Yao Ming Mania - Latest Comments in HOW SWEET IT IS!!! ROCKETS ADVANCE TO NEXT ROUND!

Re: HOW SWEET IT IS!!! ROCKETS ADVANCE TO NEXT ROUND!

Staff — Mon, 04 May 2009 18:11:22 -0000

You are an idiot. If it wasn't for some lucky breaks in Games 3 or 4, which could have gone either way, I wouldn't be rubbing your nose in it. WHERE WAS YOUR PREDICTION YOU COWARD? You forget that I wrote that I hoped the
Rockets would prove me wrong. And to reiterate, Sherlock, I don't watch SportsCenter.

Boy, you are faithless to not pick the Rockets over the Lakers. Where's the faith you Rocket homer?

Re: HOW SWEET IT IS!!! ROCKETS ADVANCE TO NEXT ROUND!

George — Mon, 04 May 2009 18:03:38 -0000

Did I say they are going to beat the Lakers? NO, but I know that when there's a will, there's a way.

The Blazers? We absolutely own this team in every way imaginable. Their only win against us in the regular season was off a miracle 35foot HEAVE from Brandon Roy. We own them at the Toyota center. Their centers have no offensive game and shooting touch to draw Yao out of the lane. They're young and inexperienced. The list goes on and goes.

Any OBJECTIVE Rockets fan knew the Rockets would take this series. This was our perfect 1st round match up and it showed. As for you, John, you got drawn up in all the crap ESPN feeds us everyday. You probably think Kobe and LeBron are Gods. And you picked the Blazers to that this when the ball was clearly in our court.

Sorry. Glory does not come to the faithless.

Re: HOW SWEET IT IS!!! ROCKETS ADVANCE TO NEXT ROUND!

Staff — Mon, 04 May 2009 16:13:41 -0000

So "Anybody in their right mind knew that the Rockets were favored to win this series." Uhhh, so talk to all of the guys who were at Sportsradio610 (Rockets' flagship station) who predicted that Portland would win. And I don't even watch ESPN. I have enough of a brain to do my own thinking.

Re: HOW SWEET IT IS!!! ROCKETS ADVANCE TO NEXT ROUND!

Staff — Mon, 04 May 2009 16:10:09 -0000

You need help. And you can't read, either (see my responses to Adrian). It's not about faith, buddy. I'm objective. You aren't. So you picking the Lakers in this one? In your mind, sounds like they're going to be winning the championship every season until Yao retires.

Re: HOW SWEET IT IS!!! ROCKETS ADVANCE TO NEXT ROUND!

George — Mon, 04 May 2009 15:09:58 -0000

Hey John,

SHAME ON YOU. You call yourself a Rockets fan, yet you had zero faith in this team's ability in the 1st round. Anybody in the right mind knew that the Rockets were favored to win this series. You were blinded by the ESPN expert idiots and their "predictions" and decided to jump on the Portland bandwagon.

Yao Ming would be ASHAMED of you!

P.S. BEAT LA

Re: HOW SWEET IT IS!!! ROCKETS ADVANCE TO NEXT ROUND!

Staff — Mon, 04 May 2009 10:23:21 -0000

Well said. I agree with all of it!

Re: HOW SWEET IT IS!!! ROCKETS ADVANCE TO NEXT ROUND!

airchina23 — Mon, 04 May 2009 08:49:38 -0000

Well said, John. I saw what you saw when you made your prediction. Although I predicted Rockets in 5, but I did it because I, as a commenter, can be bolder than you without being held accountable. And the Rockets DID almost lose the series. If Portland had stolen one game in Houston, which they nearly did twice, then I wouldn't be sure that the Rockets would have won. To Adrian, no one ever doubted that Yao was going to show up, including John. We didn't have enough faith in his teammates, that's all. And the reason we won those games in the series was because of Luis Scola's consistency, Shane Battier's big shots, Brooks and Wafer's performance in some games, and of course, Ron Artest's spectacular Game 6. We needed these things ON TOP of Yao showing up and deliver.

