watching the 30 for 30 episode the other day got me thinking. I was 7 years old when the Rockets beat the Knicks to win it. I remember the OJ chase and game 5 going on at the same time. I got stats to look at now, which helps some... but i don't really remember each style of play for our rockets during those championship years. Could you guys break down each player for me? Strengths and Weaknesses, for guys who played on the 1994 Rockets. Maybe a comparison for each player to a current NBA player? I'm glad I can remember the rings, my family loves sports. Very thankful for that.
This was a hard-nosed team that played tough defense and an in-out game with Hakeem. Either Hakeem scored in the post or players sagged and double-teamed to stop him. When they did, he kicked it out and the other team played chase until the open three was found. Rinse, repeat. They played hard. It was a different game then, it was more one on one instead of team defense. The only real team defense in those days was rebounding and when guards got loose, Hakeem played swat the fly. He often got his prey.
I'll take a stab at it, just based on memory though, so i'm sure you guys can do better. In terms of style of play i'd liken it most to the present day spurs. both in terms of pace as well as the team balance of post play, penetration, and spot up shooting. comparisons to modern day players . . . these are always tough, but in terms of style of play . . . Olajuwon - nobody Thorpe - Nene (some post-up offensive ability, mostly rebounding, defense, opportunity scoring) Maxwell - JR Smith (streaky volume shooter, could make insanely difficult shots, very good athlete) Smith - Mike Bibby (mostly outside shooter, some penetrating ability, not the best defensively) Horry - Josh Smith (shotblocker, rebounder, great athlete, do-it-all SF in a long, athletic body) Bullard - Troy Murphy (outside shooter, 3pt specialist, slow laterally, defensive liability) Elie - Matt Barnes (gritty, hard nosed, could shoot outside or drive, very good man defender) Cassell - Rajon Rondo?? (athletic, mostly mid-range guard, solid handles and shooting, very creative and good finisher around basket) I dunno, that's what I remember. I'm sure someone else can do better.
I quit my job to watch game 7 of the Phoenix series. Or got fired for not coming in. Whichever. It was a crappy job anyway, but I wouldn't have missed that game for anything. Sorry for not really addressing your questions, I just wanted to share that. :grin:
Notes about that championship team. 1. Hakeem was the MVP, DPOY, and finals MVP. And HE DESERVED THEM ALL. One of the most dominating performances by any player in a given year. 2. Rockets played simple offensive basketball. Dump the ball to Hakeem. He shoots if single-teamed, pass out for a 3 if double-teamed. Outside shooters being Kenny Smith, Maxwell, Elie, Horry, and Cassell. Kenny Smith in particular was our sharpshooter. The offense worked similar to JVG and Yao, but worked much better back then. Both due to Hakeem being a superior player, and because the lack of zone. Still, overall the Rockets offense was not good. They were below average(15 out of 27), a testament to really how mediocre our offensive ability was outside Hakeem. 3. The Rockets played AWESOME defense. 2nd in the NBA only to the Knicks, without having to rely on beating the crap out of people. Hakeem, and Thorpe to a lesser extent, were monsters in the middle. And perimeter defense was solid with Horry, Elie, Maxwell all being superior defenders. I'm not too sure about Kenny, since I never had a good impression of his defense. But I may be wrong. Regardless, team defense has always been a hallmark of Rockets teams.
I'm assuming he should know how Cassell and Horry play since they've been in the league for along time. I guess the Horry that we knew was more athletic and in 95 started his "Big Shot" era. pretty accurate on Dream = MVP, DPOY, Finals MVP Domination that Rockets fans will never see again.
The music was good in 94 April 19 - Rapper Nas releases his debut album, Illmatic, which is heralded as a rebirth of East Coast hip hop. <object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/sXrjCKNpDRo&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/sXrjCKNpDRo&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object> August 30 - Oasis release their debut album Definitely Maybe <object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/R2poqYvWsyU&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/R2poqYvWsyU&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>
Gary Payton has some stats on Kenny Smith. (But of course Kenny has the stats that count the most.) <object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/dVfhFEK6LXc&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/dVfhFEK6LXc&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>
Really? I've never seen Kenny Smith get over on Payton... EVER. I've only seen one-sided rapes that were painful to watch as a Rockets fan. Kenny Smith may be a good defender, but he certainly wasn't one when we played the Sonics.
I was alluding to Kenny's 2-0 rings stat in the video (which he corrected to 2-1 when Gary "stole one on his way out"). It was well known that Kenny was a doormat on defense. He was the favorite whipping boy amongst Houston talk radio and fans. Rudy T was never a big fan of him.
I don't know about that.... Cassel was like a kid in a candy store. While he became a savvy veteran, this was his rookie year and he played with a care-free glee that could only be evident in a rookie who really doesn't know what it's all about. One of my favorite quotes about him was during that series when one of the announcers said something to the effect of "Sam Cassel is just ruining the party for the Knicks." And it was true. Sam came in and wreaked havoc as Kenny's backup. Horry was one of the first instances that I can think of where a natural 3 played the 4, and played it well, but that was in 1995. In 1994 and 1995 though, he was a much more physical player. Later in his career he seemed to be content to come in and hit big shots, hence his nickname. There are many people who think he didn't live up to the potential he showed in Houston. And re: Mad Max, one word describes him best: fearless. He wasn't afraid of anyone.
1994 hmm - Remember that was the last year the NBA 3 point line was shorter before the league extended it out in 1995. Didn't matter, Rockets repeated :grin: - Cassell had a huge game 3 in New York. Media was all over him as the 'rookie' making waves. - Hakeem with that spinning dunk over Ewing. Timeless. - Chris Jent. Whatever happened to him?
I am just watching the Suns-Rockets series from 1995, game 5...I don't know how they pulled it out! That was a complete choke job by Barkley. The contributions of players like Chucky Brown and Pete Chillicut should not be forgotten.
He was our Ron Artest of that era. Fearless defender, fearless shooter (i.e. terrible shot selection), and just a crazy Mofo.
you did read the entire thread, did you? because if you did you would know that that post is not thread related.
