# YAO is UNSTOPPABLE



## Kunlun (Jun 22, 2003)

Oh My God. He is dominating Shaq. He is destroying the Lakers. He is for real.


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## ToddMacCulloch11 (May 31, 2003)

I'd love a lakers-rockets first round playoff series.


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## Kunlun (Jun 22, 2003)

Why aren't they dumping the ball down to Yao anymore? Why the hell is Maurice Taylor and Piatowski shooting jumpshots instead of Yao dominating down low? God damn I sometimes hate the Rockets offense.


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## Johnny Mac (May 6, 2003)

I second the Rockets-Lakers 1st round, that would be classic. 

Anyways, Shaq simply cant stop Yaos offense. However, in Shaqs defense, Yao hasnt even been guarding Shaq most of the game, while Shaq HAS took the challenge of guarding Yao when hes been in the game. 

But yea, Yao is incredible. On his way to becoming the most dominant player in basketball within the next 5 years.


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## Amareca (Oct 21, 2002)

Yao lacks the attitude right now to be dominant.

Seems like he always does well against Shaq but just like that he is struggling against Vitaly Potapenko.


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## HKF (Dec 10, 2002)

Shaq is a joke to me now. Seriously. I wish Yao played like this all the time, but I wish the Rockets guards gave him the rock like this all the time too.


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## Johnny Mac (May 6, 2003)

Once again Lakers get the benefit of the doubt down the stretch. Shaq reaches his foot out to kick the ball and gets an easy dunk while theres no call. Nothing surprising. 

Great game nonetheless though, couldnt ask for much more.


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## Hibachi! (Sep 18, 2003)

Yup... Who would have seen that one coming? O, wait everyone...

(referring to the kickball)


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## GNG (Aug 17, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>Hong Kong Fooey</b>!
> Shaq is a joke to me now. Seriously. I wish Yao played like this all the time, but I wish the Rockets guards gave him the rock like this all the time too.


The joke just did a blatant kicked-ball job to get the easy dunk.

I suppose that's just part of those "skills" that everyone insists he has.


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## Johnny Mac (May 6, 2003)

Did the refs lose their whistles?


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## Amareca (Oct 21, 2002)

Shaq has definately become a joke considering what he thinks of himself.

Dominant player?

3 years ago maybe, 3 years ago he would have gone out and score 60 on the Hawks and their frontcourt of Crawford, Przybilla and N'Diaye.
This year his team is losing to them.


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## HKF (Dec 10, 2002)

Man the Rockets are stupid. Post up Yao, not pick and roll with Yao. Shaq has five fouls you idiots. Attack the basket. :upset:


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## Johnny Mac (May 6, 2003)

So the Shaq kickball ends up being the deciding factor. Truly a shame.


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## Hibachi! (Sep 18, 2003)

They were trying to get the foul on Shaq, and they did, like 10 times, the refs were just unwilling to call it. (which i guess in understandable, you gotta do a pretty harsh foul to get your sixth) And the Rockets prove why theyre the Rckets, because there is no O in Rockets... Anyone see Kobe waving his finger after he hit that shot? Guess Kobes an ******* right Phil?


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## The_Franchise (Mar 30, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>John The Cool Kid</b>!
> So the Shaq kickball ends up being the deciding factor. Truly a shame.


Nah, Rockets got some calls going their way as well. It was poor decision making by the guards in the early 4th, when the Rockets were outscored by 12 points. Lakers are a clutch team, the Rockets aren't, we got to get some playoff experience first.


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## Hibachi! (Sep 18, 2003)

Where was Yao down the stretch? Where was Francis? Where was Mobley? The only guy doing anything offensively was Jim Jackson...


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## Hibachi! (Sep 18, 2003)

Sean Elliot talked about "The Golden Treatment" that the Lakers receive during the broadcast... And he wasnt being sarcastic


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## Johnny Mac (May 6, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>The Franchise</b>!
> Nah, Rockets got some calls going their way as well. It was poor decision making by the guards in the early 4th, when the Rockets were outscored by 12 points. Lakers are a clutch team, the Rockets aren't, we got to get some playoff experience first.


I hate that mentality. Yea of course the Rockets shouldnt let them back in the game, but that doesnt mean they should be victims down the stretch to something that should always remain equal on both sides (refs). Shaq gets away with murder on Yao in the post, and gets away with that kickball.

Call it star power, call it Laker power, call it what you want. Its nonsense. With that said, In-n-Out is calling my name.


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## Kunlun (Jun 22, 2003)

I hate the Lakers...


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## Hibachi! (Sep 18, 2003)

Dont we all... I am sick of "The Golden Treatment" but the Rockets lost that game themselves, with a little help from the refs for the Lake Show


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## MJG (Jun 29, 2003)

Heh everyone but Laker fans hate the Lakers -- that's just part of being an NBA fan.


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## DontBeCows (Apr 22, 2003)

Yao went back to his timid self down the stretch of the 4th quarter and Stevie French Fries went crazy. End of the stroy for the Rockets. 

This team has a heck lot of potential, but they simply dont fit together.


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## DontBeCows (Apr 22, 2003)

Yao went back to his timid self down the stretch of the 4th quarter and Stevie French Fries went crazy. End of the stroy for the Rockets. 

This team has a heck lot of potential, but they simply dont fit together.

And really Yao has good numbers against Shaq because Shaq just can't guard anyone. Seriously, Shaq never faced any decent center since Hakeem slowed down. People don't attack Shaq because they are too scared of him. In fact, O'neal is very vulnerable on D. You just need to attack him. 

And I really don't think that Yao is ready to dominate. He is too passive and too "nice" to be dominant like Shaq.


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## Hibachi! (Sep 18, 2003)

At least the Spurs dont get it... I wouldnt be able to stand two teams getting the treatment, kinda sucks for the Spurs tho


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## ChiBron (Jun 24, 2002)

Its fun hating the lakers. Whats not to hate? Kobe, Shaq, Refs etc...

