i agree completely with thefreak here. shaq is a lesser player than dream on both sides of the court. shaq has the edge only in passing but i wouldn't say it was overwhelming. hakeem did a good job of kicking it out to kenny and horry. plus we're not talking about two point guards here. the free throw issue alone is enough to throw the balnce toward hakeem on who would have the most impact on the series. also i completely forgot about elie. in his prime he was a solid defender. as good as kobe is, elie would rough him up enough to where it would take away some of his game.
verse, I like your assessment above, however,, I think you give WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY too much credit to Derek Fisher. Good Lord, I'll take Kenny Smith, Vernon Maxwell, OR Cassell any day of the week back in 94-95 to a Derek Fisher of ANY year.
Kenny Smith would be bent over by the Lakers' PG's, as usual. Other than that, The Rockets dominate. Nobody could beat that team. Nobody.
Shaq of now is much more refined as the Shaq back then. Penny was a force back then, but he was nowhere near as talented as Kobe is now. Kobe's shots = Shaq's decline in stats. A great big man usually beats a great smaller man. Nonetheless, that 95 Rocket team was a team of destiny. Rockets in 7 because Horry (who was a stud in the playoffs back then), would've dominated Rick fox.
ok, are we talking about the "decaf" derek fisher of today or the "expresso" derek fisher of 02? maybe you guys forgot, but fisher hit damn near 75% from 3 point range in that run. cassell and smith were poor defenders. very poor. and if they would have let fisher shoot the 3, he would have probably gone for 80-85% from 3 point range. he was THAT hot.
In my opinion Smith was better than Fisher, they both were very similiar players benefiting from their dominant centers kicking it out to them for threes. But Kenny was just as MONEY from beyond the arc as fisher, remember Kenny hit 7 threes in game 1 of the 1995 NBA Finals, I dont remember Fisher hitting 7 (did he?). Fact is ROckets have a slight edge at the PG department IMO.
Wow 2 absolutely differnet teams in a sense that the Rockets never got any calls from the refs and the Fakers get every call. The Rockets would have beaten them hands down.
Yes I agree, recently I watched Game 1-2 of Rockets vs Magic 95 Finals and Horry's play was incredible. He hit clutch shots, three pointers, drove to the hoop with great quickness, and was a spectacular defender at the 4 or 3 spot. If Horry kept playing like he did then and improving he could of been an all star.
Hehe sorry HOOP-T and everyone else who is sick of this thread , but I just wanted some closure on the BOLD font comments I made above that someone else said about Rockets 95 vs Lakers and Clyde vs Kobe, I thought they would stir up a little more arguments....if anyone cares to comment on the BOLD COMMENTS I have posted above (that someone else mentioned) Please do so then the thread will die on a happy note
After recently watching the Rockets 1995 FINALS I came to the conclusion that the Rockets supporting cast to Drexler and Hakeem were more clutch than I thought previously. Id say even more than the Lakers of this year and 01. Elie, Horry, Cassell and Smith were as clutch if not more than Fisher, Fox, Horry 01 are today. Actually they were more clutch and more versatile. Young Horry (95) averaged 19ppg 9rpg 3bpg and 3spg in the finals (with a record 7 steals in one finals game). Those numbers all on a Horace Grant who was just about at his prime in 1995 while on the Magic and still got his 14ppg 10rpg, but Horry flat out OUTPLAYED HIM on both sides of the floor. As for the others being clutch Elie went 9-11 in Game 4 of the finals for 23pts and provided great D, transition scoring, 3pt shooting throughout the series and playoffs. Cassell also came up big off the bench with 31pts in Game 2 of the finals, while Smith hit 7-11 3pters in Game 1 (and the 3pter that sent the game into OT in the first place) So please do not forget the fact that Rockets had 4 clutch players besides Clyde and Hakeem, and were all around more clutch and better players than Fox, Horry, Fisher, of the Lakers..... Bottom Line is I take Rockets in 6, who knows maybe in 5?
It's a hard one to call... It would be a great match up, with the youth and athleticism (Lakers) vs. age and experience (Rockets). The Lakers have matured a lot and I don't think that the Rockets could win easily. One thing the Rockets could not win is a track meet with the Lakers. If the Lakers ran the ball up and down the court we'd be doomed. Clyde might be able to handle Kobe, but in my opinion the Kobe of today would pretty much have his way with the Drexler of '95. Yes, I do believe he is that good. I mean, Kobe just dominated the NBA all-star game and didn't even look like he was trying. I'd say Rockets in 7, because that year the Rockets just had God on their side... It was like destiny for them. So, because I'm a fan, and because I'm assuming that the '95 mojo is in effect, Game 7, Rockets 113, Lakers 110.
There is a slight problem: Who is better, the half-ass Robert Horry of '95, or the half-ass Robert Horry of '02? I mean, neither one shows up until the playoffs. So, since they'd be playing each other, who would have the upper hand?
Axeman I dont agree with you that Lakers would win the track meet, Clyde was excellent in the fast break and Mario Elie was also great at scoring in the transition. Houston was quicker and faster at almost every position....and they still had clutch play and experience. Also Robert Horry of 95 AVERAGED 19ppg 9rpg 3bpg 3spg in the finals against a solid Horace Grant...Horry was spectacular on both ends of the floor, and clutch, and was MUCH MORE FLUID than Horry of 02 PERIOD. I dont care if Horry still hits clutch shots, the 95 Horry was much more ATHLETIC, just as a cluctch, and a better defender.
Also, I htink some of you underestimate Clyde. Jordan did beat Clyde in that series, but I think Clyde scored alot as well. As athletic as Kobe is now, CLyde was amazing. He dunked it from the free throw line in a game. No, he isn't as charismatic as Kobe, but he was unstoppable at certain points. He would've scored at will on Kobe. Also, Horry shut down guys like HO Grant and Sean Elliot in the playoffs. He was simply a different player. I still say 95 Rockets in 7.
