As you may have noticed, 2005-2006 was Yao Ming's breakout season.  Criticized  during his first three seasons for being too passive and unable to play heavy minutes because of stamina and foul trouble, Yao answered his critics last season in a big way.

     Yao, 25, even has some saying he has surpassed Coquille O'Neal and Ben Wallace to become the game's best center. At 7 feet 6 inches and 310 pounds, he certainly strikes an imposing figure.

   "But he's still trying to do something no one has ever done, which is play huge minutes at that size," said Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy, who says Yao is one of the hardest-working players he's ever coached. "I said it many times---he's so, so diligent about his  craft .

    "He comes early, stays late. So he's in as good a shape as you can be, and yet at times he's going to still have those nights where he's playing big minutes back-to-back, where he's a little bit slow-footed ."

Productive recovery time
     If anybody's slow-footed, it's opposing centers, who have had a difficult time keeping up with Yao. The four-year veteran dropped 36 points and 12 rebounds in a 2006 game against the Mavericks.

     After missing 21 games because of a December 2005 surgery  on his left great toe, Yao's game has soared. While recovering, he did a lot of studying of the game.

     What Yao has accomplished since returning from surgery has been nothing short of phenomenal. Early in his career, he was hampered by adjusting to the faster-paced NBA, the language barrier and living in a foreign country far away from his home in China. Now, he could be the league's most dominating center for the next decade

Vocabulary Focus
breakout (adj)--- experiencing sudden success that surpasses any previous chievement
stamina (n)--- the physical and/or mental strength to do something which might be difficult and which will take a long time
imposing (adj)--- having an appearance which looks important or causes admiration
diligent (adj)--- careful and using a lot of effort
phenomenal (adj)--- relating to something that is extremely successful, often because of special qualities or abilities
hamper (v)--- to prevent someone doing something easily

Specialized Terms
foul (n)--- 犯规 an act which is against the rules of a sport, often causing injury to another player
center (n)--- 中锋 a player whose position is between other players or in the center
Rockets (n)--- 修斯敦火箭队 the NBA team based in Houston, Texas
rebound (n)--- 篮板球 the act of gaining possession of a ball that has bounced off the backboard or rim of the basket
Mavericks (n)--- 达拉斯小牛队 the NBA team based in Dallas, Texas