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[Yahoo] Portland needs answer for Yao Ming

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by BaiHua, Apr 20, 2009.

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BaiHua Member

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Yahoo Sports said:

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP)—Considering Yao Ming’s flawless shooting in Houston’s playoff-opening victory over Portland, the Trail Blazers are rethinking their strategy for the Rockets’ towering center.

“We tried to play behind him. So we’ll make adjustments for the next game,” Blazers center Joel Przybilla said. “He hit every shot he took so we gotta do something.”

Yao hit all nine of his shots and all six of his free throw attempts, and the Rockets went on to defeat the Blazers 108-81 Saturday night in the first game of the best-of-seven playoff series between the two teams. They meet again Tuesday night at Portland’s Rose Garden.

All of Yao’s 24 points came in the first half, as he got Houston off to a fast start after scoring nine of the team’s first 11 points. He also had nine rebounds in the game.

He said afterward he had taken inspiration from teammate Brent Barry, a 14-season veteran in the NBA.

“I heard this from Brent Barry who had experience playing with a championship team. He said (the difference between a) good team and a great team is a great team can take a 10-point lead and push it to 20. We are on our way to learn that experience and how to play in big games.”

The 7-foot-6 All-Star and Olympian from China did not attempt a shot in the second half, and sat for the fourth quarter. By that time, the Rockets didn’t need him, having built a lead of 31 points.

Dikembe Mutombo watched Yao’s performance unfold from the Rockets’ bench. He sensed what was coming from the start, when Yao blocked a 9-foot jumper by Portland forward LaMarcus Aldridge in the first minute.

“When was the last time you saw Yao come in from the side to block a shot? I was like, whoa!” Mutombo said.

After that, Yao was all business.

“He was so focused,” Mutombo said. “He showed he was very serious this time, and we were so pleased.”

Przybilla, Portland’s 7-foot-1 center, was assigned Yao at the start. Rookie Greg Oden also got a chance with him, although on a more limited basis.

Oden shrugged when asked about Yao.

“You seen it. He was just making shots,” he said. “We needed to stop him and we didn’t have an answer for him.”

The Rockets got 27 points and seven assists from Aaron Brooks, who played for the University of Oregon and was warmly welcomed by the Rose Garden crowd. Luis Scola had 19 points and Ron Artest had 17.

The victory tempered Houston’s disappointment at falling to the fifth seed in the Western Conference after losing the regular-season finale to Dallas. The Rockets have not made it out of the first round of the playoffs in six tries since 1997, and many expected the Blazers would give them trouble again.

But the Blazers could not muster anything close to a challenge.

Portland had not been to the playoffs since the 2003 season. The euphoria felt after clinching the West’s fourth seed and home-court advantage in the first round was quickly snuffed by the loss.

The Blazers went 34-7 at the Rose Garden during the regular season. On Saturday night, fans were streaming out of the arena in the fourth quarter.

“We’ve played really good basketball and I think we second-guessed ourselves coming out. So that’s what I’m most disappointed in,” two-time All-Star Brandon Roy said. “The guys didn’t get the shots they normally take. We just didn’t play with the same confidence and rhythm that we’ve been playing with at home.”

Roy led Portland with 21 points. The only other Blazer in double figures was Oden, who had 15 off the bench. Afterward, some said jitters probably were a factor for the league’s youngest team in the playoffs.

“We’re disappointed, but we can’t let this break us,” Roy said. “We’ve got to come together and find some confidence because we can play with them. We just have to believe we can.”

Yao doesn’t have any doubts that the Blazers will do just that.

“People talk about how they don’t have any playoff experience, but now they feel it, the playoffs. Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge, when they know how to play in the playoffs after the first one, it will be much harder for us.

“We need to be ready for that.”
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Link

If yao was fronted, what we need to react immediately is either to rotate the ball to the weak side or to drive to the paint rather than waiting yao for beating that fronting crap because he is simply not capable of doing that

#1 BaiHua, Apr 20, 2009

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Ive seen the Rockets lose to many series to get hyped up about 1 game.

#2 Kracka0476, Apr 20, 2009
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Fronting and doubling is an answer, and I will guarantee we will see that the rest of the series.

We need to keep up the defense.

#3 HTown_TMac, Apr 20, 2009
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BaiHua said:

[If yao was fronted, what we need to react immediately is either to rotate the ball to the weak side or to drive to the paint rather than waiting yao for beating that fronting crap because he is simply not capable of doing that
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Therein lies the flawed logic I hear again and again on the GARM; a Big does not usually beat fronting; the guards and crisp ball movement beat fronting by and large; yes, Yao must do a better job holding position, but fronting by its very defionition means that if you swing the ball around quickly enough, the Big is open on the opposing side with very deep position. Or, if the defenders chose to commit two (or three) defenders to prevent this, then driving lanes arte open and an unlimited amount of 12-14 jump shots can be had.

#4 2rings, Apr 20, 2009
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They WILL NOT have an answer. Oden is no Gasol or Shaq.

