[official Rocket Hero] Kenny Smith Appreciation Thread/Education

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ROCKETS RED beating Phoenix's Ainge, Spurs/Bull's Steve Kerr, and almost Reggie Miller!
keeping the faith.
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how about a poll on starting point guards who've led the Rockets to 2 championships?

1. kenny smith
2. kenny smith
3. kenny smith
4. kenny 'the jet' smith

 

Paper: HOUSTON CHRONICLE
Date: FRI 06/09/1995


Smith shoots straight about heroics/Guard enjoys his moment but says series winner all that will be remembered

By MICHAEL MURPHY
Staff

ORLANDO, Fla. -- It was an ending usually reserved for those sappy Hollywood scripts -- the maligned protagonist steps up in the clutch and buries the big shot.

The big shot. Cheers. Fadeout. Credits, please.

But that's exactly what happened for the Rockets' Kenny Smith, whose 3-pointer with 1.6 seconds left Wednesday night sent Game 1 of the NBA Finals into overtime. It was a game the Rockets would win 120-118 to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

Before Game 1, the only script Smith's career seemed to follow was from the old "Andy Griffith Show." When he wasn't sitting on the bench, much like Floyd the barber, he was like Barney Fife -- not allowed to shoot.

Not this time. Playing 42 minutes, Smith fired in a Finals-record seven 3-pointers (in 11 attempts), finishing with 23 points. Five of his 3-pointers came in the third quarter, which helped the Rockets take the lead after they had fallen behind by 20 points in the second period.

Smith's moment will be frozen in time for Rockets fans. After Orlando's Nick Anderson graciously missed four straight free throws with the Magic up 110-107, Smith had his opportunity. Smith took the inbounds pass, dribbled, pump-faked Anfernee Hardaway, stepped in and calmly launched the shot. It hit nothing but net, and the Rockets were on their way to the win.

"I was looking for a foul," Smith said. "Once he got in the air I thought he was going to foul me and I was going to have to shoot the three free throws. The reason I pump-faked was to try and get a foul more than anything else.

"It (the pump fake) loosened me up just enough to get my right hand free and I was able to shoot a normal shot. Usually in those situations you have to fade away or lean forward, but I was able to go straight up and down, which was what enabled me to knock it down."

The shot was merely a continuation of what had been a spectacular game by Smith, who also had nine assists. Well, maybe a spectacular second half. After scoring just three points in the first half, Smith came out firing in the third quarter, hitting five 3-pointers for 15 points. Included were three 3-pointers in the final 1:57, which propelled the Rockets to a seven-point lead entering the final period.

For his teammates, Smith's outburst was as much surprising (because he usually has to be prodded to shoot) as it was welcome.

"I think Kenny has the same problem I used to have," Rockets forward Robert Horry said. "You want to get the big fella (Hakeem Olajuwon) involved so bad that you forget about your game. That hurts your game more than anything. I realized that after I got traded (to Detroit in a deal last season that later was rescinded). I hope we don't have to trade Kenny and get him back for him to realize it."

Smith merely shrugged, saying the circumstances were just there for him to shine.

"For me, I think the biggest thing to being a good shooter isn't just taking shots," Smith said. "A good shooter takes good shots. He gets himself in position to take good shots and he's not forcing them. You can hit 15 points by taking good shots instead of taking 12 shots to get the same number of points. Good shots are the key to me being a good shooter.

"I think there will be shot opportunities. I think every series has opportunities where certain guys will get more than others. The first two series, I was getting a lot of looks at the basket, but against San Antonio they basically took that away. This series, now the weight has shifted on me again to take shots. At least in Game 1 it did."

For Smith, the 3-point barrage allowed him to deflect some of the negative ink he had been getting about his matchup with Orlando's Hardaway. At 6-7, Hardaway was seen as a guy who could take Smith down low and work him over in the blocks. It was an assessment with which Smith really didn't argue. But as it usually goes in basketball, Hardaway has to defend those things Smith does best, too.

"Right now I think he's probably the best point guard in the league in terms of posting-up ability," Smith said. "At 6-7, I've seen him in game-winning situations against New York where he's posting up (6-7) Anthony Mason or (6-10) Charles Smith and scoring. For a point guard, it's a big challenge and a big job. You need help.

