U.S. Players Impressed With Yao

JAY WILLIAMS

Re: Explosiveness on drive late in first half:

A: I just saw an opportunity and tried to take advantage of it. The ball just slipped out of my hands. I don't think he (Yao Ming) was quite ready for it. His being 7-6 he probably didn't think a little guy was going to challenge him but he showed a lot of talent tonight. He definitely blew away my expectations of him. He's a really good basketball player and he showed that tonight. I just tried to surprise him a little.

Re: Going up on him and scoring on him tonight at the end of the game. Did you dunk on him?

A: I didn't really dunk on him, but I did challenge him.

Re: How he felt getting his first game experience.

A: It felt good. My hip felt good. It was a little rough because you try to go so hard so quick and I couldn't really get into a flow like I liked to, but it was good. I was glad to be a part of the team and get a chance to play with a lot of these great players. We're getting better and better each game. It is nice to get this first game under my belt.

REGGIE MILLER

Re: How he felt the team did in its first game...

A: It was good to get the rust off a little bit. It was good to see some type of different competition. Overall we played well, but this was our first game together and we can play better. And we will. There were some things we did much better than others. The good thing is that we have two exhibition games before the tournament begins.

Re: Any surprises out of the game?

A: No, I think we were pretty much prepared for everything.I think our coaching staff has done a good job of not overlooking anything. Right now we're just trying to find good combinations, trying to find the guys who work well with one another. We can all play with one another but obviously some combinations that are better than others, and it also depends on the competition as well.

Re: Reaction to Yao Ming's play tonight:

A: You know he surprised me. He's a lot better than I expected. I saw some of his exhibition game against Canada and saw some interviews he did. Listening to him say he has to get a lot stronger, I thought he did a pretty much held his own. He did a good job and he's a big guy. I think the learning curve is definitely on the upward swing with him.

BARON DAVIS

"It felt great to go out and get some competition out there, playing against some guys who aren't your teammates. See some different faces and get after it, get some legs under us.. We still have some work to do and that's what practice is for, but now we have a gauge as to what to expect from each other in a game situation and we've got one game under our belt. Next game will be even better.There willbe more precise passing and guys will know where to be when certain players are in the game together.

Re: Thoughts on Yao Ming:

A: The guy can play. I like him a lot. My boy Steve Francis is a good friend of mine and he's going to have a good time with that big guy down there. He's going to block a lot of shots that will lead to some fast breaks and he can score inside.

BEN WALLACE

Re: Playing against Yao Ming

A: He's got a nice touch and a couple of post moves, a couple of good moves around the basket. As long as he continues to play he was playing, he's going to continue to grow as a player. To my surprise he was a whole lot better than I thought he was.

Q: You were quoted as saying you were going to try to beat him up. Did you try to beat him up?

A: Oh yeah. We definitely beat him up.I think after we banged him a little and got to running on him , I think it took a little out of him. Once he gets the experience he needs, he can be a factor in the NBA. He didn't back down, but I think there were times out there he got a little winded.He didn't put up a big fight after he got a little tired. He needs to work on his stamina and get a lot stronger up top. When he was fresh out there and had his legs under him he was in there and he was active. I was surprised by his awareness on the court. When he caught the ball deep in the paint, he didn't waste time, he went into his move and made shots around the basket. When he caught it outside he turned and faced up and was able to find the open guy. That was impressive for a guy 7-6.

A lot of times you have to go up against a guy and give up five or six inches, so I'm sort of used to going up against taller players. Once you get out there you're not really thinking about his size, you're just trying to play the game.

He's a whole lot better than I thought he'd be.