After two great games in a row where he had scored 30+ points, Yao Ming had a relatively bad game Monday night against Moscow CSKA, making only 5-of-14 shots on his way to 27 points (he made only 17-of-23 free throws). Yao also only grabbed 4 rebounds, committed 4 turnovers, and had 4 personal fouls. Not the kind of “4-4-4” you want that Moses Malone talked about almost 25 years ago. Without Yao having his A-game, the Chinese lost 83-77.

For more photos from the game, click here.

According to our Raymond, immediately after the game against Moscow CSKA, Yao bolted quickly from the venue, even skipping his shower, so he could go back to Shanghai for the rehearsal of the Opening Ceremonies of the Special Olympics. He will then skip the last summer game for the Chinese and head back to Texas on Wednesday for Rockets training camp.

I’m sure no one at training camp will be concerned about Yao’s performance against Moscow. However, if I get the chance, I’ll bring it up to him to see what happened in that game. 😉

Yao dominated for the second game in a row, this time with 32 points in leading China to a 78-75 victory over Italy’s Benetton Treviso. Yao made 11-of-15 field goals and 10-of-11 free throws (the last FT he missed intentionally). He also grabbed 10 bards. So it looks like Yao is getting into good shape with two games in a row now where he scored more than 30 points. He did have 5 turnovers, though.

For photos from the game, click here.

For pre-game warmup pics, go here. For photos from the team practice, you can check ’em out right here.

I saw this piece written by a member of the Brisbane Bullets, a team that took 1-of-3 games from the Chinese National Team last week. It was interesting to get his account of how crazy he saw fans in China go for Yao…

The big man must love it during the NBA season because he has the chance to lead a relatively normal life in America compared with dealing with the billions of eyes that follow his every step in China.

Brisbane Bullets have just seen it first hand and it’s nothing short of an amazing experience.

If John Howard (Australian Prime Minister) or Nicole Kidman walked down the street, they probably wouldn’t get half the attention Yao gets

He also says the Chinese need lots of improvement to do well in the Olympics, based on this statement…

The Bullets took a game off them and China is going to confront much bigger teams than us.

I’d rate Australia a huge chance of beating China, particularly with the likes of Andrew Bogut and Matt Nielsen in our team.

For the entire article, click here.

Despite having the flu and going to the hospital the night before to get an antibiotic, Yao Ming dominated in a game against the Sydney Kings on Friday. In 36 minutes of play, Yao scored 37 points on 12-of-17 shooting, and 13-of-16 free throws, to lead China past Sydney 75-66. He also grabbed 12 boards.

Here he confronts one of his opponents on the court…

Click here and here for more photos from the game. Click here for photos from the Chinese team’s scrimmage the night before, and from Yao’s pre-game warmup on Friday.

Yao’s comments about the Chinese training too much seems to be spot on. Two scrimmage sessions in one day? I bet Yao is looking forward to coming back to the Rockets where it’s more about quality of practice, not quantity.

Thanks to Raymond for the scoop and the pics.

Check out how BusinessWeek ranks Yao as one of the most powerful sports figures, right behind Kobe Bryant.

Yao arrived in Nefei, Anhui on Thursday to practice for the Chinese National Team’s game against the Sydney Kings on Friday.

Click here for photos taken from the practice.

On another note, our Raymond spent 3 hours translating an interview that Yao Ming gave in China. In the interview, he talks about…

– the Mid Autumn Festival occurring in China
– the controversy about him rejoining the national team late to plan his wedding and honeymoon
– the excessively long training of the Chinese National Team
– his thoughts about the 2008 Olympics
– and much, much, more!

Click here for the entire interview. Thanks, Raymond!

Similarly, here’s a specific article on Yao’s thoughts about the Chinese team’s readiness for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

We talked about it last week, so it’s not much new, but Yao made a statement on Tuesday that he regrets he will miss the first few days of Rockets training camp because of his involvement in the Opening Ceremonies of the Special Olympics in China.

Yao said, “I expect to be back with the team around October 3. I am very sorry that I will not be able to attend the start of training because of work related to the event in Shanghai.”

Yao’s first practice with the team in Austin will probably occur on Wednesday, October 4th, and the estimated amount of fines he will have to pay will be around $30,000.

For the complete story, click here.

Yao Ming and the Chinese beat the Brisbane Bullets for the second game in a row by a wide margin Monday night, this time 82-62 in Zhuhai.

Both Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian didn’t have to play in the fourth quarter because of the blowout win. Both played 23 minutes and had similar stats: Yao had 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Yi had 18 points and 7 rebounds.

Click here for more photos and details from the big win.

After the victory, Yao took a red-eye flight from Zhuhai to Beijing to participate the next morning in the launch of a new Reebok campaign geared toward supporting Yao in his attempt to bring glory to the Chinese basketball team in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

The campaign is titled “Fuel Yao’s Unlimited Power,” which sounds more like a Gatorade ad than a sportswear company campaign. But check out the duds that Yao wore in a photo session associated with the campaign…

To see more photos of Yao at the Reebok announcement and in his new Reebok clothes, click here. It’s pretty cool stuff.

Thanks always to Raymond for the new and pics.

After losing a heartbreaker against Brisbane in Game #1 of their 3-game series, the Chinese got payback in an 82-65 laugher against Brisbane in Game #2.

Yao Ming, double and triple-teamed the entire game, deferred to Yi Jianlian on offense.

In 25 minutes of action, Yao scored 11 points, grabbed 10 boards, had 2 assists and a block. Yi scored 20 points in 20 minutes, grabbed 10 rebounds himself, had 1 assist and a block.

Both players didn’t play in the fourth quarter due to a 25-point lead at the end of 3 quarters.

Click here for more photos from the pre-game warm-up and the game.

Thanks again to Raymond for the story and the pics.

I’ve been traveling most of the day so I haven’t had enough time to post on Yao’s Friday activities. So in case you missed it, Yao and the Chinese National Team were back in action on Friday against the Brisbane Bullets.

It didn’t go well for the CNT, losing 93-92 on a buzzer-beater. YaoMania! correspondent Raymond says Yao Ming looked a little rusty, but despite getting double and triple-teamed, he still turned in an “all-around dominating performance” with 28 points, 5 assists, 3 blocks, 1 turnover and no personal fouls in 34 minutes of play.

In such a close game, it didn’t help that Yao missed five free throws (12-of-17 from the line), Yi Jianlian got into early foul trouble, and Wang ZhiZhi didn’t play because of an injury.

The Chinese will have another crack against Brisbane tomorrow night in the second game of a 3-game series.

Click here for photos from the pre-game warmup and the actual game itself.