Commentary: Defense on Yao is more like mixed martial arts
By RICHARD JUSTICE Copyright 2009 Houston Chronicle
April 26, 2009, 12:32PM

Yao Ming gets pounded on from the moment he steps on the court. Shoving and grabbing, slapping and scratching, kicking and holding.

“Every time he moves, it’s a wrestling match,” Rockets coach Rick Adelman said. “I just don’t think it should be allowed.”

Give the Portland Trail Blazers credit for being smart enough to take advantage of what the NBA allows them to do.

If the referees are going to blow their whistle only every fifth or sixth time Yao is fouled, there’s no reason to change.

Remember how the NBA changed its defensive rules a few years ago to allow more freedom of movement around the basket?

Defenders were supposed to be allowed one hand and one arm on an offensive player.

Refs didn’t get the memo. The Blazers have pretty much succeeded in taking Yao out of this series by grabbing him at the foul line and holding on wherever he goes.

“Once you allow it to happen, it just continues to go on and it gets worse and worse and worse,” Adelman said. “It looks bad.”

Too much contact
If the Blazers lose the series, it won’t be much consolation, but still. Yao was 7 for 7 from the field in the first quarter of Game 1. He’s 7 for 15 in 11 quarters since.

The Blazers adjusted rapidly and effectively. It’s not just that they’re putting a defender in front of Yao and another behind him. It’s not that they’re sometimes running a third guy at him.

It’s that the amount of physical contact allowed has become ridiculous. When did basketball become mixed martial arts?

“It’s amazing,” Carl Landry said. “He’s got a big scar on the right side of his face and scratches all over his arm. He goes out there and battles everyday.”

Hey, Yao, how did you get that scar?

“My wife did it,” he said.

Did you complain to the refs Saturday night during an 86-83 victory?

“I complained on the court.”

And?

“One guy said, 'Your English is not good enough.’”

If Portland wants to focus on Yao, it’s up to Luis Scola and Shane Battier and others to make the open shots they’re surely going to get, and it’s up to the point guards to aggressively take the ball to the basket.

The Rockets did these things in Game 3 and lead the series 2-1 entering Game 4 tonight at Toyota Center.

“That’s what we’ve done all year,” Adelman said. “It’s not the first time Yao has been doubled.”

‘Getting wrapped up’
Adelman has spoken openly of the issue, perhaps in the hope of calling attention to it and getting the refs to call more fouls on Greg Oden and Joel Przybilla.

“We can complain and everything else, but if they don’t call it, you’ve got to counter it,” Adelman said. “That’s what we’re trying to do. We’re trying to get Yao to counter it. Shaq used to complain that he got beat up all the time. Well, Yao does, too.”

For the Rockets, the challenge is to move the ball quickly and find the open spots.

They didn’t do this in a Game 2 loss, did it much better in a Game 3 victory.

Adelman believes Yao could help himself by not fighting so hard for position. When two guys are shoving each other, refs don’t know who to whistle for the foul.

He wants less of the grabbing and holding, but in the end, believes Yao could do some strategic things differently.

“He’s got to relax and let them do all the work, and then pick his spots and let us try to find him,” Adelman said. “He’s working too hard to try and get position. As a result, he’s getting wrapped up and can’t move to the ball with his hands free.

“Even when he goes to the offensive board, they’ve got a hand locked up. He can’t release his hands. I want him to pick his spots where he can go get the ball. That’s all he can do at this point.”

Tough to imagine
One thing it’s impossible for the rest of us to know is what it’s like to be pounded on by two players weighing close to 600 pounds for an entire night.

So while it’s one thing to hope Yao will get his hands in better position and for teammates to be aware when he’s open, it’s another to try and understand the physical pounding he takes night in and night out.

“I feel small,” he said. “I’m 7-3, and when they keep two 7-footers on the court, that’s huge size right there. I still have to find a way to get to the basket and score.”

richard.justice@chron.com