Orlando Sentinel: Francis: "I'm not a punk. I'm not a sucker."

I don't know if I was blinded by Steve being on our team for so long but he sounds very immature when i read from the outside-in. He plays the game immaturely as well. I'm a Francis fan and will give him an applause at the rematch, but I never really noticed how immature he is until now.

 

Steve, you lost. You're a loser and you'll stay that way.

Orlando, thanks for T-Mac.

 

EDIT--wrong thread...

 

I like Francis, but it appears JVG knows what to do to get him ejected. Put Sura and Barry on him... he hates scrappy defenders.

 

EXACTLY MY POINT... calling out SAMMY?!

 

Great heart.

Great talent.

Low Bball IQ.

Severe immaturity.

I love the guy. So does my son. But I am sooooo glad I can watch his amazing highs and lows on another team now. Now I don't have to stress out and blow a gasket with every stubborn boneheaded mistake he repeats because it doesn't cost the Rockets anything. Who else would think it's OK to lead the league in technicals because you're a punk if you ignore and walk away in the best interest of your team?

Hate to say it, but I think his legacy will be, "what he could've been if only he'd wised up and grown up".

At any rate, thanks Orlando!

 

deal with it SF. You will never be a winner.

 

Ok question... I've been outa the loop for the past week or two as Ive been fairly busy... but why were the Rockets wearing those uni's again? Are they like an alternate jersey or something? If so...i really like them

 

This was Orlando Magic's their retro night. Anytime an NBA team have a retro night (thereby wearing a retro uniform) the visiting team must (or should I say is required) to wear a corresponding retro uni. In this case we chose to were this.

We also wore this same retro uni (from the 1971/72 season) in last Tuesday home loss to the Indiana Pacers. We are 1-1 so far this season while playing in this retro uni. It looks gorgeous I must add.

I hope I answered you question.


PS. Thanks Orlando and Yao for Tracy Mcgrady.

 

MAGIC 99, ROCKETS 108
Steady boos don't stop T-Mac
McGrady ¡X and teammates ¡X prove to be too much for Magic

By Brian Schmitz | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted January 21, 2005


The ironic twist in the end, of course, was that Tracy McGrady and his team played harder when it counted.

McGrady confessed to a national magazine recently that he took some nights off last season, his fourth and most miserable tour of duty with the Orlando Magic.

There was no slack in T-Mac or in any of the Houston Rockets in their 108-99 victory over the Magic on Thursday night.

They outworked and outhustled the Magic during the night's largest moments. And McGrady was in the middle of the dirty work in his first regular-season return to face the Magic and a sellout crowd since his controversial divorce from Orlando.

Booed loudly all game, he scored 27 points -- going to the free-throw line 12 times (making 10) -- and added six rebounds and four assists.

Moreover, T-Mac displayed a sense of leadership and maturity the Magic felt he lacked when they made him the centerpiece of the Orlando-Houston summer trade. Some expected T-Mac to try to hang a big number on the Magic and General Manager John Weisbrod, who became his verbal sparring partner after the split.

"It's not as sexy as scoring 50, but I thought it was one of his best floor games," Magic forward Grant Hill said. "He was getting guys open looks. He found a great balance."

Coach Jeff Van Gundy said T-Mac ď would have to play with a "combination of poise and intensity " and make sure his teammates were not "spectators to the circus that the media tried to create."

McGrady said he spent all Wednesday in his hotel room "thinking about the game, thinking about how I was going to prove to them. I knew the reception I was going to get already, but I was out on the court just trying to find ways to get myself going and make my team better.

"I didn't want to come out and make it a Tracy McGrady show by just jacking up shots. I was calm. I was in the flow."

The first round to settle who got the better of the trade went to the Rockets (21-19). They jumped out early and never lost control in an outing that passed for a reunion.

McGrady, Juwan Howard, Reece Gaines and Tyronn Lue were dealt by Orlando to Houston for Steve Francis, Kelvin Cato and Cuttino Mobley. Lue and Mobley were again traded earlier this season.

