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Francis steals show as Magic rout Rockets
(Houston Chronicle)
Updated: 2004-10-25 09:57
Maybe if he did that hang-on-the-rim, finger-point thing. Perhaps Steve
Francis could have done that hop-skip back down the court or let out one of
those screams, maybe then it would have meant Francis was angrily seeking
vengeance for the Rockets' decision to trade him.
Houston Rockets guard
Tyronn Lue, right, puts up a shot as Orlando Magic guard Steve Francis
defends during the first quarter Saturday, Oct. 23, 2004, in Orlando, Fla.
[AP] | But before Magic fans could clear the Tracy McGrady boos from their throats,
before McGrady could offer his first shot of the day at Magic general manager
John Weisbrod, Francis made a different point.
This was not for show. This was for real.
Francis stepped in front of a Yao Ming pass on the Rockets' first trip down
the court, flew to a breakaway slam and demonstrated how he felt.
With a spectacular start, Francis sent his new team to a 95-72 romp over his
former team Saturday, the biggest Magic rout of a preseason game since Grant
Hill played his first game against his former team.
While McGrady sat out the game to allow Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy to check
out his bench, Francis rolled through an intense first-quarter ambush of Yao and
the Rockets' bench.
"I think Steve and Cat (Cuttino Mobley) like that," Rockets forward Maurice
Taylor said. "They're into the drama and get-backs, that type of thing. That's
the type of guys they are. Obviously, Steve came out and wanted to prove a
point. That's the type of guys they are. They're into those types of things."
Francis offered few verbal hints that he was moved for the first meeting with
the Rockets since the trade. But he did say he would not have been as agreeable
about sitting out as was McGrady and got in one sideways swipe at the Rockets'
feeble performance.
"That's him, that's their organization and their decision," Francis said.
"But I know ... I would have played in the game, regardless.
"It was great to see the guys I haven't seen in a while. Hopefully, they'll
get better."
Francis knocked down seven of his first eight shots, going on a personal 7-0
run before taking a steal to a no-look, over the head pass back to Mobley for a
slam and a 12-point Magic lead.
Francis had 16 points, two steals, two rebounds and a blocked shot in the
first quarter.
"I knew he was going to do that," Mobley said. " ... He was geeked up."
He could not approach that torrid play the rest of the night, scoring just
one more point and getting one more assist. But in a mismatch of a game, Francis
set the pace and the Magic had little difficulty maintaining it. Still, Francis
insisted he bore no hard feelings about the trade.
"It was just time for a change of scenery for both parties," Francis said.
"I'm not mad at them. The things I really, truly miss are the city, the fans and
my house. Basketball-wise, I couldn't be any happier.
"I don't want to prove to Houston, I want to prove to myself I'm still
capable of playing good basketball. Of course, I have friends throughout the
NBA. Some of my best friends play for other teams. It's good to have that
summertime talk, hey, we beat your (butt). I play basketball with 25, 30 pros in
the summer. Everybody sits around and talks about who beat who."
The January meetings of the teams will dominate the summer trash talk. But if
Saturday's game demonstrated anything, it might have served as evidence of how
satisfied Francis.
"I couldn't be happier being here playing in the program, a system, that
suits my game 250 percent better than what I played in last year," Francis said.
"Not saying that Houston's system wasn't good. It just wasn't a perfect system
for me.
"My first four years in the NBA were probably my best years. I played great
basketball. I averaged nearly a triple double.
"I'm right back in that caliber here in Orlando. My teammates are very, very
respectful of what I bring to the table. It's far from just scoring points for
me. I think I'm getting better, helping my team get better every night."
Unlike McGrady, Francis did not want to be traded and expressed his initial
shock and disappointment, but he had a hard time working up animus for Rockets
management while insisting how happy he is in Orlando.
"I definitely wouldn't say anything about the organization, about anybody
there," Francis said. "I still have friends who play on that team. It's not
personal. It's just the nature of the game of basketball.
"They traded the best player they ever had in Hakeem Olajuwon. I'm no
exception, not having won a championship, not having won a playoff series. New
coach, new era, maybe that's the position the management and coaching staff
felt."
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