I agree with Da Man. It wasn't a conspiracy or anything like that. Francis got many oohs and aahs from the crowd also. It came down to who had better dunks. Don't forget that Kenny Smith unjustly gave Carter a 9 for a dunk that should of been a 10. He tried to make it up earlier but it didn't matter. Francis is going to bring alot of attention to Houston. The way he plays and flies through the air is amazing. ------------------ Live Rocketball. Breathe Rocketball. Die with Rocketball.
Kobe was invited, but smartly declined. He doesn't want to tarnish his image in any way by finishing 2nd, 3rd, or 4th in the dunk contest. He knew Vince Carter was the much better dunker. Might as well be known as being the slam dunk championship in his only attempt, then to be known as the loser of a slam dunk competition. It's a lot like when MJ stopped competing in slam dunk contests. He knew he wasn't going to win after his physically marginally declined, so why tarnish the image of being able to fly. It's for marketing purposes all the way. Francis wants to participate regardless of whether he wins or loses because he needs to build up his image and popularity. And the way he performed Saturday, he went a long way towards doing that. [This message has been edited by Da Man (edited February 14, 2000).]