Kracka0476 said:

Ive seen the Rockets lose to many series to get hyped up about 1 game.
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And what is your point, mister OPTIMIST?

STFU, sir.

#5 SwoLy-D, Apr 20, 2009
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Regardless of the defender, no player stops Yao one-on-one. They'll need to double-team and front, obviously

#6 Ashes, Apr 20, 2009
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2rings said:

Therein lies the flawed logic I hear again and again on the GARM; a Big does not usually beat fronting; the guards and crisp ball movement beat fronting by and large; yes, Yao must do a better job holding position, but fronting by its very defionition means that if you swing the ball around quickly enough, the Big is open on the opposing side with very deep position. Or, if the defenders chose to commit two (or three) defenders to prevent this, then driving lanes arte open and an unlimited amount of 12-14 jump shots can be had.
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I will put Wafer on the same side as Yao. As soon as they start fronting, RA should tell Wafer show time, no freaking jumper, take it all the way to the rim, and Luis, and Battier/Artest should converge towards the basket too.

#7 YallMean, Apr 20, 2009

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2rings said:

fronting by its very defionition means that if you swing the ball around quickly enough, the Big is open on the opposing side with very deep position.
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I do not think the strategy of swinging the ball around quickly to have big being wide open on the opposing side with deep position will work for solving the fronting crap. If that is the case, I can not imagine how quick the ball need to be rotated around the perimeter to get it done successfully

#8 BaiHua, Apr 20, 2009
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SwoLy-D said:

They WILL NOT have an answer. Oden is no Gasol or Shaq.
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Their best fronter on Yao is Aldridge or even Frye.

#9 YallMean, Apr 20, 2009

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The reason its so hard for yao to get the ball on a front is because most of the time he is being fronted and also has a guy on the back side so a lob doesnt work...Same defense seatle used to run against Hakeem...But how ya beat that defense is to kill them with ball movement and hit all your open shots...Draw the defense away from him...Also taking the ball to the hoop on the other side of the front...

#10 mikelowery, Apr 20, 2009
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I always advocated the requisite element of a championship constructed team is to acquire old veterans with recent championship experience. This article perfectly illustrates the worth guys like Brent Barry are to a young team in this case a team of first round trauma victims. Guys like Barry have gone thru the trenches and have witnessed in person how great players like Duncan react when the pressure is on them and when the games are close. This imparting of knowledge will greatly help Artest and Yao in the playoffs.

I was so pissed under the Van Gundy era of his acquisitions of old geezers that were basically not only past their prime but Losers that could not impart any knowledge of how to win in the post season. Guys Like Ward, Wesley, Weatherspoon, DA. Oakly etc.

There were just too many years wasted in not learning these basic post season skills for both T-mac and Yao. If you are gonna employ some old timers get the recent winners rather than old bums like above.

#11 NYRangers, Apr 20, 2009
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2rings said:

a Big does not usually beat fronting; the guards and crisp ball movement beat fronting by and large; yes, Yao must do a better job holding position, but fronting by its very defionition means that if you swing the ball around quickly enough, the Big is open on the opposing side with very deep position. Or, if the defenders chose to commit two (or three) defenders to prevent this, then driving lanes arte open and an unlimited amount of 12-14 jump shots can be had.
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When Tracy was healthy he was the answer to this. Matter of fact we did not know anything about fronting until he went out.

#12 nolimitation, Apr 20, 2009
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YallMean said:

Their best fronter on Yao is Aldridge or even Frye.
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Let Aldridge front Yao. Scola will be wide open all day long for 30 and he will be worn out on offensive end. No problems.

#13 Setuablaz3, Apr 20, 2009

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Translated: they're going to front and start sending immediate double teams to try to bait Yao into turnovers. The best strategy to counter this is bring Yao out to the high post and further. It opens up a variety of options: PnR, PnPop and Yao seems to be able to hit the 20-footer fairly easily.

#14 baller4life315, Apr 20, 2009
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YallMean said:

I will put Wafer on the same side as Yao. As soon as they start fronting, RA should tell Wafer show time, no freaking jumper, take it all the way to the rim, and Luis, and Battier/Artest should converge towards the basket too.
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Right on the money sir.

#15 Akim523, Apr 20, 2009
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YallMean said:

I will put Wafer on the same side as Yao. As soon as they start fronting, RA should tell Wafer show time, no freaking jumper, take it all the way to the rim, and Luis, and Battier/Artest should converge towards the basket too.
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Isnt that what happened when Wafer had his highlight reel reverse tomahawk??

