Shaq gets the call, Duncan gets the call, even Big Z gets that crap. Next time when it doesn't get called, someone in the stands run out and smack the ref.
I think someone needs to start a website called www.freeyao.com that challengers Stern and NBA officials. He's never going to reach his full potential unless they learn how to officiate him properly.
One day, perhaps not anytime this season, Yao is going to just lose it and either smack a player or unleash a verbal tirade on a ref. ESPN and all the media whores will milk it on primetime nonstop and Stern will finally be forced to address the issue of poor/incorrect/unfair officiating towards Yao. I look forward to that day. This "different" officiating for Yao in comparison w/ how other players are reffed was discussed in this forum at length last May during the playoffs and sadly, the most logical explanation for it all ended up being simple racial bias.
Now, why is it so pervasive among Refs that almost all of them are partial against Yao in every game? Is it Yao's fault or Ref's incompetency/prejudice. I think it might be a combination of the two. In another words, Yao is screwed!
The refs are just itching to call fouls on Yao. It is not an exaggeration. I have never seen something like this before.
On the contrary, every time he does [legitimately] fall they completely ignore it. It's as if they expect him to be tripped, pushed, and dislodged all game.
Dislodging may be one term that justifies the 2 hands contact. But I find it hard to believe that there would not be a rule against impairing the movement of a player with even one hand. In my simple mind, the only way to impair the movement of a player is with body positioning not with any kind of reaching, pulling, or grabbing. If this is legal than Yao needs to reciprocate and there just needs to be a wrestling match down there. Yao should swing out his arms and clothesline a few opponents. Yao should win his share if that is the way the game is played. Don't worry about positioning, just tie up the opponent as it benefits you and your team so that you either get the put back or an opponent gets the putback. It's almost like the league is telling Yao he has to play dirty to dominate in this league.
IMO, the league just doesn't want Yao to dominate period. And a lot of it has to do w/ how casual fans view the game. Many resent Shaq's game of being able to consistently gain easy inside position and hold a dunkfest at will. They deem Shaq to be "unfair" and someone who should not be allowed to play in the league. I have heard this from so many casual (and ignorant) bball fans over the years. And the same applies to Yao in the same respect. They don't believe one team should be able to put out a 7'6" ringer who can be indefenseable down low. Just look at what Yao did to Zo in the first half of the Miami game. He would have continued that dominance if Zo hadn't changed up his defensive tactics in the 4th quarter. Zo got away with blatently and forcefully dislodging and pushing w/ both hands in the back during the 4th. Yao was forced to operate a good 10 feet further from the basket than he had been in the first half. If Yao had started putting both hands in a Zo's back like that, he would've fouled out within 2 possessions.
You can't use your arms to lock up two players at the same time. It's an offensive foul on Yao And you can't use your hand to block the view of the other players, like how he is doing to Lafrentz in the pic. That's unsportsmanlike conduct and the refs should have called a technical on Yao on top of the offensive foul.
I guess they think because he's 300 pounds that he shouldn't be dislodged, that he must be flopping. That is totally ridiculous when you have bull moose type players in Alonzo, Marc Jackson, Danny Fortson, et al, who ain't exactly small themselves pushing with both hands and the force of their body against Yao to dislodge him. If I was Van Gundy, I'd warn the refs before the game starts that Yao isn't going to put up with it and the first time it happened I'd have Yao throw the defender down to the floor. Force the issue with the refs. But you have to force it with Yao first. You have to get Yao to agree to respond in this manner. Although he has tremendous size, Yao is a finesse player. He is never gonna take the ball and run over the defender like Shaq does (Thank God). But he has got to take the initiative and when the pushing starts to get him out of his position, he's got to swing. 6 games into this season and we are seeing a repeat of last season with the officiating. Enough is enough already.
Well, the Rox are in town Friday. One way to send a message to the officials is for the crowd to make so much noise everytime Yao gets jobbed that the ref's fear for their safety leaving the building. I'd love to see a video montage of Yao getting mugged without getting the call played at every play stoppage, with appropriate fan response. Of course, this would require that ppl in the lower bowl show up before the 3rd quarter and cheer once in a while....
now thats a damn good idea. I wish we had Cuban cuz I know he would do this. Show a montage of yao getting mugged before the start of every home game. Then show a montage of yao getting mugged from the first half during halftime. It will put pressure on both the refs and the opposing team to tone down the WWE antics
I wish Yao would just swing both his arms inwards towards himself, crashing Rafer and Blount into each other, face to face. If I am Yao, enough is enough. Time to lay down the hurt. People perceive Yao as physically weak. He is not weak, he truly is a "gentle giant." Well **ck it now Yao. Be as gentle as you want later in the night at home with whoever, but not when on court. Off the court - Mother Teresa lovin' On the court - Mike Tyson lovin' Get the MTs right.
Cuban may be a clown but I like the enthusiasm he shows in the games. How often do you see an owner jumping up and down when his team make a basket? I think it has trickle down effects on the players.
You are exactly right, and this is something that was touched on during the playoffs last May. One of the reasons the refs feel no need to clean up the physical play on Yao is b/c they know that it is never going to escalate into a fight on the court. If they let players get away with the same stuff against Shaq then by the end of the 1st Q, Shaq would have already tried decapitated a few of the opponents. The refs exploit the fact that Yao comes from a different culture and prefers to just accept their biased treatment and the physical abuse he receives instead of fighting back and possibly offending anyone in his host country. They take advantage of Yao's reticence, and the fact that Yao knows that with his size he has the capability to end an opponent's career with one blow and therefore holds himself back. But there is only so much abuse a human being can take and I see Yao somewhere down the road losing his cool. I hope he doesn't end up really hurting anyone, though.
He hasn't lost his cool in 5 years. Why would he start now? Van Gundy has got to convince him to get more physical and Van Gundy has to do the yelling at the refs for him. Van Gundy has got to convince him not to accept that kind of stuff on court. Just throw the defender down and glare at the referee and let Van Gundy do the rest. If he fouls out, he fouls out. It's not gonna make a difference. A passive Yao and a Yao on the bench with foul trouble is no better than Yao fouling out of the game. They have to make an issue of the fouls and lack of foul calling for anything to ever happen about it.
I don't normally do this but I'm pulling out the race card. Not because he is Chinese but because he is 7'-6" tall. Yao gets beat up worse then Hakeem used to and thats pretty bad. Here are some excerpts from the NBA Rules: On guarding an opponent: A player who extends a hand, forearm, shoulder, hip or leg into the path of an opponent and thereby causes contact is not considered to have a legal position in the path of an opponent. A player is entitled to a vertical position even to the extent of holding his arms above his shoulders, as in post play or when double-teaming in pressing tactics. Any player who conforms to the above is absolved from responsibility for any contact by an opponent which may dislodge or tend to dislodge such player from the position which he has attained and is maintaining legally. If contact occurs, the official must decide whether the contact is incidental or a foul has been committed.
I think you are right in that the refs are biased, but it is not just becasuse of Yao is 7-6. Do you believe if Yao was a black American player with the exact same ability he would be treated this way? Just look at Shaq, players are allow to be rougher with him but he gets away with more than he takes. Yao on the other hand is allow to be roughed up but cann't dish out either on offense or defense. Yao is to a lesser degree this generation's Jackie Robinson, refs may not intentionally want to ref him differently because he is Chinese, but on the subconcious level I am sure there are bias .
