I'm glad to see him back on the court. He looks like he still has his legs. The upcoming games will test his endurance, but I doubt it will take him long to get his wind if he even lost it!
Rudy had a plan before the game to only play Steve 10-20 minutes and it looks like Rudy is sticking to his guns. Steve will sit in street clothes the rest of the game.
Just to clarify, Francis was scheduled to play 10 - 20 minutes in the first half. They didn't want to put him in under pressure situations figuring that he might overdo it trying to help get a win. That's why they limited him to the first half.
You can see that just having Francis back and available to play made the Rockets a better team. They had a bounce in their step that I haven't seen since the first game of the season. Steve Franics is simply a brilliant all around player. The Rockets have been elevated from the trash of the league to the class of the league with just the addition of one player. I'm not saying they are a top four team with Steve, but they certainly are top eight. It may be too late to reach the playoffs, but .500 should definitely be the goal for the season. Next season, the Rockets will be among the elite (if they stay healthy). Why? Steve Francis.
i think what makes a great player GREAT... is the ability to make his teammates better. that's why i'm not a big jordan supporter, he never proved that trait to me... but getting back to the point, I saw that with Francis tonight. He's such a great all-around player that he just improves every aspect of houston's game. ZRB: how do you say we can become a .500 team, but not a playoff team? right now, Utah & Seattle are tied for the 8th seed, and they're both 15-15
ya... stevie will help this team alot.. but more importantly than that... did anyone see his SICk cross on moochie in the paint? then the nice finish on the lay up... ahhhh the Rockets are fun again -LTF
Dream_team, We are in too deep a hole at 9-21 to seriously consider the playoffs. 12 games under .500 is not good. If we get to around .500 at the all star break then maybe, but the Rockets need to have a couple of 5-6 game winning streaks. Heck we were only 8 games over .500 all of last year. DaDakota
I think that Steve is at 100%, so we'll win a lot more games. In the second quarter he almost dunked on Marc Jackson, but Jackson fouled him so he wouldn't get dunked on. My prediction: In the last 52 games, the Rockets will win 36 games, and finish the season at 45-37, just like last year, and will make it to the playoffs
I dont know aobut you, bu doesnt MVP mean most valuable player, if that is the true meaning, then Francis is hands down the MVP because he is the most valuable player to his team, we only won one outta sixteen games without him, name one more guy who can go down and have his team lose every game, Iverson also fits into this category