Even tonight, they got a couple of BS calls down the stretch. But the Rockets have nobody but themselves to blame tonight. That 4 min. stretch they had in the 4th qtr where they just stopped going to Ming is just inexcusable. I don't know how this keeps happening. The game should've never been this close.


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## Hibachi! (Sep 18, 2003)

Is it just me, or does it seem that te majority of close games with the Lakers come down to bad calls in the stretch (going the Lakers way)


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## Hibachi! (Sep 18, 2003)

If they have guys watching the refs, and writing down every bad call a ref makes, why do we still have paper left in this world?


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## Amareca (Oct 21, 2002)

Spurs, Kings, Pistons... they all get some special treatment.

Duncan can park under the basket for as many non-called 3seconds as he wants, same for Divac.
A lot of holding and grabbing.

The Kings defense is like one big reach in foul. Same for the Nets etc.

The established good team or those with special reputations always get special treatment from the refs.

If you are supposed to be a great defensive team you won't get a lot of touch fouls etc anymore.
But when you are supposed to be a soft team you get called for every contact.

Just like individual superstar bonus.


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## LionOfJudah (May 27, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>SacKings384</b>!
> Is it just me, or does it seem that te majority of close games with the Lakers come down to bad calls in the stretch (going the Lakers way)


:uhoh: Don't let Stern hear you.....

What I like is how Shaq had to bump his gums to the paper this morning only get shown up again. Yeah, they got the win but Yao owns Shaq.


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## Jamel Irief (May 19, 2002)

Hillarious... Shaq is a joke now but if Yao, Amare or Eddy Curry were having the type of season "the joke" is imagine how much hype they would be getting? Compare those players numbers against the Hawks or whoever.


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## Hibachi! (Sep 18, 2003)

Yes, because you can see that the Kings D is so great... Pistons? Since when? Spurs? Other than Duncan and Bowen no one else gets ANY calls. Only one team that when you put on their colors u automatically get the calls, and thats purple and gold


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## John (Jun 9, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>SacKings384</b>!
> Where was Yao down the stretch? Where was Francis? Where was Mobley? The only guy doing anything offensively was Jim Jackson...


I dont understand why you question where their locations are since those players u mentioned are all second-tier players. It's not like they are some true superstars can step up everynite, yeah, they can perform and be fake clutch against some matchups that are in their favor, but dont expect too much from scrubs.


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## Hibachi! (Sep 18, 2003)

Francis is supposed to be the FRANCHISE PLAYER, so yes he should be questioned when he doesnt play in the stretch... Yao, huge night, and all of a sudden he just stopped. Mobley was just bad all night


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## WhoDaBest23 (Apr 16, 2003)

Yao had a dominating game today, simply put. He wasn't really there down the stretch, but was very effective for most of the game..


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## LionOfJudah (May 27, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>SacKings384</b>!
> Francis is supposed to be the FRANCHISE PLAYER, so yes he should be questioned when he doesnt play in the stretch... Yao, huge night, and all of a sudden he just stopped. Mobley was just bad all night


Cat bruised his *** which I'm sure effected his play all game. Nothin like AI in Philly but still playing trough an injury nonethe less.


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## John (Jun 9, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>Jemel Irief</b>!
> Hillarious... Shaq is a joke now but if Yao, Amare or Eddy Curry were having the type of season "the joke" is imagine how much hype they would be getting? Compare those players numbers against the Hawks or whoever.


LMAO, true to that. Freaking Amare is playing on a losing team, Eddy Curry? Dont let me started, the guy is haveing one of the worst body shape in terms of playing basketball of all time.. I dont know how on earth with his shape can make it to the NBA, I can find a 5-10 scrubs from my school b4 have better body shape than Curry.


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## Kunlun (Jun 22, 2003)

They didn't give the ball to Yao enough in the 4th quarter. Everybody was jacking up jumpshots.


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## Johnny Mac (May 6, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>John</b>!
> LMAO, true to that. Freaking Amare is playing on a losing team, Eddy Curry? Dont let me started, the guy is haveing one of the worst body shape in terms of playing basketball of all time.. I dont know how on earth with his shape can make it to the NBA, I can find a 5-10 scrubs from my school b4 have better body shape than Curry.


Body shape, are you serious? I didnt know we were discussing modelling. Body shape? Man...BODY SHAPE? 

Man that guy isnt very good, he needs to work on his shot. 

Man that guy isnt very good, he has bad handles. 

Man that guy isnt very good, his defense is terrible. 

Man, that guy sucks. I know sooo many people who have better body shape than him. 

.....


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## Pinball (Aug 3, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>John The Cool Kid</b>!
> 
> 
> Body shape, are you serious? I didnt know we were discussing modelling. Body shape? Man...BODY SHAPE?
> ...


First time reading John's posts?


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## shoprite (Dec 18, 2002)

Down the stretch, Yao was stopped by 2 things: His teammates and his 5 fouls. 

Talk about fouls, Ref's just hesitated to call any kind of fouls on Shaq in the 4th quarter.


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## The_Franchise (Mar 30, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>Pinball</b>!
> 
> 
> First time reading John's posts?


:laugh:

Lakers played a physical game with Yao, and it took a toll on Yao towards the end. He knew he needed to stay in the game but was struggling for decent positioning. Every time he got in the post, Francis was looking elsewhere, and when Yao did get the ball, he was at the top of the key. Changes will be made.


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## Cap (Nov 5, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>John The Cool Kid</b>!
> So the Shaq kickball ends up being the deciding factor. Truly a shame.


No, not really, take the Laker hater glasses off. Rockets got away with a blatant out of bounds non-call. Even.


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## John (Jun 9, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>Pinball</b>!
> 
> 
> First time reading John's posts?



Hey mod, no hating okay? but Eddy Curyr does bother me whenever he is on TV, you know NBA is an entertainment after all.


