Francis steals show as Magic rout Rockets
(Houston Chronicle)
Updated: 2004-10-25 09:57

Maybe if he did that hang-on-the-rim, finger-point thing. Perhaps Steve Francis could have done that hop-skip back down the court or let out one of those screams, maybe then it would have meant Francis was angrily seeking vengeance for the Rockets' decision to trade him.

Houston Rockets guard Tyronn Lue, right, puts up a shot as Orlando Magic guard Steve Francis defends during the first quarter Saturday, Oct. 23, 2004, in Orlando, Fla. [AP]

But before Magic fans could clear the Tracy McGrady boos from their throats, before McGrady could offer his first shot of the day at Magic general manager John Weisbrod, Francis made a different point.

This was not for show. This was for real.

Francis stepped in front of a Yao Ming pass on the Rockets' first trip down the court, flew to a breakaway slam and demonstrated how he felt.

With a spectacular start, Francis sent his new team to a 95-72 romp over his former team Saturday, the biggest Magic rout of a preseason game since Grant Hill played his first game against his former team.

While McGrady sat out the game to allow Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy to check out his bench, Francis rolled through an intense first-quarter ambush of Yao and the Rockets' bench.

"I think Steve and Cat (Cuttino Mobley) like that," Rockets forward Maurice Taylor said. "They're into the drama and get-backs, that type of thing. That's the type of guys they are. Obviously, Steve came out and wanted to prove a point. That's the type of guys they are. They're into those types of things."

Francis offered few verbal hints that he was moved for the first meeting with the Rockets since the trade. But he did say he would not have been as agreeable about sitting out as was McGrady and got in one sideways swipe at the Rockets' feeble performance.

"That's him, that's their organization and their decision," Francis said. "But I know ... I would have played in the game, regardless.

"It was great to see the guys I haven't seen in a while. Hopefully, they'll get better."

Francis knocked down seven of his first eight shots, going on a personal 7-0 run before taking a steal to a no-look, over the head pass back to Mobley for a slam and a 12-point Magic lead.

Francis had 16 points, two steals, two rebounds and a blocked shot in the first quarter.

"I knew he was going to do that," Mobley said. " ... He was geeked up."

He could not approach that torrid play the rest of the night, scoring just one more point and getting one more assist. But in a mismatch of a game, Francis set the pace and the Magic had little difficulty maintaining it. Still, Francis insisted he bore no hard feelings about the trade.

"It was just time for a change of scenery for both parties," Francis said. "I'm not mad at them. The things I really, truly miss are the city, the fans and my house. Basketball-wise, I couldn't be any happier.

"I don't want to prove to Houston, I want to prove to myself I'm still capable of playing good basketball. Of course, I have friends throughout the NBA. Some of my best friends play for other teams. It's good to have that summertime talk, hey, we beat your (butt). I play basketball with 25, 30 pros in the summer. Everybody sits around and talks about who beat who."

The January meetings of the teams will dominate the summer trash talk. But if Saturday's game demonstrated anything, it might have served as evidence of how satisfied Francis.

"I couldn't be happier being here playing in the program, a system, that suits my game 250 percent better than what I played in last year," Francis said. "Not saying that Houston's system wasn't good. It just wasn't a perfect system for me.

"My first four years in the NBA were probably my best years. I played great basketball. I averaged nearly a triple double.

"I'm right back in that caliber here in Orlando. My teammates are very, very respectful of what I bring to the table. It's far from just scoring points for me. I think I'm getting better, helping my team get better every night."

Unlike McGrady, Francis did not want to be traded and expressed his initial shock and disappointment, but he had a hard time working up animus for Rockets management while insisting how happy he is in Orlando.

"I definitely wouldn't say anything about the organization, about anybody there," Francis said. "I still have friends who play on that team. It's not personal. It's just the nature of the game of basketball.

"They traded the best player they ever had in Hakeem Olajuwon. I'm no exception, not having won a championship, not having won a playoff series. New coach, new era, maybe that's the position the management and coaching staff felt."

Close

Today's Top News     Top Sports News
1.46b people by 2030s may hinder development         Mother-to-child HIV transmission tackled         Mine death toll rises to 86, hopes slim         Clinton helping Kerry turn out his voters         New efforts needed to cool economy down         Property law secures ownership	Montoya beats Raikkonen to Brazilian victory       Sacramento Kings release Liu Wei       China shows soccer hooligans yellow card       Francis steals show as Magic rout Rockets       Red Devils end Arsenal's proud fun       FIFA demand six-month Mutu ban