Miller and Tinsley can't bear to watch Yao put it down
Yao Now...
Another game, another Yao explosion. Last night's victim was the Pacers. Pity Brad Miller, Indiana's underrated center. At one point, ESPN showed the Pacers huddle during a timeout, as coach Isiah Thomas was drawing up a play for Miller. Thomas chided Miller, saying "I drew one up for you last time, and you didn't shoot it. Are you going to shoot it this time?" And the huddle was just dead quiet. I mean, here's Miller getting called out in front of his whole team. Ron Artest put his arm around Miller, surely because he felt sorry for the poor guy. I'm sure Miller wanted to say to Isiah "I didn't shoot it because the Great Wall of China was standing in my face", but he didn't. Yao ended up going for 29 points, 10 boards, and 6 blocks in a Rockets win.
Oddly enough, what is the name you are hearing most in connection with Yao? It isn't Shaq, or the other great centers, though you are hearing plenty of "Shaq" and "Kareem" references; no, the name you hear most is Larry Bird. Larry Freakin' Bird! And I have to say, I see the connection. Yao is smart.
Here are 10 great quotes either from Yao or about Yao, courtesy of www.yaomingmania.com. That site is worth checking out, BTW. They have all things on the Dao of Yao...
From Yao:
About Texas hospitality...
"The city has given me a very warm feeling. Whenever anybody greets me, they treat me like I'm a Texan, a new Texan. I've been in Dallas before ... and my impression was, 'It's really hot in the summer, the steak is really good, the area is very large and the cities aren't that crowded.'’
How he feels about his teammates, 12/10/02
"When I’m seeing them score points, it feels like I’m scoring points myself."
Yao's thoughts on the American Thanksgiving, his favorite foods, and Chinese culture, 11/27/02
"I have heard of the turkey that is at the center of this meal. I have tasted some of it before, maybe sliced up or in pieces. But I have never seen a whole turkey served for a meal. And I have definitely never eaten a whole turkey."
"In ancient Chinese culture, there was always a celebration at the time when the fields were first sown, a prayer that the crops would grow. Today, the tradition continues among people who do farming. There are other times when all of us stop to give thanks for what we have. I'll find it interesting to see the American side of this."
- Yao, on his love of the game:
"You have to understand that I look at the game in two parts -- one part is the enjoyment of playing, the other part is winning. Today, I achieved half of that."
About Yao:
"Yao Ming has the potential, the capability, of changing the future of basketball."
"(Yao) is light years ahead, minutes ahead, hours ahead of the play that's actually going on. The anticipation, the analysis, the figuring out of what's going to happen next. This is an unbelievable talent we are so lucky to have."
"It's harder today. The game is different. Michael Jordan changed the game completely. It wasn't his fault. But the game is played off the dribble, for yourself. Not that Michael was a selfish player, but everybody thought the way he played basketball was to dribble and bail out his team at the shot clock. Now, it's one guy dribbling, nine guys standing, watching that guy get his own shot."
- From Pete Newell, legendary Big Man coach:
"He has been very well taught in back-to-the-basket basketball. His footwork is just excellent for a kid of his size and dimensions. He's an athletic kid, he has a variety of shots. He's been very, very well taught. He's going to get better and better. The players he is playing with have never played with a player like that. They are starting to get the feeling they can go right to the top with this man in the middle, just like Lakers have done. And they have a right to feel that way."
- Clippers coach Alvin Gentry:
"In another year or so, Yao Ming has got a chance to be the most dominant guy, other than Shaq in this league. You add a great guard like Steve Francis, they can become very similar to the Magic Johnson and Kareem (Abdul-Jabbar) situation."
News Flash!
This just in...Allen Iverson is really, really good. He's also fun to watch. None of this is news, but after watching him roast the Wolves for 41 last night, I was reminded of both facts. A really good measure of how good a player is is how easily he can get his own shot in the NBA. The list of guys in the NBA who can score reliably, independent of the plays the team is running or other players on the floor is pretty small. Twenty, maybe? The fact that Iverson can do it at about six feet tall and 160 pounds is remarkable. He'll have his nights when he takes terrible shots, or just isn't hitting his shots, but on a night like last night, when he's taking reasonable shots and shooting well, he is unstoppable. You can't deny him the ball, and once he gets the ball, something is going to happen. If he were with another great player, it would warp the boundaries of time and space in the basketball world. I hope Team USA takes him to the Olympics, but not if it costs a guy like Steve Francis a spot. Francis really wants to go, and I think when you've got a guy with that talent who really wants to represent, you make an effort to take him.
But could you imagine how the international guys would deal with Iverson? They marvel at Garnett, because he's so skilled and such a great athlete for a seven-footer. I'm willing to bet they've never seen anything like Iverson in Yugoslavia or Brazil, either.
6:08:36 PM 
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