Holy cow! I remember when this happened I was 17 years old working at Hardee's and it was when many people had a pager instead of cell phones, myself included. I swear when that shot went in I got about 20 pages on my pager and when I got home and saw what the big deal was I could'nt believe I missed it.
I saw the last quarter of it early this morning. Kind of bitter-sweet, but nice to see some monster numbers put up by the big three. Malone also struggled, which is always fun to watch. Maloney and Threatt at the point? I don't think I'll be complaining about Alston this year.
threatt actually wasn't that bad. its amazing that the rockets gave maloney all that money, really the length of the contract was the problem, after that series. he had one good playoff series, and it wasn't even the one right before the contract.
Watching this game shows how much the NBA has changed. They were wrestling back then....far more physical...... I like the way they call it now....... DD
I remember this game quite well. I saw the first half of the game at my house and rush to my friends place to see the second half (his family had a bigger tv than mine) after the game ended we went to the local middle school to shoot some hoops and i kept re-enacting eddie's shot and his celebration. also gene's call on clutch's I'll remember mp3 is one of my all time favorite calls
So what happened to Matt Maloney's game? He started every game his rookie year and played decently in the playoffs. In this game, he hit a couple of key 3 pointers, his passing was for the most part pretty crisp, his defense not bad (considering he was a rook playing against one of the all-time greats), he seemed calm and composed. He even spotted EJ in the clear and threw him a no-look pass for the game-winner. I know he started most of the games the following season, then fell off the map after that. Did his game fall off that drastically? Did he lose confidence? Injuries? I mean, I know we knock him around here all the time because of that nasty-ass contract he got, but he was a pretty solid PG his first couple of years. You'd normally expect someone in that position to only get better and wiser.
does anybody know if they are replaying it? i was actually at this game and had the grand opportunity of shooting free throws between the 1st and 2nd qtr as i had won a shooting contest the day before and received free tickets to the game and was going to shoot free throws against the runner up person.... it was an unbelievable experience and then got to see one of the craziest games in playoff history!
As I remember it, the only time Maloney was solid was during the playoff series before the Jazz, against the Sonics. In fact, he was spectacular. THAT PLAYOFF SERIES is what got him the contract IMO. He was a mediocre player at best but he helped us get a major monkey off our back and got rewarded.
Man, that team had so much heart and toughness. Barkley was amazing--at his height, he earned so many trips to the line. I still think, talent-wise, that was, arguably, THE best team in Rockets history. They got production out of everyone. Kevin Willis was a formidable backup who could step in as starter at anytime and get 12/8. Eddie was instant offense. Sedale Threatt did a nice job running the offense and shooting wise shots. If only Brent Price had been healthy that season, I think that team would've gone all the way. He would've given the Rox 8-10 ppg off open J's. Ah, memories
Man, I had to go download that old "I'll Remember" mp3 mix after seeing this thread. Listening to that clip makes me sad. As strange as this may seem, I am a much bigger Rockets fan now (mainly because I'm older and can watch more of the games anytime I want to...), but since I've been a hardcore fan I haven't had much fun...Do you understand what I'm saying? It's been one disappointment after another. I think the ONE Rockets game I've been to in person since I became a hardcore fan kind of sums up my experience--last year 1st rd. game 7 BY MYSELF. Wearing my Yao jersey and staying for the entire game, I learned what it was like to be alone in an arena with 20,000 other people. I'll never forget riding down the escalator surrounded by thousands of other Mavs fans all pointing and laughing at me in unison...It's not like I stuck out or anything, I was about one of 5 rockets fans still left in the arena at the end of the game... I can't really name many high points that stick out to me over the past few years--I'd say more than anything, the 4th quarter of that game in PHX where Yao & McGrady just took over and dominated Amare & the Suns was amazing. The McGrady shot in the buzzer against the Mavs was also amazing...But that's about it for me.
Wow, I think you might be the only one. The officiating and the gameplay sucks now. The zone has ruined everything.
Naahhhh......perimeter players today have it to easy. the ticky tack fouls are a bit much for my liking......you get a whistle blown for dripping sweat on the player these days. but to each his own...
Are you sure you're not talking about me? I used to have a lot more fun watching the games when I was younger. I remember the Eddie Johnson shot I must have run like 20 laps through my house with my hands in the air screaming. That was very close to the beginning of my Rocket fandom. I came along with Barkley from Phoenix. Now it is tough. It never seems to work out quite as well as I hope. I was at that game in Dallas too. There was no doubt in my mind that we were going to win that game. Boy were my hopes shattered. I agree, that escalator trip was pure torture. That along with the long walk back to the car. Ugh...
On Maloney...didn't his demise coincide with the 3 point line being moved back out? It made him more of a "solid" 3 pt shooter as compared to the lights-out CraigHodgeswannabe he was with the moved-in line. I don't have the data here to back that up, but that's what I remember..