"He has strengths, but by the same token you have strengths you can go to as well. We (Smith and Sam Cassell) can use our strengths, so it's not a sense of conceding anything. Sure, he's a great player, but there are things on the court Sam and I can do that will create problems for them."

Plenty of problems, if Game 1 is any indication. But Smith is experienced enough or jaded enough to know that what he did Wednesday will be lost soon enough. As the series continues, new heroes will step up and old heroes will be buried along with the rest of yesterday's news.

"This was just Game 1," Smith said. "After Friday, nobody will remember what I did in Game 1, unless we win the series. I'm excited about it, but I'm also realistic enough to realize what it really means. It doesn't mean anything unless you win the series. No one's going to remember 10 years from now how Kenny Smith played in Game 1. They're going to remember that Kenny Smith won and he was on the team that won. That's all they'll remember.

"Momentarily they remember certain things and little nuances, but in the long run it's just about winning."

Which made Game 1 a night to remember for Smith.


-----

We will always remember, and the HATERs will always remember every time they see it repeated on NBA TV Classics, everytime Chuck/Magic/Ernie show any Kenny Smith highlight. WE REMEMBER! WE APPRECIATE! THE HATERS CAN SUFFOCATE!!

 

here's a poll
who's got the highest 3point shooting percentage in Rockets history of 40.7%??

1. Kenny Smith
2. Kenny "The Jet" Smith
3. Two Time Champion Kenny Smith
4. #30 of the Houston Rockets, Kenny Smith
5. Kenny

 

for the haters,
I will now post Kenny Smith recaps of his Sirius radio show.
keep hating, i'll keep retaliating.

 

Paper: HOUSTON CHRONICLE
Date: SUN 02/25/1996


Rockets 96, Lakers 94/Four 3s overwhelm full house/Smith's shooting triggers Rockets' win over Lakers

By EDDIE SEFKO
Staff


Kenny Smith, the newest member of the NBA's comeback club, admitted after his return from nowhere that he wasn't sure how he - or Rockets fans - would react when he finally resurfaced.

These were, after all, the same fans who practically rolled out the red carpet that led to the end of the bench for Smith more than a month ago.

""The reception of the crowd really helped," Smith said. ""If they didn't give me that ovation, I probably would have been a lot more nervous. You're never sure how the reception is going to be. But the fans made things a lot easier on me."

And vice versa. After the sellout crowd at The Summit cheered wildly, many of them standing, Smith let some pent-up good times roll as he hit all four of his 3-point tries in the fourth quarter to lead the Rockets to a 96-94 victory over the mostly Magic Johnson-less Los Angeles Lakers.

First it was Michael Jordan who retired to play baseball and returned a season and a half later. Then Johnson came back after 55 months off after being diagnosed with the AIDS virus.

Smith might not have been gone as long as them - he was benched Jan. 22 and had not played in 11 of the past 12 games. And he wasn't really away from the game. But he might as well have been on Jupiter.

""I'm happy for him and I'm happy for the way the crowd responded," said Hakeem Olajuwon, who had a game-high 29 points. ""Now, he can build from this."

Said Chucky Brown: ""It was good to see because he's been sitting there awhile. But vacation's over."

When Smith entered the game, the Rockets were trailing 74-65 at the start of the fourth quarter. Over the next 5:45, they outscored the Lakers 14-2, with Smith hitting two of his 3-pointers. They never trailed again. Twice when the Lakers pulled within range of tying or taking the lead, Smith nailed 3-pointers, the last of which put the Rockets up 93-87.

But they had to sweat out the finish. The Lakers had one chance to try to tie or win with 7.3 seconds left. They got a free throw from Anthony Peeler when he was fouled with 5.9 seconds showing. The Lakers had no timeouts left, but Peeler was instructed by coach Del Harris from the bench to miss the second shot. He did and the Lakers got the rebound, but Peeler and Cedric Ceballos, who had 26 points, missed shots in the waning seconds, giving the Rockets the win.

