Gino psudo-travels every time and throw up shots that cannot be blocked. They should have learn not let him go left.
If Yao took 3 more shots, Houston win. Is that simple? Ho wmany shot Dancan got ? 23. Dancan almost involed every paly in last a few minutes. But Yao not. Why? Because we have franches!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That's only reason Rocket could not win this stupid game. Yao or steven must go, it's good to team. it's good to both of them. At least 4-5 times, after Yao fighting so hard to get position, OUr guards jsut completely ignored him. That's rediculous. I used to be Steve's fan. After this game. No more.
Nice excuses for Steve and a quick jab at Yao while not even mentioning Yao's 69% shooting . How many years having we been making excuses for Steve screwing up in the end? Too many. Besides, who cares how many shots Steve could've made to win by three, he was a big reason we were down by so much in the first place. Parker showed Francis how a point guard should do it. 9 assists, 2 TO's and the tough D in Francis' face to make him airball the last 3. Also, Parker found a way to get Duncan 23 shots while Steve could only get it to Yao for 16 attempts.
I was at the game tonight and although we lost, it was awesome. The crowd [or maybe it was just my section] went crazy esp in the 4th quarter. There were so many Spur fans sitting in my section [section 125].. We got the crowd hyped up by talking **** to the Spur fans After each basket made by us, we'd get up and start screaming at the Spur fans a couple rows below us.. and when they made a basket, they'd do the same, but we overpowered them and told them to sit down. When we were getting up to leave, people walked by and would say "Good job! Tell them Spur fans to sit down!" and "SPURS SUCK!!!" to us. Had a good time.. but Steve pissed me off!!! why the hell did he dribble the ball for the last 8 secs and threw up that ball!?!? So my friends and I did make that poster of a donkey afterall.. I don't think they showed us on TNT though.. totally forgot about it and went to go get some food. I'll post up pictures whenever I have time..
Here's what I saw: he picked up his dribble, while taking the first step, took another and bumped into TD (?) then took a third and jumped before laying it off the glass. It's not just that one single possession either. He does this at least half the time. The last couple 2 games I thought he travelled but didn't call it cuz I wasn't sure. Today I took close took at it on my 60" TV couple times on replay. Guilty as hell.
matt jackson said he was sitting really close to the last play. He said the play was design for Pagget to take the three of the pick, and steve to pass to pagget. But the spurs defended the pick well, and steve was trying to look for the open man, but everyone was well gaurded, and at that time there was like 6 seconds left. Now, would you seriously at 6 seconds go for the 2 if your down by three? IF steve drives in and makes the layup, ill guess there are about 4 seconds left on the clock. Itll take another second or two to foul. Now the rockets habe 3 to 2 seconds to run down the court and make a prayer. Now would that be a better shot then what steve took. Steve had no option. Im not going totaly bash JVG here, but if the coach didnt waste the last timeout with 33 seconds left, and instead used it after those two freethrows by TD, they would of started the final play at the half court line with 15 seconds and design a better play. Then you can think about the 2. But with 15 seconds left, running the full length of the court, and not having your initial plan worked out properly, and everyone else gaurded, what should steve do? Not shoot the ball at all?
Agreed. JVG is horrific at managing timeouts during crunch time. This isn't the first time we've been left without TO's with over 30 seconds left in a close game.
From tonight'sgame, I have no doubt Yao is at least equivelant to Duncan in future if not now. Only reason he has not scored over 25 point average, it's because he was not allowed to shot so many shots by his teamates. IT's time to change it!!!!!! Or no playoff forever.
Tim Duncan is only 1 year older than Steve Francis. Both represent their respective teams as franchise players with max contracts. Is there any doubt that the Rockets are doomed to mediocrity for the remainder of Steve's max contract or at least until he is traded? I'd take Tim Duncan as my max contract franchise player everyday of the week. Everyone can see Steve Francis is best in a helter-skelter run and gun offense. The half-court offense is like the plague to Steve. Half-court offense is what survives and thrives in the playoffs. Cato and his $8 million/year contract need to be traded for a good small forward who will actually play a lot of minutes.
Bottom line... Steve tends to panic when the game is on the line. We will never win anything significant as long as he is running the point. He needs to traded in the off-season for a stud SF and a pass-first point.
