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Notebook Flashy play commands attention
Posted: Sunday February 13, 2000 02:31 PM
By Jennifer A. Cooper, CNNSI.com OAKLAND -- Two points are two points, right? You don't get an extra one for dunking yet, so a lay-up looks just as good on the scoreboard. But just try to tell that to the fans in Oakland. The Cavs' Andre Miller was booed every time he touched the ball because he chose a lay-up over a dunk in the first half. But Miller didn't let it get to him. "We've got some guys that are flashy, and we've got some athletic guys. Then you've got the guys who just like to go out and play basketball, and I'm one of those guys." Houston's Steve Francis didn't think the crowd really meant it, though. "I think the fans just wanted to make some fun," Francis said. "Andre played a great game." And while the fans did cheer Miller's 21 points (including three 3-pointers), Miller claimed he wasn't concerned about his individual play anyway. "I don't really care [about the booing]," Miller said. "We won, and the team played well together." Refusing to go with the crowdFlying directly in the face of this clamoring for style, the game's MVP award went to Chicago's Elton Brand. When asked if he was surprised he won despite playing a game of fundamental basketball, Brand admitted he'd given it a thought. "I tried to dribble it between my legs, but it didn't work. So I tried to have fun and just do the little things -- get the job done, get the rebounds, score when I had to." The lack of distraction paid off. Brand's line for the afternoon included 21 boards and 16 points. Other side of that coinNo discussion of flashy play would be complete without Sacramento's Jason Williams, who had something of a rough outing. After receiving the loudest reception of any of the players during the introductions, Williams didn't appear to have much fun in the first half. He was absent for a long stretch, and when he returned, his only two touches (aside from tossing the ball to teammate Mike Bibby for the trip upcourt) resulted in turnovers. The first was a badly timed pass thrown nowhere near any of his teammates, and the second was a lob that landed out of bounds. But if Williams had a tough first half, he didn't seem to notice. "I always have fun when I play basketball. I'm disappointed that we lost, but that's how it goes." Guess that means he's not changing his game.
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