Coach Rudy Tomjanovich was sort of kicking himself afterward for the strategy to foul Peeler before he could shoot a 3-pointer.

""I'll probably never do it again," he said, half-grinning. ""We

have to be a better rebounding team in that situation."

Of course, the Rockets didn't foul in the same situation against Sacramento last week and the Kings hit a trey to force overtime.

This time, it was a happier ending. Because of Smith's sharpshooting, the Rockets have a grip on the No. 4 spot in the Western Conference, which carries with it the last home-court advantage in the opening round of the playoffs. There are a lot of games to play, but the Rockets have won two of three from the Lakers, ensuring them at least a tie in the season series. The Rockets are 1 1/2 games ahead of LA, which had won nine of 10 since Johnson's return before Saturday.

Johnson wasn't a factor against the Rockets. The packed Summit cheered him when he entered the game late in the first quarter. But he left after playing only 11 minutes and his strained left calf muscle tightened up.

""This was a very important game because these guys are right behind us in the standings," Olajuwon said.

Tomjanovich cut to the heart of the matter, citing the recent injury to Clyde Drexler as a reason for the Rockets to have a focused pre-game talk.

""It was our biggest win of the year," he said. ""We talked about believing we can win. We've got a lot of excuses for feeling sorry for ourselves and just going through the motions.

""But this was a real gutsy showing. And Kenny Smith . . . I understand about not being on the court. We have to have loyalty to the rotation. But if somebody's not doing well, you've got to go to the next guy. It happened to Kenny (when he was benched).

""Definitely, he deserves more playing time now, based on what he did. He got a chance and took advantage."

Smith's showing was made possible by a pathetic third quarter for the Rockets, when they fell behind by nine points.

Six turnovers, 7-for-22 shooting and getting outrebounded 14-7 made for a miserable third quarter. The Rockets were outscored 32-15, which put them in a 74-65 hole.

It called for something desperate.

Suddenly, Smith, who had not had a double-figure scoring game since Jan. 17, was the hero. When he missed his first 3-pointer so bad it banked in, he was bigger than big.

That brought the Rockets within 74-70. Three minutes later, Smith nailed another trey, this one pure swish, and the Rockets had turned the deficit into a 79-76 to complete the 14-2 binge.

But they weren't in the clear. Olajuwon knocked in three consecutive shots like they were 2-inch putts; Elden Campbell warmed up for the Lakers. He scored four points to get the visitors within 85-83 with less than four minutes to go.

But Smith fired back. His third 3-pointer, coming off an assist from Sam Cassell with 3:25 to go, put the Rockets up 88-83 and after two Ceballos free throws, Robert Horry scored on a follow dunk attempt of Olajuwon's miss. The dunk try didn't go down immediately. It rolled around the basket twice, tried to spin out, then fell through.

Vlade Divac then made two free throws, which weren't nearly as big as the steal he would come up with moments later. After Smith and Nick Van Exel traded 3-pointers, Divac tipped the ball away from Olajuwon, who was trying to post up.

Van Exel was fouled on the ensuing breakaway and sank two free throws to make it a one-point game with 36.5 seconds showing.

 

why don't you haters go to the Rockets office and try to erase all the Kenny Smith achievements and video tapes?

you can't erase what he did. and that's why you hate.

i'm going to bury you haters..
with the TRUTH and the GLORY OF CLUTCH CITY.

I'm just getting started newbs.

 

Paper: HOUSTON CHRONICLE
Date: TUE 04/09/1996
Section: Sports
Page: 3
Edition: 3 STAR

Arnold: I'll be back to help Kenny with local fund-raiser

By MICHAEL MURPHY
Staff

Kenny Smith and Arnold Schwarzenegger?

What would appear to be one of the more unlikely alliances is a fact as Schwarzenegger has committed to appear at a fund-raiser for Smith's Inner-City Games, scheduled to take place this summer in Houston.

""It's going to be like a miniature Olympics," Smith said. ""We're still in the process of getting a lot of the little details taken care of because we need a lot of different parks and recreation (facilities), so we're meeting with the people from Parks and Recreation for the City of Houston and we met with the mayor just to get an idea of how they could help us and what facilities would be best for us to use. Things of that nature.