Looking ahead to the Lakers. The key is to stop Gasol and Odom, they present nightmarish match-ups for this team. Although we were swept in the regular season, but this is the playoffs. I fully expect this series to go 6 or even 7 games.

My brain: Lakers in 6.
My heart: Rockets in 6. (I don't think they'll win it if it comes down to a game 7)

And my bold statement: Whoever wins this series will bring home the Larry O'Brien.

Re: HOW SWEET IT IS!!! ROCKETS ADVANCE TO NEXT ROUND!

Staff — Sat, 02 May 2009 01:54:33 -0000

Uh, yeah, you kinda did deserve it.

All kinds of experts picked the Blazers. Are you commenting on their blogs now saying I told you so? Did you put a stake in the ground before this series started and comment on this blog you thought the Rockets were going to win? I didn't think so. Where were you after the Rockets blew Game 5 and were on the verge of having to go to Portland to play a Game 7 they would have lost? They came very close to losing this series. Games 3 & 4 could have gone either way. So don't look at this series as a black and white thing. You should be saying, "Wow, John, I thought Yao was going to destroy these youngsters, and I didn't realize you were so close to being right!" But no, you have to be juvenile about it and use this flawed logic that everyone should not doubt Yao because he is God.

And you say he would not let his team lose to some youngsters, huh? How about losing to Memphis twice, Philadelphia twice, etc., earlier in the season. He played in those games and lost.

Man, you just don't get it. You really need to learn how to read what I had written.

If Yao "delivered," then Artest "outdelivered" him by 10 points in Game 6, dude. With your logic, then, Artest is the hero. Your argument holds no water.

Funny how you now bring up all his teammates only after I had to remind you about their deficiencies. In your world when you made your first comment, his teammates were just crash test dummies and Yao could carry them no matter how they played.

Lots of "ifs" in your Laker prediction. Take a stand and make a prediction like I did without all the caveats. Anyone can hem and haw and say they would have been right only "if" certain things happen. I thought your man Yao could beat all the 'youngsters?' Yao is older than most of the Lakers, so using your logic, Yao will sweep the Lakers in 4 games. I'll take that as your prediction.

Sorry for being harsh, but on this site, when people make accusatory and holier-than-thou comments, they've got to be prepared to take it as much as they dish it out.

Re: HOW SWEET IT IS!!! ROCKETS ADVANCE TO NEXT ROUND!

Adrian — Sat, 02 May 2009 00:13:55 -0000

"That's bullcrap from simple-minded ideologues who need a hero figure like Yao in order to feel powerful and make their loser lives meaningful"

Wow..Did i really deserve that? I just don't get how he picked the blazers over the rockets, we owned them in the regular season, and hes the leader of this team, no way he was going to let his team lose to some youngsters, especially after missing last years playoffs. .You 2 are very sensitive, and hey, yao proved you wrong john, so now u know better lol..He'll make sure his teammates get him the ball, cause he knows everything starts with him. He accepted it, and he delivered. its evident in his post game interviews wehen ve voiced his displeasure with his lack of touches and poor decision making from the guards, This is a special group, very cohesive, since t mac went out this team flourished with yao in the drivers seatt.. Digdeep yao, im with you thru thick and thin.. Lets get ready for round 2..If chuck hayes can come in and throw gasol off his comfort zone, which hes fully capable of doing, and with yao containing bynum, we have a pretty good chance..But hayes defense on gasol will be the x factor

Re: HOW SWEET IT IS!!! ROCKETS ADVANCE TO NEXT ROUND!

Adrian — Fri, 01 May 2009 23:52:20 -0000

They have a good chance..It looks like the rockets learned alot from this series, and thats defeating the fronting defenses, we have the best big man in the playoffs, against the best player in this series..But the rockets really executed against fronting defenses towards the end of the series. I'm confident as ever against the lakers, if you look at the series we were in every game, they just failed to execute down the stretch, we have a pretty good chance,we played as a solid TEAM this past series, and if we continue to play together and go inside out, Yao and co has a good chance...But to pick the young blazers against a hungry yao and a stingy rockets defense, ...thats nonsense..Mark my word, The rockets will steal one in LA!

