So that silly little foot injury that knocked Rockets big man Yao Ming out of the NBA Playoffs may also keep him on the shelf for all of 2009-2010. Reports are conflicting as to how much time Yao is expected to miss. If I had a dollar for every time one of these Chinese sat out of games because of a broken left foot. From SI.com, who has no annoying autoplay videos on their site that I can find:
Yao suffered a hairline fracture of the tarsal navicular bone late in a May 8 playoff game against the Los Angeles Lakers. The team said last week the injury hasn’t healed and he was out indefinitely.
Yao played in 77 regular-season games in 2008-09, his most injury-free year since 2004-05, when he played in 80. Before last season, Yao missed chunks of previous three seasons with leg and foot injuries.
Like many of the NBA’s stars, Yao had a limited offseason last summer while competing in the Beijing Olympics. I’m sure soaking that foot in mop water hasn’t helped much. Fortunately, tall Chinese players are a bit of an aberration, like four-leaf clovers and games where Tracy McGrady actually plays.
Both teams from last year’s NBA Finals couldn’t close the book on their respective conference semifinal opponents. The Lakers, fresh off of drubbing the Rockets by 40 points on Tuesday night, found themselves trailing the Rockets for most of the game behind more clutch shooting from Aaron Brooks and a fine defensive effort from Shane Battier, limiting Kobe to 11-for-27 shooting from the field. If you don’t like Aaron Brooks right now, you have no soul. The Rockets prevailed, 95-80, to tie their series at 3-3.
“They all have the same mentality, they all fight for everything that they get,” Bryant said of the Rockets. “That’s why we’re in the position that we’re in right now. They don’t quit. So Game 7 is going to be exciting.”
The winner will play the Denver Nuggets, who finished off Dallas on Wednesday night and now have a few extra days to rest.
Also forcing a Game 7: the Orlando Magic, who managed to put aside their differences long enough to beat Boston last night, 83-75. Dwight Howard finished with 23 points and 22 rebounds and Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy still resembles a popular adult film star.
NBA Hall of Famer Clyde Drexler provides color commentary for Rockets games, and he is outstanding at it. Just as he and play-by-play man Bill Worrell were discussing Andres Nocioni’s inability to cover Yao Ming, Yao made another easy bucket over Nocioni, prompting this exchange:
Drexler: “That’s like clubbing baby seals. There’s nothing Nocioni can do.”
Worrell: “Oh wow. Give me a better picture than that.”
If you listen carefully, you can actually hear Worrell’s asshole clench up. Don’t be such a little bitch, Bill. Like you’re Mr. Perfectly 100% Politically Correct or something. It’s like that old saying, “Let he who has never clubbed a baby seal… club the first baby seal.”
[Clutch Fans via Awful Announcing]
Just in time for Christmas… Now you, too, can have a small plastic basketball that transforms into a robot with Yao Ming’s head and, uh, little basketball wings. Meanwhile, Rockets fans would like to see a Yao that transforms out of street clothes and plays through the second half of the season and playoffs.
[Freshness Mag via Ball Don't Lie]
This is a semi-regular thing that the Houston Rockets organization does: they have their mascot Clutch the Bear stand still for a while, then have him scare passersby who think he’s an inflatable dummy. These videos — I’ve seen a few of them now — get old really fast.
And that’s what makes this one so much better. By the end of the video, Clutch is getting kicked in the balls by kids and punched by adults. It’s probably staged, but whatever, man. Mascots getting their asses kicked always cheers me up. It’s why I make my girlfriend wear a Phillie Phanatic costume.
[Basketbawful via Fan IQ]
There isn’t anything particularly entertaining about this clip, but it’s what passes for drama in the NBA. In last night’s Suns-Rockets game (Houston won 94-82), the Suns’ Matt Barnes took a cheap shot at Rafer Alston when his screen became more of a shove. Alston charged Barnes, Steve Nash came into the fray, Nash was pushed to the floor by Tracy McGrady, then McGrady was pushed to the floor by Shaq. No one is big enough to push Shaq to the floor, so that was pretty much that. Barnes and Alston were ejected, seven techs were handed out, and the game continued.
A lot of people are crediting the coaches and refs for keeping this under control, but I’d like to think that the soothing influence of Ron Artest had something to do with it as well.
Elsewhere: Paul Pierce game-winner… Oden returns in win… Lakers 7-0.
