My fellow brethren: I've come to realize a real gulf and a chasm that exists between naysayers, x-Only-Fans, and x-Only-Haters vs. fans of Rockets from days on gone by. Naysayers, doubters of the team or individuals on the team, and everyone who believes we should blow up the team even now (you know who are!) have annoyed me to no end with their prognostications about all that is wrong with our team - mainly focused on all the negatives and never giving any credit to the positive. I believe I understand why this bothers me (and probably why it bothers others too). They lack a faith that some of us have tasted. Why is this so important? Without this faith in defying the impossible they lack the vision to see the silver-lining in bleak situations. They fall back on the historical and what the past has been, and not on the what could still be. And why not- this is indeed the prudent thing to do. No one would ever argue that. But if Moses were prudent, he would never have lead the Israelites with their backs against the Red Sea. If Winston Churchill were prudent, he would have sued for peace instead of trusting in a wholly outnumbered Royal Air Force to stave off the might of the 3rd Reich during the Battle of Britain. If the NASA engineers were prudent, they would have written of the crew of the Apollo 13. All of them had something more than prudence. They also had faith, faith that somehow someway they trusted that in the gathering storm they would somehow see the daylight. They believed in what could be instead of doing the prudent thing of looking only at the what is. So what does this have to do with anything with basketball. This is just not some ordinary NBA town with a team with a ordinary legacy. This is Clutch City! This is the where Ralph Sampson made the impossible last second basket in 86 to lead the Rockets to the NBA championships against the Celtics. This is where the national media drummed up the talk of the perennial chokers all Houston sports franchises had been in the past as the Rockets went down 0-2 in the series vs. the Suns in the 1994 playoff run only to come back to beat them in the series. This is where Mad Max drained a killer 3 ptr in game 7 of the 94 NBA championship against the Knicks to seal the Rockets championship after surviving two straight elimination games vs. Pat Riley's Knicks. This is where the 6th seed Rockets in 95 beat the Jazz in the final game 5 of the 1st round finding a way out of 12 pt deficit with 8 minutes left to go in Utah. This is where Mario Elie gave the kiss of death to the Suns in overtime of game 7 in Phoenix. This is where Hakeem totally dismantled David Robinson, the regular season MVP as they crushed the Spurs. This is where Kenny Smith would not let the Rockets die in game 1 of the 95 championships against the Orlando Magic which ultimately broke their confidence and allowed the Rockets to sweep them in the finals. All these moments and more have we had a legacy of. And for those who have tasted it so many times and in so many ways it has taught us to have faith, though that faith has been sorely tested over the years that overcomes prudence. Remember - this is not the first time nor will it be the last. I do not know if the Rockets will get past the 1st round or not this year. I remember some of the awful, heartbreaking moments against the likes of the Sonics as they dashed our hopes time and again in the play-offs. But I do know this, that I've seen what could be when I thought that all we had was what had already been. Believe It Once More!!!
from a non-religious point of view, AMEN......one of the best posts I've heard in years......Amen.....
Well written even if I don't agree with your points of view. But are the examples you provided evidence of faith or acts of desperation. Did Moses cross the Red Sea because he believed or beacuse the alternative was a violent death at the hands of Ramses? Did the British fight the Germans because they believed they could win or because becoming part of Hitler's Nazi empire was the only other alternative? Did the NASA engineers not give up on Apollo 13 because they had faith or because their funding was dependenet on public support and nothing sways the public away from NASA more than three more dead astronauts? Just some food for thought. There's nothing wrong with turning to an analysis of history to predict what course today's events will take. In fact, I have come to think in my more mature years that a knowledge of history is essential in understandings the events of today and American schools have dropped the ball when it comes to giving a proper teaching of history. It's not who did what and when but why and the why is very poorly taught in American schools. I'll stop there since I'm all ready dangerously over the line of what is GARM and what is D&D. But before I go, history tells me that the Rockets' runs in 1994 and 1995 are exceptions to the rule and I don't put my faith in exceptions to the rule. I will, however, pull for the Rockets whether I think they are going to sweep a series or get swept themselves.
I love it~ this is one of those inspirational "lurker" threads. the ones that look like a manifesto, where one person is so inspired to get his or her point across, they pour their heart out in their mesage, hoping to reach the masses of Rockets fans and convert them into non-doubters, into Believers!preach on, my brother, preach on. oh and go rockets
yeah it would mean something as long as they understand who he was to this team during that time. Wonder if JVG would call on the man that beat him before to talk inspiration to his team =)
Dear Tango, Blow up the team. Thanks for the call to martyrdom. Very impressive. Maybe we should just give them more time. Just a few more decades. I'm sure they'll get it. Oh wait, that makes no sense at all. Never mind. Strike that, reverse it. Bring in the guillotine. You know, now that we have that all figured out, I feel so much better. Thanks. Yr pal, pasox2
It's clutch time! We're down 3-1, with games 5 and 7 left on the road, just like the Phoenix series in '95. Believe it again!
haha... there's always a cynic isn't there. i'm kind of with you though. an eloquent and moving post... slightly defeatist though. we can't dwell in the past all the time you know?
I think we have a great team here. We are just few boneheaded play and smart execution away from the top contender. Although Rockets lost today's game, I am confident that our team can go up against any team and cause trouble. Just look at the teams like Denver and Memphis....
Sorry to say that but history sometime mean NOTHING with the type of players on this team. Dream on my friend because that all you can do.
