I know this topic has been brought up in the other threads, but I believe it deserves its own given the number of posts about is. It seems as if Dallas decided to play Yao very rough tonight and it seemed as if they were fouling him every trip down the floor. I guess Cuban's complaints about Yao last time worked the refs and I guess the refs weren't willing to call a foul every trip down. Miami also played Yao very tough, but I don't believe they hacked him nearly as much. Several questions have been running through my head... -Should Rudy have brought up the hacking with the refs? What about expressing his thoughts to the media? Seemed to work for Cuban. Should he have at least taken a technical to make a point? -Can Yao take being hammered every night if this is the strategy teams choose to employ. Shaq could take a beating because 1) he's strong as hell 2) he went to the line very often. Yao isn't nearly as strong and he isn't getting nearly as many calls. Yao can hit his free throws, so if they start calling the fouls he'll make teams pay. -Is Yao going to start getting more calls? -Do we need an enforcer on the team?
I'm quite sure that Rudy did bring it up with the refs. All coaches do. He has never been one(like Riley) to dog the refs publicly. I'm also pretty sure he did get a T. Could be wrong about that tho.
I'd love PJ Brown. A hard working player that's willing to take on a role. He plays tough and rough, but he's not a very dirty player.
Yes he did. Yelling and fussing...2 trainers had to hold him back....and maybe that was an assistant coach...though i have no idea who that was.
Some history... The term "Hack-a-Shaq" is hacking Shaq so you could put him at the free-throw line (because he didn't shoot them so well). Previous threads on this it wasn't called "Hack-A-Yao."(some one else came up with the term "Yao-a-hack." I can't remember who)... This, "Yao-a-hack." Which means, players were trying to get Yao to hack AT THEM so that Yao could get fouled out. I think that the reason that Yao isn't getting the calls is because the Refs are in playoff mode. They are ramping up. Thus, players have to adjust. Besides, Yao needs to get more physical/aggressive. He needs to learn this now, rather than be "babied" by preferentail treatment by the refs. Else, he spend most of his time on the bench after he gets his first taste of the play-offs.
A lot of people are saying the refs are in playoff mode. But I don't believe that's the case. We're still a good 25 games away from the playoffs and I've never recalled the refs not calling as much in prep for the playoffs when they're that far away. I think that the after Cuban made a big fuss about the lack of calls against Yao in the last Mavs game, the refs didn't want to take the heat. I also think that Yao doesn't command much respect from the refs at this point because he's a rookie. Yao definitely has to be more aggressive, but the Rockets should continue to make the point that he's not getting calls. The Lakers and Shaq have been lobbying that Shaq is fouled on every play and this is with Shaq being a pretty bad foul shooter.
I remembered the first job P. Jackson did when he signed with the Lakers was to lobby that Shaq got the call. The guy is a smart a**.
Dude refs aren't gonna bail u out every time. Yao had 18 pts and carried the team in second half. Sure he gets beatup but that's what happens to NBA centers its expected. I still remember when an anouncer highlighted a replay between Ewing and Mourning way back when. The clip showed those to pretty much wrestling with each other arms lock, legs hooking around each other and the refs just lets them play. It's all about hardcore old school big man game. Sigh, it's just that these days we only have Shaq and Duncan every now or then playing like that as far as 7 footers goes. Now most seven footers tries to be like KG, Nowitsky, Raef Lafrense, great games, but man lost some of the more physical aspects of basketball.
Yao was spending his time in the paint where as Nowitski was spending much more time on the perimeter. You can't just look at the number of FTs shot. You should take into consideration the fact that on the perimeter, people don't lay a hand on you compared to when you have the ball inside.
The b**** is back or in this case the b****'s back. Yao's ass got owned. Those two smiling girls look like they are watching a gay porno for the first time (not that I've seen a gay porno myself or would be happy about seeing such a movie)