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## Amareca (Oct 21, 2002)

Amare is playing on a losing team because he missed almost half of their games.

Oh 3 wins in the last 4 games for Phoenix. 

Amare back to back 30+/10+ games. Averages 27/11/2 since the allstar break since he is fully recovered and without Marbury.

And don't let us hear about how Amare is a garbage man. He is already drawing comparisons to Hakeem Olajuwon for his post moves by some people.
He had 32 tonight and no dunks and only 4 freethrows. The rest beautiful post moves against double teams and jumpers.


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## Damian Necronamous (Jun 10, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>John The Cool Kid</b>!
> So the Shaq kickball ends up being the deciding factor. Truly a shame.


LMFAO.....Shaq wasn't even looking and Francis dribbled it right into his foot. It isn't a kick if that happens, read the rules.

That is such a ****ing lame excuse. Don't blame Francis' stupidity on the refs. My Lord, that is just sad.


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## DontBeCows (Apr 22, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>BigAmare</b>!
> Amare is playing on a losing team because he missed almost half of their games.
> 
> Oh 3 wins in the last 4 games for Phoenix.
> ...


Amare is getting better every day, but you can't talk about individual stats when your team is on the bottom of the conference, period. 

That's why I never talk about anyone on the bulls on the main forum.


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## The_Franchise (Mar 30, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>BigAmare</b>!
> He is already drawing comparisons to Hakeem Olajuwon for his post moves by some people.


Who? For the 19th time, the Suns record has not gotten any better since Amare's return. Sure they won 3 of their last 4, but before that they lost 11 of 12... when Amare was peaking statistically.


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## Pinball (Aug 3, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>John</b>!
> 
> 
> 
> Hey mod, no hating okay? but Eddy Curyr does bother me whenever he is on TV, you know NBA is an entertainment after all.


You don't find this guy attractive?


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## ChiBron (Jun 24, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>EHL</b>!
> 
> 
> No, not really, take the Laker hater glasses off. Rockets got away with a blatant out of bounds non-call. Even.


From the replays shown, Cuttino did save the ball b4 stepping out. LA got a big break. That put them up.

Anyway, while Shaq's foot incident was def. crucial, it didn't decide the game. Kobe's shot did.


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## Cap (Nov 5, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>SPMJ</b>!
> 
> 
> From the replays shown, Cuttino did save the ball b4 stepping out. LA got a big break. That put them up.


What is this a joke? ESPN did the replay, Cuttino's foot was practically on the opposite side of the out of bounds line. It was blatantly obvious on the replay. Would you like a link?


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## Amareca (Oct 21, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>The Franchise</b>!
> 
> 
> Who? For the 19th time, the Suns record has not gotten any better since Amare's return. Sure they won 3 of their last 4, but before that they lost 11 of 12... when Amare was peaking statistically.


No they are winning now, when Amare is peaking statistically.

They are the youngest team in the NBA and by the time Amare came back they already had one of the 5 worst records in the league and only about 30 games left.
They play a new offense and defense so the team had to adjust to Amare when he came back as well.
They lost more than twice as much games as any other team by less than 5 points.

They are playing good basketball. Put Kobe Bryant on this team next season and they will be very serious contenders immediately as long as they are healthy.

I guess Tracy McGrady is not among the top50 players in this league? Cuttino Mobley must be better.

Amare lead his team to the playoffs last season already. Something that would have been impossible without him and it showed this season.


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## HallOfFamer (May 26, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>Pinball</b>!
> 
> 
> First time reading John's posts?


John is my favorite poster on this board, always makes me smile.:laugh: :grinning:


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## Kunlun (Jun 22, 2003)

How did this thread turn into an Amare thread?


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## The_Franchise (Mar 30, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>BigAmare</b>!
> They are playing good basketball. Put Kobe Bryant on this team next season and they will be very serious contenders immediately as long as they are healthy.
> 
> I guess Tracy McGrady is not among the top50 players in this league? Cuttino Mobley must be better.
> ...


Put Kobe Bryant on the Rockets and we will be very serious contenders. Not sure where McGrady fits into all of this...

Back to the original question, who compared Amare to Hakeem?


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## Kunlun (Jun 22, 2003)

Yao should have gotten the ball more and Shaq should have fouled out. Why were the referees so hesitant on calling fouls on Shaq at the end? Damn I hate it when that kind of **** happens.


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## Amareca (Oct 21, 2002)

John?

You people who are mentioning Amare's name should stop unless you see him regularly play. You will only invite me to come back and say "I told you so" when time is due.

The Franchise talks about Amare like he knows something and than admits on the Phoenix board that the last time he saw Amare play was against Houston and that was like in November.


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## HKF (Dec 10, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>The Franchise</b>!
> 
> 
> Put Kobe Bryant on the Rockets and we will be very serious contenders. Not sure where McGrady fits into all of this...
> ...


Who was talking about Amare in the first place in this thread? Bottomline about this game is that Van Gundy should have ran plays to go to Yao in the post even if they took Shaq off of Yao. Yao would have went to the FT line. 

Bad coaching and execution by the Rockets down the stretch.


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## Arclite (Nov 2, 2002)

Speaking in John's words.. the most unhandsome stat in the NBA is Yao only getting 11 shots per game. Absolutely inexcusable. Yao is unstoppable in the low post.. all you have to do is give it to him.. yet they won't..


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## Cap (Nov 5, 2003)

Amare will be a top 3 PF in 3 years. Doubters should be shot.


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## Amareca (Oct 21, 2002)

Eddie Johnson compared Amare's footwork in the post to Hakeem.
Vlade Divac compared him to Michael Jordan as the type of player he is.
Flip Saunders compared him to Karl Malone with Shawn Kemps athleticism.
Larry Brown compared him to Alonzo Mourning in his prime.
Doug Christie compare him to Moses Malone.
Pat Riley I think said last year he would be a top10 or even top5 player rather soon.

