Steve Francis dribbled right and Hawks point guard Mike Wilks gently nudged him, triggering yet another whistle from referee Tom Donaghy.

Francis, the Houston Rockets' All-Star guard, removed his mouthpiece and shook his head at the rookie. Hawks coach Terry Stotts came to defense of Wilks, who picked up his fourth foul.

"Hey, he's not in the D-League anymore," Stotts yelled.

"That's a foul in any league," Donaghy shot back.

While Theo Ratliff neutralized Yao Ming, the rest of the Hawks -- notably Wilks, Jason Terry, Ira Newble and Dion Glover -- focused on shutting down the little guys, Francis and Cuttino Mobley, in their 84-75 win.