Steve Francis post game interview: "I'd take that shot again"

No body was moving...there were several times that Francis was trying to make something happen and the other players were not moving around trying to get open. Spurs had us were we could not get into a grove offensively. Well, alot of teams have had us that way this year. Its almost like the team is stuck between last year's offense and this years. Meaning they are doing too much thinking instead of letting the game come to them. Francis is the main one doing this and people don't like his shot selections but by him slashing and being flashy gets the team motivated. And now it seems they are too worried about where they need to be in jvg's system, they need to go out there have fun and play...just my 2 cents.

 

"I was playing him for the 3," Horry said. "I didn't care if he went past me to the rack. He popped by and then popped back. Then I knew he was going to take the 3. Steve likes to take the big shot. I just wanted to get up on him and stayed in front of him."

'Nuff said. Francis dug his own hole.

 

Ok....if you are a professional, you should know how to set a pick as well.


Here is food for thought........

There were two or three possessions where Ginobili drove right down the middle of our defense and scored over our 7'6 center. I'm not good at physics, but that's not suppose to happen. There were a few rebounds that should have been secured and clutch freethrows that should have been sinked. I'm not placing blame on Steve, Yao or anyone, because it was a total team and coach breakdown. We lost to the best defense in the league....next game.

 

looked to me like jj was wide open at the bottom of my tv screen...arms outstretched, waiting for the pass that never came.

 

Manu got those shots coming from the baseline and curling into the paint off a Duncan screen on the FT lane. It doesn't happen as often if the person guarding Manu goes behind Duncan into the paint instead of following behind Manu. IOW, at least make him prove he can hit a 15'-18' foot shot before you allow him to test your weakside rotation.

 

damn, francis. it's good to be confident, but geez.

one thing the guy is severely lacking is being humble. not sure exactly how leading a lottery team in scoring doesn't question your decision making.

admit a mistake was made, learn from it, and correct.

 

It's stuff like this that nearly makes me want to cry when I watch this team play basketball. Regardless of whether one blames Van Gundy for wasting timeouts or not, it's not really the point, IMO. The Rockets had plenty of time to do something and the end result was Francis dribbling around like a chicken with it's head cut off for 15 seconds. (Definitely one of the worst plays I have ever seen at the end of a game with that much time.) As soon as I saw him pull out of the drive, I knew it was over.

Th saddest part of all is that Francis just doesn't get it that what he did was terrible. As OmegaSupreme just wrote, he needs to "admit a mistake was made, learn from it, and correct."

 

Yeah, too bad Spoonman didn't hit his free throw the possession before, otherwise our offensive plan (to shoot a 3) wouldn'tve been so blatantly obvious. Everyone in the building knew we needed 3 points to tie. It's not so hard to defend the perimeter when you're not afraid of the interior.

 

I remember a situation recently (I think it was the Indiana game) where the Rockets had the ball at the end of the first half with the shot clock turned off. Instead of making sure the Rockets took the last shot, he pulled his usual stunt of making his move too early, missed and Miller nailed a running 3 pointer.

Asked about that decision on his way to locker room, Steve replied something like "I saw an opening and took my shot. I'd do it again."

Yeah, we know, Steve. You've been making dumb plays like that for 4 1/2 years. God forbid you actually learn from your mistakes.

 

Well JJ DID get open, but Padgett was between Steve & JJ. Steve couldn't make that pass, and if he passed it to Padgett to work it around, JJ would've been covered by then.

JJ made a good cut to get open behind the line, though.

 

The Rockets have to be the worst team at trying to score on the last posession of every quarter. At the end of every quarter, it ends the same - Francis dribbling til their is 3-5 seconds left, then throwing up some low percentage shot. The end of 1st half last night - Francis got the ball with 10 seconds left and JVG was going crazy on the sideline trying to get Francis to push the ball upcourt quick. What did Francis do? He walked up the court, didn't even get to the 3 point line til about 3 seconds, and heaved a long 3. Then he does the same at the end of the game, but still thinks it's the right shot? Will he ever learn?

 

I don't think Horry was ever going to leave Steve... but I do wonder why we didn't use Jackson or Mobley instead. Mobley can create his own shot as well as Steve and is a much better shooter.

 

BUT, for SF to do what you say he'd first need to have a clue...

 

Anyone notice that the two plays before Steve's And1 audition, were not even run for him off of the timeouts?

One was for Yao to pop out and hit the jumper and the other was for JJ. The only play run for Francis was the last one, and we saw what he could do.

Why is our max player the guy we least want to have the ball when it counts most?????

Francis is a joke. We can't trade him because everyone knows he is a joke. Just listen to what the play by play guys were saying... clearly the league GM's share their and opinions.

 

He looks back at that shot and says he'd take it again.

I look back on the trade with the Grizzlies and realize I wouldn't make that trade again.


Garrrrrrrbage. Wait, I guess that makes me not a Rockets fan. CRAP!

 

Good point Texas Stoke -

The TNT analysts were UNNAMIMOUS that SF's final play was ridiculous - they thought it was a joke.

They were not talking about what a great game the Spurs played they concentrated on Steve's running out the clock.

Barkley called it right - it was like watching the Harlem Globetrotters.

Kenny counted 14 dribbles.

Magic literally condemned SF's play and decision making as noted above.

Watching Steve rip off his shirt - after dribbling around for 15 seconds before lofting an off-balance air ball - was a surreal ending to the strangest sequence of events I can recall to finish a close game.

Rox were in coming back strong AS A TEAM in the closing moments of the 4th quarter - SF consciously decided to keep the ball to himself for the last shot.

That was a case of pre-meditated ball hogging.

Horry knew he wouldn't pass and the whole Spurs team was anticipating the same - ergo - their defense was simple.

I hope Steve's teammates are man enough to take him to task on his play because - he blew the final opportunity to tie the game.

Also - someone should send Steve a tape of TNT's post game broadcast so he can hear Magic, Kenny, Charles tell him he was WRONG.

 

um...steve is just dumb and sucks. and about the timeouts they could of been better managed, but jvg had to keep taking them so the team would at least stay in the game. because everyone knows the rockets keep going iso, iso, and iso unless told not to.

 

there didn't seem to be one guy moving well "without the ball"...no body was even giving steve a 'passing lane', or setting a screen...

however, i guess it's a little hard to give steve a passing lane when he's dribbling around like bob coosy...

 

Exactly. With someone dribbling around like that, you're only going to get in his way. The Rockets have learned just to get out of the way as he's not going to pass the ball anyway.

 

This was an example of "Steve playing the way he wants to play."

Steve has a horrible history of doing plays like this. Why do you think Rudy always gave Cuttino the rock at the end of quarters and games? JVG needs to do the same.