Houston Chronicle: Rockets Begin Quest For The Ring

Houston Chronicle: Rockets Begin Quest For The Ring :Francis Ready To Touch Greatness

April 16, 2004, 1:35AM

Rockets begin quest for the ring
Francis ready to touch greatness
By JONATHAN FEIGEN
Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/2509996

Almost every night for five seasons, just before almost every game of his NBA career, Steve Francis touched his right fist into the outstretched fist of Hall of Famer Calvin Murphy in their own nightly Sistine Chapel moment.

Matt Bullard has filled in for Murphy as Rockets television announcer the past few weeks, and the ritual has continued. But it has changed, too.

Bullard's fist was different. Bullard's was adorned with the hard metal and precious stones of a championship ring that stabbed Francis' skin and stirred his imagination.

Finally, on Monday in Seattle, Francis wore Bullard's ring like a child stepping into his father's hard shoes. And it felt right.

"I loved it," Francis said. "It was great. I thought, `I have to have one.' "

Finally, after five seasons with naked ring fingers, Francis and the Rockets can begin the pursuit.

They are hardly ready to call the jewelers, having gotten into the playoffs as the Western Conference's seventh seed. And after not dipping a toe in the playoff waters since 1999, they are now diving in at the deep end, facing the Lakers and their collection of future Hall of Famers and spectacular dramas beginning Saturday night at Staples Center.

"They're the team everybody is gunning for," Francis said. "Hopefully, we can take advantage of what we do to counter what they do. People feel it's a good matchup. But any time you're playing against a team like that with such a legacy, such prestige around their organization, four future Hall of Famers, as they say, we just want to focus on what we can do, and hopefully we can go in there and make some noise."

While repeatedly calling the Lakers the NBA's "best" team, the Rockets spoke of more than making noise.

They bring little playoff experience to an arena with championship banners lining the walls and against a team a season removed from a three-year championship run. Francis and Yao Ming make their first postseason appearance against a team that lured Karl Malone and Gary Payton to play with Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant solely to chase a championship before they reached the Hall of Fame.

"I think our mentality has to be we go in it to win it," Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy said. "Anything less is unacceptable as a thought process.

"We know they're the best team in the league. When they have all four of their Hall of Famers, they're 30-9. So they have been dominant when they have had all four of them. Yet we're excited. We should be very excited about the challenge.

"I know I'm excited, but I know how great the Lakers are."

But as great as the Lakers can be, they are even more a saga that has engulfed so much of the NBA season, from Bryant's sexual assault case to his battles with O'Neal and the potential breakup of the entire circus whenever this mad season ends.

The first postseason meeting of Yao and O'Neal, perhaps the league's most compelling individual matchup, seems almost innocent by comparison. But it has NBA officials scrambling to clear network availability in China. And it could be the most obvious key to the series.

The Rockets and Lakers split the season series, the only even series among the Western Conference's first-round playoff matchups, in a large part because of Yao's ability to counter much of O'Neal's usual dominance.

In the Rockets' wins, Yao made 18 of 35 shots, averaging 23.5 points and 9.5 rebounds. He had 33 points on 13-of-21 shooting in a 96-93 loss on March 3. But in the final regular-season meeting, Yao was held to 3-of-15 shooting for just six points.

"You can say from that last game we played, he changed a bit, and he's been working really hard at guarding me," Yao said. "So I need to work harder and at least contribute something to the team."

The Rockets need more than "something." But Van Gundy said they do not need more from Yao than he can give and has given before.

"I don't think regular season has anything to do with the postseason," Van Gundy said. "We played them one time with their four guys, and they handled us pretty good out in LA. Shaq was obviously dominant in that matchup. To me, it's not about Yao-Shaq. It's about Rockets-Lakers. We don't need Yao to be anything but at his best. If he is at his best, he'll be fine."

The idea that the Rockets would be satisfied to have finally made the playoffs seemed even less of a concern. The Lakers and the spotlight that they know awaits them will inspire thoughts of how much more can be accomplished than taking only the first step.

"We haven't done anything, but I understand that mentality," said Rockets guard Mark Jackson, a veteran of 47 more playoff games than the rest of the active roster combined. "For us, especially the guys who haven't played in the playoffs, it's a good accomplishment, but it's a whole lot out there for us to have for us to be satisfied with that."

In an odd twist of coincidence and perhaps fate, the Rockets even have a reminder of how unsatisfying going no further can be. They return to the postseason for the first time since the Lakers eliminated them from the 1999 playoffs.

Then, the Rockets were the team of Hakeem Olajuwon, Charles Barkley and Scottie Pippen. They were eliminated in four games when first-round series were best-of-five. Only Cuttino Mobley remains from that team, and it was so long ago, he can barely remember the experience.

"Now that we're here, we have to do something; we can't be content that we made it," Mobley said. "I vaguely remember a little bit about five years ago when we played the Lakers. That was at the Forum. That seems so long ago.

"You can't get any bigger than LA. It's good to be back."

Having waited this long to be back in the postseason, the Rockets would like to stick around. That was the promise five years ago when Francis was drafted. It was the hope renewed when Yao was added. And it was the dream Francis wore on his ring finger when his first playoff appearance was assured.

"We should be thinking we're going to win," Van Gundy said. "Why else would you go into it? (The championship), that's the big picture. The most important thing is you're going to win the first game. Anything less than that attitude isn't championship caliber."

 

-Rockets summary-

Coach's theory

Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy had a theory to explain the Kings' comeback Wednesday night against the Warriors (which fell short) and the Lakers' even more spectacular effort in a win against the Trail Blazers. The Kings lost and fell to the fourth seed. The Lakers won, taking the second seed and sending them to a first-round matchup with the Rockets.

"I'll just say this: Sacramento and LA, they're playing their (butts) off to get to us," Van Gundy said. "If you watched that, they were trying like hell. If I was them, I would, too. That's just how it is.

"But that doesn't preclude us from playing really well. That's what we expect to do."

The Lakers advanced with Kobe Bryant making a twisting, sideways 3-pointer to force overtime and a long, high-arcing 3 at the buzzer to win the game in two overtimes.

"Those were the two greatest shots I've ever seen in one game by one player," Van Gundy said. "The guy is amazing, an unbelievable competitor."

Rockets guard Steve Francis said he saw both 3-pointers after the Rockets' game Wednesday.

"I've never seen anybody do anything like that," Francis said. "Those were some big 3-point shots.

"He's going to be ready, just like their whole team. Everybody is going to be ready."

Guards return

Rockets guards Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley, out for the regular-season's final two games to repair and protect injuries, returned to practice Thursday.

It was not enough of a practice -- Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy called it "a walk-through" -- to test Francis' inflamed left elbow or sprained right wrist or Mobley's bruised left shoulder. But both said they expected to go through today's practice and be ready for Saturday's game against the Lakers.

"I didn't have any contact today, so I really wouldn't know until we have some contact," Francis said. "But any time you can rest something ailing, an elbow or a wrist, it will definitely help. We'll see how it is on Saturday, but I know that's not going to be my focus. I'm going to be mentally ready. I'm going to be excited. I probably won't even feel it."

Said Mobley: "We didn't do too much. I tried to test it, and it's a little sore. But I'm not even worried about it. I'm too hyped. It definitely helped (to be off). I've been doing a lot of rehab. I'll be fine."

-- JONATHAN FEIGEN