Notebook Rockets guards strive to play like Bad Boys By Chris McCosky / The Detroit News Associated Press AUBURN HILLS -- The goal might be a bit lofty, but you have to admit, they have impeccable taste. Houston Rockets guards Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley fancy themselves as a modern-day Joe Dumars and Isiah Thomas. So much so, in fact, they have asked for some old Bad Boys tapes to study how the masters worked their craft. "I watched them play. It's close. I think it was very close to what we can do," Francis said. "I can picture us winning with a great backcourt, myself, Cuttino, Moochie (Norris) being the Microwave -- Vinnie Johnson off the bench. I have that vision." Mobley sought out Thomas and asked for the tapes. "There's similarity," Mobley said. "We're bigger than them, but they were great. That's like the best backcourt ever right there. "I asked Isiah if he could send me some tapes of him and Joe. You want to build your own character, your own status, but you want to mimic a little of theirs, their leadership, that 'don't take no (stuff) from nobody.' That's what we try to do. We don't want to be known as Thomas and Dumars. Of course we want to be known as Francis and Mobley. But you still got to follow others." Dumars was flattered by the request. "I definitely see similarities," Dumars said. "We developed it over the years. Something as simple as talking, sit down and talk about scenarios, different players. 'If you come off and you're not open, cut right here.' We talked through everything, on the bus, planes, hotels. We talked about people we'd be playing. "I like both of them. It's fun for me to watch both of those guys play. And they're only going to get better. They will grow together. I guess the ultimate climax of all of this, on court with each other, they can know what the other guy will do before it happens. Where Isiah and I got, based on the way he was coming downcourt, in my mind, I knew what he was going to do before he would make his move. When it gets to that point, it becomes magical."