Steve just makes you love and hate him so much in the mean time. He shows some highlight, and then gives out a stupid play. But IMO, it is not all his fault to lose this one. It seems like Rockets is simply a team that not yet learned how to pass. It is so painful to watch all those turnovers in passing and dribbling. Yes, yao is not yet ready for being dominant. Meantime, his teammates are not ready for how to play inside-out game. For a couple of times, he holds the position, but the pass is not quick enough to reach. You have to pass quick to beat fronting or double. -Littlefish
Do you forget that nowadays all those "Super Stars" are all supposed to talk big and act confidently? From time to time, you can always hear those commentators say that star players are supposed to take those shots at crunch times. Call me old-fashioned, I still think team-winning is more important than who takes charge. I still remember those Kerr's 3's at crunch time because of MJ's drive. Sigh.
how many years are rocket fans going to make up excuses for steve francis? five years now and how many playoff games? why the nickname franchise? francis must have the lowest iq in the whole nba, and definitely the lowest iq of all point guards the last play was just a microcosm of his stupidity...he is supposed to be the leader, damn the guy is damn, drive to the hole and foul....did you not notice duncan missing some FT's, that the spurs are the leagues worst FT shooting team... and for you guys that dont think anyone else was open, rewind your tivo's jim jackson is clearing calling for it at the bottom of the scream, he is wide open, he jumped and waved his hands....steve you had your head down the whole time... your rebounds mean jack...someone else on our team would have picked up the slack...your stupidity is really costing us...its been five years... the fact of the matter is that any other pg in your position tonite, playign your minutes would not have cost us that much...
how can anybody be dominant playing with steve? you have steve with his head down doing all those stupid dribbles and not passing when he should pass...
I think Van Gundy needs to institute a rule that at the end of quarters(especially the 4th), Steve Francis is NOT allowed to handle the ball. I don't mind him receiving a pass from a teammate, but if he's the primary ballhandler, you can pretty much write that possession off. Remember the double overtime loss in Toronto earlier this season? Sure, the main reason they lost that game was due to an improbable 3-pointer by Chris Bosh. But they had a chance to win at the end of both regulation and the first overtime, and what happens? Steve has the ball, dribbles out the entire clock, and jacks up a horrible 26 foot fadaway with a defender all over him. And keep in mind, they were tied in that game. A 2-pointer would've won it just the same. Flash forward to tonight. Again, I'm not blaming Steve for the loss. He didn't shoot well(again), but he led the 4th quarter comeback and had some key buckets plus that huge offensive rebound and assist to Yao Ming for the game-tying dunk(funny how no one has mentioned that). The reason the Rockets lost the game was because Ginobli and Horry killed them in the 4th. That and the Spurs somehow shooting 77% from the foul line. Still, here we are again at the final possession of the game. The Rockets need 3 to tie, but have about 15 seconds left on the clock. Given the Spurs foul shooting difficulties, a quick 2-pointer is an option. Steve has the ball at the top of the key. So what does he do? Dribble out the entire clock and jack up a horrible 26 foot fadaway with a defender all over him. The exact same mistake he made months ago. This is the problem with the Rockets. They can change uniforms, arenas, coaches, role players, you name it. But as long as Steve Francis is the point guard for this team and has the ball in his hands during crucial possessions, the end result will always be the same. Let him play out the season and see how far they can go in the playoffs. But something tells me his ass is out of here once the offseason rolls around.
again read my post. What was steve supposed to do. What would the great MJ do in the situation. The spurs were playing the best 3 pt line coverage ever saw. Cat nor JJ were open. Steve was on a loose or loose situation which jvg put him in becasue he wasted the last time out on an inaproriate time period.
what no one is talking about on this board is that this is BY NO MEANS the first time this has happened...Francis has ))_(_) up at the end of games over and over and over....he always tries to play hero with these last second prayer 3 point shot when there is more then enough time on the clock...this happens ALL THE TIME at the end of quarters and at the end of games..IHe has done this for his entire career but it has stood out the most this year and last year....plus he never ever thinks that he made a bad decision...i saw on tnt after the game saying that he would take the same shot again...what kind of an idoit would say some thing like that? It's one thing to say, I didn't have time blah blah..make up some stupid excuse, it's another to say that you are right...that's why he HAS TO GO....
What about the bad shooting by Steve that put us there in the first place? You got another excuse for that?
Bye the way, Yao is not good rebound, No questin aobut it. He is not aggressive enough or quick enough or hold ball tight enough. But On other side teamate specially gurads are very excited to get loose ball from yao's hand. Last time I saw it's mobley. TOnight its JJ, If saw clearly, and then turned the balls over both of the time in the critical situation. What a mess!
