[chron]Twenty years later, Rockets' first NBA title has a special ring

tinman · Jun 24, 2014

http://www.houstonchronicle.com/spo...er-Rockets-first-NBA-title-has-5567452.php#/0

Twenty years later, Rockets' first NBA title has a special ring
'Dream' season went from 15-0 start to a Game 7 win over Knicks in NBA Finals

By Jonathan Feigen

June 20, 2014 | Updated: June 21, 2014 10:36pm

Two decades later, the images are still clear, as if Hakeem Olajuwon had just climbed down off one of the fire trucks that had made its way through downtown and allowed himself a moment to soak it all in.

He remembered the sights of that day, from the Astrodome rally to the parade. He also recalled how he felt that day, how it filled him with a sense of pride and relief, triumph and accomplishment.

He thought about that special series and season, about all it took for the Rockets to bring Houston its first major sports team championship. But more than everything that went into it, he remembered how it finally felt to be a champion.

"That was an experience that is really indescribable," Olajuwon said. "It was unbelievable. Just to see everybody coming down, that's when you realize this series is over. We did it.

"You play both sides. When I was driving down to the game, you play, 'Man, to win …' Every once in a while you think you could lose that game so you know you might. To see that finally it's over, that we won it, and to see the excitement of the whole city at the same time celebrating … unbelievable. I mean, unbelievable. Even after the game, I just got my stuff and jumped in the car, the limo. I tried to get on Richmond.

"And the whole city was celebrating. The whole city jumped in their car. I mean, unbelievable. I've never seen anything like it."

All part of the whole

The Rockets won the championship after an intense, physical, unforgettable seven-game series against the New York Knicks. But they believed the Finals were the culmination of everything that went into the journey, as if removing any part of the championship season would have made it fall apart short of the title.

The Rockets cited the Game 7 loss in Seattle in the previous season's Western Conference semifinals for providing the fuel. They pointed to the offseason additions of Mario Elie and Sam Cassell for adding fearlessness and toughness. They cited the 15-game winning streak to start the season that built confidence the team carried through the season. They described the deft touch of Rudy Tomjanovich for providing freedom to excel but also demanding defensive intensity that would mark the Finals showdown with the Knicks.

By the time the Rockets reached the Finals, they were solid throughout the roster. Robert Horry had blossomed after he returned from the aborted trade to Detroit. Cassell grew into Kenny Smith's backup at the point, often closing games. Vernon Maxwell gave the Rockets the defiant swagger that would be key in the postseason. Olajuwon and Otis Thorpe provided the inside strength to match up with the Knicks' muscle.

Yet, even with a deep and solid roster and a season's worth of experiences to prepare them, the Rockets evolved through the playoffs, growing from the Choke City losses against Phoenix to the Clutch City victory in the conference semifinals and from the very different test against Utah, the disciplined and gifted rival the Rockets respected as a worthy threat.

"I knew if we can win it, we can win it all," Olajuwon said of the Western Conference finals against the Jazz. "Utah had an experienced team. They were very, very disciplined. Any mistake, they will capitalize. Against Utah, you had to be smart, not just talented. That always concerned me about Utah. They can beat us; we can beat them, too. I always worried about Utah because of their execution. We can overpower them. We had better talent. But if we didn't play smart, we would not win.

"When we beat Utah, we knew we could win the championship."

By the time the Rockets reached the Finals, the matchup seemed inevitable. The Rockets had been an undeniable Western Conference force since the winning streak, capped by beating the Knicks in Madison Square Garden. The Knicks had been the Eastern Conference team to beat in the season following Michael Jordan's first retirement.

"When we got to the Finals, we had been through so much," Tomjanovich said. "It wasn't just when things went right. We went through some tough times that season, too. We had the streak to start the season, but people forget we slid in the middle of the season, too. We had the whole Choke City/Clutch City thing. When we played the Knicks, we were ready."

Physical style

From the start, the series would be the most grueling of the run to the title. The Rockets won Game 1 despite scoring just 13 fourth-quarter points, and the tone was set. The Rockets averaged 86.1 points per game in the series; the Knicks 86.9. When the Knicks won Game 2 with guard Derek Harper taking over late - as well as bottling up Smith with the strong hand-checking style permitted at the time - the series was certain to be a long, difficult slog to the finish.

That style was widely panned with rules later changed to try to prevent the sort of holding in the backcourt that slowed the games that June.

"I hear it all the time," Harper said. "The rules have changed. I think what they thought was it would help scoring. It hasn't. I don't think scoring has gone up with the rule changes at all. You should be able to get away with being more physical. That's how I came up in the league. That's basketball."

NBA teams averaged 101.5 points per game that season; 101 this season. But in the Finals, nothing would come easily.

For the Rockets, the series turned back in their direction as soon as it reached New York. Late in the regular season, Cassell had replaced Scott Brooks as the primary backup and frequent closer. He scored the final seven points, including the game-winning 3-pointer, to give Game 3 to the Rockets who regained homecourt advantage.

"When we got to the Finals, I think older guys - Robert, Vernon, Otis and Hakeem - they didn't consider me a rookie anymore," Cassell said. "I was seasoned. I'd been through the Western Conference playoffs against Phoenix and Utah and Portland. They had great teams at that time. By the time the Finals came, when I got an open jump shot, they expected me to make them. It wasn't surprising when I made that shot in Game 3 in New York. I took it and I made it.

