From the Chronicle: Nov. 7, 2004, 12:34AM Timing perfect for Yao, Ward Rockets keep Kings within range to set up successful charge in OT By JONATHAN FEIGEN Tracy McGrady did not want to say it. He fought the urge to feel it. But he had been waiting to feel this way for so long, for too long. He didn't fight that hard. This was not what brought him to Houston, but it was the most tangible evidence that it is all here within his grasp. He had felt himself carry the Rockets when he had to. He watched as the Rockets' defense tested one of the NBA's best offenses. And most of all, he saw Yao Ming dominate the way he had always yearned to see a center on his team dominate. Playing their fourth game in five nights to open the season, the Rockets were at times running on fumes but saw enough in an exhilarating, 104-101 overtime win over the Kings on Saturday to believe there would be more games like it. Finally, they did not have to go on blind faith. "I told him, 'That's the Yao I need to see,' " McGrady said. "I need to see that every night, every single night. That's the Yao I need to see. If he can play like that every night, we're going to be a hell of a team. That's what I've been missing: a guy that can dominate on the post like that and open it up on the perimeter for me." With that in mind, McGrady knew he saw more than one fun win. "It's pretty much bigger than that," McGrady said, and that sentiment spread around the locker room. Yao can do that to a team the way few players can. After averaging 10.3 points in the Rockets first three games, he scored 33 with 12 rebounds. But more than that, he carried the Rockets down the stretch, scoring 12 fourth quarter points to complete their comeback from a 15-point deficit and loudly announce his revival — at least for the night. "I felt really good and I think our team chemistry was really good," Yao said. "We just kept on fighting because we didn't want to lose our home opener." The fight, not surprisingly, impressed Jeff Van Gundy most. "I don't think anyone should discount the four (in) five night to find the will to win that game," Van Gundy said. "We could have easily given in. I think it says a lot about our guys and I like their fight." But they seemed to need to see Yao be Yao. Before the game, Juwan Howard turned to the bench and said, "Yao is going to dominate." After the game, Scott Padgett came into the locker room and said, "We finally saw the Yao we know and love." "We got on Tracy's back to get back in the game," Rockets forward Maurice Taylor said. "From that point on, we just rode Yao. Yao took it home from there. It was great to see. He's a guy that can dominate, that you can't guard with one guy, that rebounds and scores at will. That's the Yao I think everyone was waiting to see." The Kings had surged back from a horrible shooting start to lead by as much as 15. But McGrady, who had 23 points and 13 rebounds, drained consecutive 3-pointers, and the Rockets made their move. The Rockets did not complete their comeback until Yao took over in the fourth. The Rockets removed the last bits of the Kings lead when Tyronn Lue, playing in a backcourt with Charlie Ward for much of the night, sent a pass ahead to Taylor for slam that tied the game 89-89 with three minutes left. In the last minute, the Rockets got the stops they needed to shoot for the win. But with the game tied, McGrady was unable to get loose enough to get Yao the ball. On one possession, he was forced to dump it to Taylor without enough time to get a shot off over Chris Webber. On the last possession of regulation, he slipped, dropping a pass to Lue, whose shot at the buzzer missed. Needing one more shooter much of the night, the Rockets found him once in overtime. With the Rockets trailing by two, Taylor found Charlie Ward in the corner for a 3-pointer that gave the Rockets the lead for good. On the next possession, when the Kings swarmed around Yao, he passed to Ward at the top of the key for another 3 and a five-point lead. The Rockets missed four of six free throws in the last half-minute to allow the Kings to remain in range. But Yao stepped up to force Webber to miss on a drive and Mike Bibby, who had 31 points to lead the Kings, missed a 3 with 5.3 seconds remaining. And the Rockets decided that they had seen enough to see how it all could work. "It's coming," McGrady said. "It's too premature to let this dictate how many wins were going to have in the regular season, but it is coming. The main thing is we have to buckle down on the defensive end. "The offense is going to go. I can score. Yao can score. And we have guys who can knock down shots. We get that defense down, we're going to be tough." jonathan.feigen@chron.com Sweet read!
Outstanding effort by the Rockets, especially Yao. Hopefully, it'll silence the naysayers and folks saying Yao should be delt for Mihm + Odom, etc. Yao's only started tapping into his vast potential. He's truly capable of becoming the best center in the history of basketball.
"Yao and Tracy were playing a great game and doing their job and I let them down on a few of the shots," Ward said. "I'm just grateful I had the opportunity to redeem them. "Yao "was just imposing his will on those guys," McGrady said.
Come on! We want the real Yao Ming in every single game. Please don't cheat us with a body double again.
did you mean 'one of the best' ?? even that is pretty damn impossible. Is David Robinson good enough to be one of the best in history? He's not even top 5... but look at his numbers and impact; look at Ewing's... Duncan's? Yao needs to be more consistent, that's all. Leave the discussion of all time greats till he's in his prime or wins a champ!
I was at the game and all i gota say is AMAZING! That game was realllllllllllllllllllllllllllllly good! GO ROCKETS!
Awesome game from our Rockets! Well, so far they're improving with each game and I think they will be a very great team by January. Props to all true Rockets fans who believes in our team despite where everybody else who had already given up or show a lot of hate on the team just after 2 loses. It just amazes me what a win like this can do....haters are gone(for a while) and there are a lot of positve talks through out the boards, which was something we desperately need to balance out all of the negative vibes that had been goin on. Lets just hope we get a lot more win then loses. Again great job from T-Mac, Ward and espeically Yao...they deserve this win as well as all the great Rockets fan at Clutch.
Erm... It's already been posted twice. One in the game thread and one in it's own thread halfway down the page.
I can guarantee you that they will be back after the next time we lose a game or our star players have a subpar game. There are still at least 78 games left in this season. So they will have a lot of chances. I guess we have to live with it.
C'mon dude, cheer up! You sound bitter after a win like this means you must not be a fan. The Rox just won a big game, no need to bring negative vibes right now and just enjoy the win for a while.
Believe it or not, I think Yao has the potential to become the greatest center ever. That's just my opinion. I don't want to start a flame war here. I just have great optimism and praise for Yao, whether he has 33 points and 12 rebounds or 8 points and 4 rebounds.
Consistency is the key for Yao. With the current build-up of the team, there is no reason why he shouldn't get a double-double every night. If he can do this every night, the Rockets will be a great basketball team again.
Unfortunately, I didn't see the game. My descriptions would only be reliant from nba.com and the Houston Chronicle article. Sorry I don't have more detailed descriptions. Maybe another fan does.
serisouly, where is JediKnight. People who disappear after a Rox win simply because the guy they been bashing had a great game shows us their true colors.
I'd like to see Yao average 25.5 points, 13.7 rebounds, 3.5 blocks, and 4.0 assists. I like the fact that he grabbed 2 steals during this game as well. I'm confident he'll remain aggressive. It's nice to have guys like T-Mac, Ward and Lue feed him the ball so well.
