LOS ANGELES - As Yao Ming enters the lobby of the Ritz-Carlton about 15 minutes before the limousine is scheduled to take him and Tracy McGrady to Monday's taping of an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Yao's agent, John Huizinga, extends a hand and jokingly asks, "Are you Yao Ming?"

"No," Yao says, with heads starting to turn all around in his direction, "I'm the other one."

People slow their walks to gawk, but no one seems to notice as Yao and Huizinga trade catch-up talk. How Yao feels. How his girlfriend is doing at the University of Houston. That sort of thing.

With the entire day free from practice and team meetings, Yao, exhausted from carrying the Rockets since McGrady's back injury, says he slept until noon, ate, watched a movie and went back to sleep.

Asked what movie he watched, Huizinga answers for him. "Brokeback Mountain," Huizinga says.

"Yeah," Yao says without missing a beat or changing his expression. "I watched with Tracy."

It's going to be an interesting night.

Nelson Luis, Rockets director of media relations, originally approached McGrady to do the show. McGrady agreed, but only if Yao would join him.

The booker for Jimmy Kimmel Live, John Carlin, liked the idea of contrasting their friendship against the Kobe Bryant-Shaquille O'Neal power struggle in Los Angeles. Yao agreed to appear, but only because McGrady would be there to watch his back. Luis then spent days in silent prayer that McGrady's back would improve enough for the Rockets to break their three-game losing streak.

By Monday, things have fallen nicely into place. The Rockets beat the Clippers on Sunday, ending their skid. McGrady, who did not play in the win, is surprised at how good he feels. The telephone pre-interviews with McGrady and Yao go well. Huizinga has convinced the producers to drop the trite sight gags about how tall Yao is placing the star atop a Christmas tree, that sort of thing - knowing Yao hates being treated as a prop. The comparisons to O'Neal and Bryant never come up.

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