Had Rafer made that 3 pointer, where Yao intentionally hit the rim for a rebound at his 2nd free throw in the very end of a game against Lakers, it would be the best Yao's play in my book. Edit: I mean this <iframe width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ohHoK4-LeuY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
When I saw this thread title I immediately thought of that one-handed swoop bounce pass that has already been mentioned a couple of times. I attended that game and I seem to remember he actually found a cutting steve francis for a layup or dunk, unless my memory is failing me. But that was the moment I really knew he was something special. With the progress he made, from the time he got his ish shook by Marbury in preseason, through to this game, I really thought we were going to witness something never really seen before in a basketball player. And I guess, in a way, that still ended up being true. But as much as I respect what JVG did as coach for the Rockets, I always felt like his insistence on Yao being on the low block every single play (in a static offense with very little movement), perhaps stunted the creativity that we saw from Yao in plays like that swoop pass early on in his career...
Off the charts in terms of basketball IQ. He could solve any math problem off the court, had an incredible sense of humor and was humble, all that to go with his superstar skills. So sad. =(
Where is the behind the back fast break dunk video at? That's the one that sticks to my mind all the time.
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This was a hell of a play. For a guy his size to catch it mid-stride and have the awareness to put it behind his back immediately is impressive.
Van Gundy played to the percentages, and with the teams he had, the highest percentage play was putting your highly skilled 7 foot 6 center in the low post and feeding him. Flashy creative plays are nice when they happen, but you dont design an offense around them.
You didn't like luthor head going ofer in a playoff series? Imagine if he'd hit 4 shots in that Utah series. Painful to lookback. It was yao, tmac and shane...and nothing else. =(
As much as I loved to root for that team, anyone with any sort of objectivity knows that we were SERIOUSLY devoid of legit talent outside of those three guys. As much flak as McGrady gets for his failures, much of it deserved, finding fault with him for not carrying that team to any real playoff success is a severely biased viewpoint. Having two "stars" may work fine for expecting regular season success, but in the playoffs those two guys are gonna be hounded unmercifully and you damn well better have some other guys that can score when that happens....which those teams didnt.
I'm not saying he should have been in the high post all the time or anything like that - the low blocks were rightfully the foundation...I just think compared to someone like Shaq whose game was predicated on power, Yao had abilities to allow you to do different things elsewhere to keep defenses honest. I seem to remember an awful lot of aggressive fronting would bring our offense to a grinding halt, with our perimeter players haplessly turning it over trying to get him the ball. That strategy often worked because our offense was so often predictable. It wasn't the flashiness of the play I liked as much as the vision, reaction and court sense of a rookie to pull it off...
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That's how I remember it as well, but not I don't feel so confident about it. Wasn't that also his first home game as a Rocket? However it went, I remember turning to my friend and sharing this excited look where we both realized that something magic was about to happen to this city. It's heartbreaking now, but remembering the good times helps.
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I remember exactly what you're talking about. I have NEVER been able to find that great play on YouTube, and thought that it had been completely forgotten. Good to see someone else who remembers.
does anyone remember those moves that yao put on tim duncan? where It looked like dream on robinson only at .7 speed. =) Damn you, injuries!
<iframe width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/PZ4KLsY84AE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> This game was a classic.
