mysanantonio.com - Houston post flames Spurs with 27 points

mysanantonio.com - Spurs unable to solve giant Chinese puzzle

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Spurs unable to solve giant Chinese puzzle

By Johnny Ludden
San Antonio Express-News

Web Posted : 12/04/2002 12:00 AM

HOUSTON — Halfway around the world, on those most blessed of occasions when the NBA somehow found its way to Shanghai, China, Yao Ming tuned his television to watch his fellow 7-footers.
He saw how well David Robinson ran the floor, how quickly he moved on defense to protect the rim. He watched how Tim Duncan effortlessly released his jump hook.

Stretching his 7-foot-5 frame in front of his locker early Tuesday evening, Yao said he picked up a few things from studying Duncan and Robinson. He was quick to admit, however, he still had much to learn.

"I don't think," Yao said Tuesday about 90 minutes before tip-off, "I could ever be as big as they are."

He was right. For at least one night, he was bigger.

Five weeks after stumbling through his first NBA appearance in a preseason loss to the Spurs, Yao showed just how far he's come. Totaling 27 points and a career-high 18 rebounds against Robinson, Duncan and Kevin Willis — at least two of whom will likely enter the Hall of Fame — he led Houston past the Spurs 89-75 in front of 11,120 at the Compaq Center.

For the Rockets, it was just their second win over the Spurs in 17 games. Judging from the performance of their rookie center, it might not be their last this season.

"He's for real," Steve Smith said. "At that age? He's for real. He did that against three 7-footers — three 7-footers who can play. David Robinson. Kevin Willis. Tim Duncan. Those aren't three stiffs.

"He played well. And he can only get better."

The Spurs (11-8) might have been better off playing Houston (10-7) a week earlier. After Yao averaged just 5.2 shots during their five-game trip along the West Coast — he had just three attempts in Sunday's loss at Sacramento — the Rockets apparently decided it might be a good thing to put the ball in the hands of their giant.

By the end of the first quarter, he had taken eight shots and had nine points and eight rebounds. He had his second double-double of the season with more than four minutes left in the first half.

On three consecutive trips down the floor in the second quarter, he hit a layup, threw a perfect bounce pass to a cutting Moochie Norris for another easy basket and knocked down a turnaround over Duncan on the next possession. After his jumper gave the Rockets a 42-33 lead — a lead they would extend to 49-39 at the half — he ran down the court pumping his fist.

"The biggest difference between the first game," Yao said of his six-point preseason encounter with the Spurs, "and this game, is that my confidence is much, much higher."

It showed. Though the Spurs started fronting him in the second half to deny him the ball — helping them reel off a 16-4 run to reclaim the lead — Yao made two key plays in the final quarter: a sharp pass to Steve Francis, who was fouled as he cut to the basket; and a follow dunk off a miss by Francis that put Houston up 82-73 with 3:04 left.

"He's definitely going to be one of the top players in the league," said Robinson, who had a particularly rough night trying to keep Yao off the glass.

"He was impressive," Duncan said. "He shot better than I thought he could. We had a hand in his face and it didn't matter."

Contested or not, the Spurs couldn't hit nearly enough shots of their own. They made only two of their 13 attempts in the final quarter and finished the evening a woeful 24 for 35 from the foul line.

Tony Parker missed 10 of 13 shots. Duncan scored 25 points, but missed 7 of 16 free throws, including three in the fourth quarter.

"In a lot of ways we played well," Popovich said, referring to the seven turnovers the Spurs committed, "but the 34 percent shooting isn't going to get it done."

Not on a night when Yao took one more giant step forward.

jludden@express-news.net


12/04/2002