# the Yao vs. Shaq 5 thread



## TDUBB (Mar 4, 2003)

*the Yao vs. Shaq 5 GAME THREAD*

Shaq is gonna do everything he can to smash this guy. It's gonna be a test for Yao. Also, the Lakers might take this they've been looking pretty scary these past few weeks.


----------



## Kyakko (Aug 14, 2002)

I look forward to seeing this. I wonder if the laker's are going to guard Yao one on one. He's so far proved that ANY team that does gets squashed. He just can't handle the double team as well, so I wonder if it's going to be an insult to Shaq's pride if Jackson gets someone else to help daddy for a double team.

Any predictions?


----------



## Alibaba (Feb 17, 2003)

If the Lakers DON'T double Yao, it will be at the very least a close game...since it's tough even for Shaq to guard Yao 1v1.

Of course, the Rockets will zone on Shaq or bring in the double team, so it will also depend on the perimeter shooting. 

I have a feeling that Shaq will play Yao man to man, so as to stop any whining after the game. Shaq will of course be extremely aggresive and it'll be interesting to see how much physical play the refs will allow.


----------



## Damian Necronamous (Jun 10, 2002)

Yeah, the Lakers look really scary....."losing to the Hawks and losing to the Kings at home without Jackson, Webber and Miller" kind of scary.

Lakers get thrashed by 10-20...Yao dominates a lazy Shaq.


----------



## The_Franchise (Mar 30, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>Damian Necronamous</b>!
> Yeah, the Lakers look really scary....."losing to the Hawks and losing to the Kings at home without Jackson, Webber and Miller" kind of scary.
> 
> Lakers get thrashed by 10-20...Yao dominates a lazy Shaq.


The Rockets beat those same Hawks in triple overtime... plus you guys didn't have Kobe. I think the Lakers could come out hard after an embarassing loss. The Rockets are also coming off one of their worst games of the season, a 97-80 loss to the Sonics.


----------



## Yao Mania (Aug 4, 2003)

As usual, I'd love to see Yao pick up another 20-10 game, but I think Shaq's gonna try to make a statement tonight, esp. after last night's embarassing lost. But then again I made the same prediction for Shaq v.s. Yao IV too. If Yao does outplay Shaq again this game, it's gonna be huge....

Key to Yao's success: put Cato on Shaq on defense


----------



## JGKoblenz (Jul 19, 2002)

SHAQ

*"Don't say '(Shaq) against Yao' when I got four (defenders) on me," O'Neal demanded. "I hate when y'all ... say that dumb ... , `You against Yao.' I'll always play him one-on-one. I don't think he'll ever play me one-on-one. Ever-ever-never. Never-ever-never."*

YAO

*"He's right. Nobody is going to allow him to match up one-on-one," Yao said, not seeming the least bit guilty. "The rules don't say you can't use more than one person to guard another guy. Why would you open yourself up to a hole like that when you don't have to? Of course he wants to play one-on-one because that's the way they're going to win a game. But we're going to come at him with more people because that's the way we're going to get a victory."*

[Link]


----------



## Yao Mania (Aug 4, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>JGKoblenz</b>!
> SHAQ
> 
> *"Don't say '(Shaq) against Yao' when I got four (defenders) on me," O'Neal demanded. "I hate when y'all ... say that dumb ... , `You against Yao.' I'll always play him one-on-one. I don't think he'll ever play me one-on-one. Ever-ever-never. Never-ever-never."*
> ...


Any question who's the smarter one?


----------



## NYCbballFan (Jun 8, 2003)

Echoes of Russell and Wilt.


----------



## GNG (Aug 17, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>JGKoblenz</b>!
> SHAQ
> 
> *"Don't say '(Shaq) against Yao' when I got four (defenders) on me," O'Neal demanded. "I hate when y'all ... say that dumb ... , `You against Yao.' I'll always play him one-on-one. I don't think he'll ever play me one-on-one. Ever-ever-never. Never-ever-never."*
> ...





