DISQUS

Hey, John ---

No worries man, I've always marveled at your ability to do this on a part-time/hobby (in terms of compensation, not in terms of the time you've put in) basis. I think you can always come back and blog once a week or so. Perhaps you can approach the big man himself for some support?

If this is the final good-bye, then it has been a great 6 and 1/2 yrs reading your blog and this site is one of my most visited sites. As the saying in Chinese, "there is no never-ending banquet", I knew this day would have come sooner or later.

Good luck to you in your endeavors and go Rockets!

Looks like that Yao has hit a wall. He looked tired.

The tripping explains why Yao gave Howard an intentional shoulder bump after he was fouled hard by him. I think Yao wanted to take out some of the frustrations. But I really rather him just throw a punch or just intentionally shove Howard hard. Sure, he'll get fined or suspended. But Josh Howard will get the message, and so will the rest of the league.

I'm back and welcome back to everyone! I've waited long enough for the season to start and for John's recaps.

Ron Artest is playing at the same level when he was at Indiana in the year when he won defensive player of the year. I have said it before, RonRon will step up and take over the game. I like how he can stroke the three yet can also take the ball to the hoop while drawing a foul. He's a great asset for the Rockets!

Then I had to listen to one of my most favorite sports figures, Reggie Miller, to talk about what could have been in Indy with Ron and Jermaine O'Neal. Just brings pain to me, because he's so right. But I'll take the consolation when the Rox wins it this year!

Thanks for the update on Hurricane Ike! Glad Ye Li is okay.

BTW, did you hear about the passing of the Chinese great center Mu Tiezhu on Sunday? Yao was interviewed about this and was saddened by the news.

It'll be interesting to see if the NBA is going to do anything, and more interestingly, if Li Ning is going to do anything. After all, Li Ning had just received huge free publicity with him lighting the cauldron.

I agree with John. I went through school in Oklahoma and Indiana, the two places where you don't see much Asians compared to bigger cities. And I was not immune to the Asian insults, whether intended or not. But as I aged and so did my peers, and I do not expect to be insulted by people of my age and older. So while I truly do not believe that the Spanish players are racists, I still think this was an ignorant gesture and they should apologize.

Here is what I wanted to ask John. I think we both watched the Spain-China game on TV, but I did not hear any boos at all. The Chinese fans were making noises at the foul line and that was about it. There was a time when a Spanish player (Garbajosa) fell down hard on the floor, the Chinese fans all applauded when he was helped up and went to the locker room. I do not get the media when they said the Chinese fans booed viciously.

And I did not see any Chinese media covering the story until right now. Given the fact that there are only 115 comments on the story, it was probably only posted within an hour. And a brief sampling of those comments reveal the reactions of the Chinese public, 1/3 said they understand the actions of Spain, 1/3 said the media is blowing it out of proportions and urging everyone to stop being so sensitive, and the rest said team Spain needs to be crucified or something to that extent.

Obviously the Chinese public had just heard about the incident until now, so the media was completely bogus when they said the fans booed them viciously.

I would agree with you. I don't think the Chinese were booing because of the controversy. I think the reporters who said that were irresponsible. Kind of reminds me of that idiot writer for the Washington Times who said Houston fans booed Yao after he got hurt. If they did boo (which I don't think they did), how in the hell did they know what they were thinking? Do these reporters have ESP? As we've seen this year, 2008 has been the year that true journalism died. -- John.

I agree, Yao didn't play well, and he had a few costly turnovers down the stretch. And there was a rebound that bounced into his hand, and he couldn't hold on. Had he scored on that possession, China would've been up by four and therefore Marc Gasol's lucky shot wouldn't have tied the game.

But it was a well-fought game, as I mentioned before, it's like a 2-15 seed match up in the NCAA tourney. Spain was heavily favored.

I think Wang Zhizhi showed us flashes of his past, at the time the greatest basketball player in China's history. Wang can put the ball on the floor, and has a face-up game in addition to his vast collection of post moves. If only he knows how to box out and play defense! Yi needs to wake up.

Good to see that the Spanish team is still being sponsored by Li Ning.

