Something must be getting through to Francis. He played 25 minutes without commiting a single turnover (according to the box score). Payton, playing 24 minutes, committed 5. It jsut goes to show that this team is indeed improving. Overall, they had just 13 turnovers compared to the Sonics 23. And even though they were outrebounded, they still won by ten. I hope this trend continues. ------------------ Remember.... You are not really drunk until you must hold on to the grass to keep from falling off the earth.
They played well tonight. Francis was doing great but the player I liked alot tonight was LOS. He played amazing, he hustled , grabbed rebounds , blocked shots. Thats what I like seeing from him. If he can just stay healthy he can become a great backup to mo. ------------------ "You look a team that's been to the mountaintop like the Houston Rockets, I'm going to put pressure on myself to be the best possible player that I can be. With the pieces they already have in place and myself, we can do some amazing things next season." Maurice Taylor
Dang JayZ you beat me to it. I was just gonna post that. Did you know that Steve Francis did not have ONE game in the second half of last season where he did not commit a turnover? I don't have the single game stats for the first half of the year, but I'd bet it was about the same. He averaged 4.03 TOs in the 1st half and 3.92 in the 2nd half of last year. I think that's the biggest stat of the night: ZERO Man, I hope this is a sign of things to come. ------------------ I have a dream.........his name's Hakeem. DREAMer's Rocket Page
I noticed this also but you also gotta remember that Moochie was in most of the time because of Francis being in foul trouble. Overall, I think the Rockets played a very good game and the bench really showed up tonight. Carlos was by far my MVBP (Most Valuable Bench Player) of the game. ------------------ Francis out top, 9 seconds on the clock, he gives a no look pass to Cuttino Mobley, 4 seconds left, Mobley passes to an open Langhi in the corner with 1 second left! Langhi at the buzzer.......YES!!! How Sweet It Is!!
I agree, Francis's turnovers do seem to be decreasing this year. Another odd thing I noticed about the box score, is that Mobley started (according to CC.NET, because Shandon's mom is sick). He then shot terribly and didn't have a very good game. Is this guy so acclimated to coming off the bench, that has trouble performing when he is the starter? ------------------ "Nothing is certain but the unforseen." Some Dude
Huh? What are you basing your comment on?He's only played 4 games, (pre-season games at that), so it's too early to know. ------------------ I got nothin'.
For those of you into some (meaningless) early stats, Francis averaged 3.86 turnovers per 35 minutes last year. Through the pre-season he's averaging 3.53 turnovers for the same amount of time. While that's a decent drop, it's only been 4 pre-season games and to top it off, the only game he's gotten starter minutes in, he had 6 turnovers. Let's give it some time before we proclaim him "new and improved" in the turnover category. Yeah, I know... I'm a party pooper... ------------------ I got nothin'. [This message has been edited by Dr of Dunk (edited October 18, 2000).]
I think even more significant is this stat: Rockets 13 Turnovers, Seattle 23. Now that is sweet. Not only have the Rocks been one of the worst in the leauge at protecting the ball, they were also one of the worst at causing turnovers. This is the second game in a row where they caused more opp. TO's than they had. Please God, let that continue. ------------------
Less turnovers, in my opinion, is a result of good team chemistry and experience. Of course the Rockets were a team that was thrown together last year, compiled of young players...because of devastating injuries to the stars of the team. The basic core of this team has one more year of playing together...so they learn each other's tendencies on the court...resulting in less TO's. ------------------ Doink!
"Huh? What are you basing your comment on?He's only played 4 games, (pre-season games at that), so it's too early to know." Yes, I know it is too early to tell for certain, hence the word "seem". That would indicate that I am going on the information that is available, and up to this point, Francis's turnovers are lower. I didn't claim to know anything about what his season would be. I am just making useless observations about his potential season. And really, at this point, what else do we Rockets fans have to do other than make predictions based on limited data? That's part of the fun of the preseason. ------------------ "Nothing is certain but the unforseen." Some Dude [This message has been edited by RunninRaven (edited October 19, 2000).]
Exactly! As a team, the Rockets turned the ball over less and that's what everybody should be striving for. I'm hoping as the season wears on, our shot selection, defense, and ball-handling improves over last year, but it's way too early to see if all that has occurred. ------------------ I got nothin'.
Ah, ok. Man, you must've been cussin' up a storm after Francis' first game where he had 6 turnovers. ------------------ I got nothin'.