> Originally posted by <b>NYCbballFan</b>!
> Echoes of Russell and Wilt.


Echoes of a mature class act and a whining, sniveling, schoolyard bully.


----------



## s a b a s 11 (Dec 31, 2002)

*Yao MIng's toughest test...*

I wrote this at InterBasket 

Stuart



> This should be one of the, if not *the* toughest test, Yao will have faced since coming into the league. This is a determined and embarassed Shaquille O'Neal, an up and coming Laker team.
> 
> The former will be the largest challenge as Shaq will be coming after Yao with no conscious. The other times they faced off, it was almost friendly as both players complimented each other before and after, but after the last meeting, Shaq's ego was hurt and responded angrily to a reporter's assertion that O'Neal got outplayed one-on-one:
> 
> ...


----------



## NYCbballFan (Jun 8, 2003)

I'm hoping the game lives up to the hype. Knowing how these things usually work out, though, both Cs probaby will be sitting on the bench with foul trouble 5 minutes into the game and we'll be talking about Francis and Bryant tomorrow.


----------



## AL9045 (Nov 27, 2003)

I think it's safe to say, Shaq is looking like a fool.

He certainly isn't shutting down Yao at all.

Yao: 25 points (11-15 FG, 3-3 FT), 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 turnovers and 1 block, so far.

Shaq: 17 points (8-12 FG, *1*-10 FT), 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 turnover and 4 block.

They are pretty equal in all the categories except for the fact Shaq can't hit a FT for his life and has a few more blocks.


----------



## HKF (Dec 10, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>AL9045</b>!
> I think it's safe to say, Shaq is looking like a fool.
> 
> He certainly isn't shutting down Yao at all.
> ...


Shaq is an F'n joke. They always complain about Kobe, but damn Shaq, make a damn FT. You're freaking so pathetic. Talk all that **** and keep getting outplayed by Yao. :no:


----------



## The_Franchise (Mar 30, 2003)

81-71 Rockets lead with 8:14 left in the 4th.

Lots of Rockets in foul trouble, JJackson with 5, Yao, Taylor and Mobley with 4. Medvedenko, Cook and Shaq have 11 fouls between them.

31 points for Yao, but the Lakers have pulled within 5.

81-76 Rockets.


----------



## The_Franchise (Mar 30, 2003)

Kobe with a clutch shot, falling away to his left. 

94-93 Lakers with 31 seconds left in the game.


----------



## GNG (Aug 17, 2002)

Yao owns Shaq.


----------



## NYCbballFan (Jun 8, 2003)

Great shot by Kobe with Yao in his grill. Good D by Yao, just better O by Kobe.

Poor execution by the Rockets on the last play. Shaq did a good job of challenging Yao's shot.


----------



## Yao Mania (Aug 4, 2003)

Wow this is like the opposite of what the trend had been: b4 it was Shaq outplays Yao, but Rockets win... now it's Yao outplays Shaq, but Rockets lose?? 
But can't complain about Yao scoring 33 on Shaq. Wonder what Shaq has to say about it tomorrow.


----------



## NYCbballFan (Jun 8, 2003)

I wonder what dimensions Kobe's ego has inflated to. Shaq is outplayed by Yao AND Kobe wins the game on a clutch last-minute shot. That's like 2 wins in 1 for Kobe.


----------



## The_Franchise (Mar 30, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>NYCbballFan</b>!
> Poor execution by the Rockets on the last play. Shaq did a good job of challenging Yao's shot.


When have the Rockets every executed a last play well. Besides the play where Yao goes to the top of the key, sets a screen for Stevie who shoots the ball, the Rockets have nothing.

And on another bad shooting night for Stevie, we saw him struggle to attack the basket. When he is visibly quicker that Payton and Fisher, he needs to get to the line with Yao on the bench.


