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

Tang Shuai was so excited that he stood up from the bench.

Even a slight heart discomfort couldn't mask his current excitement!

The world is crazy.

Even that honest kid has learned to use dirty tricks.

Young Stoudemire gritted his teeth, despising Yao Ming's behavior. In fact, he protested, but at that time, referees generally wouldn't make such a call unless Yao Ming had slept with his wife.

So Little S was angry for nothing.

In the next possession, Marion and Marbury executed a pick-and-roll, with Marbury ultimately scoring a layup.

The score is tied.

Tomás wasn't concerned with the score.

Whether a coach scores 20 or 30 points in a meaningless game is irrelevant to his level. Basketball is not a scoring game; only fans care about that.

What the old man admired was Yao Ming's absolutely rational ability to position himself.

This is a rare skill in the NBA.

Not everyone on the field will always know where they should stand, after all, all 10 players on the field are constantly moving, and even the referee team needs to observe.

This unconventional talent made Tang Shuai somewhat envious.

The Suns tightened their defense.

Their perimeter players are now all huddled up to the free-throw line.

Their reaction was also very quick; they didn't look down on Yao Ming just because he was a newcomer.

Francis controlled the tempo on the field.

If it were someone else, like Cato, Francis might have just gone for it. As the team's point guard, Francis has consistently scored around 80 points under Coach Tomás because of his poor execution of tactics.

Only by maintaining their popularity and playing aggressively can they secure a core position.

Francis has changed.

It seemed that he also saw Yao Ming, and he actually slowed down to help Yao Ming get into position.

"Get him!"

Facing Marbury's defensive outburst, Francis ignored Stoudemire behind Yao Ming and immediately passed the ball, quickly moving to create space for Yao Ming.

Because the pace slowed down, Yao Ming received the ball in the low post.

A very familiar position, and for two years in particular, Yao Ming dominated that position, achieving the highest field goal percentage in that area during the season.

Yao Ming's current strengths are greater flexibility and a softer shooting style.

However, because they did not train with the team during the summer, their tactical coordination, defensive skills, and ability to deal with minor fouls are not yet at a high level.

This also motivated Stoudemire.

Stoudemire's hand was already braced against Yao Ming's lower back.

This move is not illegal at this stage; the defender can even sneakily elbow the opponent, and as long as they are experienced enough and don't get caught, the referee won't call a foul.

Yao Ming's shooting accuracy during his practice shot was 100%.

Stoudemire started nagging: "Big guy, this is the NBA, this isn't a place for you!"

In terms of physical fitness, Stoudemire has not yet fully developed.

but.

First impressions of the little tyrant.

His static strength and explosiveness are both superior to Yao Ming's.

With such strong defense, if Yao Ming had no way to deal with Stoudemire at the same time, he would easily be forced to pass the ball. This is also the defensive secret that Stoudemire practiced for almost 10 days.

Despite his trash-talking and disdain for his opponent, Stoudemire actually values ​​this game.

As a rookie, Stoudemire's performance was commendable.

Unfortunately, the Yao Ming he was facing had already changed his mind.

The current Yao Ming is no longer the shy rookie; he has evolved into a seasoned veteran on the court. Therefore, Stoudemire's touch was completely useless, and Yao Ming didn't bother to dodge Stoudemire's dirty tricks when Stoudemire tried to push Yao Ming's defensive midfield.

In that instant, Yao Ming didn't dodge the move and responded with a turnaround jump shot.

When Yao Ming jumped up, it gave Stoudemire a feeling of despair.

How come he's so tall?

You don't even need to try to know it won't cover.

The young Xiaobawang could only tragically pin his hopes on Yao Ming's inability to make shots.

*Whoosh!*

The basketball went into the pocket without any trouble.

"Whose turf is this? My turf!"

Yao Ming's trash talk made Stoudemire feel even worse, as he felt a bit embarrassed.