The list goes on.



> Originally posted by <b>EHL</b>!
> Amare will be a top 3 PF in 3 years. Doubters should be shot.


Next year, unless Webber makes a real strong comeback. Heck he could be considered ahead of Jermaine O'Neal if he continues his post-allstar play and there is no reason he doesn't.


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## Cap (Nov 5, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>BigAmare</b>!
> Next year, unless Webber makes a real strong comeback. Heck he could be considered ahead of Jermaine O'Neal if he continues his post-allstar play and there is no reason he doesn't.


Only reason I don't think he'll be top 3 next year is because I think Jermaine will continue to be better than Amare (which he is right now) while actually improving his game. Jermaine is what, 25 or 26 or something? I also think Webber has another 2 good years before injuries end his career. Amare won't catch KG or TD for at least 3 years, barring injury to either player.


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## Amareca (Oct 21, 2002)

Amare should be good enough to put up 27/11/2/1.5/2 next season. He is already starting to do it right now and is just scratching the surface with the team not exploiting him as much as they could/should.

I doubt Jermaine could do better than that. He scores his 20 something points right now already only at 43% shooting.

And for the record since this is a Yao thread. I don't think Yao will crack 20ppg next season. Maybe close.


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## Cap (Nov 5, 2003)

Last post, since I don't want to continue to go too off topic here...

Amare scoring 27 ponits? I'll buy you lunch if that happens next season. Maybe in 3 years, I can't see it happening next season unless he takes 20+ shots, which would be bad at anything less than 45%.


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## HKF (Dec 10, 2002)

THIS THREAD IS ABOUT YAO NOT AMARE


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## Hibachi! (Sep 18, 2003)

> LMFAO.....Shaq wasn't even looking and Francis dribbled it right into his foot. It isn't a kick if that happens, read the rules.
> 
> That is such a ****ing lame excuse. Don't blame Francis' stupidity on the refs. My Lord, that is just sad.



Just like the ball never hit the rim vs the Nuggets right?



> No it didn't. What the hell are you talking about?
> 
> The ball was way short, Kobe grabbed it and Melo hit it it out of his hands.....24 shot clock violation, Laker ball. The officials made a bad call and gave it to the Nuggets, then they didn't admit that they had made a mistake, so they said it was an inadvertant whistle.
> 
> Don't say that^ because the crowd was booing, the ball obviously didn't hit the rim. Stop crying.


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## The_Franchise (Mar 30, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>Hong Kong Fooey</b>!
> 
> 
> Who was talking about Amare in the first place in this thread? Bottomline about this game is that Van Gundy should have ran plays to go to Yao in the post even if they took Shaq off of Yao. Yao would have went to the FT line.
> ...





> Originally posted by <b>The Franchise</b>!
> Nah, Rockets got some calls going their way as well. *It was poor decision making by the guards in the early 4th,* when the Rockets were outscored by 12 points. Lakers are a clutch team, the Rockets aren't, we got to get some playoff experience first.


Gumby can preach and preach on defense, but the fact is he has no definitive offensive sets for this team. The game is put in the hands of the guards, and they know the goal is to get the ball to Yao. Yao struggled for positioning in the clutch, and so every posession we saw the Rockets launch up 3's with 1 second left on the shot clock.



> The Franchise talks about Amare like he knows something and than admits on the Phoenix board that the last time he saw Amare play was against Houston and that was like in November.


Feb. 2 against Houston, Feb. 27 against Seattle. And if you do some more digging in the Phoenix forum, you will see how highly I think of Amare. Your fanaticism is what makes it hard to appreciate him... especially when you hijack threads with:



> Originally posted by <b>BigAmare</b>!
> Seems like he always does well against Shaq but just like that he is struggling against Vitaly Potapenko.


Stop crying for attention for Amare... he gets recognized plenty.


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## Hibachi! (Sep 18, 2003)

You overhype Amare way to much, hes really good, but hes certainly not a franchise player yet. Nor is he an All Star...


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## HKF (Dec 10, 2002)

I agree with you The Franchise. I place this loss at the feet of Jeff Van Gundy. No Timeouts left. WTF?


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## Pinball (Aug 3, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>SacKings384</b>!
> You overhype Amare way to much, hes really good, but hes certainly not a franchise player yet. Nor is he an All Star...


He's coming on very quickly. If he isn't an All Star by next season, I'll be shocked. He's a top 15 player on many nights. I think that his biggest problem is consistency. I think 20 and 10 will become the norm for him next season. I think he'll be a top 10 player in the very near future.


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## HallOfFamer (May 26, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>Pinball</b>!
> 
> 
> He's coming on very quickly. If he isn't an All Star by next season, I'll be shocked. He's a top 15 player on many nights. I think that his biggest problem is consistency. I think 20 and 10 will become the norm for him next season. I think he'll be a top 10 player in the very near future.


The thing about him being an All star is KG, Dirk, CWebb, and Duncan have it locked down. If not any of them, then Elton Brand comes to mind. If Amare was in the East, he'd be a lock for the PF reserve, but he really needs to have a better year than at least 3 of those guys to be an All star next year.

How bout someone start a new Amare thread?


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## Yao Mania (Aug 4, 2003)

Yes please do start another Amare thread, this thread's suppose to talk about how Yao is unstoppable


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## Cap (Nov 5, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>SacKings384</b>!
> 
> 
> 
> Just like the ball never hit the rim vs the Nuggets right?


Or how Camby never pushed Kobe on two straight buckets with no foul call? Those were obvious non calls, at least the Miller shot that grazed the rim was a tough call.


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## The_Franchise (Mar 30, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>Pinball</b>!
> 
> 
> He's coming on very quickly. If he isn't an All Star by next season, I'll be shocked. He's a top 15 player on many nights. I think that his biggest problem is consistency. I think 20 and 10 will become the norm for him next season. I think he'll be a top 10 player in the very near future.


