ClutchFans Game Thread: Rockets @ Warriors 3/14/2005

What was really good about this game is that we stunk it up in the 4th and still managed to win.

 

Yao got a call here and there on offense, but the refs were back to their old ways, calling ticky tack BS on him on defense.

1. Mystery foul. I didn't see it. Don't think Bill mentioned it. I think they charged Yao for a foul that someone else committed. Someone correct me if i'm wrong.

2. Touched Baron Davis on the perimeter with his hand.

3. Obvious over-the-back.

4. This one was worse of all. Yao stood there with his hands up, conceding the layup to Murphy. Murphy brushes by Yao and misses the layup, and the ref calls Yao for a foul about 2 seconds later. Terrible.

5. Davis penetrates jumps with nowhere to go, Yao also jumps. There is contact, but Yao went straight up, and Baron wasn't even looking to shoot or pass really.

Call me a conspiracy theorist or a crazy man if you want, but I still believe the refs try to equalize the games against bad teams by taking Yao out of there. I don't think it's a conscious agenda, but more of an unconcious help-the-underdog-at-home scenario. I have noticed this trend over the course of the season. Yao picks up 2 very questionable fouls early against the crappy team, and the game stays close as a result.

Against the better teams on the trip, they let Yao play because the teams were more evenly matched. As a result, he dominates the game with a more physical style.

 

His season average is 31min, so I do not consider 29 min is a humiliation. Please do not always call anyone showing some positive opinions on yao as YOF as you do not wanna be labeled as YOH when you show some negatives.

 

Yes, only a Yao hater does this thing.

 

Your missing the point. Yao is not going to get as many shots as we think he should during games like last night when he plays sporadically and sits 20 minutes. Some sort of ryhthm has to develop out there. Does Yao get the ball enough - no.

But does he do enough to consistently create the right circumstances to where he should get the ball as much as I want him to - hell no he doesnt.

Stay on the freaking court for more than 4 minutes, do not sit on the bench for 20 minutes, don't pick up three cheap fouls in a row like some overzealous role player trying to make a name for himself as charlie hustle.

Do that, and Yao will get the amount of touches that we all know he should get.

 

31 minutes is a humilation for a player of Yao's caliber.

It's a very unique issue here.

Not in the history of the game has there ever been a player of Yao's talent who plays so few minutes.

Find me one player of Yao's caliber that plays less than 35 minutes a night.

To be a top player on a very good team, you have a responsibilty to your team to be out there for at least 35 minutes a night.

Yao is too important, too great of a player, to be on the bench every game in foul trouble.

 

That's right. I agree.

But we should also admit there does have a stamina problem with him. Although he is progressing dramatically, showing a big stride compared with two years ago or one year ago, he does still have this problem which shows up more prominently than other rockets players in this kind of back to back competition. From the view of biology, big guys already need more to maintain their metabolism

And sometimes I believe it's JVG who wants yao out to save some of his energy for the next game when we are faced by a team like Golden State, since with our hot role players such as wesley, we were already leading by 15, it might be a good idea to rest Yao a little bit though Yao himself might still want to stay on the court.

 

I remember the over-the-back but I think I want to review the other fouls you mentioned tonight to see if he was being jobbed again.

However, on at least one occasion, Yao is not standing perfectly still and a shooter barrels into him and no foul is called. Bodies fly, the Rockets fast-break off the mayhem. The crowd howls angrily. Love it.

Really, Yao seemed like he tired very quickly tonight. After collecting five rebounds real quick, suddenly the Warriors started collecting all kinds of offensive rebounds he should have had and JVG took him out with like five minutes left in the first quarter. Maybe it's true he isn't 100%.