jw_bskball wrote:-= original quote snipped =-
I think we can all agree T-Mac is the best player on this team. It's not that Yao cannot win without T-Mac, it is Yao cannot win consistently without him. It's always easier for perimeter player to win games simply because he can have ball in his hand during critical junctures. As we see far too often, Yao relies on guard to get him the ball. And as we witness tonight, they couldn't get the ball to Yao.
Ah. A small gem of wisdom in the sea of crapolla.
jw_bskball wrote:-= original quote snipped =-
That being said, Yao's problem is made obvious in the 4th quarter. He still couldn't get good position consistently. He still haven't developed that bread-and-butter shot. He went to hook shot 3 times late in the game, and could not convert any of them. Now, misses happen, but if that hook shot is his go-to move, then he need to convert 1 out 3. I really want him to develop a consistent mid-range shot that does not require him to get a deep position, like Duncan's bank shot.
I was pretty sure Yao was going to miss those shots. When he's getting lots of touches/shots in the 4th he's not bad shooting down the stretch. When he's being fronted and/or not getting fed properly he usually misses when he finally gets the ball. If you've watched the Rockets at all the past few seasons you know what I'm on about.
Having said that, I still agree with what you said (ie needs a more reliable bread'n'butter shot, should develop a mid-range shot). Weird thing is that you see shots of him practicing mid-range shots before games and just draining them one after another. Then in games he can't buy one.
Consistent play from our guards is what this team needs. And I believe we have a SG coming back from injury soon if I'm not mistaken. Might help us in 4th qtrs. Running pick and rolls, making a #$%^$@# entry pass, that sort of stuff.
PS what this board needs is a sticky where the people who want to hate on a player (ie tha_rock, nsballer) and the people who want to argue with them endlessly (ie compucomp) can post all by themselves and not bother the rest of the board.
PPS go Rockets goddamit.