Actually, he has been very very consistent, I think a streak of 10-12 games with 20+ points, 10+ rebounds. As for being an All Star, if the Suns don't get lucky in free agency, I don't think Amare can single handedly take his team to the playoffs just yet. And if the Suns have a losing record, it will be hard for Amare to be voted in with the tough competition in the WC.


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## Scuall (Jul 25, 2002)

Amare will turn out to be the greatest player in NBA history. He should average next season...

40 PPG
12 APG
38 RPG

while shooting 84% from the floor and 100% (876-876) at the free throw line. The Suns will go 81-1 in the regular season (losing to the Hawks... was an off night) and sweep the playoffs to the NBA Championship. Repeat? Threepeat? Try "Nine-peat"


But these will all pale in comparison to his greatest triumphs...

Amare will travel to Egypt, where after exhaustive study at the University of Cairo, he will discover the secret of the pyramids.

Amare will live a solitary life on tiny Howland Island and search the depths of the South Pacific with the famed Dr. Ballard. Amare will find out what really happened to Amelia Earhart.

Amare will be the first to tobogan Mt. Everest, swim the full length of the Amazon, and successfully navigate L.A. rush hour without once hitting the brakes.

In his greatest achievement however, Amare will colonize Mars.


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## Kunlun (Jun 22, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>Scuall</b>!
> Amare will turn out to be the greatest player in NBA history. He should average next season...
> 
> 40 PPG
> ...


No, those will be his career stats.


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## Yao Mania (Aug 4, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>Scuall</b>!
> Amare will turn out to be the greatest player in NBA history. He should average next season...
> 
> 40 PPG
> ...


LOL I thought he'd become president after retirement and conquer the world


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## hellrazor08 (Feb 20, 2003)

*YAWN* A Kings fan *****ing about officiating. What's new. Is it a prerequisite that you first have to be a whiny lil ***** to qualify as a Kings fan?


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## Cap (Nov 5, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>hellrazor08</b>!
> *YAWN* A Kings fan *****ing about officiating. What's new. Is it a prerequisite that you first have to be a whiny lil ***** to qualify as a Kings fan?


Actually no, most Kings fans on the Internet are quite pleasant. It's this particular teeny bopper Kings fan that seems to whine every time a questionable call favors the Lakers while completely ignoring bad calls earlier in that same game. I blame it on youth and inexperience.


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## jjello (Feb 29, 2004)

> Originally posted by <b>KL Dawger</b>!
> Why aren't they dumping the ball down to Yao anymore? Why the hell is Maurice Taylor and Piatowski shooting jumpshots instead of Yao dominating down low? God damn I sometimes hate the Rockets offense.


Ya, i kno what u mean...it really pisses me off, they shooting at such low percentage and yao ming is on fire... they're offence should be YAO ming all tha way hahaha!!!~


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## Johnny Mac (May 6, 2003)

Shaq got away with murder tonight in the 4th, which is the main reason Yao ended up out on the top of the key. The previous play, Shaq fouled him 2-3 times before he even got the ball, and probably again a couple times after. Not to mention the obvious kickball where the announcers said it wasnt, then saw the replay and all of them took it back and said he did kick it intentionally. Even if Mobley was out of bounds, why didnt they call it? Their was atleast 5 calls tonight in the last 5 minutes where there should have been a whistle but there wasnt. I'm a fan of letting guys play in the end, but that doesnt mean they should be able to play soccer and disregard being out of bounds. 

Of course Laker fans are going to take offense to people who discredit their victory thanks to outside help. I expect their responses denying it, doesnt change it though. Laker fans denied that they won because of the refs against the Nuggets, when the league came out publically and admitted they were wrong which is the equivelent to a cold day in hell. 

I'm always real impressed with Yao when I see him play, mainly because they really only televise Rockets when they play the Lakers. Yao plays his best against Shaq. The only thing stopping Yao from being a top 5 player in the NBA RIGHT NOW is his passive mentality in games against considerably weaker opponents. I think Shaq has the same problem, they know they can dominate so for some reason they dont feel like they have to prove it. They play their best when theyre challenged and know they have to put 100% in order to compete with the guy theyre guarding. 

Anyways, as far as Amare goes, he wont be as good as Yao Ming. He could possibly be a top 5 PF next year. I think Duncan, KG, JO, and Brand will all be considerably better power forwards than him next year. Webber and Amare will probably battle for the 5th spot, and I gotta give the edge to Webber with the way he played the other night. He looks like hes back, and afterall hes only like 30-31. Amare has a bright future though.


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## John (Jun 9, 2002)

hey kids, leave the kid alone, BigAmare will look back when he is 25. Just enoy being a kid here okay?

For my hating on Eddy Curry? Sorry I will hate even I am over 50.


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## Johnny Mac (May 6, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>Scuall</b>!
> Amare will turn out to be the greatest player in NBA history. He should average next season...
> 
> 40 PPG
> ...


:laugh: 

Theres a difference between being an important part of the team, and leading the team to the playoffs. Amare did not lead the Suns to the playoffs last year, Marbury did. Amare was an important part, but no more important than Marion, infact he was less important than Marion. 

And whoever compared Amare to Hakeem the Dream is doing a little bit of dreaming themselves. Amare could end up being a top 5 player in the league one day and still not be half the player Hakeem was.


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## Cap (Nov 5, 2003)

> Of course Laker fans are going to take offense to people who discredit their victory thanks to outside help. I expect their responses denying it, doesnt change it though. Laker fans denied that they won because of the refs against the Nuggets, when the league came out publically and admitted they were wrong which is the equivelent to a cold day in hell.


It decided the game if you conveniently ignore several non-calls against the Lakers earlier in the game. So, uh, no.


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## Johnny Mac (May 6, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>EHL</b>!
> It decided the game if you conveniently ignore several non-calls against the Lakers *earlier in the game*. So, uh, no.


Timing is everything. 

