Maybe it's just me, but I think the ultimate "X-factor" is how well Yao performs in this series. I'm half-expecting Yao to disappear though. He hasn't had any really good games against Dallas this season. The good news is, Yao has stepped it up in April, and hopefully he'll keep it going throughout the playoffs. If he continues to play with the kind of defensive/offensive intensity we've been seeing during this win streak, I think we'll be fine. I certainly hope Bradley and Dampier try to be physical with Yao. It usually takes a few bumps and bruises to get him riled up.
Someone should also remind Yao its the PLAYOFFS and the reason the Shaq-Kobe duo won 3 championships is because they BOTH brought their A-games night in & night out. T-Mac may be our best player, but Yao certainly has to hold his own on a consistent basis.
You guys are going to have your hands full against Dallas. The standings revert to zero given how different this team's been playing under AJ. But alas, they are also prone to setbacks especially against Houston because: 1. Dampier is sometimes lazy at going after a center outside the paint so Yao would be better off taking jumpers than trying to outmuscle him, although that's also an option. 2. Press. Dallas has trouble getting the ball through the press and turns the ball over 9 out of 10 times you do it. 3. Halfcourt offense is predictable. Ball movement, that kind of thing. One play that'll be a problem for you guys though will be the 4-5 pick-and-roll with Dirk and Damp. Anyway, good luck. Looking forward to a great series.
I think Yao just needs to take advantage of his size against a much shorter center as Dmapier. Yao seems to have trouble against physical centers although he has great games against Shaq because of his ability to use his finesse shot over Shaq. Yao needs to use this to his advantage against Dallas and also try to get offensive boards to keep Dampier in foul trouble. It's true Dirk will be a difficult task to defend but then again same goes for tmac, yao, and even james/sura. I think the rockets bench is better than mavs. Maybe Deke should matchup against damp and yao on bradley? We'll see what JVG decides to do. Rockets win it 4-2. GO ROCKETS!
Yao should dominate these scrubs but sometimes Yao disapears in game, he plays down to the comps level, or get in foul trouble. Yao needs to make his presence felt.
Yao shot 4 for 15 and 3 for 11 in our first two games against Dallas. Probably his worst shooting performances this season. He needs to figure out what works against Dampier and keep doing that. We might see a lot of weak fadeaways unless the coaching staff manages to get in his grill.
Check out this quote from the Mavs forum-- " The worst center in the league Shawn Bradley owns Yao.." This dude mulvaney was not joking , he was totally serious in his post.. I think he forgot to take his medication that day....
I know the ESPN message boards suck--but some Rox fan posted about a million -- ROCKETS WIN threads on the Dallas forum. Make sure you scroll all the way down and check about the next 5-6 pages--it goes on forever!! The Dallas fans are pissed! Hilarious... Check it out here.... http://forums.espn.go.com/espn/forum?room=nba_dal
If Yao stays aggressive and confident, he should do well against any center Dallas puts on him. But it'll be interesting to see Mutumbo match up against Bradley. Cookie Monster has been a force from the bench, but what will be his impact having to go up against another 7 footer?
Just to ask: Who would ya'll rather play, Dallas or SAS? We split the season series w/ both teams and the Mavs are playing better bball even w/ Duncan back for SA. But then again, they are the Spurs.
I definately prefer Dallas. San Antonio is a proven winner, and IMO, this is their best team in years. A perfect balance of players. And Manu has risen to stardom and can sometimes take over a game. Dallas, while you could argue that they too have their best team, have a rookie coach, a bunch of guys that haven't exactly won anything in the playoffs, and they have been hit by injuries a lot. This might be their year but I would still like to face them more than SA.
The player that worries me the most from the dallas squad is josh howard. I really dont like him, but he is a scrappy player who likes to get rebounds and do the dirty work. I just hope Mutombo delivers one of his infamous elbows right into his grill to knock out his braces!! I think the Rockets will pull it off because of how prepared they were last season in the playoffs (and that was with Steve Francis and company running the show). Rox will win in 6!
