NBA – Miami Heat defeat the Detroit Piston in Preseason Opener

by Stephen Lars on Oct.09, 2010, under Football, Sports News

Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh, finally had their so awaited debut with the Miami Heat. So much had been said about James’ decision to leave behind the Cleveland Cavaliers and take his talents over to Miami, that one couldn’t help but to wonder how the whole thing was going to work out. Where the three players going to be able to put aside the stardom and the big ego’s and actually perform well as a team? Who was going to take the decisive shot? Are all the expectations real, could the Miami Heat really be a candidate to win the NBA Championship?

The big three were on the court for a little over 3 minutes, since early in the game, in a defensive play, Dwayne Wade grab his hamstring and limped off the court. He strained his right hamstring and was soon taken over to the locker room. Head coach, Erick Spoelstra came out to say it wasn’t serious, but one thing if for certain. We are not going to be taking part of the next couple preseason games.

Still, the Miami Heat made it all look easy as they defeated the Detroit Piston 105-89 in the first preseason game for both teams. The stadium filled in with fans expecting to see the big three. By the third quarter, most of the fans where gone. There was no coming back for the piston.

The start was almost flawless for the Miami Heat, had it not been for Wade’s injury. Still, LeBron James began to show his teammates how easy he can make things look like once he is in the field. Bosh, for instance, had 20 points in 8-for-13 shooting, and was key in the rebound department. James, who has been the dominant force in the league during the regular season, recorded 18 points.

Ben Gordon lead the Detroit Pistons with 17 points, but it was still not enough to keep the Heat from taking a 20 point advantage by halftime. James began the game with his little ritual. The big clapping of hands, the white cloud: the repetition of a ritual. But one couldn’t help but to notice that it was all very different.

NBA – Yao Ming could play in the preseason with the Houston Rockets

by Stephen Lars on Sep.26, 2010, under Basketball, Sports News

Yao Ming has been struggling with injuries ever since he made it to the NBA. But truth be said, he has been battling with injuries since his years rookie year playing for the Shangai Sharks in the Chinese Basketball Association. By the time Yao was 17, he had broken his foot twice. He was fully capable of recovering completely and it has been said that since that second injury, he lost some 10 to 15 inches worth of his jumping ability.

When Yao came to play in the NBA, he was the first foreign player ever to be picked as the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft, without ever playing in an NCAA affiliated college beforehand. Now, he did not have it easy coming into the NBA. He had to deal with many unsporting commentaries from both the specialized press (who can forget Charles Barkley’s encounter with a donkey’s buttock after Yao scored his first 20 points in a single game).

Yet not only commentators gave him a hard time, even teams have been a bit harsh on him. The Miami Heat gave out 8000 fortune cookies to the fans on their first game against Yao Ming and the Rockets. As if that was not enough, there where the now infamous and somewhat rude and offensive (to say the least) pregame comments from Shaquille O’Neal.

Now, the issues come when you consider that the Rockets have only make it past the first round of the Playoff’s once since Yao has been playing for the Rockets. He has had to deal with many injuries, and considering this last foot surgery, which seemed at its moment as a drastic reconstruction of his foot, he has missed many games in each season.

Yao has not played since July 2009, and he is not eager to make his comeback. Doctors have gave him the thumbs up, but head coach Rick Adelman has been warned that Yao should only play 24 minutes per game. Yao is aware that he needs to take it easy. Recovering from such a complex procedure takes time, and there is no need to put more stress then what it is ultimately necessary on his foot.

The Houston Rockets begin their training camp this week. The team will play its first exhibition game on against the Orlando Magic on October 5th. Perhaps we will be able to see Yao take on a couple minutes worth of play.