[ClutchFans] Olajuwon and the "Unbeatable" 1986 Rockets

first?

 

Thanks Clutch! That is truly awesome. I still have a VHS recording of the entire game and will one day finally drop that on a dvd.

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if no hakeem no clutcchfans.net.

 

thanks clutch. I'm glad you're teaching these newbs
rockets history 101
time to learn!

 

I bet this is better than sex for you huh Tinman?

 

So good.

Thanks, Clutch.

 

6-star thread

Amazing commentary Clutch

 

only if your mom thought so!

 

How Sweet It Is!













Ummm.... well, almost fully was. Stupid Celtics.


Thanks for the vids, Clutch.

 

thanks alot!

 

Great job Clutch! Your write-up after Olajuwon was traded was great too.

 

Hey Clutch let me add this extra thing about that team

Paper: HOUSTON CHRONICLE
Date: SAT 10/19/1985
Section: Sports
Page: 7
Edition: 1 STAR

Rockets roll past Bulls

Spoiler

By FRAN BLINEBURY
Staff

CHICAGO - Just as the wet floor that briefly threatened to cancel the final exhibition game against Chicago dried up, so, too, have many of the questions concerning the Rockets' backcourt evaporated.

Now while Coach Bill Fitch continues to claim that he doesn't have all his questions answered, there is little doubt that the situation has come much more into focus following two weeks of these glorified scrimmages.

Further evidence of that was the way Mitchell Wiggins and Allen Leavell dominated the Bulls backcourt in igniting the flame in a 105-99 victory over the Bulls Friday night before a crowd of 9,342 at Chicago Stadium.

The win gives the Rockets a final 7-1 mark on exhibition season.

"I guess if you can't be 8-0, you might as well be 7-1," Fitch said. "It's nice, but winning the Grapefruit League doesn't mean anything.

"What I'm happiest about is that we never had to change our perspective on what we wanted to accomplish all through these games. When we were losing leads, we were able to stick with our kids and get them that experience and still come out on top."

But more important than a gaudy exhibition mark, the performance of the backcourt over the last fortnight has got to give Fitch - while not the feeling that he's ready to take on the Los Angeles Lakers or Boston - at least a little more peace of mind.

It was just one more solid performance from Wiggins and Leavell, both of whom have enjoyed very successful training camps. That combination enabled the Rockets to jump out to a 28-11 lead Thursday night in New York and they were the ones who fired up a 26-12 start against the Bulls.

Wiggins uncorked his outside shot, hitting 8-for-10 from the field against the Bulls and popping in 16 points, while Leavell shot over and darted through the Chicago defense for 10 points and 5 assists.

Ralph Sampson and Akeem Olajuwon added 10 points each as the Rockets built a 24-point lead in the third quarter, then held off a late Bulls charge.

Michael Jordan led the Bulls with 31 points.

While that may leave the Rockets with still a few minor questions - such as who to sit down at the end of the bench as the 11th or 12th man - Fitch has got to be satisfied with a guard rotation that will have Wiggins and Leavell backing up starters John Lucas and Lewis Lloyd, with first-round draft Steve Harris playing the role of the designated shooter.

"What I have been happy about, "Fitch said, "has been getting the chance to play different combinations of people together and getting to see what they can do in different situations."

What Fitch has seen is that Lucas, despite any overly offensive tendencies, is still the best ignition key for fast break that the Rockets possess. Meanwhile, Leavell, in training camp, for the first time in three seasons, has played aggressive, smart and heady ball and will not allow the pace of the running game to drop off when he is in the game.

Lloyd is once again filling the lanes at the one off-guard position, while the rededicated Wiggins has shown an ability to play both backcourt spots and continue to the offensive boards.

That has left the Harris to concentrate on just one role - the outside shooter - and the rookie has given indications that he'll be able to get the job done.

With those five apparently locked into jobs, it seems it's going to be a tight squeeze for a job in the final week for Craig Ehlo or Eric Turner. For it is doubtful - especially considering Robert Reid's ability to swing into the backcourt in a pinch - that the Rockets would go with than five guards.

But the ever-cautious Fitch is still issuing warnings about making conclusions.

"I think that if I were going to play one game for all the marbles tomorrow, it would be safe to say that John Lucas would be my starting point guard and Lew Lloyd would be at the other spot," Fitch said. "But beyond that, not everything is set.

"Plus, people like Ehlo and Lloyd can play more than one position. They can go to small forward.

"We've had some guys show that they can do some things well in the exhibition season and other guys who can do other things. So it's not accurate yet to say that all the questions have been answered yet."

 

Oh, and FWIW... I'm a *dork.







(*see below. Come to think of it, the "official" hat my cousin bought me may very well have been a cheap counterfeit... i don't know, I wasn't there when he bought it. All I knew was he went to UH, and bought me a hat from "there." Such is life.)

 

Awesome work Clutch! Thanks a lot.

 

Not according to UH.

http://uhcougars.cstv.com/trads/hou-trads-bbcougar.html

 

Funny. My embroidered hat from UH in 1983 has it spelled with two m's... Oh well.

Slap me thrice and hand me to me momma...

 

So many of these guys need to sign up that class....

 

OMFG !!!!!

This is WHY this site blows the Chronicle away.

Clutch....FRICKEN FANTASTIC STUFF !!!

You know what else though......DANGED Cocaine ruined a dynasty....

DD

 

BTW- I blame si for my misspelled memories...

Look about midway down in the story... One "m" not two

It's all right there... good read by the way on the PSJ "fraternity."

Anyway... again, nice work, Clutch. Ignore my rabbit trail.


(ps. - it is spelled with two m's in this piece by Clutch... http://www.clutchfans.net/feature.cfm?FeatureID=135... so I'm not quite as much of a dork as I thought.)