2002-03's Top 20 Games to Watch By John Hollinger, CNNSI.com Jan. 17: L.A. Lakers at Houston: Yao Ming, this is Shaquille O'Neal. Welcome to the NBA. Try to stay in one piece. This is the only Rockets game in the list. I've lived in Houston my entire life and I am use to the Rockets not getting respect, but this is just wrong. After I read this, I thought about all the times the Rockets were put down or just down right dissed. And my head nearly blew up! Can't wait for the Rockets to shut them up. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/nba/2003/preview/news/2002/10/18/games_watch/
I hear a lot of that kind of talk outside of Houston,, But most of us remember The Dream schooling Shaq early in his career. No one can stop Shaq now at the peak of his career. Yao is just a rookie who hasnt played his first NBA game. I suspect he will do about as well as anyone else against Shaq...Why rag the rookie.!!!!
There seem to be so many journalists out there who can't wait to see Shaq flatten Yao as if that would happen anyway. I just don't get that. Players, coaches, GM's and scouts have all shown him a great deal of respect but the idiot journalists, who seem to share some sort of collective, macho, beer-soaked excuse for a brain, are behaving like three year olds. My guess is they are trying desperately to save face in case all of their glorious predictions turn out to be bull****.
i think most of it... is that..they are american journalists...and i think they see shaq as an american defending america from this foreign kid coming in and trying to take over this american game...so theyll root for shaq. theyre bitter yao is getting all this hype. i think its really about that..deep down..and of course its wrong.. ill bet during this game, yao makes a few jump shots over shaq and hold his own, but then shaq will dunk on him a couple of times. but i dont think yao will get abused..
I think a lot of it is journalists being lazy as hell, and the fact they have a formula. If they say he sucks, and he actually sucks, they act like they're brilliant and echo Aldridge's lies "you heard it here first". If he doesn't suck, then they play the hammy NBC music about how "against all odds Ming has earned his spot in the NBA and gained the respect of everyone". They have another story to sell you. They win either way, actually. It really sucks.
yeah... if they are right...they let you know about it... if they are wrong...they just let it slide, and jump on the bandwagon as if no one will know about it
The rest of the NBA should be glad Yao landed here in Houston. Because when the Rockets start hitting their peak (like the Blazers did in 1999-2000, and the Kings in 2000-2001 and 2001-2002), they are not going to melt against the Lakers like the other teams in the West. History shows that the Rockets are the only team in the West that can take to the Lakers at playoff time. The Spurs have had their chance, so have the Blazers and the Kings. It's time for the real team to reach its peak and show the Lakers what a real challenger can do to them. (although it probably wont happen this year, with Yao being a rookie and all.) Laker fans,you laugh at the Rockets now, but give us a little time, because when the Rockets meet LA in the playoffs, it's gonna be 1986 all-over again. A Rockets vs. Phil Jackson team needs to happen before Phil hangs it up because nothing would be greater than to beat that arrogant "give me the best players so I can catch Red" smirkface.
we allways give the lakers a hard time. even when we were injured in the past with key players out, we still came with in a couple points of winning. hopefully we stay healthy tihs season, and with the addition of yao...i think shaq may win the battle but we will win the game.
