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Yao beats Shaq, Rockets crush Heat

Shaquille O`Neil has been the dominant man in the NBA for the past decade. The Miami Heat won the league championship last season. But a shift of power this season indicates these will change. Yao Ming shot 11-19 from the field and 12-13 from the foul line, on his way to 34 points and 14 rebounds. Shaq was humbled, scoring 15 points on 6-of-14 shooting to along with 10 rebounds. The defending champions lost to the visiting Houston rockets 94-72.

The Yao vs. Shaq matchup decided the game. Dwyane Wade for the Heat, and Tracy McGrady for the rockets finished with 24 and 12 points, respectively. So far in the season, Yao is averaging 26.2 points and 9.3 rebounds, while O`Neal is averaging 13.7 points and 6.7 rebounds. O`Neal also missed the last two games with a bruised left knee.

After the game, the 7`6`` Yao said of his 7`1`` opponent: "He`s great. It`s really hard to score on him." The Heat are .500 after six games, and the rockets are 5-2 while winning the last four games. Yao is playing like the best center in the league, and is enough so far to lead his team, while his teammate McGrady is not reaching his usual averages. On Sunday, T-Mac shot 6-for-18 but did end up with seven assists.