Houston took it to do-or-die Game 5 with Utah, and won. In 1995 they traded for Clyde Drexler, giving Hakeem had another All-Star by his side, one with whom he just happened to have played with in college.īut they weren’t guaranteed that second title, in fact when they finished 6th in the West, it seemed like they were done. With one Larry O’Brien trophy on the shelf, the Rockets weren’t done yet. Tomjanovich said that shot “may have been the key to the whole series” There was no timidness about him, and good thing too - in Game 3 of the finals, with the Knicks up by two with less than a minute left, Hakeem kicked it to an open Cassell on the perimeter, and without hesitation the rookie sunk it. Rookie Sam Cassell could create off the dribble or hit the long shot, his choice. The Rockets didn’t just rely on starters, new addition Mario Elie was a versatile workhorse who could play big guard or small forward. Rockets took Phoenix out in seven games and changed their nickname from Choke City to the triumphant and equally catchy: Clutch City.
#2003 houston rockets roster series
But in Game 3, Maxwell’s 31 second-half points won the game, and the series momentum. The Rockets were down 2-0 to the Suns, and had earned a nickname that threatened to stick: Choke City. Bad Boy Vernon Maxwell could take over games and hit big shots - which he did at a pretty crucial moment in the ‘94 Western Conference Semis. Robert Horry was nearly traded midseason, but instead of being resentful, which we all would have understood, he became an offensive weapon. Kenny Smith could get hot beyond the arc. And his supporting cast, while not All-Stars, was made up of hard working, clutch players.
Hakeem Olajuwon was their All-Star, one of the most, if not the most, talented centers in the league. And yeah, sure that stuff helped, but the Rockets were also pretty good. How’d they do it? Wellllllll, some would say they merely capitalized on Micheal Jordan leaving the sport for and then the top western seed Supersonics getting upset in the first round of the playoffs. In 1994 the Houston Rockets won the franchise’s first ever NBA championship.
0 kommentar(er)
