Yao is one hilarious guy... here's a link with some post-game comments after the New Zealand match. I think the end is rather funny. http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200408/17/eng20040817_153465.html Yao beats off retirement rumors in style font size ZoomIn ZoomOut Facing rumors about his potential retirement from the national team, NBA star center Yao Ming answered with a brilliant 39-point performance in China's 69-62 victory over New Zealand in a preliminary group A match of the Athens Olympics men's basketball Tuesday in Athens. "My dream is our national team playing like this every game," Yao told Xinhua after the opening victory for the Asian champions at the basketball gala. His side's 83-58 defeat to Spain on Sunday still hurt, but Yao was recovering. "We were playing with a different team (today), but the most important thing is that we should always play the way we played today," Yao said. The Chinese, who had a sluggish second half against the Spaniards, outlasted the New Zealanders in the hotly contested match, in which the 2.26-meter Yao had 26 fouls on him. "It was a physical game, but we were not afraid," Yao said. "When challenged, we fight back."Yao did fight back. Following Sean Marks' dunk on his head to pull New Zealand within 52-47 with seven minutes and 33 seconds on the clock, Yao pushed Dillon Boucher, who approached him saying something in a defiant manner, to the ground. "It's nothing big," Yao said. "I said hello to him after the match." "When the game was hotly contested, such kind of defiance could not be allowed," Yao added. "I also had to admit that it was no good feeling to have somebody dunk on you." Boucher declined to reveal his words that offended Yao. "I'd better not repeat it," he said. New Zealand displayed its determination to win at the beginning of the match. Arrayed in its own half court, the New Zealanders murmured and swayed arms and fisted hands in front of the Chinese, who were doing shooting around, before the whistle. However, it did not work on Yao and his team. "I have seen this three times," Yao said. "Maybe it's their custom." "I think we can also play some Shaolin Kongfu in our next encounter," he added. Del Harris, the first international coach in history for the Chinese men's national team, inspired Yao to improve from his 12 points finish against Spain on Sunday to a highest-scoring performance at the Olympics. "The coach told me before the game that I should shoot more and pass less," said Yao, who shot 15-for-20 from the field and 9-for-13 from the line. "I did as he said and fortunately it worked out for our team today.
Funny thing is that I don't think Yao was called for a foul of any kind for that. I believe the referee stepped in, but it seemed like Marks dunked on Yao, glared and said something to Yao and then went back on D. Then the PG said some more to Yao, and Yao pushed the little guy to the ground. Hate to say it, but Yao should receive some bad press for this. He did not go after the guy who dunked on his head. He pushed the PG. If this had been LeBron James or any other American, it would have gotten the same pub as the McGrady incident from 2002 or the Barkley elbow to Angola. If Yao were to lay out a player after getting dunked on, I hope it to be the player who scored on him. Too bad Steve Francis wasn't there to give a forearm to the head of Marks.
Here is the thing. If someone dunked on me and didn't come to my face like that, I would just dunk on him (if he's guarding me) next time around. However, if someone comes up to my face like what's shown on the picture, I'd plugged him!
wow... could there be more of a NON ISSUE than who he pushed down. think about it. you're huge, and a little guy is trying to piss you off, what do you do? push him down! seems pretty natural to me!
True, I believe Yao was very frustrated and embarassed about getting dunked on, and with that PG approaching him and talking, Yao took a cheap shot. If someone on the American squad did the same, there would be an "international incident." But for some reason, the refs or any of the 2 teams did not make a big deal of it. I did not see the pics before posting. I was watching the feed last night over the internet, and it wasn't the best reception. Yet to risk getting ejected from the game by pushing your opponent in front of the ref doesn't make sense. However, since the refs or players did not make a big deal of this, maybe international rules are not as strict when it comes to that type of contact.
maybe the refs were thinking "man...i know that was wrong but if we eject him, this would go down as one of the most lopsided matches in Olympic history..and i DON'T want billions of people on my case when the CNT loses by 50"
Well, this was pretty much exactly what I was hoping for after the CNT's last game. If Yao could bring that intensity to the Rockets, too, he'd be just as unstoppable in the NBA. My favorite Yao quote from the article is "When the game was hotly contested, such kind of defiance could not be allowed."
I agree, with his teammates' performances, if Yao gets ejected when there are 2 minutes left in the game and scores tied 60:60, china would lose 60:132...
Remember the KG thing in last years' WC Semi-Final? Some scrub from the Kings elbowed him, and stood there in his face waiting for the retaliation. He clearly wanted double ejection and ultimately wins the serie for his team with that. That was cheap! I have great respect for KG as a team leader for not retaliating.
no, he bumped and had words with Peeler before that. and then he got an elbow to the grill. now THAT was getting punked.
The name of the guy got pushed down by Yao is Dillon Boucher. He's a small forward. I think we should sign Boucher to talk trash to Yao and fire him up before every game. Just tell Yao not to flatten his own teammate though.
[In thick Australian accent] "Yeee-a Yao c'mawn. If yew don't git your sorry pathetic ahsss up the court I'll have mee dingo eat your furst born!"
Thanks for the correction. From the live feed, the guy looked like a PG, but I guess he does play at SF.
Rockets vs Heat Boucher on the sideline, in Rockets uniform: "Yao, you tall useless punk!" Yao does a 360 dunk on Shaq next possession. Boucher:" yeah, you think you are cool? Remember? You got dominated by Gasol, Pau freaking Gasol!" Next possession, Yao breaks Wade's ankle, rolls the ball between Jones' legs, bounces it of Shaq's head then goes in for a windmill. Boucher: "Yao, you #$^%$#!" Yao tears down the basket next possession...
This is BS, why ESPN not include Yao's 39pts performance in their headlines? I mean, they covered Carlos Arroyo and Ginobli when they had good games but they unfairly only covered Yao's bad games(Spain) and not a single mention about his break out performance against New Zealand.
I don't think that the New Zealand team is supposed to be that great of a team. TYhe reason why Ginobili got publicity for his game the other day was because it was a buzzer beater. It was simply an incredible shot. The reason why Arroyo got publicity was because he just ripped the U.S. into little shreds. I think that if Yao Ming rips another team apart then he will get more publicity. No need to worry he will get his due, especially since he is probably the most popular foreign player in the NBA next to maybe Nowitzki.
