DB.COM: Yao Wow's Em

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By Bob Matuszak -- DallasBasketball.com

Don Nelson says a couple of summers spent in China created a friendship between him and Yao Ming.

“He called me his American Father,’’ Nellie says. “Or at least he used to. Now, Rudy Tomjanovich is his American Father.’’



Fans who came to American Airlines Center and those that tuned in on national television on Thursday to watch an epic battle between 7-6 giants Shawn Bradley and Yao Ming were sadly disappointed. However, those that wanted to see the hottest team in the league and the hottest player in the league were thoroughly rewarded.
The Dallas Mavericks extended their season-opening win streak to 12 as they stomped the Houston Rockets 103-90 before another sellout crowd of 19,853 at the AAC. The win moves them closer to the NBA record for most wins to start the season (15) and it also set a franchise-record for the longest winning streak.

The Mavs go for the baker’s dozen Saturday night against Seattle.
The Rockets made it difficult for Dallas early on as they unleashed their red-hot center Yao, who made his first appearance at the 2:28 mark of the first quarter. The number one overall pick in the NBA draft this past summer promptly showed why he will be a force to be reckoned with during his career, connecting on his first three shots.
Yao matched up with Bradley early on and it was a mismatch to say the least. The rookie dominated the veteran as he made layups and dunks while Bradley and the rest of the crowd looked on in awe.
Yao finished the game with his first career double-double as he led the Rockets with 30 points and 16 rebounds. Steve Francis chipped in with 22 points and Glen Rice added 16. “We always thought that Yao Ming was going to be good but not for a couple of years,” said a Nelson in his post game press conference. “He was good tonight. He’s got the whole package and he is some factor.” Yao has now hit on 31 of his last 35 field goal attempts and is now 17 of 21 from the charity stripe over his last six games. “He’s probably going to be a dominant-type player in this league, maybe even before the end of this year,” said guard Steve Nash.

The Mavs were led by Michael Finley’s season-high 28 points while Dirk Nowitzki had 24 points and Nash 15.
Finley also connected on 6-of-8 from beyond the arc, tying a career-high for most 3-pointers made. “His (Nash’s) driving ability attracts a lot of attention and then he can kick it out to me,” Finley said. “I got a lot of open looks and was able to knock-down my shots.”

The Mavs were only up by three at the break but took control of the game with an 11-0 run midway through the third quarter to take a 73-62 lead. From that point, Houston was not able to cut the lead below five points as Dallas tried a Yao-beating trick.

Dallas began to play a box-and-one zone with 6-8 Eduardo Najera putting the clamps down on Yao. Najera ended the game with a season-high 11 rebounds along with 14 points.
“I go up against Shawn Bradley in practice so that helped,” Najera said.
In the second half, Yao scored just nine points with only one coming in the fourth quarter when Houston could not get him the ball. “Our zone takes them out of their 1-on-1 game,” said Nowitzki. “We also did a good job containing Yao at the end.”

So the streak goes on as everybody continues to wonder just how far the Mavs will get until they run up against that first roadblock and eventual loss.
“The more the winning streak goes the more vulnerable you get because someone’s gonna get hot against you,” said Nellie. “But we’re having fun with it.”

The last question posed to Don Nelson following the win against Houston, which bumped the Mavs record to 12-0, was answered in classic Nellie style. Asked if he forgot how it feels to lose, Nellie talked about how he can’t do that since he has over 1,000 losses in his career. “But,” he continued. “How many perfect people do you know? Well, here’s one baby!”

If ever there was proof that the Mavs should think long and hard if they ever deem it necessary to trade Michael Finley, Thursday night’s win was it. It’s fun to watch Dallas run up and down the floor as Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash drain 3’s all night, but when they are stuck in an ugly type of game with no flow, Finley always seems to lift his team like only he can. Against Houston, Finley single-handedly kick-started an offense by hitting his first 3-point attempts in a ragged first quarter. “Finley kept our heads above water and made some big shots,” said Nellie.

Following the game all of the Mavs players were amazed at both the Rockets and of Yao Ming. “He’s got terrific skills and is very mobile,” said Avery Johnson. “The league better watch out because he’s going to be a threat.”

From the “Say What?!” Dept.: Following the loss, Rockets guard Steve Francis was asked if the Mavs were the best team that his team has faced this year. “No,” he sternly announced. “They just sat back in that zone for 48 minutes. They just packed it in. I thought they sat a guy in his (Yao’s) lap in the second half.”

Fittingly, on Fiesta Night at American Airlines Center, Eduardo Najera made the bucket that put the Mavs over the 100-point mark, sending all of the fans home with a free Taco Bell Chalupa.

Popeye Jones was expected to make his season-debut on Thursday but did not play due to a coach’s decision, saying afterwards he doesn’t really know for sure when he will see his first action.

FULL THROTTLE: Michael Finley – Finley went 6-for-8 from 3-point range and is now 9-for-11 from beyond the arc over his last two games. Additionally, when the Mavs came out of the chute slowly, Finley made some clutch baskets to preserve leads.

POPPING THE CLUTCH: Shawn Bradley – This was Bradley’s first poor game of the year, which isn’t bad since it came 12 games into the season. Bradley never got going and was called for two quick fouls as well as a technical just a couple of minutes into the ballgame. He did not register a point while collecting five fouls and two rebounds in 20 minutes of action.