By MEGAN MANFULL
Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle


Yao Ming didn't know what to say. No one had told him he was named the NBA's
Player of the Week until practice ended on Monday, and the news caught Yao
by surprise.

He earned the honor for the first time after stringing together three dominant
performances against the Lakers, Timberwolves and Mavericks.

In the three games, Yao led the Rockets to two victories by averaging 29.7
points per game and eight rebounds. He also shot 62.5 percent from the field.


When the numbers were put all together, even Yao was taken aback.

"I'm a little surprised that I had the week I did," Yao said. "What should I
say? I'd like to thank everybody who selected me. It's the first time I've
been selected Player of the Week, and I'm very happy."

Yao, who was a leading candidate for the honor three other times this season,
became the first Rocket to be named Player of the Week this season. And
even though Yao never ventured near the notion the honor was overdue, his
teammates did.

"It's about time," said teammate Steve Francis, the only Rocket to earn the
honor last season. "It's good. It shows you how much he's matured and how much
better he is getting every single game."

The Rockets want to see Yao continue that dominant effort tonight when they
play the Clippers at Toyota Center. All season, they have rallied around his
improvement and his ability to take over a game. They constantly talk about
how much better they are as a team when Yao plays as well as he is capable.

Their point was reiterated last week, when the Rockets went up against three
of the best teams in the Western Conference and won twice. Each game was
decided by a mere three points, with the Rockets' only loss coming against the
Lakers. In the two victories, the offense seemed to flow with Yao leading the
charge.

They scored more than 100 points against Minnesota and Dallas while also
hitting a higher percentage of their shots. They hit 50 percent of their
field-goal attempts at Minnesota, and 48.8 percent against Dallas.

"I think we're using Yao much better," Mark Jackson said. "It doesn't have
to do with him getting 20 or 30 points. But the more touches he gets, the more
space we're going to get offensively, because teams have to double him and it
creates havoc for them on our offensive end.

"He's doing a great job. And we know that when we put the ball into his
hands on the block, it's going to open up so much space for the rest of us.
He's just a great offensive force, a superstar."

That's not how Yao thinks of himself. But he is finally starting to gain
more confidence in his game, which is giving him the ability to test his
limits.

Yao bettered Shaquille O'Neal once again by scoring 33 points and grabbing
eight rebounds Wednesday. And he didn't have a letdown after the Lakers left
town. He scored 27 points against the Timberwolves and 29 against Dallas. He
averaged more points during the week than any other Western Conference player,
and trailed only Stephon Marbury (31.7 points per game) in the league
overall.

"Maybe (the difference) is just my self-confidence," Yao said. "At least, I
feel like my self-confidence is getting better."

His run of 30 consecutive made free throws -- capped by a three-point play
with 15.4 seconds left against Dallas -- has helped, too.


The team is feeding off of Yao's attitude and his willingness to lead the
offense. The Rockets successfully worked the ball inside-out during the last
two games, especially in the fourth quarter when the games were on the line.
When the double teams sank in on Yao, he often found his open teammate. And
more often than not, whoever got the ball found a way to score.

Against Minnesota, Francis stepped up and scored 25 points. Against Dallas, it
was Jim Jackson who helped down the stretch and finished with 24 points.

And despite the strong individual numbers, they said it all started with Yao.


"I think with Yao being more aggressive, really attacking the basket and
asking for the ball, I think it opens up a lot more," Jim Jackson said.


"The more Yao is aggressive, the better it is for us."

Rockets summary
Thorn in side
The Rockets are aware that the Clippers are struggling, especially on the road
against Western Conference foes. But that doesn't mean the Rockets feel
overly confident about to tonight's matchup.

Kelvin Cato clearly remembers the seasons when the Clippers dominated the
series. In the 2000-01 and 2001-02 seasons, the Clippers were 6-2 against
the Rockets.

The two teams split last year.

"The last few years I've been here, the Clippers have been our downfall," Cato
said. "They've beaten us on a regular basis. This year, we've kind of
turned the tables a little bit. But they are a dangerous team. They come in
here with nothing to lose."

The Clippers, who have lost four consecutive games to the Rockets, have a 3-14
record on the road against the West. But they come into tonight's game off an
impressive 91-71 victory over Portland on Sunday. The team's third-leading
scorer, Quentin Richardson, left the game in the third period after injuring
his back. He said after the game he didn't expect to miss any time.

Despite losing six of their last eight games, the Clippers have posted some
impressive victories this season. They defeated Dallas on the road and had
home victories over the Lakers, San Antonio and Milwaukee.

"It's a dangerous team because they are young and talented, but we have to put
them in their place," Mark Jackson said.

Too early to relax
The Rockets continue to eye the playoff standings but refuse to get too
comfortable with the notion they will reach the postseason for the first
time in five years. With 20 games left, the players said anything can still
happen.

"You still can't breathe easy, because if you lose 10 or 11 straight then
you're out of the playoffs again," Kelvin Cato said. "So you have got to
maintain and try to keep getting all the wins you can get.

"We're trying to move up. We're trying get the seventh, sixth spot, maybe
four. You never know. It's real close right there -- four, five games
between the eighth seed and the fourth seed."

As soon as the playoff picture becomes clearer, the Rockets will start looking
toward matchups and opponents.

Jim Jackson said it's too early to tell which team is the "one to beat."

"Even though Sacramento has the best record, San Antonio is right behind
them with the Lakers," Jackson said. "If a team gets in there that's on a roll
come late April and is playing really well, they may be the seventh seed, but
they might be playing extremely well and maybe playing better than one of the
top seeds. It just depends on who's playing best going into the playoffs."

-- MEGAN MANFULL
--
FROM 202.116.9.*