You cannot compare cocaine usage to a rolling stop sign. That's like comparing the NBA to AAU ball. I agree that everyone was doing it, but that doesn't change the fact that our players did it and got caught. We might argue that the rules might not have been fairly applied to the Lakers or other teams, but that's a different story (ie how consistently the rule was applied) compared to what the Rockets players did (ie breaking a rule). These guys played with a guy who ruined his career with drug use (Lucas), and they still did it anyways.
The Rockets were the real deal back then and you certainly didn't want to piss them off. Akeem took out Kupcheck in the series against the Lakers and Sampson took out Jerry Sichting in the very next series against the Celtics. That was an exciting time that ended way too soon.
What's the lesson to take from here? Spend a few years in the dumps and reload, and despite all the hardships, 10 years later the team got it's ring.
But he was rusty from the long layoff!!!!!! Horse****, he playerd 17 games...plenty to knock the rust off; yet not so many as to tire him out. Michael Jordan was WELL rested for that post-season. And that championship run was the Greatest of All Time...OF ALL TIME!!! Next time a team beats 4 57+ win teams to win the championship, call us.
Great read. Incredibly long, but it read like a 30-for-30 transcript. Impressed at how candid the involved parties were.
Its articles like this that remind me that we are more than just a team. People that pee on the rockets need to be slapped since they dont understand history and what they are saying. Beating the Lakers at their home in 86 was awesome. My first orgasm as a rockets fan. The quote that struck me most is not a boo hoo moment but man rockets have had time with injuries. From Yao to Sampson to Mcgrady: " Parish: I always wondered how good they would have been had Sampson not had the knee problems he experienced. What if he had played as long as Hakeem did? What if those two were able to play together for the duration of their careers? Think about how many championships they would have won. It would have been real interesting, I'll tell you that. I think about that sometimes. "
A friend of mine sent me this story and I just finished reading it. I started during lunch and couldn't stop even though I have work to do. I remember those days as a teenager then. Reading about all the promise about those Rockets and remembering watching them at the Summit and trying to recreate Ralph's shot in my friend's driveway (I remember actually making it) almost brought a tear to my eye. In many ways it felt like I was reading about my own life. Being young in a city like Houston where it seemed like anything was possible and getting hit by life from things both beyond your control and self inflicted. Struggling with getting older and thinking about the good old days. A few months ago I was walking by the University of Minnesota and Ralph Sampson's son, Ralph Sampson III, passed by me on the sidewalk. I was going to say hi but I was with someone and he was talking to a girl so I didn't want to bother him. He was wearing his practice jersey and carrying a ball so he must've just left practice but I got a pang of remembrance though about watching his dad drive down the court like a guard, split defenders and dunk it. Ralph III though isn't that player and Ralph II after 1986 never was that player again but I think everyone who was a Rockets' fan in 1986 will always think about what could've been.
Fantastic article on the greatest Rockets team that never was! A great read for ole school and new school Rockets fans. From Grantland. Very well laid out.
