I doubt this strategy is going to work on this year's more healthy and physically fit Yao. Source: http://www.nola.com/hornets/t-p/index.ssf?...74773142250.xml <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> HOUSTON -- Hornets forward/center Chris Andersen is well acquainted with Houston Rockets giant Yao Ming. During one season playing for Jiangsu Nagang of the Chinese Basketball Association, Andersen, 6 feet 10, 250 pounds, went against Yao, a Beijing native, several times and developed a game plan for undersized Americans to combat the oversized Asian legend, who was starring for the Shanghai Sharks. "You've got to be more athletic than him," Andersen said Friday, as the Hornets prepared to venture into Southwest Division regular-season play for the first time at the Toyota Center against Yao and the Rockets. "You've got to run him down and wear him out. Me and P.J. together are capable of doing that. Wear him down. Any big guy like that, that's really what you've got to do. Every time we play against them, that's our key. Run 'em. They use a lot of half-court stuff. If we can defend really well, it will help. If we can't, then it won't be to our advantage." Since the Hornets traded former All-Star center Jamaal Magloire on Oct. 26, opting to expose smaller and slimmer (6-11, 239 pounds) P.J. Brown to bulkier centers such as Yao (7-6, listed conservatively as 310), Hornets coach Byron Scott realized there would be many times when mismatches would pose problems. Brown, who opposed Yao in a preseason matchup in Oklahoma City the day after Magloire was traded and on Wednesday night went against Cleveland center Zydrunas Ilgauskas (7-3, 260), said Friday he realizes tonight's game will provide another of those physical disparities. "If big Zydrunas was any indication, any way to prepare for Yao, I think I've got to do a good job of fronting, depending on my team defense," Brown said. "These guys are big and long, and you can't guard them one-on-one. "You've got to pick your spots in the front, try to get up under him a little bit, try to outrun him, get up and down the floor on them. And just try to, hopefully somehow, get him in a little foul trouble." But Scott realizes that it's possible the Rockets' half-court offense, in which the ball is often passed three to five times before someone takes a shot, could be to his team's advantage if they can dictate the pace and defensively control Yao and high-scoring forward/guard Tracy McGrady. The more the Hornets run, the more tired Yao and his Rockets teammates could become. "We've got to be at our best as far as our defense goes," Scott said. "If we can get them to miss some shots, and we can get our up-tempo game going, we'll be OK. But we've got to guard against Yao Ming catching it in the post, because he's too big. If you double him, he's such a great passer, and nobody you're going to double him with is going to really affect him. "And Tracy, with side pick-and-rolls, and iso situations, we've just got to know where these guys are going to be and where we want to force them to the help. And we've got to get them into playing our type of game. If we can get it up-tempo, and get them flying up the court and get them to buy into that, to try to match basket for basket and run that way, then we could be OK." Brown said he'll have plenty of help from his teammates when it comes to defending the post. And he's counting on Andersen, a native Texan, to come out inspired against an old nemesis. "Bird will be fired up; he's back home in Texas," Brown said. "He likes to play against Yao Ming. So it won't just be me. It'll be me, D-West (forward David West), Birdman. It'll be defense by committee. "We're playing small ball this year. We've got to be an up-tempo team, put pressure on the other team. We've got the athletes this year, and the talent, to play that type of game." </div>
Last year getting Yao tired worked for the most part, but with all his foul trouble he usually sat a while. Yao biggest problem is that he hasn't figured out that refs will not give a 7'5 guy a charge call if it is a small guy comming into him. He still has to learn that if he challenged the shot and went for a block instead of standing there he will not be punished with constant foul calls on D. Fouls will hurt him more then being tired this year.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting devin:</div><div class="quote_post">I doubt this strategy is going to work on this year's more healthy and physically fit Yao. </div> It worked.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">It worked.</div> Quite well too. He went for 8-22 from the field. Their strategy obviously fatigued him since he didn't get that much of a chance to sit because he wasn't in foul trouble.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting AznxBaller:</div><div class="quote_post">Quite well too. He went for 8-22 from the field. Their strategy obviously fatigued him since he didn't get that much of a chance to sit because he wasn't in foul trouble.</div> JVG should have had Yao rest in more intervals, perhaps 8-9 minutes then rest alil bit. That would have helped with the fatigue problem. But instead, he played yao for the entire 4th quarter.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">This strategy will not work out! when i play my ps2 yao never sees the bench!</div> Thats PS2, this my friend, is real life. In the games you also play like five minute quarters so yes, there is quite a difference there.
It's early in the season. Yao has shown improvements in his stamina, but yesterday he was too active for too long. In the fourth quarter, he was challenging shots on one end and fighting for post position on the other, virtually every possession. With T-Mac in there, he doesn't have to work nearly as hard on offense because they can run pick and roll.
Wow nice find, it actually worked too. Don;t blame yao though, he played great, he had more stamina than last year but as a big guy he will get tired if he plays more than 30 min per game.
What happened to this new rested, more in-shape, stronger and better Yao we were all supposed to see this season? If he gets tired with that many minutes, what's he going to do if the game goes into OT? And for everyone who is complaining about his resting time, JVG probably didn't want to risk the game getting out of hand in a tight game in the 4th.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting virve119:</div><div class="quote_post">What happened to this new rested, more in-shape, stronger and better Yao we were all supposed to see this season? If he gets tired with that many minutes, what's he going to do if the game goes into OT? And for everyone who is complaining about his resting time, JVG probably didn't want to risk the game getting out of hand in a tight game in the 4th.</div> Yao played 37 minutes against a team that would constantly run the floor. I'm actually impressed Yao lasted that long especially against the Hornets. And I agree, JVG kept Yao out there in the 4th because he didn't want the Hornets to gain the lead. Especially when the Rockets were shooting so poorly, and of course no T-Mac. So JVG meant well, but it backfired when Yao couldn't hit his shots. I'm sure JVG won't make the same mistake again.
Quite impressive though. Yao will only get better as time goes on..and I rather lose early on in the season then late.