Besides, its not like the Rockets recieved the benefit from the refs until the 4th, both teams got their share of calls their way until the last 5 minutes of course.


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## LionOfJudah (May 27, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>John The Cool Kid</b>!
> Shaq got away with murder tonight in the 4th, which is the main reason Yao ended up out on the top of the key. The previous play, Shaq fouled him 2-3 times before he even got the ball, and probably again a couple times after. Not to mention the obvious kickball where the announcers said it wasnt, then saw the replay and all of them took it back and said he did kick it intentionally. Even if Mobley was out of bounds, why didnt they call it? Their was atleast 5 calls tonight in the last 5 minutes where there should have been a whistle but there wasnt. I'm a fan of letting guys play in the end, but that doesnt mean they should be able to play soccer and disregard being out of bounds.
> 
> Of course Laker fans are going to take offense to people who discredit their victory thanks to outside help. I expect their responses denying it, doesnt change it though. Laker fans denied that they won because of the refs against the Nuggets, when the league came out publically and admitted they were wrong which is the equivelent to a cold day in hell.


Good post. The only people who won't agree with this are wearing purple and gold blindfolds. Hopefully one of these days the shoe will be on the other foot and we can see what Laker fans have to say about bad officiating that doesn't benifit them.


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## el_Diablo (May 15, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>stevemc</b>!
> 
> Hopefully one of these days the shoe will be on the other foot and ...


dream on... :sigh:


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## Hibachi! (Sep 18, 2003)

> Actually no, most Kings fans on the Internet are quite pleasant. It's this particular teeny bopper Kings fan that seems to whine every time a questionable call favors the Lakers while completely ignoring bad calls earlier in that same game. I blame it on youth and inexperience.


Yes because as you can see, i started this thread...


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## Cap (Nov 5, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>John The Cool Kid</b>!
> 
> 
> Timing is everything.
> ...


No it isn't, a call is a call. If you have 10 calls wrongfully go your way in the first 3 quarters of a game but then get a bad call go against you at the very end of the game, and that call was the difference between a win and a loss, does the losing team that got 10 calls but one bad one at the end have anything to really complain about? No, of course not. 

Timing doesn't mean crap, it just looks bad.

Honestly John The Cool Kid, it's not a hard concept. Especially when in this particular case, the non call on Shaq's kickball was immediately followed by a non call by the refs on a blatant out of bounds Rocket possession.


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## Cap (Nov 5, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>stevemc</b>!
> 
> 
> Good post. The only people who won't agree with this are wearing purple and gold blindfolds. Hopefully one of these days the shoe will be on the other foot and we can see what Laker fans have to say about bad officiating that doesn't benifit them.


Or, you have jealous rival fans with no NBA titles to speak of. 

Or, you have jealous rival fans that can't stand a team cause of success. 

Yankees suck.

Microsoft suck.

Lakers suck.

Success is for losers!!!


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## kawika (May 7, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>EHL</b>!
> 
> 
> Or, you have jealous rival fans with no NBA titles to speak of.
> ...


Well, actually, yes, Microsoft does *really* suck. And Bill Gates *really* is more evil than Satan himself. But that's besides the point. 

There was a quote from Wilt Chamberlin when asked why he was so unpopular and caught so much grief. His answer was "Nobody roots for Goliath." 

Exactly. I can think that Shaq has been one of the best players ever and still have him be among my 5 least favorite players in the League. Doesn't mean I think he sucks. It means I want to see the Lakers get swept in the first round of the play-offs. No contradiction.

But, whatever...


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## MongolianDeathCloud (Feb 27, 2004)

Hehe, this column from the sports guy sums up my feelings on the Lakers fan vs everyone else mentality to a T. Just substitute "Lakers" in for "Yankees".





For those who won't read the link (Sports guy is awesome so your loss):



> "And that's the difference between [Lakers] fans and everyone else. They delight in tweaking their rivals, seeing other fans miserable, pushing everyone's buttons. They honestly believe that supporting a champion makes them better than everyone else. They are never happy, no matter how well the [Lakers] are doing. And they talk so much smack, you root against them almost as much as you root for your own team. Not only are they the resident bully, they like it that way, as their insufferable chest-thumping after the [free-agent signings] proved once again.
> 
> 
> One of my readers once compared rooting for the Yankees to rooting for the house in blackjack."


I have a Dad and a friends Dad that are just like Uncle Rick, and sometimes I wonder if I could root for the Lakers if they weren't so obnoxious (They are just as much my local team as any from CA..)

Oh, another thing that drives me absolutely anti-laker fan -- going to a Warriors home game (used to be Kings too) and being surrounded by fairweather fans in Lakers jerseys gloating over you.


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## Cap (Nov 5, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>MongolianDeathCloud</b>!
> Hehe, this column from the sports guy sums up my feelings on the Lakers fan vs everyone else mentality to a T. Just substitute "Lakers" in for "Yankees".
> 
> 
> ...


Nice references, that's good reading, even though Simmons can be a complete knucklehead sometimes.

Anyway, I can see where the Laker hate comes from. There are so many spoiled, bangwagon, idiot Laker fans with no understanding of the game (or worse yet, Kobe or Shaq fans in disguise) that it actually pisses me off. All teams that win a championship experience their fair share of bangwagon fans or people that just root for good teams and pretend to know something about sports. It's especially bad with the Lakers because they've won 8 of the last 20 NBA Finals. That's just how it is. 

But the hate is just stupid, it makes fans that have illogical hate for the Lakers (or Yankees in baseball) come up with arguments that in reality are illogical but who's purpose is usually just to disagree with Lakers fans because they want them to feel stupid, insecure, etc. It's funny, but boringly predictable and ultimately not worth the time when true fans will enjoy basketball outside of their own team anyway.


