worst game I have ever seen.. made me wanna puke. I thought some of our games were horrible this makes me appreciate my team and real games. Hmmm.. maybe JVG did spoil us.. we wanna see some tough defense now. I hated the TNT guys kissing James and Melo's butt every chance and im tired of them talking to Shaq and asking him the same questions all the time. "how do you feel about Yao?" "how do you feel about him taking your spot?" After awhile it will get on your nerves.. didnt you guys get the feeling Amare didnt like Yao from watching the game? I got that sense did anyone else notice it? J
the difference is that everyone is kissing their ass. yao's seemed a bit different. instead of yao doubters kissing his ass, they were kissing donkey asses.
I definitely sensed that Amare didn't like Yao. It started with that glaring look he gave when Yao gave him a pass that he couldn't handle, they showed Amare and his expression was one of anger, not the expected "my bad." He played like he had a chip on his shoulder all night, and I think it is a carry-over from last season's two-man race for ROY. It seems that even though Stoudamire won it, he feels like he is still competing with Yao to be the spotlight of the sophomore class. Maybe he feels jealous that Yao is getting a lot of media attention for his recent play and that his team is doing better than the Suns?
It's pathetic. Amare wanted to prove something in this game. But Yao doesn't even care about it. Heck, I don't think Yao even cares about the all-star game.
Yao might wear out early, but I think he could have handled more than 15 minutes. I guess the coach figured an all star didn't deserve more minutes than that. Whatever. I can tell you that YM in all star games is going to be a lot like Dream in all star games. He's never going to get enough touches to dominate. Raven
uhh, he's in the all star game already, doesn't have the most stamina ever, and wasn't going to be involved much anyways due to being slower than the rest. it'll be much the same in the all-star game. and you're right, yao will bel ike hakeem and be too passive and not into the dunks and everything like hakeem and won't dominate. but who really cares, that's what we have steve for.
The game was different. It was a lot faster. 98+99 FG attempts for both teams in 48 minutes. that's 14 seconds per possesion. Besides that, Yao is not a show-off type of person. This is the best time to show the people and management to your athletic capabilities to increase their value.
The strange thing is that the players that were on the court can actually play ball, but since they ARE young, they are raw. So, that makes the over-all play that much worse. On the other hand, this is by no means the same "rawness" that we've seen in past Rookie/Sophomore games. It was worse back then. Think of it this way. The talent level is better schooled today, but they are still lacking overall honed skills (missing collegiate ball experience). Imagine ALL of the current rosters from the rooks/sophs with 3 - 4 years in NCAA (ACC) ball. Now, that would be a sight to see! Our players are being short changed, and we see that in a slight "amateurish" style of play. Again, not as bad as before. But still sloppy and with a "dunk-only" mindset. It's good for pre-game hype. But ends up not living up to it; post-game. P.S. When I say, "schooled" I mean that LeBron, Melo, Yao and Hinrich are a few of those players that DO practice skills *other* than just dunking. So, todays young kids are actually interested in learning how to pass and shoot. Thus, that's what I mean when I say that todays young player are better "schooled." They actually WANT to learn those *other* things. So, we are seeing *some* improvement.
Yao is like fine-wine. He gets better with age (centers in general). We'll have wait more time for Yao to make an impact compared to Amare. Amare will enjoy more immediate success for the next 3-4 years (physical abilities). Come 4-5 years, Yao will take off (when his physical abilities catches up to his *known* skills). Then watch out. He will surpass Amare because Yao will have the total package. That's why the ceriberal skills (like passing, shooting and technique) are more important in the long run. They don't diminish like jumping ability will.
We'll see how their competitive attitude changes over time...it's going to be interesting. Jordan/Bird/Magic/Isiah = winning is most important, thus the "show" was just that. The struggle of a *winning* effort on the court for all to see. That was the "drama." There was no need to "hype" the game because it made its own hype. Today players = hype is most important, thus the "show" never happens because there's no competitive spirt and effort in getting the win. No one wants to put their necks on the line because they might end up looking "uncool." It's all about the material success and accolades, not the work. I think that's where the young players loose sight of the goal. The "hard work" and "competition" is what fans want to see. And it's that "put it all on the line" competition that creates the legends of the game. P.S. In reality, there aren't many natural born leaders. I get a sense that many of the players in todays NBA are WANTING/WAITING for LeBron and Melo to take the lead. No one WANTS to be "the man." Not really. Sure, they want the material success and accolades. But not the responsibility and presure that comes with it.
I got five bucks that a 24 and under U.S. team (college/professionals, whatever) would lose 7 out of 10 times to a 24 and under world team.