Re: HOW SWEET IT IS!!! ROCKETS ADVANCE TO NEXT ROUND!

Staff — Fri, 01 May 2009 21:11:21 -0000

Thanks a ton, Ree!

Re: HOW SWEET IT IS!!! ROCKETS ADVANCE TO NEXT ROUND!

Ree — Fri, 01 May 2009 20:59:33 -0000

Some fans will get mad as long as you don't say their team or star is perfect. It's just the way it is, no need to explain. We know the sweat and hours you've put in supporting the Rockets and Yao Ming!

Re: HOW SWEET IT IS!!! ROCKETS ADVANCE TO NEXT ROUND!

Staff — Fri, 01 May 2009 20:57:19 -0000

Hi James, very well said. I couldn't have said it better myself. And
thanks for the compliment!

Re: HOW SWEET IT IS!!! ROCKETS ADVANCE TO NEXT ROUND!

James — Fri, 01 May 2009 20:33:17 -0000

Hi John,

What a great win, and what a relief! I relished every photo and video clip of Yao smiling from ear to ear. Finally, a moment of true RELEASE for Yao and his fans. It's nice to exhale once in a while. Go Yao! Go Rockets!

John, don't waste your time with those who accuse you of not being "loyal" to Yao. That's bullcrap from simple-minded ideologues who need a hero figure like Yao in order to feel powerful and make their loser lives meaningful. For these people, it isn't enough to just appreciate Yao, they need to worship him and demand that everyone else do the same.

As a Chinese-American, I'm very proud of Yao and come to this site to celebrate and support him. I see him as an extraordinary human being, but not a hero who can do no wrong and demands blind loyalty from us. From what I know of Yao, he would wholeheartedly agree with this way of appreciating him. In fact, he'd probably be hugely turned off by rabid, simple-minded fans who worship him.

James

Re: HOW SWEET IT IS!!! ROCKETS ADVANCE TO NEXT ROUND!

Staff — Fri, 01 May 2009 19:07:15 -0000

Thanks for the compliment! Go Rockets!

Re: HOW SWEET IT IS!!! ROCKETS ADVANCE TO NEXT ROUND!

JW — Fri, 01 May 2009 18:06:33 -0000

John, great piece as usual & thanks. Congradulations to the Rockets.
As I said earlier, they had to play a perfect/smart game to win. I'm glad they did. Also Portland choked. Unfortunate, most of us had to rely on TNT for one of the most important Rockets games of the past 12 years. That sucks, big time. I hope someone will post the game on youtube or somewhere we can watch.

Now Rockets will play on house money. It should be a fun series.
Just play hard & smart. It's possible they can steal a game in LA.

Re: HOW SWEET IT IS!!! ROCKETS ADVANCE TO NEXT ROUND!

Staff — Fri, 01 May 2009 14:51:01 -0000

Have you been reading my blog the past few months? I've been saying the problem was with more with Yao's teammates who were very inconsistent and couldn't make big plays in clutch games. Artest, Brooks, Battier.

One player, no matter how great he is, can overcome the deficiencies of his teammates. Look at LeBron in the Finals last year against the Celtics, or Kobe with the Lakers, who still hasn't won a championship without Shaq and a supporting cast. Maybe this year Kobe will since they are so deep and talented across the board. Everyone admits that.

So I'd suggest don't put all your faith in Yao or any player to carry a team to the top. It just can't happen, and history shows that basketball champions are good TEAMS. Or with your logic, are you saying that Yao will defeat the Lakers, Nuggets and Cavs by himself this season all the way to a championship? Nonsense.

Re: HOW SWEET IT IS!!! ROCKETS ADVANCE TO NEXT ROUND!

Adrian — Fri, 01 May 2009 14:17:40 -0000

Im still mad u lost faith in the rockets..You hoped they proved you wrong, which they did, but you can't underestimate the heart of Yao Ming, You should stick with him and his team through thick and thin, WE all know yao wants it as bad as ever this year, and you should just keep the faith and believe in his talent and his will..Yao ming won't quit, win or lose, he won't quit..Say what you want, but bottom line you picked a yound inexperienced team to take it away from a hungry Yao Ming, i can't believe that, you won't accept this commen't im sure, i know your as big a fan as we are on this site, but Wheres the loyalty?

