Then again, he might have felt no such emotions because he might not have missed the game at all. He might have kept the soreness he felt in his left foot Monday to himself, and if the grimace he let slip was seen and questioned he would have denied any discomfort, worried only about missing a game.

"If this was November 2007, I would probably (have played)," Yao said. "Now, I'm what, 38? Oh sorry, 28."

Rather than battling the body of a player pushing 40, however, he said he had gained the wisdom that comes with experience.

So Yao accepted the decision to skip Wednesday's 96-86 loss to the Mavericks while team doctors consulted with more specialists. Unless they find some reason for concern that had not been uncovered before, and Rockets athletic trainer Keith Jones said Thursday that so far Yao remains "good to go."

The one game he missed was to be the only one, a precautionary measure before a three-game road trip beginning tonight at Washington.

"Sometimes you have to guide yourself to compare (playing) 81 games or to keep playing with a risk," he said.

He and the Rockets chose to reduce the risk.

Caution first

For Yao, caution was another in a succession of concessions he agreed to make to avoid the sort of injuries that have scuttled the Rockets' hopes the past three seasons.

He has cut back on his famously grueling workouts before and after practices and before games, even skipping some practices entirely. He has not been happy at times with the balance between being rested and feeling ready, but he has stuck with the plan, including Wednesday's abundance of caution.

"That's the part we need to learn," Yao said. "Like we talked about early in the season, I need to rest my body, but I still need to get my workouts. I need to get a balance. This is a new lesson for us. This (sitting out Wednesday's game) is, too.

"That's been difficult. A lot of the workouts I try to make myself feel good, give myself confidence. Right now, I cut that down. Maybe it's like something you have to do certain days, and not do it, you'll feel a little bit strange."

The Rockets, however, believe Yao is learning to get the most he can from his workouts. He had become the NBA's top scoring center because of a collection of offensive skills never before seen in a player so large, skills that came from the practice court. This season, the idea is to keep those skills honed without wearing down his body.

"He's one that likes to work and prepare so he can be ready, can get better," Jones said. "Yao will spend too much time on the floor before and after practice and before a game, working on his game. He's on his feet too long, not to the point of physical exhaustion, but a 7-6 guy that had foot problems needs to do his work efficiently.

"He's just a worker. That's Yao. He has found a better routine. His pre-practice shooting routines are shorter. He knows the value of letting other people sub in. When the coach says that's enough, he knows that's enough."

Though averaging just 16.9 points and 9.5 rebounds this season, he is the Rockets' leading scorer and rebounder. Since slumping badly against the Celtics and Trail Blazers, he has made 38 of 66 shots in six games, sometimes struggling to get enough shots, but still being effective when he did look to score.

Not satisfied

When asked, however, if he was pleased with how he had been playing in recent games, he said, "No. It could be better, should be better."

Still, without Yao, and with Tracy McGrady struggling to provide dribble penetration, the void has been enormous.

"It changes the dynamics of how we play," guard Rafer Alston said. "We love to throw the ball in to him. We love to see what the matchup is, what the coverages are every night. Are they going to double? Are they going to let him go one-on-one? Down the stretch in games, I always try to call a play for him because I know down the stretch when you need a basket, that's the best game you can have, the inside-out game."

The Rockets expect to have that back tonight. Yao even joked about the change in his goal.

"Sorry," he said, "(it is) 81 now."

With that in mind, he sacrificed one game in the hopes he would play the next 70.

...

Rockets update

Wednesday: Mavericks 96, Rockets 86.

Record: 7-5.

Today: At Washington, 6 p.m.

TV/radio: FSH, ESPN; 610 AM, 850 AM (Spanish).