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

Kenny Smith was truly speechless.

It's not that Barkley was exaggerating; with Yao Ming's current popularity, no amount of praise is excessive. The camera even gave him several close-ups of his new shoes.

That's called the face of the card.

But this is Salt Lake City! Can't you hold back a bit? What if a little girl throws you over her shoulder?

However, the Jazz are indeed under a lot of defensive pressure right now.

Especially when Francis finally managed to get around Stockton and block his pass, he almost managed to steal the ball from John.

Put Stockton and Karl Malone out there.

This would limit Norris and Francis's movement, but it would also be very taxing for the Jazz, making it look like a war of attrition.

Stockton hit a crucial three-pointer.

Unfortunately, he missed, and Yao Ming grabbed the rebound between Karl Malone and Ostertag, two former rebounding masters.

His skill is too high and his technique is too delicate.

Ostertag's previous methods of limiting the paint were not very effective against him; as long as he jumped, Ostertag would be suppressed.

The Rockets launched a counterattack.

Francis excitedly charged forward with the ball.

The Rockets scored again, giving them a 28-23 lead over the Jazz!

Time has entered an official pause.

"Well done!" Coach Tang was very satisfied, patting Francis on the shoulder: "That was an excellent play. Steve, you need to be more aggressive in your runs, make diagonal runs, and create space for Yao!"

Tang Shuai has good taste.

Francis's strengths are explosive athleticism, but his shooting is inconsistent, his three-point shooting is terrible, and his passing is average. If we only consider his skills, he wouldn't have gotten such a high draft pick.

But there's a saying in the NBA: "Talent is absolute, but skills can be developed."

So, given Francis's explosive talent, he was selected with an absolute high pick. However, over the years, Francis's technical progress has really been lackluster.

His technical progress is far inferior to that of Iverson.

Iverson's shooting percentage wasn't high, but his various drives and penetrations created tremendous interior scoring opportunities. It was difficult for any team to maintain their defensive formation when Iverson broke through their defense.

Francis wasn't that powerful.

So this time, Coach Tang is really satisfied with the change in tactics. Although his technique is poor, his stamina and running ability are undeniable.

If they really work hard enough, they might actually be able to create a Rockets-like team.

Besides, Mobley will be back soon, and then Francis's weaknesses can be greatly compensated by Mobley's flank abilities.

Tang Shuai was just about to make some bolder arrangements.

Then Francis patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, Coach, John's old bones can't handle me at all!"

What are you so proud of?

Do you even know that he's about to retire?

Tom's lips twitched, but he had already devised the tactics for Yao Ming and Francis, so he could only patiently say, "Pay attention to your positioning. In a bit, you'll be playing off-ball movement. If you get blocked, pass the ball to Big Dog."

"Who should we pass the ball to?"

"Glen, isn't that what you all call him? What's wrong?"

"Coach, can I pass the ball directly to Yao Ming? Or maybe to Stephen, that guy's actually pretty good!"

Tang Shuai's chest heaved.

Yao Ming also wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

This team is really hard to manage. Glenn Robinson is focused on racking up stats, and Francis is very reluctant to pass the ball to Glenn Robinson.

The injured old cat and Cato, and the martial saint who has not yet grown up.

This team has to break up without Yao Ming!

The match was paused and the players from both sides returned to the field.

The Rockets replaced James Harden with Glenn Robinson. It wasn't that Coach Tomjanovich wanted to make the change; Harden simply couldn't keep up.

He was matched up against Karl Malone on the defensive end.

That old monster just casually attacked, and the Martial Saint's durability was almost depleted. Karl Malone is not only dirty, but his skills and strength are also top-notch in the league.

As for Glenn Robinson's appearance, Coach Tomjanovich wanted to connect Yao Ming, Glenn Robinson, and Steve Francis.

Let the Rockets unleash indiscriminate firepower!

The most brilliant part of this tactic is that it gives Glenn Robinson room to rack up points. He wants to rack up points, right? Then he can rack them up as much as he wants in the middle of the enemy team!

While Tom was making his plans, veteran coach Sloan wasn't idle either.

His ace AK47 also entered the stadium.

Kirilenko is Sloan's prized asset, the core player he's reserving for the future Jazz. Sloan is determined to win this game!

Separated by the stadium, two veteran coaches, who have fought for half their lives, gaze at each other.

They both saw the other's determination to win.

The game continues.

大姚再次高举高打，轻鬆拿到2分，第一节到现在8分3板2盖帽1助攻。

To say that Yao Ming's skills are mature is simply an exaggeration.

Looking across NBA history, perhaps only Duncan could achieve something like this: he debuted at his peak and remained at his peak for 20 years. Yao Ming also has similar qualities.

Their offense and defense were very well-organized, with almost no unnecessary movements.

Even if Ostertag wanted to foul, he wouldn't know where to start, like a mouse trying to bite a turtle.

"Karl, I... I just can't defend him. He can even lean back when he jumps. This guy isn't a proper center!"

Ostertag is really not going to make it.

He scored 0 points and grabbed 2 rebounds in the quarter, getting completely dominated by this rookie. His dirty hands earlier were of no use.

The pressure of the competition hasn't been put on the newcomers; it's all on Ostertag himself now.

He's almost too weak to fight anymore.

Karl Malone was furious at the guy's lack of competitiveness, but there was nothing he could do because he was now cutting Norris, who was positioned near the free-throw line.

It won't work if you get any closer.

Karl Malone also discovered that Yao Ming was incredibly cunning. Despite looking like a heavily armored center, he played like a cunning thief. When Karl Malone was on one side, Yao Ming would actively block the other side.

The Rockets players had no backbone and just focused on beating up a rookie.

Finally, just pretend you didn't hear it and let Ostertag have his own headache.

Yao Ming received the ball again.

A gift from Glenn Robinson.

This guy loves to rack up points, he's a bottom-tier player, a jerk, but his skills are actually more refined than many people think. Yao Ming can catch his passes from short distances better than Francis.

There's no way to reason with this.

Yao Ming's steady backside cleared the way, and Ostertag couldn't defend him on the first try, allowing Yao to move into position.

Ostertag was also helpless.

All he could do was spread his arms wide, adopt a shameless defensive stance, and give off an attitude that said, "Go ahead and do whatever you want."

I'm devastated.

Yao Ming dribbled steadily, pressuring the basket. Ostertag adjusted his tactics and moved back. Then, there was no need for that. Yao Ming turned around and made a one-handed floater.

Ostertag could not match that point of attack.