Francis led Orlando with 28 points and nine assists. Hill, bothered by a sore right wrist, finished with 21 points and Hedo Turkoglu added 19.

But it was McGrady's extras who hurt the Magic (21-17). They outrebounded the Magic 45-37, scrambling for 17 offensive rebounds, most of them critical. The Rockets scored 28 points on second-shot opportunities. Yao Ming had 20, Bob Sura 19, David Wesley 18 and Howard 13. Sura also had nine assists and a season-high 11 rebounds.

"You had a bunch of fired-up guys in here," Howard said. "There was a lot of hype since the trade was made and, of course, a lot of it was because T-Mac came back.

"We could have got caught up in star-gazing ... watching T-Mac and Steve. But we didn't. We went to work."

Trailing by as many as 17 and then nine in the fourth period, the Magic trimmed the deficit to 96-92 with three minutes, 27 seconds left, the crowd filling the arena with noise.

But the Rockets were more than just McGrady, making plays to support him, such as a deft inbounds pass to T-Mac for a layup to stretch the lead to 100-93.

Fans began booing before the national anthem, fans apparently warming up their vocal cords for T-Mac. "I can sit here and say, 'Yeah, the fans should forgive me,' but words are not going to matter. I'm not going to change them, so that is irrelevant," McGrady said.

McGrady had warned that the jeering only makes him play better. "It was fun, man," he said. He had 12 points at halftime, fueling the Rockets' 56-48 halftime lead.

McGrady felt the venom from Orlando fans who once chanted "MVP" every time he touched the ball. Signs such as "T-Mac Never Tries" and "Houston You Have A Problem" were being waved.

The scene was even more surreal because T-Mac was being guarded by Hill, relaunching bittersweet memories of a power pairing designed to restore the Magic's post-Shaq prominence, but one that never really left the X-ray room.

"I'm happy to see Grant back," McGrady said. Magic fans can't say the same about T-Mac.

Link

 

did TNT happen to pan to the signs? i don't remember seeing one. if they did SF is owed something like a million billion bazillion dizollars or something.


and UTweezer, obsessed much? i didn't realize 21-17 was losing.

 

Yes TNT did when the Orlando Magic came within 4 points if I recall correctly (96-92). It cracked me up because I remembered that someone in the game thread bet a gazillion the TNT will flash to such placard if the game is tight.

 

Damn everybody is very bitter about stevie. GET OVER IT.
why do so many people here dislike steve, what did he do wrong? He played his heart out for our team(ok he made mistakes), and he wasn't happy that he got traded. What did you want? should he have said after the trade: I'm glad i'm out of houston it was a terrible city, i didn't want to spend another minute for that organisation. What would you al have said then?

Ok he makes mistakes and he has some not so smart comments, but most nba players make those comments. T-Mac has also made bad comments.(not that i'm bashing T-Mac, i'm very glad he plays for our team).

i was happy with the trade because T-mac is just a superstar. Francis is also very good but T-mac is better.

But it is iritating that alot of posters bash steve when he played for us, and stil bash him when he is gone.
just sad.

 

Everytime I look at those unis I can't help but think how they look like McDonald workers on a weekend outing..

 

I enjoyed watching Stevie last night, and I enjoyed him in Houston. Flawed? Sure. But I'd take him back in a 'wink' -- and let him play WITH TMc.

SF, I'll cheer your return and follow your career. The only ambivalence about game outcomes will be when you play the Rudy T's.

 

Steve is clearly bitter about the trade and wants to prove it by hurting the Rockets. For a lot here the enemy of the Rockets is their enemy.

Personally, I've always known that Steve was immature and was frustrated by his highlight-reel mentality at times, but I could respect him for his hustle. He has not changed at all, so to not show him respect him now would imply that I was willing to excuse his shortcomings only when it suited me. I think that would be pretty weak.

 

i like steve and still am a fan of his.
but his comment about the Ts was kinda funny. when i saw it on tnt i cracked up. he seemed almost proud that he led the league in Ts last year. If not proud, he at least seemed to view it as a positive thing.