The Suns then intensified their defensive strategy against the Rockets' interior, since they had more players and Yao Ming couldn't keep playing such high-ball offense forever.

The game reached a stalemate.

Yao Ming was also working hard to adapt to the NBA in 03.

With five minutes left in the first quarter, Yao Ming had made all three of his shots, scoring 6 points and grabbing 2 rebounds, prompting the Suns to call a timeout.

The Suns are down by 3 points.

It's mostly because of this big guy.

He wasn't aggressive in rebounding and didn't seem to be in a hurry to perform, but his positioning was disgusting. He would often block the Suns' interior defense, making them uncomfortable in whatever way he wanted.

Even someone like Morris got two rebounds.

If the game continues like this, the Suns' chances are in jeopardy.

Of course, the best-case scenario would be for Yao Ming to be substituted, but the Suns' head coach doesn't dare to dream of that.

really.

After the timeout, Yao Ming returned to the court.

Coach Tang gave Yao a new task.

If an average rookie makes a good play, they might just grab the ball and go all out, like Stoudemire who scored 20+ points before.

If we're talking about Yao Ming's outstanding performances in the early stages of his career...

It wasn't his height or soft touch, but rather his tactical execution ability.

Just like positioning, this is a very special talent.

The returning Suns didn't make any changes, bringing Marion back to defend Yao Ming and having Williams fill in for him.

Tang Shuai did not change the formation.

Yao Ming is playing very smoothly right now, and he needs to maintain that momentum.

Then put more pressure on Yao Ming to grow.

Let's see if he can hold on!

The Rockets were on offense. Francis advanced the ball up the court, passed it to Mobley, and then joined the run.

Yao Ming once again took advantage of the situation and entered the paint.

The movements were incredibly smooth.

Old Cat unleashes his signature move to break through.

Even at his peak, Mobley wasn't particularly fast, and he didn't rely on that for his livelihood. His footwork, explosive power, and strength were his trump cards.

Hadaway wasn't watching for a moment, and his men had already stormed in.

At this moment, Yao Ming once again demonstrated his ability by moving out of position under the basket and positioning himself on the right side.

"FOXXK!"

Marion, who was defending under the basket, almost cursed.

He can't chase after people, otherwise the area under the basket will be completely open.

Williams was forced to go out to defend, creating a one-on-one situation between Mobley and Marion under the basket. They were in a very good position, but unfortunately, the shot missed.

"Duang!"

The moment the basketball bounced off the ground, just as Marion was about to get up, an arm of completely different skin color stretched out.

Yao Ming jumped back at the crucial moment!

His instincts on the field are now extremely sharp.

We will not let any opportunity slip by.

His nimble body brought about a very powerful burst of speed. He tilted his body in mid-air and "refilled" the ball. With just a nod of his fingertips, the ball fell into the basket!

Yao Ming landed steadily and pumped his fist!

8 points!

Barkley in the studio was sweating bullets. Was that kid crazy? The first quarter wasn't even over yet.

Yao Ming's performance is nothing like that of a rookie.

Kenny Smith, standing next to him, had a wicked smile on his face and started commenting on the game.

Yao Ming's performance was especially praised.

If this continues, Yao Ming might actually score 19 points today.

Barkley was so angry he almost squealed like a pig.

But when Kenny Smith asked Barkley for his comments...

Barkley also said quite a few good things.

As a legendary center, Barkley may have a foul mouth, but he never refuses to admit defeat.

The kind of play we just saw, and the performances from those players, are all legendary figures in the NBA. Barkley even wondered if Yao Ming was possessed by something, since he couldn't score a single point in the last game.

The evolution is happening way too fast.

Yao Ming, who was on the court, also enjoyed playing this sneaky, cross-legged style of play, which he could no longer execute after gaining weight.

Being young is so damn awesome!

Yao Ming even shouted "Tomato!" while running.

Mobley, who was retreating, heard this.

Does the big guy like to eat vegetables like tomatoes?