I just watched multiple angles of the play late in the third quarter in which Yao left the court doubled over in pain. Marv Albert called it an "inadvertent elbow" on MSG but the replay shows otherwise. Marbury looked left, saw Yao setting the pick, and very willfully planted a solid elbow to his midsection. He even cocked it slightly. After the play, as Yao walked off with Keith Jones, the MSG camera fixed on Marbury, and he wore a smirk that told it all. I mean, I give him a little bit of credit for taking Yao out of the game, since he was absolutely torching the Knicks the entire third quarter. But that play was pretty classless. I like Marbury but I'll take Steve every day.
This is exactly the kind of thing we've been pushing Yao to do. It would be quite hypocrytical to burn Marbury for it.
This may turn out to be a good thing. I hope Yao will get the lesson and uses his big elbows to punish his opponents.
I disagree. Throwing bows to grab a rebound or clear out space is one thing ... it's basically a part of the game (albeit a rough part). But throwing a clandestine elbow to somebody's stomach like that is really uncalled for. In my opinion, at least.
I'll say it again. Bring in Clarence Weatherspoon for a couple minutes. Let him make a.... contribution to his team.
I got hit in the mid section like that once. It was the most out of breath pain I had ever experienced.
I agree that it is uncalled for, but having said that, I think it will be good for Yao. If he can see that some people play to those extremes in the league it will just help to convince him more that he can't play soft, and even if he wants to, people arent going to play that way against him.
I haven't seen it, but from what I read in the paper, it sounds like he went down in a somewhat wimpy way? Francis told him he is too big to go down like that, so GET UP. I kind of like that .
He didn't go down in any wimpy way. Upon slo-mo review, Marbury elbowed Yao just below his sternum. I've been in plenty of fights in my lifetime and got caught a few times in that spot. It's equivalent to the pain of getting kicked in the nuts. You can't just act like nothing happened, and your body naturally reacts. Steve probably thought it was an elbow to his ribs or something minor. Upon getting elbowed, Yao grabbed at that spot. Then bent over, and ultimately squated down. It didn't look wimpy at all. After a TO was called, Keith Jones went to Yao, and supported his head and helped him to the bench.
Thanks! Well, even though it is a bad thing to say, I would not be surprised if Marbury gets some of his own medicine at some point.
i disagree. You hate to see Yao, or anyone, get hurt but I think thats perfectly ok. Of course you dont want to purposely hurt someone, but you do want to make people think twice about coming over and setting a pick or something against you. Youre always taught to fight through the pick and I think thats just what stephon was doing. Personally, I try to fight through a pick and try to get a guy to think twice about coming again as well.
If it's in the course of the game then I'm ok with it, i.e. setting or trying to prevent a pick. Some call it dirty and some calls it physical play. Now if you were running down the court and somebody gives you an elbow, then it's a whole another manner.
Incidental contact is one thing, but that's not what this was. If Stephon saw that he was about to hit the pick and cocked his elbow, that's a flagrant foul. Still, I agree that it's good to toughen Yao up mentally. I think JVG should have had someone give Jerkbury a hard foul in return though. We need to let people know that hurting Yao will not be tolerated.
i am from brooklyn, and i LOVE marbury, but i really think weatherspoon should have gone in goonsquad-style with a little hammertime for starbury. turnabout is fair play in my book. but it is good for yao to get some seasoning, and him comin back in and poppin off was sweet. he needs to do like hakeem and get some payback. it was funny walton and elliot started talking about how hakeem was the best at the secret elbows comin offa screens!
Well, Yao was killing the Knicks. They couldn't stop him. When a guy is lighting you up, you have to get physical with him, and I think that is what Marbury was trying to do. I can't blame him, if he was just trying to be physical. If he was trying to cheap shot Yao, then he will get his.
throwing a few elbows to clear picks is just as much a part of teh game as using elbows to clear space when rebounding. Its a guards way or protecting himself out on the perimeter. ust like big men should keep their bows up down low to protect the ball from guards. Is it legal? NO it would probably be called a foul if it was seen but its all a part of the game. I got caught with one of those onceright in the sternum and it knocked my breath out....from that day on you better believe whenever someone set a pick on me they would taste a lil bit of elbow...I dont think ive ever quite been able to do it the way the guy who caught me did.....I was bent over liek Yao. So im sure yaosers will learn a lil somethin somethin...either how to use the bow..or protect from it
I see your point and I actually agree with it. If it were Stevie delivering the blow I'd probably applaud him for it. Marbury was obviously frustrated and took it out on Yao's belly. A few minutes later, he basically tossed Stevie out of bounds onto some blonde lady's lap. His team was getting waxed and like a hockey goon, he stepped up the physical play.
