Well I must say, conditioning wasn't a huge factor in this game, and he stepped up and blocked four shots....Still a little slow defensively, but he looked better last night. Got great position to make himself available for passes and he was always in good position for the rebounds... Maybe Yao is turning the corner. Just in time big fella.
Yao is still rounding himself into shape. The last games are key in getting Yao ready for the playoffs. His conditioning is getting much better and I can't wait for his fingers to heal 100% to where he doesn't need to tape them up.
He played really well last night. I loved his effort on the defensive end. He was scrambling to box out, block shots... basically the whole package. He still shoots the jump shot a little too much, but the fouls are really a result of him being aggressive and trying to get deeper position. He just needs to continue doing that and we might be able to see the MVP caliber Yao as a result. I was very happy to hear Tim Legler giving Yao props during the pre-game show on ESPN when they were discussing about Kobe and his MVP chances. He said that when it is all said and done, Yao will get an MVP before his career is over, while Smith (hate that b*stard) slammed him for saying that.
yao -- please use your hook shots more, especially against guys that can block your shot. re-post and use your left/right hook! you are unstoppable!
Yao did play well and hustled throughout, but I gotta say the Lakers weren't really pushing the pace much. He didn't have to continuously run up and down the court as he would against a more fast-paced team. This doesn't take away from his excellent game of course. But I was watching the Jazz-Spurs game just before ours, and those teams were really going at it at a furious pace in the first half. The guards of both team were really pushing the ball up and down the court. Made me wonder how Yao would do in a game like that, how we would counter that. Guess we'll find out tonight.
