http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/sports/1500437 July 18, 2002, 10:30PM Future, past meet in Rockets' home opener By MICHAEL MURPHY Copyright 2002 Houston Chronicle The Rockets' final season at Compaq Center will feature a glimpse of the franchise's future and one last look there at its past glory. On Nov. 2, Hakeem Olajuwon and the Toronto Raptors come to town to play the Rockets and Yao Ming, the 7-5 center from China. Both players were selected No. 1 by the Rockets in the NBA Draft -- Olajuwon in 1984 and Yao in 2002. That contest is the first of 41 home games for the Rockets, who will open the 2002-2003 season with road games at Indiana (Oct. 30) and Denver (Nov. 1) before welcoming Olajuwon and the Raptors the following night. Olajuwon, who spent a franchise-record 17 seasons in Houston, is also the Rockets' career leader in points (26,511), rebounds (13,382), games played (1,177), minutes played (42,844), blocks (3,740) and steals (2,088) and led the team to NBA championships in 1994 and '95. The Rockets won both of those titles at home, taking Game 7 vs. New York and completing a sweep of Shaquille O'Neal and the Orlando Magic with a 113-101 victory in Game 4 in Houston. "The fact that Yao Ming will have a chance to make his regular-season home debut playing against the very player he grew up watching and emulating during his youth makes it a special event," said George Postolos, the Rockets' chief operating officer. "We are thrilled at the opportunity to have Hakeem, who created so many special memories during his time here, present for the opening of our final season at the Compaq Center." Other special moments in a season of goodbyes will be provided on Nov. 22, when Michael Jordan and the rebuilding Washington Wizards hit town (if he decides to come back), and on Dec. 3 and March 2, when David Robinson makes his last regular-season visits to Houston as a member of the San Antonio Spurs. And John Stockton, who is mulling one final season with Utah, could be in uniform when the Jazz visit on Dec. 23 and Feb. 11. Other highlights include two visits by the Los Angeles Lakers, who will bring Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal and three straight NBA titles to town on Jan. 17 and March 26, and Allen Iverson's Philadelphia 76ers visit on Dec. 7. The Rockets will ring in 2003 with a Dec. 31 home game against the Milwaukee Bucks. Tipoff will be 9 p.m., and the game will be followed by a special New Year's celebration at midnight. For those who like their scoring in bunches, Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash and the Dallas Mavericks come in for games on Jan. 29 and Feb. 21, and the Sacramento Kings, who feature Mike Bibby, Chris Webber and Peja Stojakovic, will be featured on Dec. 10 and Feb. 2. The Rockets' longest homestand will be a six-gamer that begins on Dec. 23 (Utah) and ends on Jan. 7 with a game against Kevin Garnett and the Minnesota Timberwolves. Their longest road trip is a five-game West Coast stretch that begins with a Nov. 24 game against the LA Clippers and ends Dec. 1 at Sacramento, part of a tough stretch that will have the Rockets playing eight of 10 games on the road in a span of just over two weeks. The final Rockets regular-season home game at Compaq Center will be on April 15 against the Memphis Grizzlies. The regular season ends the following night at Denver. The Rockets' only game on TNT will be their Nov. 21 contest at Dallas, but they will be featured on ESPN Phoenix (Nov. 15), Seattle (Nov. 29), Indiana (Dec. 18), Los Angeles Lakers (Jan. 17) and Dallas (Jan. 29).
