Im surprised it hasn't been mentioned, but on Saturday did you guys see right before half-time Francis school Payton and get fouled.And to top it off,Payton got so pissed that he got a techinical foul.And it didn't stop there-right when the Sonics in-bounded the ball he sped to the other end and tried to take Francis himself only to blow a point blank Jumper while getting "fouled".Being a Payton hater, I almost cried tears of joy after that play.Im putting that Rocket moment along with Olajawan scoring on a quadruple team back in the day and Vernon Maxwell coming aouta jail to play the second half of a game. I say as long as our franchise player is showing up GP, we're in good hands. ------------------ Remember, players dont win rings, franchises do.Its not too late to jump on the bull's bandwagon. BULLS IN 2001!
How long have you officially been a Rockets fan? It's Olajuwon. Not Olajawan. Geez. ------------------ 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 really like how Francis elevates the level of his game when he plays against the premier point men in the NBA. Its like he lives for the challenge to match up against the Gary Paytons and Jason Kidds which shows his true moxy and heart. I felt the defense as a whole should have been better last night, the only bright spot was Hakeem's blocked shots, but the main crux of it, double teams and rotations were lacking. It really bugs me that the Rockets think they can guard premier players like Gary Payton, Chris Webber, etc one on one and employ no trapping or double teaming to atleast attempt to make someone else beat them. The Rockets really stole one last night as the Sonics shot 55% and still found a way to lose. The Rockets were able to hang on last night due to a fluid offensive game where they nailed 3 after 3 and were able to parade to the foul line. Still, in future, I hope they can upgrade their defense and start to double team and rotate aggressively. ------------------ Check out the Best Source for Draft Info Draftsource.net
MManal, I don't have the benefit of being able to watch the games, but to me it seems like Francis comes up to the level of those stars, but those stars often take it up another level against Francis. Witness Payton's explosion when we played Seattle. Every "star" player seems to take it up another notch against Francis. The only star player he seems to consistently beat is Jason Kidd (hey, and he's definitely no slouch!). I think Steve's actions and yapping cause other players to take it to that next level. Is this a detriment to the Rockets? I mean, it's great Steve gets 15-18 pts and 10 assists, but what good is that if the guy he's guarding is lighting him up and we can't stop the rest of their offense, either? ------------------ If you like larger booties, Domanique Sachsa would be on that list as well. --Jeff of SaveMeSomeBooty.com fame in the BBS Hangout forum (hope the man doesn't run for a political position - he's dead meat)
DOD, EXACTLY !!! It is not a mismatch if the other guy is scoring as much as you. DaDakota ------------------ If Mankind evolved from Monkeys and Apes, then why are there still Monkeys and apes?
Franshise lived up to his name with that 3 he stuck on the end then followed it up with a sweet little jumper over Baker. In defense of Steve's D he wasn't guarding Payton the entire game. Moochie and even Cuttino rotated to guard Payton at one time or another ------------------ www.truebballfansite.homestead.com
Right on MManal. Luckily our offense was hitting on all cylinders Saturday night because our defense was almost non-existent with the exception of Hakeem making Baker look silly. We won't pull out too many wins if we play fishnet defense like that often. You made a good point about the Rockets trying to get away with playing the opposing teams superstar straight up. Nine times out of ten it won't work. Our guys need to double and triple team, trap, rotate through the passing lanes and keep the ball out of their best player's hands as often as possible. Unfortunately that doesn't always happen(ie Sacramento) and we get burned by the opposing team easily finding the open man. Basically the key is to stay in front of the ball and the basket and keep the ball out of the hottest player's hands as much as possible. ------------------ Five to one baby, one in five...no one here gets, out alive.
Yea now that I think back Shandon was on Payton, I think Francis was matched up alot on him though because he would pick him up off pick and rolls or when matching up when the sonics ran the break ------------------ www.truebballfansite.homestead.com
i would say that payton schooled steve before i said steve schooled payton. if you are a point guard unless you get more points, assists, steals, rebounds, blocks, or any other significant statistics you did not school the other man.
Maybe the Rockets employing the Jordan Defense Let one or two players get 20 ~ 30 but shut everyone else down .. . . . Naaa it didn't sound right to me either Rocket River ------------------
Yes, and we can use our plethora of defensive stoppers to do it, too! ------------------ If you like larger booties, Domanique Sachsa would be on that list as well. --Jeff of SaveMeSomeBooty.com fame in the BBS Hangout forum (hope the man doesn't run for a political position - he's dead meat)