One name comes in mind would be Xu Haifeng, the first Chinese to win a gold medal in the Olympics ever. Or Chinese sports legend Li Ning, who had won 3 gold medals in that same Olympics and achieved even more success in business. He did it in 1984 in LA btw. But yeah, the fact that Yao has carried it in 2004 would not make him the flagbearer this time around.

Unless, of course, if the flagbearer is limited to current athlete only. Then perhaps it will be Liu Xiang. All the sports legend I've mentioned above would probably be the one lighting the cauldron.

When I first posted, I didn't read much press coverage on the news. Now I'm certain that the unnamed player is Greene. That's awesome, because none of the current players is leaving.

I know a lot of you are putting Artest at the PF. I agree that he's definitely strong enough to do so. Artest can really play four positions, including the point guard. His ball-handling skills are often overlooked, but they are decent. He has started or played at the point many times for the Pacers in 2004, when the Pacers finished with a league-best 61 games that season.

Most important of all, Artest is a player who will drive in and draw fouls when the game gets close. He will not settle for jump shots during crunch time. So the Rockets will be able to win even more close games with Artest in the line-up.

Nice! Using the FIBA ball to get ready for the Olympics!

I might add, Jet Li's donations are from his The One Charity Fund, which is not his own money. Jackie Chan and Empire Entertainment CEO Albert Yeung jointly donated $10 million RMB from the Jackie Chan charity fund, again, not entirely his own money. Not to take anything away from Jackie and Jet, nor am I comparing them with Yao. They are all China's global ambassadors and they have all made me proud by helping out when disasters hit.

Just let it go, John. Those people are helpless POS and they are not even in the same class for me, or you, or Yao to get upset about.

Despite of what it seems, the majority of Chinese knows that Yao is a big giver and that he had committed a lot of time and effort, and money towards the well-being of those who are in need, especially in China. It is very low for those scums who yap all day long at who donated how much, yet not one penny from themselves. Amidst of all the sadness and depression that I've fell into over the past week and half, I found it very disappointing that there are still people out there using this horrible tragedy to defame Yao.

Yao is still the hero for China and he'll always be. Not because of his popularity and international fame, but rather his large heart. The next time you get a chance, let him and his people know that the true Yao fans know how much good he has done and what type of person he is, and there is absolutely no need to get upset over a few scums of the society.

I originally "let it go," but then I heard that what we're hearing over here about Yao's donation is small in comparison to what may have been said in China. I'm used to the trolls in the Yao Ming Mania forum who will say dumb things (but it's their right to say it), but when I heard about the alleged rancor over in China, I said "enough is enough" and could not let this one go. -- John

The more I look at McGrady's finishes around the hoop, the more I pity that he does not do that more often. I hope he will continue to drive and lead the team to win in Utah.

Like the 2004 Olympics, China needs to have an upset in order to advance. Last time the upset was against Serbia-Montenegro (I don't think Peja played though). Without any quality guards to deliver the ball to Yao, Yi, and Wang Zhizhi, China has a lot of work to do.

Jason, follow the advice of "Jim from CA".

I've had my shares of watching the Rockets on p2p and online streaming over the years. I'm finally out of school last year and the first thing I bought was the LeaguePass (includes NBA TV) that would allow me to watch the Rockets' every game from where I am (Indianapolis). For those of you who are not in the Houston area and want to watch them play, I think NBA LP is a sound investment, especially with a DVR.

Anyway, I think it is a shame that the NBA and the networks have to put playoff games on NBA TV. What good is ESPN2 for if you are not gonna use it for NBA playoffs?

Go Rockets, I hope they win tonight!

Hit your goddamn free throws!

Carl Landry wanted to get back at Deron Williams for the pounding of his Purdue Boilermakers when the two met in 2005. Of course, I am just making that up because this argument makes no sense as Luther Head was a star player on that same Illinois team.

Anyway, last night's game was definitely encouraging as Rockets proved that they can win against the best home team in the league on their turf. Let's hope they steal Game 4 and really put the pressure on Utah! It is great to see big Yao traveling to SLC to be with the guys. Of course, I think that's his duty as well. Just like Pat Ewing did in '99 and Amare Stoudemire did two seasons ago when he was out.

Wow, Yao is shooting threes.