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## Johnny Mac (May 6, 2003)

Although Lakers arent nearly on the level of the Yankees. Lakers have been the hot team and made the big plays and had basketballs best player over the past 5 years. With Shaq on the decline, I dont see the Lakers maintaining their short term Yankee status for very much longer. Of course they'll always get attention, because it Los Angeles and the Lakers do have the 2nd most titles of any team. They have history. Spurs knocked them off their run last year though, and Lakers kind of regained their spark by signing Payton and Malone and becoming the media favorite once again. But Shaq is no longer basketballs best player, and If they dont win this year, I dont think theres much they could do to regain that spark again from the media.


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## IV (Jul 16, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>John The Cool Kid</b>!
> Although Lakers arent nearly on the level of the Yankees.


LA is the Yankees of basketball. They're the only time to be considered a dynasty since the Chicago run in the 90's. They've got the big names in basketball, and did a great job of acquiring new talent the way NY does every off season. The Yankees haven't won every year and neither have LA. There's alot of comparision between the two teams.


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## MongolianDeathCloud (Feb 27, 2004)

I agree, it's the few bad ones that make it hard on everyone. They make the genuine fans look bad, and they make the people on the bubble, like me, frustrated. It's frustrating becuase I feel compelled to dislike them, not because of jealosy, but because I personify them as being that obnoxious fan's team rather than just a team (a team in the same state where I reside and where my family is from). It is irrational like you suggested, but I just can't help but feel disgust when that guy in the Shaq jersey sitting behind me at a Warriors game stands up and cheers when Kobe makes a _free throw_.

All in all though, I think the Lakers love 'em/ hate 'em paradigm is ok as long as you're not one of the people at the very extremes. 

And it's like Bill Simmons said, I think most people that abhor the Lakers for whatever reason watch and scrutinize them just as closely as their own team, which makes things interesting. Star Wars would not be half as interesting without Darth Vader, right?


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## Johnny Mac (May 6, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>IV</b>!
> There's alot of comparision between the two teams.


Indeed. My original statement still stands though. They arent nearly at the level of the Yankees. Yankees have BY FAR more titles than any other team in baseball. Lakers dont even have the most titles of any team in the NBA. 

Theres comparisons, but they arent touchin the Yankees as far as strength of the powerhouse.


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## jokeaward (May 22, 2003)

This Yao mania can get out of control at times. 13-23 33-8-1. It's not quite 35-10-10 like KG or Kobe. He's a top-tier center, not player. He's had some good games. Once he had 20 boards. KG's had 6 20-20 games. Duncan's a much better shot blocker with 5 fewer inches and not much else besides wits. Marbury and SAR have had 40 point games in regulation (poor defense, I admit).

I can't say Yao Ming of all people is unstoppable. Can a player even be unstoppable? Certainly not a player who disappears like Yao. He might be close to unstoppable in time. Who knows.


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## NYCbballFan (Jun 8, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>BigAmare</b>!
> Yao lacks the attitude right now to be dominant.
> 
> Seems like he always does well against Shaq but just like that he is struggling against Vitaly Potapenko.


There is something to that . . . from yaomingmania.com (don't know where they got it from):



> "All V (Vitaly Potapenko) did tonight was take a few hacks at him. Just like chopping wood. You keep taking hacks, he'll fall. And that's what (Yao) did. He fell. And he fell hard, man."
> 
> - Seattle center Jerome James taking a sick pride in teammate Vitaly Potapenko's butchering of Yao in a Sonics victory over the Rockets, 2/29/04


Clearly, the 'soft' Sonics decided to beat on Yao on defense and Potapenko was their hatchet-man, but that's the price of being an elite big man in the NBA. It's up to Yao to figure out how to fight back and beat those tactics. His teammates should also do a better job of protecting him against designated hatchet men, even if that means a little retaliation in kind. Yao has played good games against bad teams, most notably the Magic and Hawks, but most of his best outings have been against the top teams like the Lakers, T-wolves and Spurs.

I really hope the Rockets make it into the post-season so we can find out how consistent Yao can be in the most intense competition.


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## Mattsanity (Jun 8, 2003)

I have a dream, that one day, Yao Ming's game will be at the peek, and still won't touch O'Neal's game of his prime.


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## John (Jun 9, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>Mattsanity</b>!
> I have a dream, that one day, Yao Ming's game will be at the peek, and still won't touch O'Neal's game of his prime.



I wish I am 16 like he is so I can speak without thinking.. Back to the topic, Yao is overrated!


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## The_Franchise (Mar 30, 2003)

Leads Houston to a 112-109 victory over the Wolves with 27 points. But again, didn't make any key offensive plays down the stretch.


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## Kunlun (Jun 22, 2003)

I think Yao should be given more chances to score at the end of games. Every Rockets game it seems that Francis or Mobley take the crucial shots and they usually miss.


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## NYCbballFan (Jun 8, 2003)

I don't think it's Yao's fault at all beyond not literally grabbing Francis during one of JVG's inevitable crunch-time time outs and threatening 'Franchise' into passing him the #!%^$* ball.

Yao has shown a willingness to take pressure shots, if and when the ball is in his hands at the end of close games. If the shot isn't there, Yao has also shown the Hakeem-esque ability to find his teammates from the post.

But it all has to start with JVG calling plays and Francis running them properly to feed the ball to Yao. The Rockets should give Yao to NJ, where a real PG (and JVG II) would show the world what Yao can really do.


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## Cap (Nov 5, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>NYCbballFan</b>!
> I don't think it's Yao's fault at all beyond not literally grabbing Francis during one of JVG's inevitable crunch-time time outs and threatening 'Franchise' into passing him the #!%^$* ball.
> 
> Yao has shown a willingness to take pressure shots, if and when the ball is in his hands at the end of close games. If the shot isn't there, Yao has also shown the Hakeem-esque ability to find his teammates from the post.
> ...


Do you post over at dallas-mavs.com forums?


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## NYCbballFan (Jun 8, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>EHL</b>!
> 
> 
> Do you post over at dallas-mavs.com forums?


