Jeff Van Gundy on Yao: "Undoubtedly the League’s Best Regular Season Center”

Quite a compliment coming from Jeff. He doesn't throw around compliments like this often...

http://www.nba.com/rockets/news/Rockets_Roll_Over_Blazers-170764-822.html

3.05.06
Houston Rockets vs. Portland Trail Blazers
Rockets 102| Blazers 84
Game Recap


With tonight’s 102-84 win, the Rockets now own a nine-game winning streak over the Trail Blazers, including the last five meetings at Toyota Center.

Yao Ming recorded a season-high 32 points tonight for his third 30-point game of the season. His previous two 30-point outings this season were 30 vs. Chicago (11/26) and another 30 points at Golden State (12/14). Yao has now recorded 20-plus points in each of his last seven games (2/22/06-3/5/06), marking the longest 20-point streak of his career.

Yao Ming was 10-of-21 from the field for his fifth game this season with 20-plus field goal attempts. In his first three seasons (244 games), Yao attempted 20 or more field goals only seven times.


The Rockets used 32 points and 13 rebounds from Yao Ming to cruise past the Portland Trail Blazers 102-84 Sunday night at Toyota Center. With the win, Houston improves to 27-33 on the season, while Portland falls to 19-40 with the loss.

Yao started the night 2-10 from the field, but hit on eight of his next 11 attempts, including a perfect 5-5 third quarter in which he scored 17 of his 32 points. Even more impressive, Yao shut down Brian Skinner, who started at center Sunday for Portland. Skinner didn’t score in 32 minutes of action and managed just one shot attempt.

Tracy McGrady left the near the end of the third quarter and did not return to the game due to soreness in his back. He chipped in 18 points, 12 in the first quarter, before his departure. Juwan Howard joined Yao in the double-double club with 11 points and 11 rebounds for a Rockets team that recovered from a 34 percent first-half shooting effort to shoot 60 percent during the final 24 minutes of action.

The Blazers held only as much as a three-point lead Sunday and wasted a career night by Steve Blake. Blake led all Portland players with 23 points on a 7-12 performance from the field.

The game was all Rockets from the outset Sunday. Houston took a 10-5 lead early, despite starting the game 4-17 from the field. That stat is a bit misleading as many of those “attempts” were tip attempts by Yao and other Rockets on the offensive glass that failed to find the bottom of the net.

The Rockets recovered to make seven of their next 13 shots and took a commanding 25-12 advantage into the second quarter. The 12 points by the Blazers were the fewest scored by any Houston opponent in first quarter this season.

Portland fought back in the second. Led by Blake, who scored 11 of his 23 points in the second, Portland was able to knot the score at 33 with less than four minutes to play in the first half.

Blake polished off a 16-2 Portland run with back-to-back triples as Portland went on to shoot 52 percent in the second quarter after starting the game at a 29 percent clip.

After the Portland run, the two teams traded baskets from there and the Blazers turned a 13 point first-quarter deficit into a one point halftime lead with the score 40-39, Portland as the two teams headed to the locker room.

Both teams emerged from the break with loads of energy and traded blows for the first four minutes of action in the third quarter. Then Yao took over.

With the score 50-47, Blazers, Yao got the ball in the post, spun on Skinner and unleashed an emphatic two-handed dunk that brought the crowd to its feet.

Yao’s play ignited a 13-4 run by Houston, who never trailed again after their big man’s slam. Portland had no answer for Yao. They tried Skinner and Ha Seung-Jin on Yao, neither could slow him down in the second half. Even Zach Randolph tried his luck against “undoubtedly the league’s best regular season center” according to Jeff Van Gundy after the game.

Led by Yao, who made all five of his attempts during the third quarter, the Rockets unleashed a 65 percent (13-20) shooting performance in the third and out-scored Portland 37-22 in the period, their highest point total for any quarter this season.

With the score 76-62 to start the fourth quarter, Portland got within 14 points at the start of the final period before the Rockets went on a 12-4 run to push their lead to 20 points at 88-68. Even without McGrady, Houston cruised from there and improved to 6-1 this season and 27-2 under Jeff Van Gundy when scoring 100 or more points in a game at Toyota Center.

The Rockets return to action Tuesday in Minnesota when they take on the Timberwolves. Tip-off is 7:00 p.m. and the game can be seen on FSN Houston.

 

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/basketball/3703167.html

Rockets Beat Portland 9th Straight Time

© 2006 The Associated Press

HOUSTON — Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy believes Yao Ming has improved his all-around game. Yao showed some of that Sunday as he scored 32 points and had 13 rebounds as the Houston Rockets beat the Portland Trail Blazers for the ninth straight time, 102-84 Sunday night.

Yao had his team-leading 21st double-double, including 17 points in the third quarter, to help rally the Rockets from one point down at the half.

"I think he is the best regular-season center in the NBA now," Van Gundy said. "Some other guys may play better in the playoffs, but he's the best during the season because he comes to play every night."

It continued an impressive stretch for Yao, who has averaged 23.3 points and 13.3 rebounds the last 11 games and has had double-doubles in seven of the last nine.

"He's had many good stretches, it's just that sometimes we get caught up in the numbers," Van Gundy said. "I look at the whole thing, his pick-and-roll coverage, his transition defense. I think he's gotten better from his first game in the NBA through now.

Yao's teammates agree.

"He's becoming a powerful force inside for us," David Wesley said. "He's doing a great job. Yao is becoming that dominating player we really need."

