-season game like a regular season game, and let Yao and T-Mac play big minus. This is a brand new team, JVG should see how well this team will play together against the other NBA teams before the season starts. All the team with major changes have done that, Kobe and Steve both played big minus in their pre-season game. I hope it will be the next game since it will be on national tv
Overall, the team did not look as smooth as we did last game. Maybe it has to do with traveling, fatigue or maybe because we did not start a true PG. We stuttered a bit, especially at the beginning. - TMac: OK, not great, seems like he was not going at full speed yet. - Yao: Did not look quick and strong as he did in the 1st game. Played an average game. - J. Howard: Player of the game. Did everything well. Smooth on offense. Strong on the defense. Board work was excellent. He was at the right place on the floor at both ends, for offensive reb, for help-out defense .... Can not ask for more. - Deke: He looked 28 out there. Scored on hook shots, jump shot, tip in, FT. Strong on the board and a force on defense. He had another 1 of the blocks that brought people out of their seats. Afterward, the Kings threw up several wild shots when they went in close. - Lue, Ward: Looked solid again, pushed the ball hard, distributed it well. Generally made good decisions. - Bowen: Hustler, energy guy. Too bad he has no outside shot. - Hawkins: Good scorer, strong going to the basket. Too bad he has no outside shot. - Boki: Too bad he has no outside shot. In the last game, we said he was put in a bad spot, being the primary option on offense and guarding Wade on defense. This game, he started with our main guys and did not fare too well either. Kept missing wide open shots. He didn't stay that close to Peja either.
JVG is not the kind of coach who is going to play Boki, based upon potential, or sentimental value to fans... Boki better start playing.
Boki's only salvation is the fact he hustles out there and is playing decent defense. But the Rockets are probably NOT going to give Boki the extension at the end of the pre-season unless he shows some offense. I mean if all we need is someone to play defense like that we have a much cheaper Ryan Bowen for that. Nachbar has to show more than that. Nachbar will rise or fall with this jump shot. Period. I want him to succeed, but he is going to have to show it, regardless of the circumstances and matchups he is facing.
I won't waste time trying to overanalyze the second pre-season, post-13-hour-plane-trip game. But I feel compelled to say that this team is already far far easier to watch than in previous years. Dribbling into double teams and throwing up crazy shots made the game seem so difficult and agonizing. This team seems at ease passing the ball... What a relief.
I think we definitely got smarter with the ball than last year. But someone needs to knock down the outside shots. Sac's swarming defense in the middle by no means was intensive, but it still botherer Yao and T-Mac. If we can start knocking down wide open outside shots, the opposing defense will be a lot more honest. Right now I only see JJ being that guy. This kinda concerns me. We need to be able strech the floor as much as possible.
I only watched till the start of the 4th, so I can't comment on Gaines and a couple of the others, but a few things stood out to me during the 3 quarters that I did catch... *Mutombo - who said this guy had nothing left in the tank? He was the best player out there today. He will definitely be a presence in his limited playing time. *Howard - I really, really like Juwon Howard. He's simply a steady, skilled veteran. We keep forgetting that this is a guy who averages 18ppg for his career. He averaged 22 and 10 early on and was thought to be a franchise player. This is a really skilled basketball player. Just like Jimmy Jackson, I'm really liking this concept of stocking up on veteran has beens who want to be in a winning situation. They'll buy into the system, know how to play, and aren't like some of these young hotheads who either suck or think they're above the game. I really, really like Howard. *Ward/Lue - You can see the stark contrast from last year. I hated the Ward signing, but I'm starting to change my mind. You don't really notice him out there and I think that's the sign of a steady point guard. He just quickly brings the ball down the court and gets us into our offense. *T-Mac - He looked really, really rusty out there, but you can already see he's going to be a great fit with Yao. The guy just has an amazing feel for the game, setting people up with his passing. The key though is that he doesn't require much dribbling to score. He just gets the ball and either jacks it up or immediately goes into his move. This guy is going to be a great fit here. *Nachbar - I think it's pretty safe if you want to proclaim Boki as the last in the long line of Rudy T. draft day blunders. I really want the guy to succeed. He hustles, has great size, is a good ball handler and rebounder, but if he isn't hitting his shots, there are other guys (like Bowen) who can hustle much better than he can. I think it's funny how many excuses we give him simply because we have this vision in our minds of what he should be. Because he's European, we all see him as this sweet shooting, athletic big forward who just needs some getting used to the league. "His shot is just barely off." "He needs to play with the starters so he can feed off of them." The bottom line is that if Boki weren't European and were some black guy named Rashard Wiggins, based on his performance thus far, half the board would be wondering why he still was in the league. *Passing - No more excuses this year for Yao. From all early accounts, they're having no trouble whatsoever getting him the ball down low. T-Mac is a very, very good passer. Overall, I really like how Jeff has built this team. Everyone seems to fit well into what they're trying to do. They get the ball down the court quickly, get into their offense. They try to establish Yao and usually are able to. T-Mac strikes quickly relying on his first step rather than dribble moves.
ThaCabbage, thanks for the assessment, exactly what I expected. A solid point just makes it happen, Ward is no Stockton, but he is all we need for now. I thought people would be surprised with Howard. And Lue is probably better than expected.
cabbage, don't forget that Boki is also Yao's best friend on the team. A lot of players have been in the league for years by being the No. 1 cheerleader for the franchise player. The name Jud Buechler comes to my mind...
