I didn't catch all of the all-star game but ESPN wrote a quote of what each player accomplished in last night's all-star game... Steve Francis: "Got Abused by AI." Did he get abused by AI? or is ESPN writing a pile of crap AGAIN. Funny thing is Steve Francis had some good stats, and was a factor in the wests win.
When he was actually matched up against AI, I didn't think he did all that bad. It was some of the few times I actually saw SF play angles. There's no way SF could match AI in speed, so he made sure that AI had to drive baseline into the big man.
Who DOESN'T get abused by AI? In case you haven't heard, he's the quickest player in the league and makes more tough shots than anybody not named Kobe... Besides, it isn't like there is stellar defense played in all star games in the first place...
Actually, there was some serious defense played by both sides in the 1st. You just don't see a score like 18:23 in this kind of game.
There was some D played in the first quarter but not a lot. The guys were mostly just showboating and missing open shots, especially MJ.
I thought it was interesting how the King's coach kept Steve in much through the whole 4th quarter. I'm sure if we had seen the Mav's coach for the West, we would have had a lot more Steve Nash, and a whole lot less Steve Francis. I guess if one of the better coaches in the league has enough confidence to have his team run by Francis, I think all those Steve haters should at least give him a chance. Steve played in crunch time over Payton, Nash, and Steph... I guess that means something? (I know the coach wanted to keep the same people on the floor to keep up the energy, but he also subbed Duncan and Shaq in and out constantly.)
The Answer showed me something over All Star weekend. He's a competitor with a tremendous amount of respect for the game. [1] He calls up Jordan to offer up his spot before anybody's talking about it. Unlike Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter who did it publicly and under serious pressure, Iverson did it the right way. [2] He wears a throw-back Jordan jersey. Solid. [3] He involves his teammates in the All Star game. He made some spectacular passes, though he needs to work on his lobs. He was a playmaker in a way that I've never seen him before. Not to mention that he put up some ridiculous numbers. In most All Star games, the guards try to hog the ball and dominate. But this year, there was a lot of team play (attributable, I think, to Jordan). The way that the ESPN quote was correct (that AI abused Stevie Franchise) is that if officials from USA Basketball were watching, you've got to give the edge to AI for a spot on the U.S. Olympic team. Iverson showed all his detractors that he can be a team player on a team with that kind of talent. He also showed that he has a lot of respect for the game and won't embarass Team USA.
Iverson did most of his damage in transition. I didn't see Iverson drive by Stevie more than once without a pick.
Daoshi the score was that low because guys were out there showboating, turning the ball over alot and bricking their shots. It had little to do with D. I am quite supprised that ESPN is taking this thing seriously - a phreaking ASG (espeacially the brand we see these days)? Heck Jermaine O'Neal made Duncan look bad on the offense and defense most of the night but I am not that naive to think that Jermaine is in the same class as Tim Duncan.
Franchise did fine against Iverson. I liked that he was the point guard at the end of regulation and during the two overtimes. I don't think Franchise made an obvious mistake, while Iverson looked out of control and sloppy at times.
When Stevie was guarding AI, there was a number of screens by Ben Wallace in which Shaq NEVER came out! I remember feeling bad for Steve having to run AROUND picks as big as Wallace to chase AI around. I'm usually harsh on steve's defense, but his play in the All-Star Game was incredible. He scored almost as much as Kobe, with MANY Less shots. He dished 9 assists, hit 9-12 and basically let the game come to him. He did not force the ball except one time and had some amazing passes !! His only turnovers were when he got blocked, and a few misplaced alley-oops.
AI makes more tough shots than ALL players, not even kobe. in addition, the little guy is fearless; he's probably the best finishing point guard in the nba, especially during the break.
Dont know what game you were watching, Iverson did not look out of control at all. I was impressed by how he handled his position with all the stars around him....
AI doesn't play the "point guard" position. He's a SG because he takes mostly all of the teams shot per game. But the fact is ESPN had nothing good to say about Francis' game last night all they said was he got abused by AI what kinda crap is that? This is what makes the Rockets look bad.
Francis can't compete with AI in speed and quickness, especially in quickness. That's part of the reason Rudy always puts Cat on AI.
