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Thursday March 19, 2009 3:04 AM

Rockets Sneak Past Pistons in Double OT

Yao Ming scores 31 points in Houston's 106-101 win

Jason Friedman
Rockets.com Staff Writer

Houston - Out of sync and in real danger of letting one slip away to the shorthanded Pistons, the Houston Rockets sent out an S.O.S. for someone to save the day and carry them to victory. And just as he’s done so many times before, Yao Ming answered the call, put his team on his broad shoulders and led Houston to a 106-101 win over Detroit in double-overtime.

Scoring 17 of his game-high 31 points in the fourth quarter and overtime periods, Yao helped his club overcome Detroit’s dominance on the offensive glass – the Pistons grabbed a whopping 21 offensive rebounds – by utilizing his full arsenal of jumpers, hooks and fadeaways. It was exactly the kind of performance his sputtering team needed and precisely what they’ve come to expect from their seven-time All-Star center.

“He was playing awesome,” said Luis Scola, who tallied 14 points and collected 6 rebounds. “It's really nice when we have Yao and are able to go to the post and we can use it. Today we were able to pick him and use his shot. He's a superstar, that's not surprising.”

With that lofty title, of course, comes a great deal of responsibility which is why Coach Rick Adelman wants to see Yao be even more assertive going forward; especially when opposing teams make the mistake of attempting to guard him one-on-one, as the Pistons did.

“He’s got to demand the ball,” Adelman said after the game. “If they front him or take him away, then we go to something else. But until they stop him, we’ve got to go through him every time. He’s got the mentality that he’s trying to fit in, and sometimes you just have to take control. It’s something he’s got to continue to work on. If they’re going to play one-on-one, then he’s got a huge advantage.”

Yao says he understands the message his coach is attempting to convey.

“He’s right. In the fourth quarter, I scored seven points in a row and I stopped asking for the ball. And in the first overtime, I scored the first possession and then that disappeared. I think I need to do more for the team.”

Of course, demanding the ball runs counter to the very essence of Yao; a player whose selfless style instinctively places the team over the individual at every turn. The Rockets have no desire to rid him of that, they simply want him to see that sometimes what appears selfish on the surface isn’t actually selfishness at all. Because when Yao dominates down low like he did Wednesday night, it’s not only Yao who benefits – it’s the team.

QUOTES

RICK ADELMAN

(On the game) “I got to give our guys credit. They hung in there.. It was really one of those games where they just hammered us on the boards and we could never get anything going the other way. They just kept getting the ball back . They shoot 38 percent, they shot 31 (percent) in the 1st half and had 38 points and 13 or whatever it was, were second chance points. We talked about that you have to stay with it. You've got to open it up but we did enough to win and that's the bottom line and we've got to clean some things up and talk about them before we play on Friday. I'm just happy to get the win, it was a tough game.”

(On the team rebounding) “It's a combination (of things going wrong). Sometimes the ball comes off and we're not ready to go get it. We've got our hands down around our ankles. You got to have your hands up and our perimeter people were just turning and looking at the ball and didn't even look at their guy. You have to track the ball down when you're on the outside. There was about two or three times where somebody shot the ball and we have a guy guarding him and instead of making sure that you have him under control and then turning and getting the ball, we just turned around and the guy that shot it got the ball back. That should not happen. Usually it hasn't happened to us this year so it's a thing you have to dwell on and you have to talk about because when you keep a team to 38 percent, you should win. We didn't do enough to keep them (down), they kept coming at us, give them credit for working their tails off on the boards. You're looking at them just dominating us at that end.”

(on Yao): He’s got to demand the ball. There was one possession there toward the end of the game in the first overtime where he’s just got to go to the post and tell them, ‘Bring it to me,’ and (instead) he’s looking around playing pick-and-roll with Ron. He had just scored like six times in a row, he’s just got to demand the ball. And if they front him or take him away, then we go to something else. But until they stop him, we’ve got to go through him every time. He’s got the mentality that he’s trying to fit in, and sometimes you just have to take control. It’s something he’s got to continue to work on. If they’re going to play one-on-one, then he’s got a huge advantage.

(on executing down the stretch): We have to learn what our strengths are when the game is on the line and not try to manufacture something that’s not going to be good. It’d be like running a high pick-and-roll with Yao handling it. I don’t think that’s good for us. It would surprise them, but it’s not good. So we just have to get better at that. We’re a team that’s learning about themselves. Aaron is a second-year guard. He’s trying to figure it out. I thought the second overtime he took control and got us in to what we wanted, and that’s what you have to do. We just have to continue to grow as a group.

YAO MING

(On the win) “It was pretty ugly, honestly. The game was struggling and boring the entire time. We didn't play to our strengths. I can't say that our defense was that bad. We gave them too many second shots and we gave them too many penetrations. It didn’t seem like our defense we usually have. It’s a good way of warning us we need to pay attention to that”

(On whether or not he should demand the ball more) “I think it's because I didn't play the last game so I needed to score extra points. I need to be more aggressive I guess. I've been in this situation before. I think I need to do more for the team.”

He’s right. In the fourth quarter, I scored seven points in a row and I stopped asking for the ball. And in the first overtime, I scored the first two possessions and then that disappeared. I think I need to do more for the team.

I need to say, ‘Get me the ball.’ I’ll try that in the Minnesota game (laughs).

LUIS SCOLA

(On the 2nd overtime) “It was a really long game. We have to learn how to play these type of games, it might happen in the playoffs. We needed to win and we won it even though we didn't play very well the whole game. We hung in there, we fought. Those are a few good things we need to have.”

(On the play of Yao Ming) “He was playing awesome. It's really nice when we have Yao and are able to go to the post and we can use it. Today we were able to pick him and use his shot. He's a superstar, that's not surprising.”