To be the best, you have to beat the best. Right now, Dallas is playing as well as, if not better than, any team in the league. Dirk presents a major problem. However, I think our Yao/Deke combo will be the key to the Rockets winning the series. Dampier/ Bradley is unimpressive, to say the least. The team that controls the paint controls the game. The Rockets will outrebound the Mavs and control the paint with Yao and Deke. ..plus they cant guard McGrady, nobody can. Rockets in 6
Check out my comments in the "Rockets Fans are Insane" thread: There are some good Rox fans out there. BUT there are more Rox bandwagon trolls than anything else.<br><br>Because of it, I am going to show no mercy if the Mavs beat Houston in the 1st round. That will be rubbed in for a long time.<br><br>Something needs to be done to shut up those newly 6 month Rockets' fans. Dude, I have just been scanning the boards, checking out the "competition"....I'm not trying to be a troll, but you seriously need to re-evaluate what you just said. The ROX FANS are bandwagon jumpers now?? REALLY?? To quote Bill Mar...lets get REAL. You find me 15 Mavs fans on this board who gave one SH*T about your busted-*** franchise 6-7 years ago and called themselves "dedicated" or "life-long" fans and I'll sell you some ocean-front property in Arizona for pennies on the dollar. That being said, I may not LIKE Cuban, but he has done a great job with your ball club and put the pieces together to make you a contender. BEFORE that?? Oh god...tell me you were a Mav's fan when they routinely made the worst draft decisions out of ANY franchise in the NBA and couldn't win more than 25 games. Fact is, you are COMPLETELY off your rocker by saying Houston, with a wining tradition, perennial finals, play-off contenders and NBA champs over the course of their history are bandwagon fans compared to the Johnny-Come-Lately-Flash-in-the-pan-Mavs? You have some serious pot to kettle being black issues. Ask avery Johnson what happens when you take the Rockets lightly in a play-off series. You might be too young to remember or more likely to ignorant, but the only teams playing basketball in Texas that weren't an NBA laughing back in the HIGHLY competitive 90's were Houston and San Antonio. Yeah, this will be the "I-45 Shootout" but we have had many more I-10 Shootouts when we were the under-dog that embarrassed the deadly Spurs. Ole Avery the country boy knows as does The Admiral when he was DOMINATED by Hakeem after wining the MVP trophy. So, Mavs fans, be proud of your team as you rightly should be--they are deep and deadly and have "paid their dues". However, take the Rockets lightly and end up were many teams in the past, FAR better than the current Mavs, have gone: watching the rest of the series on a big-screen with Dirk, Fin, Stackhouse and da boyz. My rant is over, I know that our team respects your team and their abilities and I KNOW that this is going to be awesome play-off series--best of luck.
Most likely, Bradley won't be going against Mutumbo. Bradley will be saved for Yao. When Mutumbo is in the game, Dallas will go with KVH and Dirk up front. Whoever Mutumbo is guarding will probably hang out at the three point line. I just don't see who Mutumbo will be guarding this series. It will be a hard matchup for him.
I wouldn't be surprised if the play Van Horn (or Dirk) against Yao. In the past, they have taken advantage of Yao's lack of mobility by forcing him to guard an outside shooter. Plus, Yao does seem to have more trouble with quicker defenders that front him. I'm just glad they don't have Najera anymore. There are a variety of things they could do to Yao. They have Dampier (who is very strong), Bradley (who is very tall), and Van Horn/Dirk (who are very quick). I just hope that Yao is prepared and doesn't get confused by all of the schemes the Mavs may throw at him.
Although this would favor them on offense, I think Yao would eat Dirk or Van Horn alive on the other side. Neither player is known for their hustle or post defense, and it takes a lot of work for a smaller player to be effective on Yao. If Yao manages to get the ball against either guy, it's lights out. He can muscle or shoot right over both of them.