#16 BucMan55, Apr 20, 2009
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http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_y...?slug=ys-yaorockets042009&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

heres another article

While his teammates were out on the floor hoisting jump shots, flicking in finger rolls, taking their final warm-ups for the start of the playoffs, Yao Ming was sitting on the Houston Rockets’ bench with his head bowed, his eyes closed and his arms crossed on his lap. It was the last time he was silent all night. Yao exploded like a hand grenade in a china shop, and now the conventional wisdom says it’s the Portland Trail Blazers who must pick up the broken pieces. That’s because Yao did virtually anything he wanted against the defense of Joel Przybilla and Greg Oden. He shot a perfect 9-for-9 from the field, 6-for-6 from the free-throw line for his 24 points, grabbed nine rebounds and blocked two shots in a stunning and decisive 108-81 victory in the series opener. He was confident. He was comfortable. He was ready to lead. He was not ready to celebrate. “Get out of the first round,” Yao said. “Get out of the first round. Get out of the first round.” It is the mantra in his head and the thorn in his side. For all of the attention that’s been given through the years to Tracy McGrady’s failure to win an NBA playoff series, Yao’s ledger is not quite as thick, but just as empty. Yao was the Rockets’ center when they were whipped by the Los Angeles Lakers in 2004, blew a 2-0 lead to the Dallas Mavericks coming home to Houston in 2005 and leads of 2-0 and 3-2 to the Utah Jazz in 2007. Then he watched helplessly with a broken bone in his left foot as the Jazz eliminated the Rockets in the opening round again last season. All of which is why Yao has often used the same response this spring to every question this side of: How’s the weather? “Get out of the first round. Get out of the first round. Get out of the first round.” Yao wears it like a hair shirt, an uncomfortable, irritating reminder that for all of his accomplishments in the NBA, he has not done the one thing that matters most – win in the postseason. So there he sat on the Rockets’ bench as the clock counted down to the start of another playoff season, reflecting as a way of motivating himself. “I just think what is important for me,” Yao said. “My wife, my family and these games. I think that’s how we win – mentally.” It might as well be an anvil dangling from a thick chain around his neck for the way Yao feels the weight, which is just one more way that he is different from McGrady. While T-Mac can jump and soar and perform amazing feats on a basketball court, Yao was simply born big. While McGrady – in his prime – could instinctively do things with a ball that others only dreamed about, Yao had to toil continuously to make that 7-6 frame into a seven-time All-Star center. While T-Mac throws up his arms and nods toward his supporting casts when it’s pointed out that he is the only NBA scoring leader (two times) in league history to have never won a playoff series, Yao sees the Rockets’ shortcomings as his personal burden. While McGrady now spends his time during these playoffs in Chicago rehabbing his left knee that underwent microfracture surgery in February, Yao sat powerlessly and painfully on the bench for every game last season following surgery on his broken left foot. Two years ago, before entering the playoffs against Utah, McGrady proclaimed, “It’s all on me.” Then after the Jazz won the series, he shrugged and said, “It was never on me.” On that night one year ago when the Rockets were eliminated in Utah, Yao sat on a training table inside the locker room with tears running down his face because he could not help. It is a burden that Yao carries representing two vastly different constituencies and cultures that both expect the same high level of success. He literally stands head and shoulders above the other celebrity symbols of China’s rising power in the 21st century. He is constantly aware of the weight of 1.5 billion countrymen resting on his shoulders. Yao also knows the Rockets made him the No. 1 overall pick in the 2002 NBA draft with the expectation that he would carry on the franchise’s MVP tradition at center in the footsteps of Moses Malone and Hakeem Olajuwon, both of whom carried their teams to the NBA Finals. At 28, now finishing his seventh season in the NBA, Yao understands that time and careers have a way of slipping by quickly and he hears the seconds and the seasons ticking loudly inside his head. “You only get so many years and so many chances,” he said. “I am tired of waiting for the next year.” So even in another season when the Rockets suffered another crippling injury, there was more resolve than regret in the response of Yao. Who would have believed that Ron Artest could prove to be a better Robin to Yao’s Batman than McGrady? Who would have thought the Rockets could roll on to a 22-8 conclusion to the regular season after T-Mac shut it down? Who could have envisioned such a dominating start to the playoffs? Perhaps the huge man sitting on the bench with his head bowed, his eyes closed and his mind on one thing: “Get out of the first round. Get out of the first round. Get out of the first round.” It’s Yao Ming’s mantra and his millstone.
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#17 subzor, Apr 20, 2009
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subzor said:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_y...?slug=ys-yaorockets042009&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

heres another article
Click to expand...

Nice read!

#18 mms, Apr 20, 2009

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mikelowery said:

The reason its so hard for yao to get the ball on a front is because most of the time he is being fronted and also has a guy on the back side so a lob doesnt work...Same defense seatle used to run against Hakeem...But how ya beat that defense is to kill them with ball movement and hit all your open shots...Draw the defense away from him...Also taking the ball to the hoop on the other side of the front...
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Sorry during hakeem time, you can't have a 2nd defense guy on the back side of hakeem before kakeem got the ball. it was called illegal defense. recently, this illegal defense rule was changed. no more illegal defense. otherwise, yao would have even better stats for sure.

#19 AggNRox, Apr 21, 2009
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dude why ya think the fans used to get so pissed and why we got barkley seattle ran the zone so much the refs never called it..go back and watch the tapes if they are able to be found. George Karl was notroious for that...
.

#20 mikelowery, Apr 21, 2009

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