----------



## NYCbballFan (Jun 8, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>The Franchise</b>!
> 
> 
> When have the Rockets every executed a last play well. Besides the play where Yao goes to the top of the key, sets a screen for Stevie who shoots the ball, the Rockets have nothing.


Yao, if considered on a star standard, can't be excused for missing an end-game shot. But, that was a hard shot and it was telegraphed early in the play. Even I knew how the sequence was going to play out - and I'm naive. I'm confident the Lakers knew what the Rockets were going to do, too.

I guess that's the difference between a 3-time consecutive champ and an aspiring crew looking to make their first trip to the post-season.


----------



## rocketeer (Oct 7, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>NYCbballFan</b>!
> Poor execution by the Rockets on the last play. Shaq did a good job of challenging Yao's shot.


was it really that bad of execution? mobley got a decent and very makeable look at a 3 to tie the game, it just didn't go it. i really don't think it was that bad of a look in the situation they were in. it actually reminded me of the texas/texas tech college game where mouton got a very similar look from 3 but made it to send it to overtime.


----------



## NYCbballFan (Jun 8, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>rocketeer</b>!
> 
> 
> was it really that bad of execution? mobley got a decent and very makeable look at a 3 to tie the game, it just didn't go it. i really don't think it was that bad of a look in the situation they were in. it actually reminded me of the texas/texas tech college game where mouton got a very similar look from 3 but made it to send it to overtime.


My bad. I meant the play where Yao took the 22-footer over Shaq.


----------



## MightyReds2020 (Jul 19, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>NYCbballFan</b>!
> 
> 
> My bad. I meant the play where Yao took the 22-footer over Shaq.


If I remember correctly, that play broke down in first tried and all of the sudden Yao and Steve and everybody looked confused so they tried to set it up again, same play, only this time Yao stepped back a little further than his range. With Shaq in his face, Yao missed a tough shot.

This play is a pick-n-roll the Rockets run very often. I still think by putting Yao at the top of the key and set screens for the ball-handler is considerably bad, since Yao takes up huge space and the guards lack the creativity to seperate themselves to make this play unstoppable. I thought the perfect pick-n-roll would have put Yao (or Taylor) and Stevie (or Mobley) at the strong side with 2 shooters at the weak side hovering around the 3-point line. The last guy would also stay on the weak side but look for help on offensive putbacks or double-pick if the play collapsed.


----------



## The_Franchise (Mar 30, 2003)

Bump. Shaq vs Yao VI figures to be less of a factor than before with Kobe and Malone in form, the Rockets have bigger problems to worry about.


----------



## Yao Mania (Aug 4, 2003)

Why don't we just start a Shaq v.s. Yao 6 thread? Less of a factor maybe, but still one of the best 1 on 1 match-up nonetheless.


----------



## Lynx (Mar 6, 2004)

Daddy has been dominating the glass by boards not by numbers. I have a feeling he will dominate at both ends against Yao!

It's time for Shaqalaka BOOM BOOM


----------



## The_Franchise (Mar 30, 2003)

*Shaq-Yao is clash of titans*



> O'Neal and Yao are the only two centers patrolling the earth who deserve the superstar tag. They do a dominant center's work, which is to rebound, defend, block shots and, when buckets are called for, they can barge in and help themselves. That is not to say there is no touch involved in their respective repertoires; when he isn't dunking, Shaq makes a nice living off a stunted jump hook, while Yao is an adept outside marksman. But they're centers in the traditional sense. They are this generation's George Mikan, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Walt Bellamy, Nate Thurmond, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Walton, Artis Gilmore, Hakeen Olajuwon, Pat Ewing.


http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4633851/


----------



## Lynx (Mar 6, 2004)

You know I read the article, liked what Michael Ventre said but I changed my thoughts after reading the last paragraph of the article.

It will take Yao at least 5+ more years to achieve what Shaq has in his career. When Shaq talks big, he does put up big numbers.


----------

