Hailed by fans as a comparable OK combination, the Yao Mai combination that was optimistic that year, why did the 05-06 rocket season not qualify for the playoffs
In 2002, after Yao Ming landed in the NBA as a champion, the NBA swept the whole of China for a while. As a result, the Houston Rockets are even regarded by many fans as the home team of the Chinese. When the Rockets and Magic completed a trade in 2004 and won the season's leading scorer, Tracy McGrady, whose personal abilities were almost unmatched at the time, the media and fans were unanimously optimistic about the pair, both inside and outside, and could match the "OK" combination.
In the 04-05 season, the cooperation between the two stars was also very pleasant, leading the team to achieve a good record of 51 wins and 31 losses, although in the first round of the playoffs, the Mavericks lost 7 games, but Yao Mai's excellent performance made everyone believe that the Rockets will be able to do more in the future. However, in the 05-06 season, the Rockets only achieved an embarrassing record of 34 wins and 48 losses, not only ranking 12th in the West, missing the playoffs, but also playing 3 "six consecutive losses" during the season, which disappointed Rockets fans. So, why did the Yao Mai combination, which should have taken off, lead the team to such a mediocre performance in this year?
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="4" >1. Yao Mai was plagued by consecutive injuries and the team lacked the core</h1>
Looking at this year's statistics alone, Maddy averaged 24.4 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists per game, and he can also deliver 1.3 steals and 0.9 blocks on the defensive end, and he is still the all-powerful top forward swingman. Yao Ming's statistics are not much, averaging 22.3 points, 10.2 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game, which was already the top center level in the league at that time.
However, this season, both stars have been seriously plagued by injuries, missing 35 and 25 games respectively, which has directly led to the team becoming a weak team to be slaughtered in the absence of two core players inside and outside. Throughout the season, the Houston Rockets averaged 90.1 points per game, and Yao Mai was able to deliver 46.7 points for the team together, more than half of the team. Therefore, once they are absent, then the team's offensive ability can be said to be a self-amputated arm. And it is also true that this season, the rockets have lost almost all of the games in which the two stars are absent collectively. Maddy's explosive ability on the offensive end, the ability to score at key moments, and the ability to single-handedly organize the team's offense and control the rhythm are the best guarantees for the Rockets to win, and once he is not on the floor, the Rockets' offense is a mess, and even Yao Ming, who can pass the ball steadily to the inside, can not be fully guaranteed. When the internal and external links are broken, the team's attack will stagnate for a long time, and finally the victory can only be handed over.
In addition, Yao Ming's importance in the team is also comparable to Maddy's, and his containment on the inside can provide opportunities for the Rockets' outside players to shoot in the open position, and at the same time, his stable mid-range shooting ability can also open up a certain amount of space to provide Juwan Howard with enough inside field play. This is also the great value of these two players.
In addition, Yao Ming and Maddy also have great importance to the Rockets on the defensive end. When Coach Van Gundy Jr. led the team, the most important thing was the team's defense. Yao Ming is the defensive axis of the team, his coverage on the inside line is very wide, and the increasing tonnage can also ensure that he will not suffer losses against powerful American centers. Coupled with the absolute height and positive defensive attitude, most opponents can only eat in front of Yao Ming.
Maddy took on the task of leading the defense on the outside, and Battier had not yet come to the team that season, which led to Maddy having to be both a father and a mother, and both offensive and defensive ends were consuming their own physical strength. Although Maddy started with his own defense in his early years at the Raptors, he had to go all out in the Rockets' offense and defense, coupled with a serious back injury, Maddy's state fluctuated greatly this season, which also led to the final Rockets missing the playoffs.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="9" >2. Mediocre squad with almost no depth</h1>
The reason for the Rockets' average performance this year, in addition to Yao Mai's injury, the team's excessive mediocre lineup is also a major factor. In addition to Yao Mai, only Ralph Alstom and Uncle Huo's average scores are in double figures per game, and the scoring ability of the rest of the players on the team is really very average.
And that offseason, the Rockets' few trades, the "Swift" Swifts obtained from the Grizzlies, were embarrassingly useful, there was no other way to score except dunks, and it was very easy to cause Yao Ming to be caught in various bags on the court. As a result, after playing five starts, he was placed on the bench and returned to the Grizzlies at the end of the season. Yao Ming's substitutes are Chuck Hayes, who is only 1.98 meters tall, and Uncle Mu, who is already 40 years old. This makes fans and the media laugh bitterly, although Uncle Mu still has a certain defensive ability, but after all, it is already the twilight of his career, it is difficult to provide enough help. To a certain extent, this also led to the excessive use of Yao Ming by Coach Van Gundy Jr., which eventually led to Yao Ming's continuous injuries.
On the outside, although Alstom scored in double figures, his shooting percentage was only a miserable 37.9%, and he came from a street ball culture, playing as a point guard in professional games, but did not have enough control and passing ability.
In other words, he can only play his role in chaotic battles, and once Maddy is absent, it is difficult for the "Street Ball King" to support the Rockets' backcourt. The other two outside players with some scoring ability, David Wesley and Luthor Hyde, did play well in some games. However, compared to the peak, the 36-year-old Wesley's scoring consistency and stability are much worse than before. Especially in this year of the Rockets, many of his scores are based on Maddy's breakthrough score and Yao Ming's attraction bag after the outside line, completed the empty shot. That is to say, once the two players are lost, it is difficult for Wesley to have room to play, and the lack of physical strength, and the already short height, are more likely to be targeted as the team's defensive weaknesses.
Hyde is more like a weakened version of "JR Smith", he can continue to soar into the wonderful jump shot in the game, can also have a continuous iron or constantly send low-level mistakes, the defensive end as a shooting guard, height and weight are also below the league average, and he himself is synonymous with attacking strong and weak, in Maddy's absence, it is not able to make up for the lack of team scoring firepower task. The rest of the players, such as Ryan Bowen, Much Norris, Keith Bogans, etc., could not even play on other teams, which is enough to show how lack of depth the Rockets' roster that year.