NBA: Yao Ming at his peak returns to his rookie season

"That kid, he played pretty well!"

The Rockets' assistant coach gave a compliment.

Tang Shuai also breathed a sigh of relief.

Regardless of whether it's a sudden burst of high intensity, as long as Yao Ming has an explosive performance and can play like that, it shows that he has that kind of talent and is worth developing.

Of course, it's only somewhat interesting right now.

After all, basketball is a competitive sport, and a sudden outburst doesn't mean anything.

At most, Yao Ming's fighting spirit is a bit... cute.

Cato also had a 60% field goal percentage when finishing near the basket. When Yao Ming blocked his shot, his mind went blank for a moment, filled with the image of that slap.

It wasn't until Yao Ming bumped into Francis's buttocks that the incident occurred.

Then Cato reached out his hand to him, and only then did he react.

"I was careless."

Cato said those three words, then pulled Yao Ming's hand and stood up.

He's going to get serious now.

With the score at 4-0, we can't let this kid do whatever he wants.

Catolla made some arrangements with Morris.

Morris, feeling quite pleased with himself, patted his chest and assured him, "Don't worry, Boss Cato, I'll take care of him."

Cato also felt like cursing.

Morris has absolutely no sense of self-awareness.

He, once the seventh overall pick in the draft, seems to genuinely believe he's still the same genius he was back then.

He didn't expect Morris to be of any use; he just wanted Morris to sweep the perimeter and prevent Yao Ming from getting any shooting opportunities.

Cato always believed that the area under the basket was his territory.

Coincidentally, Yao Ming thought so too.

Mobley's jump shot missed.

Francis, who was screened by Yao Ming, grabbed the rebound.

Yao Ming's athleticism declined during his prime, so his rebounding ability decreased accordingly. However, his screen setting ability was excellent, and the Rockets' rebounding numbers were not bad.

This is also where Yao Ming's intelligence as a player shines.

Cato has a 20-pound weight advantage.

However, given Yao Ming's lower body strength, it wasn't too difficult to overcome.

Besides, beating Cato, a second-tier center, is nothing to brag about.

Shaquille O'Neal, Tim Duncan, and Ben Wallace are all still in their prime.

The last three rounds have focused the team's attention on Yao Ming.

Morris was determined to give Yao Ming a ruthless blow.

He is also a defensive-type center.

Or rather, nine out of ten centers in the Western Conference are now defensive types.

This is all because of that great white shark.

With him around, if you don't stockpile tank centers, the game simply can't go on. After halftime, it's all an exhibition match between him and the Black Mamba.

Morris's targeting was quite obvious.

They've been entangled with Yao Ming at a high level, and various underhanded tactics have been employed.

Playing like this during team practice is disgusting, which made Francis's face turn black. However, Yao Ming was alright, after all, a game is a game, and a practice game is also a game.

Cato switched onto the defense and positioned himself under the basket.

Morris swept out and leaned directly against Yao Ming.

One-on-one.

Yao Ming was considering playing in the paint against Cato, but seeing how serious Morris was about his position...

He asked for a ball.

Yao Ming got the ball again, and Cato immediately focused his attention.

Morris easily bypassed it with a single step.

Yao Ming isn't particularly fast, but his dribbling touch is considered soft for a center.

Cato is getting a little excited right now.

After Yao Ming broke through Chris, he was double-teamed by Cato and Morris. Although this tactic seemed a bit beneath him, Cato and Morris clearly wanted to teach Yao Ming, the rookie, a lesson!

Get past Maurice.

Yao Ming dribbled the ball quickly for two steps.

Just as he was about to be double-teamed, Yao Ming suddenly jumped up and threw the basketball away.

It's not aesthetically pleasing.

It looks similar to the way old men in the park hook their arms together.

But... it can't be covered.

Basketball is a game for tall people, and Yao Ming's height gives him an absolute advantage. When he jumps up and throws the ball with a hook shot, neither Morris nor Cato can do anything but watch.

'Swish'

The basketball went into the net again.

Francis, who rushed in hoping to grab a rebound, was stunned for a moment.

"FOXXK! That's so accurate!"

Young Francis threw away the ball he had caught and jumped onto Yao Ming's back, shouting wildly!

6-0

It hadn't even been two minutes.

Yao Ming's explosive performance has the Rockets' coaching staff extremely excited!

Of course, Yao Ming also beat Cato and Morris badly.

During the rest of the game, they became even more aggressive in making physical contact with Yao Ming, trying to make him uncomfortable.

The style of basketball in China is very different from that in the NBA.

The most obvious difference is in the subtle body movements.

Yao Ming, during his rookie season, was not used to this kind of physical contact.

But now he doesn't even feel anything.

The game continued, and after 5 minutes, Yao Ming and Francis were leading by 11 points. Yao Ming made 4 of 5 shots and scored 8 points. He unexpectedly dominated Cato under the basket, while Francis also scored 7 points.

The two players are taking on the entire attack on this side.

Cato on the other side was having a tough time, scoring only 2 points, while Morris had zero.

Yao Ming's awareness was exceptionally good today.

One player was anchoring the paint, almost shutting down their offense. Yao Ming blocked 4 shots in 5 minutes, gave Cato 1 shot, Morris 2 shots, and even got slapped by Old Cat.

Morris is now catching his breath.

He wasn't in the starting lineup, and his ability was far inferior to Cato's.

His physical strength is still there, but his mental strength can't keep up. These days, Morris looks at Yao Ming as if he were looking at Shaquille O'Neal.

They're the kind of things that make people cower in fear.

In terms of the game itself, this is already garbage time.

It seems there's no hope for Mobley and Cato.

But training must continue.

However, the focus has changed. The coaches are no longer observing Yao Ming to adapt to the game and the pace of the competition, but to see how far he can go!

Of course, to save face for Cato, Tomás substituted him in the sixth minute.

You have to save face.

I gave Yao Ming a double-team combo on the way.

Yao Ming played even better after Cato left.

Yao Ming didn't waste any time with Morris under the basket. When he ran pick-and-rolls with Francis, it was a breeze. The two had amazing chemistry.

There were no changes in physical attributes.

In terms of game experience, Yao Ming is now the best on the Rockets.

Francis felt he had never felt so "good" before!

Yao Ming always positioned himself so that he could see him at a glance, making it incredibly easy for him to pass the ball to Francis. Moreover, Yao Ming's screens for Francis were also excellent, with perfect timing and angles.

Francis is starting to understand why the Jazz love pick-and-rolls so much.

It felt so good to make that move.

After securing the victory, Yao Ming, being an honest and kind person, deliberately slowed down the pace of the game. The game ended with a 13-point lead, with Yao Ming making 5 of 7 shots.

Winning or losing in team training is not the point.

The focus is on Yao Ming's performance.

Tom's feeling is that Yao Ming is still "at ease" now. Cato is already at the level of a mainstay center, but he can't even force Yao Ming to go all out when facing him now.

If Yao Ming can maintain his current form.

Even if it's only for twenty minutes.

His value to the Rockets would far exceed that of Cato, and he might even lead the Rockets to the playoffs. A big man in his rookie season could lead a team to the playoffs.

The last player with such a formidable presence was that high-flying monster from the Spurs!