Re: HOW SWEET IT IS!!! ROCKETS ADVANCE TO NEXT ROUND!

Staff — Fri, 01 May 2009 11:57:29 -0000

I will listen to that interview, but I heard he gave a second
interview (probably the one you're linking to) after realizing he screwed up in a first interview where he was asked flat out who he thought would win and he responded with one word and no caveats: "Lakers." I heard Sportsradio610 in Houston play the audio this morning.

And by the way, where was he last night? Deke comes hobbling 4 days after surgery on crutches, and McGrady's MIA. He knows he's in the dog house after that Laker prediction and is no longer a part of this
team. Pathetic.

Re: HOW SWEET IT IS!!! ROCKETS ADVANCE TO NEXT ROUND!

Ree — Fri, 01 May 2009 11:30:31 -0000

i agree, NBA should have put the first half on somewhere. Even though I was enjoying the Bo/Chi game, it was just wrong to miss the entire first half. I was getting more upset as it went on... and it affected how I was enjoying the triple OT game! I would have happily flipped channels back and forth instead.

Re: HOW SWEET IT IS!!! ROCKETS ADVANCE TO NEXT ROUND!

Vince — Fri, 01 May 2009 11:13:43 -0000

"since HE PICKED THE LAKERS LAST WEEK TO WIN THE CHAMPIONSHIP, MEANING HE DOESN’T THINK HIS VERY OWN TEAM IS GOOD ENOUGH TO BEAT THEM."

I beg to differ... T-Mac verbally said in a interview that Cavs cannot beat anyone in the finals in the West. And he said he was confident that Rockets will pass Blazers and he is confident even against the Lakers. He said if the Rockets beat the Lakers, we would also beat whichever Eastern team in the Finals. These statements may not be very meaningful, but it just shows that he has not abandoned this team despite him being left out.

Here is the link of the audio interview...
http://www.zshare.net/audio/59...

Re: HOW SWEET IT IS!!! ROCKETS ADVANCE TO NEXT ROUND!

Staff — Fri, 01 May 2009 10:19:31 -0000

You may be completely right since I wasn't able to see the first half
because of the stupid NBA TV situation not showing the game as Celtics-
Bulls went into 3 OTs on TNT. I wish there was a way to watch that
first half.

Re: HOW SWEET IT IS!!! ROCKETS ADVANCE TO NEXT ROUND!

pryuen — Fri, 01 May 2009 07:03:01 -0000

John

Thanks for excellent summary as always.

I don't think I agreed with you that Aaron Brooks was the better point guard in this pivotal win, even though he was statistically better than Kyle Lowry.

I thought Kyle Lowry was instrumental for the team extending to a 15 point lead in 2Q. He played smart and tough in 2Q, laying the foundation for the win. He was composed, controlled the tempo/rhythm well, handled every offensive possession with purpose, and defended hard-nosedly. He single-handedly created 1 offensive foul from Steve Blake, and 2 fouls (1 offensive charge and 1 shooting foul) from LaMarcus Aldridge which limited his play minutes and damage in 3Q and 4Q.

Aaron Brooks also improved from his 6/20 FG% performance in that disappointing Game 5 loss in Portland, but only after a severe scolding by Yao Ming in the locker room.

http://www.yaomingmania.com/fo...

Re: HOW SWEET IT IS!!! ROCKETS ADVANCE TO NEXT ROUND!

ymmer — Fri, 01 May 2009 05:20:22 -0000

congratulations to john and every yao fan

Re: HOW SWEET IT IS!!! ROCKETS ADVANCE TO NEXT ROUND!

Vince — Fri, 01 May 2009 02:26:47 -0000

HOW SWEET IT IS!!! I HATE TNT, Chicago, and Boston though for making me miss 2 quarters of this wonderful game. If I lived in H-Town or if this game was on ESPN and had midnight replays I wouldn't be so mad, but this WIN made all the hardships throughout the season all worth it. WELCOME TO LA ROCKETS!!!