Translation: WC finals! http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-09/01/content_3430964.htm Yao Ming vows to get into final four www.chinaview.cn 2005-09-01 23:25:05 BEIJING, Sept. 1 (Xinhuanet) -- Chinese center Yao Ming said he wanted to help the Houston Rockets enter the final four of the National Basketball Association (NBA) in the 2005-06 season. Yao, who signed with the Rockets with a five-year 7.6 million U.S.dollars contract on Wednesday, said he believes the Rockets will win the title in five years. "The Rockets made a successful move in the summer by signing very good free agents. Now we have a shot for the title. My goalis to make it to the final four in the new season," Yao said during a telephone conference in Asia on Thursday. "What the Rockets had done during the summer made up my mind toserve my best for the team. I'll prove that the team had made the right decision (to re-sign me)," Yao said. Yao and his Chinese national teammates will compete in the Asian Men's Basketball Championship on Sept. 8-16 in Qatar. The Shanghaiese had said earlier he would not play for the Shanghai team in the 10th China National Games, because he will join the Rockets in the NBA pre-season matches.
WCF this year but championship in five years?? at least get past the first round first.. 80 million can make you say stuff sometimes..
has to be a mistake by them. i think yao's being modest. doesn't "final four" mean the second round? they were one game away from making it last year. with the addition of this offseason i expect them to get into the second round with ease.
Literally speaking, it depends if he's referring to the 'final four' in the conference, or in the whole of the playoffs. But, yes, I do think he was thinking about the WCF.
He seems pretty confident about the WCF, but not really about the Championship. Dude, I'm thinking we will win it all within the next two seasons
Translation: "The Rockets are going to kick serious tail this season and that's why we signed 'Stro and DA. We're going all the way and my goal is to put this team on my back and carry us and I'm not going to take any of those cheapy fouls any more in the new season. We will be in the WC finals- book it!" Yao said during a telephone conference in Asia on Thursday. "What the Rockets have done during the summer makes me want to suit up tomorrow and push TMac to the next level the same way he's gonna push me. I'll prove to Tmac and this team that everybody that thinks I'm too nice is gonna find themselves on a poster on ESPN highlights, believe me the Rockets did the right thing, Stern get ready to give me the trophy!"
In fairness to Yao, I think it's more like he's smart enough to realize that predicting a championship right away for a team that was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the largest margin in game 7 history (FORTY points), is a bit unwise, in terms of media and fan scrutiny. I'm down for WCF expectations; ambitious, yet realistic, and if we get to that point, playing with nothing to lose against the Spurs, anything can happen and our future expectations will change... but let's not count our chickens blah blah blah...
According to the following chinese article , Yao said if Rockets doesn't get into the final this coming season he would shave his head (not sure if he meant WCF). Also, in response to TMac's request to him not to get dunked on during the Asian tournaments, Yao joked that only Swift dunked on him and he is now his teamate.
Seems like the Rockets got some young guys with a lot to prove. I like it! Let's get ready to Rum-bllllllllllle! In this corner the defending NBA champs the San Antonio Spurs and in the opposite corner the number one contender the Houston Rockets! The Spurs are on top, but the Rockets are young and hungry and that makes them a very dangerous team. This year the NBA season can't start soon enough!
Well that does it. The Rockets are just going to have to make the Finals. Nobody wants to see "Shaolin Yao" running up and down the court. Remember when Rik Smits shaved his head during one playoff run. The comparisons are bad enough already, but can you imagine if Yao ends up the same way. It'll get ugly, that's for sure.
How aoubt adding "Shaolin T-Mac" and more! Accoding to that source, it was T-Mac's idea that the whole team should shave their heads if they failed to make the Finals. Yao agreed. Here comes your photoshop idea.
No offense, but I do think it's odd most of the time when he is quoted by Chinese news sources. He never sounds anything like that when interviewed here. The first article in this thread has the headline: "Yao Ming vows to get into final four" and he never says that in the article. I do love that he said the Rox are not going to regret this commitment to him but I just hope he actually said it. Now the second article I think he might have been joking about the shaved head thing. However if he said "Barry said he's going to shave my head unless we make it to the WCF's" I completely believe it. But again, as many people have pointed out the only likely way we get to the WCF's are either us getting the #1 seed or the 6th seed. Even if we go toe to toe with SA for seven games there is no rational reason to think we'd beat them unless injuries riddle them. Still I like Yao's bravado here. I think T-Mac is really the perfect influence on Yao. SF went the extra mile for Yao, but I think T-Mac's laid-back personality and firey play may be something he relates to better.
