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Yao Ming is the triple
truth, Ruth! There isn’t any other way to put it.
I finally got the chance to see Yao in action when the Rockets
came to town and I was quite pleased. Not only that, but
the Knicks won and got a first hand view at the premiere
star center from China.
At his first game at Madison Square Garden, Ming put up
buckets! Scoring 24 points, Yao manhandled the smaller trio
of Kurt Thomas, Clarence Weatherspoon, and Othella Harrington.
Ming’s adaptation to the NBA style of play, and the
increased talent in competition, is also a sign of Ming’s
growth and talent. Say hello to fantasy basketball, Mr.
Ming.
Can Yao be expected to handle centers such as Shaquille
O’Neal and Tim Duncan, though? Although Yao isn’t
a power center, weight training over the off-season will
allow him to compete with the bigger, better, and more established
competition. Rumor states Yao despises lifting weights with
a passion. That may have been acceptable in China, but it
won’t cut it here in the NBA. But then again, the
Rockets need Yao more than Yao needs them; I guess he doesn’t
really have to lift weights, now does he?
All you Rockets faithful out there need not worry. Ming
has a terrific jumper and unbelievable range for his height.
But then again, with established stars like Dirk Nowitzki
and Peja Stojakovic, Ming is more of a treat than a trick.
And after the first few minutes, it becomes evident that
Ming is in love with the turnaround jump shot. Since most
people are shorter than him, he usually has no problem finishing.
Heck, a dunk is practically automatic if he’s in arm’s
reach of the basket.
Is Yao actually intimidating underneath the basket, though?
There was one play where Latrell Sprewell drove to the basket,
realized that Yao was there, turned around in mid-air, and
in essence, threw the ball up. And quite honestly, I don’t
blame him. There are few athletes that can actually dunk
on Yao – and Sprewell sadly, is probably not one of
them. When Yao has position under the basket, your best
bet might be to throw a hail mary at the rim and try to
get fouled. Someone like Kobe Bryant or Tracy McGrady could
make something happen; we painstakingly remember what Vince
Carter did to Frederick Weis at the 2000 Olympic games.
How did New York treat their foreign guest? As a Knicks
fans, it seemed that Yao got the regular superstar treatment.
The majority of the fans at MSG wanted the Knicks to win
but also wanted Yao to do his thing (specifically in that
order). Yao got his share of cheers every time he touched
the ball. The only exception was at the end of the game
when the score was fairly close. Yao got the “New-York-Boo-The-Guy-At-The-Free-Throw-Line”
treatment like everyone else.
How did the center from China do? He did great offensively
– scoring 24 points. Towards the end, he was picked
twice (by Sprewell and Thomas), which was part of the reason
the Rockets lost. Rockets coach, Rudy Tomjanovich, explained
that, instead of dribbling so long, Yao needs to learn to
kick the ball back out to an open guard. What stays a mystery
is that Yao only got eight boards. There is no excuse at
7’6”, when you’re facing someone who is
approximately 6’9”. The NBA is not known for
calling an excess of over-the-back fouls. But to become
a superstar, Ming has to learn from his mistakes.
Is Yao the NBA’s next generation of the center? He
just might be. The Shaq era is nearing its end and the era
of finesse centers are returning. We also tend to forget
that Yao is a rookie. The level of competition from when
he was on the Shanghai Sharks is nothing compared to that
of the NBA. He’s doing an exceptional job for his
first year and he can only grow from here, and that’s
the triple truth, Ruth.
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