Sports: NBA

[toddrew]

Originally Posted by player_of_football

WHY THE ROCKETS!!!!!


WHY!!!!!

Just when I start thinking Yao is becoming a dominant center...

[ProSpecT]

Yao will become more dominant when he stops relying on his jumpshot. At first it was working but it's just not that high of a percentage as him being more closer to the basket would be. He had 70 pounds on Okur and a lot more on the rest, but he kept doing that stupid turn around jumpshot. I wish he would quit playing like a foreign player and play like an American. Although he is not, it would benefit him more and the team.

[GForce3062]

Yao will become a more dominant center once he gets some meat/muscle on that bone and when he stops eating nothing but rice. He needs to spend a couple of weeks with Shaq so he can like lift weights, eat like an american, learn to be like a dominant center. But really, a few Big Macs wouldn't hurt the guy.

[noodles]

Hey Guys!!

I'm writing from my hostel in Naples Italy! Just saw that Golden State won the series - wow! And Houston lost Game 7 - mixed feelings. I hate T-mac but like Yao.

Uprising - thanks for updating the scores, I have no idea if your numbers are right

I'll be back in the USA late Saturday so expect me to post again late in the weekend.

I have no idea who I'm rooting for now.....GO GOLDEN STATE!! They're like a pro version of George Mason!

Ciao!

[GForce3062]

Hey Noodles! How's the trip going? I guess you're right......... go Warriors!!

[mvblair]

Originally Posted by ProSpecT

...I wish he would quit playing like a foreign player and play like an American.

There is no such a thing as "foreign" and "American" styles. Jermaine O'Neal defies the stereotypes -- he doesn't have much more than a turn-around jumper. Mengke Bateer defies the stereotypes -- he's a bull in a China shop. If you think "foreign" players are soft, you didn't watch the US National Team full of MVPs and All-Stars get taken out three times in a row at the WBC, Olympics, and WBC.

Originally Posted by GForce3062

Yao will become a more dominant center once he gets some meat/muscle on that bone and when he stops eating nothing but rice.

Maybe you're joking, but that's xenophobia bordering on racism.

In defense of Yao, he is the best big man in the game. He's dominated Shaq for a few years now (and blocked Shaq's first four attempts in their first meeting). This season, he averaged 25 points, 2 blocks, and 10 rebounds, while shooting 51%. Who is a better center? Eddy Curry? 20 point, .5 block, 7 rebound average. Marcus Camby? 11 point, 3 block, 12 rebound average.

Keep in mind that outside of McGrady, Houston has very little to help Yao. If he gets the ball deep in the post, he's double-teamed because Houston's other big men just don't require any defensive pressure. Houston has one player that doesn't need to dribble: Shane Battier. The rest of the players eat so much time trying to make their own shots. Additionally, JVG is one of the most overrated coaches in the NBA. He got to the Finals once, during the lock-out year. JVG even brought on Patrick Ewing as a coach, so of course they taught Yao to just shoot turn-around jumpers...but that's a problem every player has, from LeBron James to Jermaine O'Neal.

Can anybody tell I'm defensive about Yao?

The Cavs/Nets game was awful slow yesterday. I'm glad Cleveland won but it wasn't fun to watch.

The San Antonio/Phoenix game was pretty fun though. The Parker/Nash match-up was a blast to watch.

[player_of_volleyball]

SWEET as least someone isn't talking crap about Yao!

I do wish that he was a littel more aggresive though. Maybe drive to the basket a little harder and slam that ball EVERYTIME!!!

[toddrew]

Originally Posted by player_of_football

SWEET as least someone isn't talking crap about Yao!

I do wish that he was a littel more aggresive though. Maybe drive to the basket a little harder and slam that ball EVERYTIME!!!

I should've probably watched more than 15 minutes of that series before commenting, and I didn't intend to start a litany of Yao bashing. He was playing great before injuring his leg earlier in the seaon.

I knew it was going to be a tough series, but I thought for sure that between Yao and McGrady that they would pull through.

[mvblair]

Originally Posted by toddrew

...but I thought for sure that between Yao and McGrady that they would pull through.

I did too. But I'm kinda' happy for Jerry Sloan. Utah had just too much power from every direction.

[mvblair]

Utah Jazz anybody? Behind Derrick Fisher's inspirational night, the Jazz beat the Warriors in OT. Fisher's quote of the night (for a bleeding heart like me): "There's no reason why a kid should lose their eye, or their life, because their parents can't afford to get to the best doctors in the world."

The big story, to me, is how AK-47 has played the past few games. He's averaging 6.5 blocks per game, 9 rebounds, and 16.5 points. That's pretty big. On SportsCenter, they even showed AK playing point guard for a few minutes in the third.

I hope Dee Brown is OK after that nasty fall he took...

[GForce3062]

Yeah, I was joking about the rice part. I guess I went a little too far. Sorry if I offended anyone.

[Aldin]

The last couple of games have been very, very hard. The W's were in both of them and with just slightly better shooting would have taken two in Utah. Look for a big defeat of the Jazz tonight!

~Aldin, We Believe!