Nope. Something I should know about?


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## jokeaward (May 22, 2003)

I was there an I'll even change my tune a little. Yao's pretty epic. KG's no slouch but Yao tore us up. Not that Shaq hasn't, but... he had a great game for hardly playing. But Mo Taylor did the same, so it's a problem and not all Yao's doing.

He was active on offense. I don't expect any DPOY trophies for him, but he did fine there, too. When the Rockets play really well, they're really good. They could've lost, but either way it was a good effort.

Rockets won't have to fight with the T-Wolves for a divison crown after this year.


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## The_Franchise (Mar 30, 2003)

Stats for the last 3 games:

*Vs. LA Lakers*
33 points, 8 rebounds, 1 block

*Vs. Minnesota Timberwolves*
27 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists

*Vs. Dallas Mavericks*
29 points, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks

I think an element of consistency is finally appearing in Yao Ming's game, although he tends to lose his aggressiveness in the 4th.


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## NYCbballFan (Jun 8, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>The Franchise</b>!
> 
> I think an element of consistency is finally appearing in Yao Ming's game, although he tends to lose his aggressiveness in the 4th.


He loses stamina more than aggressiveness, although he seems to usually perk up down the stretch of games. If he's forced to do too much wrestling for position in the low blocks, he loses steam. Too much fast-paced end-to-end action, like what happens when his team commits 30 TOs, makes him lose steam. Teams also pack it in around Yao down the stretch, which puts the onus on the guards' ball-control, passing and decision-making. 

Yao doesn't have super-soft hands, but they're pretty good. He can handle harder thrown passes and a few passes where only a 7'6 player is likely to catch them would help. The Rockets also need to work on passing to Yao when he's fronted.


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## Zach (May 11, 2003)

He should be top 5 in rebounds at his height.


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## Cap (Nov 5, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>NYCbballFan</b>!
> 
> 
> Nope. Something I should know about?


Nah, just curious.


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## Cap (Nov 5, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>Zach</b>!
> He should be top 5 in rebounds at his height.


Yup, that's one of my biggest knocks on Yao. Under 9 rpg is terrible for his height. He should be pulling down 11 minimum. 

My other knock is that he needs to go to a local gym and workout, the guy can't play more than 33 minutes a game without huffing and puffing. Once he's in NBA shape watch out, we'll be seeing 20-10 and more.


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## AL9045 (Nov 27, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>EHL</b>!
> 
> 
> Yup, that's one of my biggest knocks on Yao. Under 9 rpg is terrible for his height. He should be pulling down 11 minimum.
> ...


True, but he is still adapting the NBA a little, I think next year he'll be able to average a 20/10 assuming he gets the ball enough.


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## The_Franchise (Mar 30, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>NYCbballFan</b>!
> He loses stamina more than aggressiveness, although he seems to usually perk up down the stretch of games. If he's forced to do too much wrestling for position in the low blocks, he loses steam. Too much fast-paced end-to-end action, like what happens when his team commits 30 TOs, makes him lose steam. Teams also pack it in around Yao down the stretch, which puts the onus on the guards' ball-control, passing and decision-making.
> 
> Yao doesn't have super-soft hands, but they're pretty good. He can handle harder thrown passes and a few passes where only a 7'6 player is likely to catch them would help. The Rockets also need to work on passing to Yao when he's fronted.


Well the reason he loses his aggressiveness is because he is tired, he doesn't have the stamina to get decent post positioning. It is inter-related really. And right now, Jim Jackson is the only Rocket guard that has the slightest clue on how to make an entry pass.



> Originally posted by <b>EHL</b>!
> Yup, that's one of my biggest knocks on Yao. Under 9 rpg is terrible for his height. He should be pulling down 11 minimum.
> 
> My other knock is that he needs to go to a local gym and workout, the guy can't play more than 33 minutes a game without huffing and puffing. Once he's in NBA shape watch out, we'll be seeing 20-10 and more.


Understand that a 7'6 guys stamina can only do so much. Going to the gym and performing cardio will just exhaust this guy, he gets enough "exercise" during games and pratice. Stamina can't be achieved overnight, this is only his 2nd year in the NBA, and I think we will eventually see him develop into a strong 35 mpg player.


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## MightyReds2020 (Jul 19, 2002)

I don't think stamina is THE most important issue for Yao. During offseason he should work on these two things:

1. How to beat fronting, like what Najera played today. The whole team needs to learn this, actually, but Yao needs to hold his ground with his big-body.

2. Defensive quickness in terms of rebouding and shot-blocking. Yao Ming really is slow in terms of reaction to missed-shots and challenging shots. He needs to improve his lateral quickness and that can come from better understanding of positioning and the general 'feel' for the game. Yao has great 'feel' offensively but for some reason he always seems too slow to react defensively. His anticipation needs to improve.


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## numb555 (May 25, 2003)

As Yao gets accustom to playing more, hopefully his stamina will get better as well....Stamina is the only thing thats holding him back to becomimg a true dominant player. We see flashes of greatness, but Yao can not sustain it throughout the whole game. I agree, Yao does need to react better on the defensive side, but he still makes a difference down low as he changes so many shot...And also Yao is not a player who padds his stats, he boxes out opposing big men for his teamates to get the easy rebound, still 8 rb a game is not sufficient for a 7'6 center.

When its all said and done, Yao may become dominant or he may not...But if he lives up to expectation and continues to improve he would be a player that championships are build around, unselfish team leader, who can dominate when its time.


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## Kunlun (Jun 22, 2003)

Yao goes and gets the Player of the Week for the West.


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## Kunlun (Jun 22, 2003)

Yao went for 19 points, 10 rebounds and 2 blocks against the Clippers. Yao's scoring average is really going up these past few weeks. He's not at over 17 points per game, but his rebounds have steadily decreased throughout the season. Yao really causes problems for any team, even the Lakers. This is why he is UNSTOPPABLE.


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