Even Yao is starting to notice he has been especially effective since Jan. 29 when he came off a stretch of missing 21 games due to toe surgery.

"Since I came back, my body feels the best it has ever felt," Yao said. "And I feel I'm playing my best. It's a very special feeling right now. I can't figure out what it is but I'm trying to keep it to the next game and the next game until the end of my career."

Forward Tracy McGrady left in the third quarter due to recurring problems with his back and did not return. McGrady, who had 18 points before leaving with 1:29 remaining in the third, has missed a total of 18 games in three stretches due to back spasms.

The Trail Blazers, whose last win in this series was Nov. 21, 2003, at home, have lost eight of their last nine and 12 of 14. Steve Blake scored a career high 23 points.

Yao had a pair of three-point plays in the third quarter to help Houston take a 72-62 lead into the fourth. The Rockets outscored the Blazers 37-22 in the third, Houston's season-high output for a quarter.

"Yao was too much for us," Portland coach Nate McMillan said. "We tried doubling him and playing him straight up and he had an answer for whatever we put on him. When we double-teamed, he knocked down his shots."

The Trail Blazers went on a 19-4 run in the second quarter, including three straight 3s by Blake, to take a 36-35 lead with 2:22 left in the half. Blake had 11 points in the quarter and Portland led 40-39 at the break.

"(Yao) looked real good tonight," Portland's Darius Miles said. "He was patient in the post and did what he had to. Yao is getting better ever year. You can see it."

With Portland starting no one taller than 6-foot-9, the 7-6 Yao had seven rebounds in the first 5 minutes and Houston led by as many as 16 late in the first period.

McGrady had 12 points, equalling Portland's team total as the Rockets took a 25-12 lead into the second quarter. It was the fewest first-quarter points by a Houston opponent this season.

Notes The Rockets are 20-10 in games that both Yao and McGrady have started this season. ... G Rick Brunson, whom the Rockets claimed off waivers from Seattle last Thursday, was activated for Sunday's game. He played the last minute. ... The Trail Blazers have been outrebounded in 12 of 13 games since C Joel Przybilla has been out with right knee tendinitis. He did not make this trip. ... Yao missed his first free throw of the game, snapping a streak of 15 straight made.

 

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/justice/rockets/3703147.html

Heart for game beats strong within Howard

By RICHARD JUSTICE
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle

When he first felt the tightness in his chest and the numbness in his left arm, he came up with a dozen reasons not to worry.

''I shrugged it off," Juwan Howard said. ''I thought it was indigestion."

At the time, he was sidelined with a knee injury. Through the years, he'd had an ice pack on just about every part of his body. One more ache seemed like nothing special.

He didn't get to be admired by coaches and respected by teammates by giving into pain or taking games off.

''He's as diligent about doing his job as anyone we have," Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy said.

Scary moment
Only when the discomfort returned a few hours later, in the middle of the night, did Howard start to worry. It was more intense, more frightening.

''Finally around 4 in the morning, I told my wife I couldn't take it anymore," he said. ''The pain in my chest was excruciating. My left arm was very numb. It was really weird. I knew something wasn't right."

He knows now he was suffering classic heart attack symptoms. Only it wasn't a heart attack. It was an inflammation of the heart known as myocarditis. In extreme cases, it can result in death.

''They said that in some ways it would be considered a heart attack for a normal person," he said. ''Since I'm a well-conditioned athlete, it wasn't really a heart attack. What that means I don't know."

Thus began three months that altered Howard's outlook on life. In a season of injury and disappointment for the Rockets, he's the one who has never complained about much of anything.

He's happy for every practice, road trip and bad call. Funny how it sometimes takes something so large to make someone appreciate all the little stuff.

At the time of the chest pains (April 2005), he was unhappy that a knee injury might keep him from being part of a playoff run. He gained perspective on that, too.

Blessing in disguise
''Having that knee injury probably saved my life," he said. ''If I'd been on the floor and experienced those same symptoms, I'd have tried to fight through it. You never know what could have happened."

He lay immobilized on his back for the next seven days. He had no idea when, or if, he'd play basketball again.

''When I first got out of bed, I had to learn how to walk all over again," Howard said. ''I was so weak. I was hooked up to tubes and monitors the whole time."

The Rockets were uncertain about his return. That's one of the reasons they acquired Stromile Swift.

Howard wondered, too. When he resumed workouts late last summer in Chicago, he said, it was "like I was starting over. It took a few days to shake off the rust."

He has been typically solid, averaging 11 points and almost seven rebounds. When the Rockets examine what went wrong, he won't be one of the reasons.

First there are the injuries to Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming. With Sunday night's 102-84 victory over Portland, the Rockets are 20-10 when both are healthy. To contend, they need both healthy for an entire season.

They also need at least one proven outside shooter.

So Howard will be one of those feel-good stories that goes mostly unnoticed in a bad season. He has soldiered on, as anonymous as ever.

Last season's turnaround began when Van Gundy asked him to focus on defense and rebounding rather than being a primary low-post scoring option.

Howard had the same role this season until Yao and McGrady got hurt.

For a few weeks, he was a 20-point scorer again. Then when the Rockets had their top two guys back, he returned to the role he'd had before. If every athlete had Juwan Howard's sense of team, coaches would have easier lives.

This season is different in ways that don't show up in the numbers. It's constructed from a thankfulness that might not have been there before.

''I will never ever complain about certain things," Howard, 33, said. ''I'll never complain how long the season is and how much you'd like a day off. When you start thinking what might have been, it's not important.

''I appreciate this game even more. I won't ever take it for granted."