I don't know if it is difficulty with Miller himself.. but just the passing game and chemistry of the Kings. That is their strength and why they have been near the top for the past few years. I recall Ming destroying Miller and JO during his rookie season...
I think its because Miller plays the perimeter more than any usual center. So Yao has to constantly move more.All of millers shots are taken when hes wide open, never 1 on 1 with Yao.
To be fair, Miller had a couple of drives on Yao too. I can live with Miller taking open jumpers, cause Yao has to defend the post too. But when hes driving on Yao, thats whats pissing me off.
Miller is shorter, quicker than Yao, like most of the centers in the league, so why it's a surprise to anyone when he drove around Yao? Yao is fine as long as he doesn't go outside too much, keep his feet on the ground.
He's quicker and smaller than Yao so we should expect him to drive on Yao. He shoots over Yao all day from 15 feet. Then what the hell is Yao good for? Are you saying we should expect Brad to light him up everytime? I would expect, hope, that Yao can at least be able to contain Brad freakin' Miller.
Sorry, but you've really exposed yourself to ridicule here. Imagine an opposing team that doesn't play a C. They, instead, play... five guards. Any of those guards is going to be able to "light Yao up." Any of them will shoot over Yao all day from 15 feet. Yao wouldn't be able to guard the guy close enough to stop it because the guard could just drive around him. Yao can: (1) guard the bigger, post-playing centers (2) boost the entire team defense by leaps and bounds with his presence in the lane. Players like Yao or Shaq are not effective in 1-on-1 match-ups versus smaller centers who can take them out of the paint. Sorry, just reality.
Why are we talking about guards? I don't care if Kobe can lightup Yao, thats not his problem. Brad Miller is. Brad Miller is a center. Are you telling me Brad Miller averages 22 against Shaq as well? People need to stop making excuses for Yao. He needs to improve his defense if he ever wants to be Great. Theres no excuse for Brad Miller scoring in the lane with Yao draped over him. He can shoot him jumpers, but when he comes in the paint, Yaos gotta get that s*** outta there. Maybe i just hold Yao at too high of a standard since i believe he can be one of the all time greats. Maybe I'm wrong, maybe i should start accepting the fact that he's gonna get schooled by Brad Miller for the rest of his career like you do.
A lot of Millers points come outside of the paint shooting jumpers that is why he scores a lot more on centers that dominate the paint.
some guys just give other guys trouble. what was that guys name on the sonics that gave dream troubles (perkins?)
Not only that. But we need to start acknowledging that Brad Miller isn't some average center. The guy can play ball! He's scored 35 points last year and scored 20+ points over ten times last year. Plus the guy averges 10 rebounds. He has quicker lateral movement than Yao will ever have. That's just the way it is. And Yao will always have trouble keeping up with his foot speed. Miller is a mix between a Center and a Small foward. http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/3305/gamelog Another thing I notice is Yao taking Miller for granted. For example, when Miller plays against Yao, Miller gives it 100%. But when Yao plays against Miller, Yao plays only 80%, or so (unless it was a play-off game). The bottom line is that Brad Miller gives his all against Yao because he knows he HAS to in order to help his team win. Yao can "coast" but Miller can't. Miller takes on Yao like it's a personal challenge. Watch Miller play. He goes at it like it's his last game.
Yao can D up against guys who post up. The only two guys who post up and give Yao problems are Shaq and Tim Duncan. I don't think he had problems with Zach Randolph and Amare Stoudamire. Brad Miller is a very effective jump shooter, and he's able to drive to the basket. When Yao goes up to try to defend the jumpshot, he will be put in a situation which requires him to move laterally if Brad Miller puts the ball on the ground and decides to drive. The same goes with any player in the league. The ability to make a jumpshot forces the defender to edge up closer which creates opportunities for slashes to the basket. This is why when the Kings are hitting on all cylinders, they absolutely kill all teams in the NBA. I don't care if it is the Pistons or the Lakers in their heyday. If the Kings are hitting their jumpshots, it spaces the entire halfcourt to the point of becoming almost unable to be defended with any effectiveness. The key is to find the weak link in their offense. That weak link is usually Doug Christie or Webber especially if he is off. Zone way off those guys and force those guys to hit the jumpers. If Van Gundy is going to assign Yao to defend Brad Miller especially when he is canning jumpers, he will be making a mistake. That's almost as bad as Cato guarding Pau Gasol last year. Van Gundy should understand the limitations and abilities of his players and make good use of them. I'd rather have Yao guard Webber since Webber's shot is not nearly as good as Miller's. Also, Webber posts up sometimes to create shots for himself and his teammates.