""We're starting to get those things in order, and we'll be ready by the end of this month, starting in May, getting the applicants through May and June, and then we'll be ready for the actual contests, which will run through July and August."

Smith met Schwarzenegger last year, when Smith was invited to the Los Angeles Inner-City Games. Smith spoke to the assembled children at the Shrine Auditorium, with Arsenio Hall as the host and Schwarzenegger as one of the attractions.

""It was funny, it was the Inner-City Games, but I was the only athlete there," Smith said. ""It was all celebrities and movie stars.

""But I was surprised that Arnold (volunteered to help). I knew he was into fitness, and he said that if I took on the games that he would come. When they assigned me the games, I told one of my people to make the call (to Schwarzenegger) and see if he'll come.

""He said to give him a week and he'll have a date for me. I faxed him our schedule, but I said that after May, I couldn't be real sure because when June comes around, we've been pretty busy the last two years and everything depended on TV. He gave me June 8 as the date, and that's when it's going to be."

Where it will take place is being determined, but Smith said one of the items up for auction will be a bit part in a Schwarzenegger movie.

""He's bringing in "Terminator" jackets to auction off," Smith said. ""It's going to be different apparel from different movies. And he's going to auction off a part in one of his movies, being an extra. It should be a lot of fun. I may bid on it."

The games will be an extension of Smith's work through his Aim High Foundation, an organization Smith and his brother, Vincent, established to help motivate kids towards goal-setting and high achievement.

""I always tell kids when I go to camps that the key to success is discipline," said Smith, who funded the program out of his own pocket before establishing the foundation two years ago. ""If you're disciplined off the court, then you'll be disciplined on the court. There's no way I could go out all night, get in trouble with the law, not listen to my parents or my brothers or sisters and then come on the court and get along with my teammates and coaches. And I won't stay afterward and work on my game.

""It doesn't work like that. So if you're disciplined off the court, then you'll be disciplined on it and be a good player."

In addition to all of the above, Smith also gives his time to Big Brothers and Big Sisters, serving as a spokesman for the program, which provides adult mentors for children.

""I called them, which really surprised them," Smith said. ""But

I figured it was something I could do to help someone out. I wouldn't be where I am today without my brother, Vincent, so I figured I could help someone else out the same way. I don't actually serve as a Big Brother (Smith has a family of his own), but I'm doing what I can to help."

And in these days when athletes are under the microscope because of their problems, Smith does not seek the limelight for his off-the-court actions.

""It's not something I really seek," Smith said. ""I get rewarded when I see one of the kids I helped and they thank me. I go back to the neighborhood (in New York), and I see a bunch of kids and they're wearing my T-shirts and stuff, and it gives you a good feeling. That's enough for me."

Better late than . . . -Chicago's Michael Jordan, something of a late bloomer, thinks that developing late in basketball is an advantage for players such as himself, David Robinson and especially Hakeem Olajuwon, who didn't take up the game until his mid-teens.

Jordan thinks that with the ever-increasing notoriety accorded high school and even junior high school phenoms, many lose their work ethic along the way, content to ride their skills as far as they will take them.

""A lot of times, kids today become so publicized in their early years that their own expectations start to diminish," Jordan said. ""Their means of achieving those expectations become lessened because they don't work hard at their games like they should -the weaknesses that they should be working on. Look at Hakeem, who wasn't exposed to that, so it hasn't affected his work ethic. And Hakeem's work ethic is outstanding."

The last word - ""It's like being convicted of murder. You know how they talk about Charles Manson? Once they stick that on you, you never lose it. You'll always be a murderer, and you'll always be a `former CBA player.' " - Chucky Brown on the constant mention of the Continental Basketball Association alumni dotting the Rockets' roster.

 

KENNY ON WHEEL OF FORTUNE
REPESENTING THE ROCKETS!!


K_NNY
HAT_RS CAN GO TO H_LL
I'll buy a E.

 

you keep trolling fake rockets fan.

 

D_N ' T
F__K W_TH CL_TCH C_TY H_ROES
ST_P_D R__KIES

CL_TCH_C_TY T_L I DIE

M_TH_F___KERS