article to keep up spirits

Steve Francis Article in current Maxim magazine
Page 84 of december's Maxim article written by Allen St. John

AIR APPARENT
"What's the NBA about? Sure, it's a game. But to me it's a show,too. All the lights are on, the tip goes up, and -BAM!- you're up against the best players in the world. Everybody's got their game face on and they're sporting their best moves, just waiting for the chance to rock the crowd and cameras. I love that challenge. When I step out on that hardwood, I'm thinking that this is what God put me on this earth to do. Now, I'm living it, and everyone's watching.
But just because I won Rookie of the Year award last season doesn't mean my first year was easy. I faced challenges, learned a lot about the sport and the guys who play it, had a lot of fun, and won a lot of games. Let me tell you a few things about it...

LEARNING THE ROPES
When I got to Houston last year to play with the Rockets, Charles Barkley became my big brother. It was his last year and my first, and he showed me the ropes. He told me how to deal with the media. Rule number 1: Don't give anyone your home phone number! Rule number 2: Remember, this is a game. Example: The Nuggets have this mountain lion mascot, and everytime we'd play Denver, Charles would wrestle with the beast like it was like the WWF. The fans ate it up.
Then there was the time I got to playing with Charles' cell phone. We were on a plane about to leave Houston; I was going through his directory and saw the number "23 MJ". I said, "Hey, what's that?" So he pushes the number and hands me the phone. BOOM! I'm talking to MICHAEL JORDAN! I don't want to say I was a kid in the candy store, but i was excited. Naturally, I watched Michael played year in and out when I was growing up. And talking to him, he was just a regular guy. He told me, "Just play basketball. Don't let the off-court stuff bother you. Things like that can get in your mind, and then you get distracted."
Words to live by, for sure. I saw a lot of the temptations of being a pro athlete. You've got people trying to convince you to do everything from breaking curfew to, well, you name it. But you have to just walk away.
After Michael hung up, I told everyone about it. My friends. My grandmother. My high school coach. My college coach. Hey let me tell you something. My last year in college, I had a Michael jersey, and I wore it all the time. But after I got drafted, I stopped wearing it. These days it's strictly Rockets stuff."

ON SLAMMING
People know me for my hops, but I remember the first time i dunked. It wasn't long ago. I was 17(I'm 22 now), just messing around-throwing the ball up and trying to catch it and dunk it. On my third try i did it. I called my friends over to watch, and i couldn't do it again. I couldn't do it for another year actually.
Now I've got a 45-inch vertical leap, and I can dunk anytime I get close enough to the rim. You can take advantage of your man with your ability to jump-make him look like a fool. Do I name my dunks? No. Let other people name 'em; I just do 'em. But it's one thing to dunk on the playground or even in a slam-dunk contest, and another to do it in an NBA game. You need an opening. If a defender's facing you straight up and your right foot is past his right foot, you got him. But in the NBA, it's all about adjustments. If you make a couple of good moves in the first quarter, a smart defender will back off and dare you to take the jump shot. Early last season, I would still try to drive past him. Not anymore.
Actually, the wildest thing I did my first year had nothing to do with hang time. We were up by eight against Detroit, but the shot clock was running down. Four seconds...three seconds...I had no choice but to throw up a Hail Mary from just inside half court. SWISH! It still amazes me when I think about it.

TRASH TALKIN'
Let me tell you a little about my first meeting with Seattle's Gary Payton. We were playing an exhibition game, and being a point guard, I guess he felt like he had to make a point. Just before the tipoff he planted a kiss on my cheek and said, " Here we go." And we went. Every time down thw floor, he unveiled one of his Dream Team moves and then followed up with a few choice words for me. "Punk-ass rookie b****" were a few of them. People blew that up a little bit at the time. When you're on the basketball court, things are going to be said, and that's the way Gary is. It was no big deal; I considered it a little welcome to the NBA. But the next time we played, I was ready. I knew it was going to be a battle, and I was prepared. Whenever he said anything, I ignored him and played my own game. One time in the matchup, he picked me up fullcourt and told me I wasn't going anywhere. But I brought up the ball and passed it off to Kelvin Kato for a slam dunk. I scored 19 points in the first half, and I think I earned Gary's respect. Now we're good friends.

THE PRICE OF FAME
I love being a professional basketball player, but sometimes the spotlight gets a little hot. No matter what I do, everybody's watching me. Everybody knows who you are, where you go, and what you do, and that's an enormous adjustment to make.
Once when I was playing in Vancouver last year, I went to a mall in the afternoon-just minding my own business. Suddenly, everyone's yelling all kinds of stuff at me. They said, "Steve Francis, he was drafted by Vancouver, but he didn't want to play for us, so let's give him an earful." They were marching like an infantry, shouting things like, "You shouldn't even be in the NBA!" I was surprised. I was with some teammates, and they were shocked. I just kept on walking. it was kind of funny, but it opened my eyes a little. "

PLAYING THE POINT
What's the coolest way to score points? As much fun as it is to cruise through the lane like a DC-10, there's a play that I like even better: the alley-oop. My teammate cuts to the basket, jumps, and -BANG!- the ball is waiting for him. The result is a rim-shaking, backboard-rockin' slam. After a play like that, we want to play even harder. And the crowd? They're going crazy.
Getting everyone involved is part of my job. My role as a point guard is to be the leader, the coach out on the court. It takes a lot of heart. I'm one of youngest guys on the team, but I have to take full responsibility.
Theres are lots of ways to play the point. In the Western Conference, you've got scoring point guards like Gary Payton, passing point guards like Jason Kidd, and flashy guys like Jason Williams. But the common denominator is leadership. I try top play like Isiah Thomas played. Sometimes he scored, sometimes he passed, but he was always about winning, not getting on SportsCenter."


MY GENERATION- Steve Francis on the NBA's best young talent

TIM DUNCAN: Just call him The Future. He's seven feet tall but he can play the wing like a guard. Let's face it: There's a reason he's got a ring.

ALLEN IVERSON: He gets scrutinized for what he's doing OFF the court. But on the court there aren't many guys in the entire sport who can bring as much excitement to a game. He can score, he can play defense, and he can take his team deep into the playoffs.

KEVIN GARNETT: He might be the only player in the league who can really play five positions. he can dribble, shoot, drain three-pointers...He could even play point guard if he wanted to-unless he's playing the ROCKETS.

KOBE BRYANT: He plays with so much charisma and pizazz. The truth of the matter is, if Kobe and Shaq stay together, it's going to be really hard to dethrone the Lakers.

VINCE CARTER: You saw that slam-dunk contest during last year's ALL-STAR game? Well, I had a front-row seat, and Vince was astounding. Everytime he steps onto the court, there's a reason to set the VCR.


END< Hope y'all enjoy it.



[This message has been edited by RedRacer (edited December 17, 2000).]