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But he certainly doesn't think like a typical player, either. Most players bring enough natural conceit to be certain that no team could possibly be as good without them as they are with them.

"Hell of a guy," Van Gundy said. "Hell of a guy to coach, too."

But that, he said, could get in the way of what Yao must do.

Believe in yourself

For now, Van Gundy needs Yao to summon his inner conceit, or at least the perspective of his coach, and to assume his importance as a step toward rebuilding his excellence.

"He is a little hypersensitive to how well we supposedly did without him," Van Gundy said. "I think he's thought far too much about that instead of being a more arrogant, self-centered player to where you only think about yourself anyway. So the results wouldn't have mattered. You would have still thought (the team) would have done better with you. In this brief instance, that would serve him best.

"I believe we would have done better with him. The whole thing about the (20-12) record without him, they're counting the five minutes he played in the Clippers game. That's one (more loss). And we played the eight before that without (Tracy) McGrady. On a long road trip, we lost at the buzzer (and) double overtime at the Lakers.

"He certainly doesn't think like a coach. As a coach, I think what Juwan (Howard) and Dikembe (Mutombo) accomplished is without question among the most significant accomplishments they have ever been apart of in the NBA. They helped us overcome to some degree the loss of the best center in basketball. And yet, on those rare occasions where (Shaquille) O'Neal's out and his teams win, I don't see any self doubt that they would be better with him."

The Rockets had some moments without Yao, beginning with their first win without him, at the New Jersey Nets, tonight's opponent.

Searching for 'game feel'

That began a five-game winning streak and a run of eight wins in nine games. But they never thought of themselves as better without Yao, who fractured his right leg against the Los Angeles Clippers on Dec. 23. But after missing 32 games, Yao struggled in his first two.

"Last game was turnover trouble," Yao said. "(Wednesday) I was looking at that, checking every time I had the ball, made sure no one was around when I went to shoot or dribble. Foul trouble put me on the bench. I think it was (because of) the speed. If I can move a little quicker, I will get to position to stop the ball and at least the referee will not call a couple. In the first quarter, I felt much better.

"It's about a game feel. Last game, at the beginning, I didn't have a game feel. People could take the ball from my hand. Rebounds would go over my head. I thought I'm ready to play, but you get on the court, and I was (out) too long. I'm not totally ready."

But the Rockets have become well-schooled on coming back from injuries. In many ways, Yao's return so far has been similar to McGrady's in December.

The Rockets lost McGrady's first game back in Indiana, with McGrady losing the ball in the lane in the fourth quarter. They won on the road in McGrady's second game back, with McGrady no better statistically (4-of-16 shooting) but moving better.

"Believe me, I know how it feels to be out for a while and to try to get back in a flow," McGrady said. "It's tough. You can do all the running, all the practicing, things like that. When you get in a game, it's a different speed. Your rhythm is off a little bit. It takes four or five games to be comfortable.

"Yao has to get in game shape. We're going to continue to play the way we were playing with him out. A lot was riding on my shoulders to try to lead this team. But it's real crucial for us. We're going to go as far as myself and Yao take us. We have a great supporting cast to really take us far.

"What I do know is the West is so tough, you have to be playing your best basketball, or you're going home."

Ready for pressure

The Rockets' best basketball has Yao at his best. That would seem to pile on pressure of expectations at a time he is not ready to meet it, but he does that to himself anyway.

In that sense, he might be more like a select few players.

"When my team was better the last two months, it was not just building their confidence but also mine," Yao said. "I sit down and watched the games. I was thinking when I come back, 'I need to bring the energy back.'

"Anything that happens, I will always think, 'what about tomorrow, what about the day after tomorrow.' It's so I can keep myself ready and prepare. Maybe it's too much pressure, but I need some pressure.

"It's better than sitting there and watching the cheerleaders, right?"

In that case, he would be a typical player. But by now, he's done enough watching.