not sure what to make of the premise of that article, but i would have to say i was pretty surprised that he didn't include yao's insistence to return to game 1 in his list of career defining moments. that was fairly obvious to me. unless he goes on to win a championship or the MVP, that moment is what will personally first come to mind when i think of yao years down the line after he has retired. it epitomized his sense of responsibility and loyalty to this team and underscored his role as tragic hero in a brilliant career marred by injuries and against the backdrop of carrying the burden of an entire nation. you could literally feel in that moment in the hallway his sense of desperation and realization that his time might have come. it was absolutely epic.
I think him playing on a broken foot in game 3 was more impressive. He's banged his knee earlier in the season, and got right back in the game after taking a few moments to collect himself. It was a similar situation as in game 1, except on a much bigger stage (and with the Staples Center hallway access).
I skimmed over the article and I'm pretty sure they mentioned it. In my skimming efforts, I was unable to figured out what FD-ness meant. Anybody?
Here is at least one reference to that incident in Game 1: "...the gutsy fourth-quarter points he notched against the Lakers in Game One after a near-catastrophic collision with Kobe..." If that's all they mentioned of it, I agree it should have been a bigger focus.
That is one goose bump raising post. Throw in some capitalization and you got yourself post of the year material. Kudos.