SHANE BATTIER

(On getting the win) “This was not our best game but you take a win every time. Luckily, we pulled this one out but against playoff caliber teams we have to find ways to execute down the stretch.”

AARON BROOKS

(On the play of Yao) “We had to go with what was working. Yao was playing unbelievable today. I wanted to get him in the key where he is most effective. We did a good job of finishing up the game. Yao did a good job. We got him the ball in the post at the end of the game in the post and that was good.”

(On whether this game was tough back-to-back game for the Pistons) “They played a great game. I would have imagined if we had got more defensive rebounds, then the defense would have been a lot better this game. But tonight I think we needed to do a better job of getting more rebounds.”

We came out very lethargic. We let them stick around and they got hot at the end. Tayshaun and Rodney came through. But luckily we got it together in time and got the win.

(On Yao) Yao is 7-6. Today he got a lot of touches and he did a great job, but you can’t go to him every single possession. You might want to, but it’s not good for the team.

When he has a guy on his back, he usually gets the ball. I think he got a lot of touches and you don’t want to wear him out. You want to make sure you go away from him sometimes, so he can get a rest a little bit because they’re pounding on him the whole game and you need him for the fourth quarter.

PISTONS COACH MICHAEL CURRY

(on the game) “We just couldn’t make the plays at the end. Their two big guys ( Yao and Artest) made the plays down the stretch. We fought back in the second half but just ran out of gas. Our effort the last two nights was excellent. I was proud of the way we played. We got some great things going and we played a good game and had a chance to win.”

(on the shot at the end of regulation) “We got the last shot in regulation but I would have liked Stuckey to take that shot. Walter had just come into the game. It’s a learning process for him.”

TAYSHAUN PRINCE

(on the game) “We got off to a bad start. I missed so many easy shots in the first quarter. I should have asked coach to take me out of the game. At half time we were only down four and we were shooting bad. In the second half we got a large dose of Yao and Artest.”

(on overtime) “We just couldn’t get over the hump.. In the second overtime we ran out of gas and Houston made their shots.”

ANTONIO MCDYESS

(on the game) “We ran out of gas. We fought and gave us a chance but at the end it wasn’t there for us.”

(on defending Yao) “I feel very tired. He has me by over a hundred pounds and he beats on you. He’s a skilled big man with a nice attitude. I love him as a player.”

RODNEY STUCKEY

(on his play) “It’s crazy how frustrating it is. I’m trying to be as aggressive as I can but I just ran out of gas. We fought as hard as we could.”

(on the final play in regulation) “I knew they would double-team me and I saw Walter open. It wasn’t the best decision on my part. I should have taken the shot.”

NOTES

Tonight’s attendance of 18,275 marks the 20th sellout of the season at Toyota Center .

The Rockets took a 106-101 double-overtime victory over the Pistons tonight. Houston is now 2-1 in overtime this season, with both wins coming in double-overtime at home. Detroit stands 2-4 in the extra session. Overall, each team has played a pair of double-overtime contests following tonight’s game (Rockets 2-0, Pistons 0-2).

Houston posted a season-high 11 blocked shots tonight, surpassing its previous best of 10 blocks vs. Minnesota (2/7/09).

The Rockets made 9-of-18 (.500) shots in the first quarter and took a 20-18 lead into the second stanza. Houston and its opponent had entered the second quarter tied in each of the previous four games. The Rockets now hold a record of 22-8 this season when shooting .500 or better in the first quarter.

Houston actually entered the fourth quarter of tonight’s game down 65-64 to Detroit . The Rockets have already recorded more fourth-quarter comebacks this season (5) than the past two seasons combined (3), winning five games this season when trailing after three quarters of play.

Detroit pulled down 21 boards off the offensive glass tonight. It was just the second 20 offensive rebound game allowed by the Rockets this season (23 by the Warriors on 12/12/08 at Golden State ).

Yao Ming finished with a game-high 31 points (13-22 FG), 15 rebounds and four blocked shots tonight. Yao, who did not see action due to a sore right knee in the prior meeting at Detroit (1/25/09), now owns seven 30-point outings in 2008-09 (Rockets record: 7-0). It also marked Yao ’s third 30-13 game (points-rebounds) of the season.

Ron Artest recorded 26 points (11-24 FG) and four rebounds tonight. Artest also had a team-high 24 points (4-9 3FG) and nine boards in the last meeting at Detroit (1/25/09).

Aaron Brooks collected 14 points (4-8 FG, 2-4 3FG, 4-4 FT) and four assists tonight. Brooks has now reached double-figure scoring in six consecutive games (3/9/09-3/18/09), which set the longest such streak of his career (prev. long 5 straight: 12/16/08-12/23/08).

Shane Battier handed out a team-high five assists tonight. He has now led or tied for the team lead in assists in three of the last four games. Battier had a team-high-tying four assists at Charlotte (3/13/09) and dished out a team-high four assists vs. San Antonio (3/14/09).

Arron Afflalo registered a career-high 24 points (7-13 FG, 4-6 3FG, 6-6 FT), surpassing his previous best of 17 points done twice (last on 1/9/09 at Denver ).

Antonio McDyess completed his night with 14 points (7-16 FG), 20 rebounds and three blocks. It marked McDyess’ second 20-rebound game of the season (22 on 3/11/09 vs. New York ) and his 11th double-double of 2008-09.

Rodney Stuckey posted his fifth double-double of the season with 21 points (8-25 FG) and 10 assists.

Kwame Brown grabbed 12 rebounds tonight, which included matching his season high for offensive rebounds with seven. He also had seven offensive boards vs. Memphis (3/15/09).

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