"It was cool, man. New York's always been one of my favorite cities. Just to play in the Garden, at 9 o'clock, for the NBA championship, it was a fantastic feeling."

Ignoring distractions

The importance of Cassell's game-winner became even clearer throughout the week in New York. The Knicks overwhelmed the Rockets in Game 4. The Rockets faded badly down the stretch in Game 5. While the nation was transfixed by the O.J. Simpson slow-speed chase through Los Angeles, the Rockets had been stopped.

The teams, of course, ignored the news out of Los Angeles, though the broadcast was on briefly in the tiny visitors' locker room at halftime and then again after Game 5. During the game, when fans turned away from the court to catch glimpses of the televisions in the suites and on the concourses, the players remained largely unconcerned.

"I was not (aware of the Simpson chase,)" Harper said. "I wasn't even aware of my wife and kids, I was so focused. Anytime you get an opportunity to win a championship in your 12th, 13th year, the focus is team. We thought it was our time.

"It was in reach. Coming here, if someone would have told me we wouldn't have won one of two games coming back to Houston, I would have bet the house on it. I thought we were the better team. They proved me wrong. Houston stepped up to the challenge, made more plays. It could have gone either way. It was a very even series. When I see Patrick (Ewing), I tell him it just wasn't for us. Sometimes, the stars don't align to win it all."

Ewing had been sensational in Game 5. When the series returned to Houston, Olajuwon took it over. For all that was squeezed into those seven games, the Finals were very much about the showdown of the best centers at a time when centers ruled the league. Olajuwon and Ewing had brought out the best in one another since their meeting in the NCAA Tournament championship game in 1984.

"When we played, there were a lot of dominant big men, which there aren't any more," Ewing said. "You had myself, Hakeem, David (Robinson), Shaq (O'Neal), (Robert) Parrish, early in our career Kareem (Abdul-Jabbar). Even the lesser tier of centers were good. Those guys would be dominant in this game. It was great to battle against them and compete against them. And Hakeem was first team most of his career."

Olajuwon sealed Game 6 when he reacted swiftly on a pick-and-roll and switched to John Starks just in time to get his fingertips on Starks' 3-point shot with two seconds left to secure the win.

"After being here, working here in Houston for three years (as an assistant coach), every time we would come out they would play on the Jumbotron them beating us," Ewing said. "Sitting in the players' lounge for three years, seeing Hakeem blocking John Starks shot with me wide open at the free-throw line, so every time I see John I curse him out. 'Man, I was mmm-mmm wide open and you let Hakeem block the shot.' It was rough."

Said Olajuwon: "When you are on the road, you don't want to go to Game 7. Like San Antonio last year, Game 6 is your best opportunity to win. We were at home. We couldn't wait. We couldn't sleep until this game was decided."

By Game 7, the Rockets guards - Smith, Cassell and especially Maxwell - came alive, while Starks misfired away. Starks went 2-of-18, missing all 11 of his 3-pointers, but never shied away from his shot and never was replaced as Knicks coach Pat Riley played him for 42 minutes despite his struggles.

"It was a great series," Ewing said. "It went seven games. We had our opportunities to win. Unfortunately, they were able to prevail. Hakeem had an outstanding playoff run."

Ewing paused for seven seconds, still feeling the pain of the loss, then quietly said, "It just wasn't in the cards."

'You've finally got it'

Twenty years later, the Rockets still feel the elation.

Tomjanovich sized up the feelings of his adopted hometown.

"Houston has wanted this for so long," he said after Game 7, "and you've finally got it."

Soon, he and the Rockets left The Summit to celebrate, soon discovering the party already had begun.

The 1994 Finals would be defined in many ways over the two decades that followed, remembered for everything from the showdown of centers to the suffocating defenses, the Simpson chase to Olajuwon's triumph. But in the end, it was special in ways personal to the players who won it and the city they represented.

"There's nothing like it," Olajuwon said. "You have to go through it to know. Everybody is a part of it. Unbelievable."

The 1993-94 Rockets

It has been 20 years since the Rockets won the 1993-94 NBA title, the first major championship for the city of Houston. A look back on the key figures and moments from that championship season:

›› The owner: Leslie Alexander

›› The streak: A 15-0 start

›› The coach: Rudy T

›› The non-trade: Keeping Robert Horry

›› The mad man: Vernon Maxwell

›› The headline: Choke City to Clutch City
Click to expand...

Deckard · Jun 24, 2014

Thanks, tinman! One of my biggest regrets about moving to Austin is that I had to watch the series on TV. Being there must have been wild!

EightDoobies · Jun 24, 2014

I was only 4 and 5 when we won the rings . I can't wait till I can go to one now!

saleem · Jun 24, 2014

The greatest day in Houston sports history.

ralphabetsoup · Jun 24, 2014

Fools that be need to revive the uniforms - the classics. Don't turn your back on that glorious history for a few lousy $s.

http://forums.nba-live.com/dl_mod/thumbs/4500_screen.jpg

ralphabetsoup · Jun 24, 2014

Rockness · Jun 24, 2014

Time to stop living in the past though learning from it would be a good idea. I doubt it will happen again though, that championship team was so unlike many other champions that I cannot imagine we'll ever see one like it. People praise that 94-95 title so much, yet forget we were terrible that year considering we were the champions. It was the 93-94 team that had the 15-0 run, the 22-1 run, the Olajuwon Dream Season, the Choke to Clutch City series, the blasting of the Jazz like they were nothing and the unforgetabble hard fought finals. Sure 94-95 kiss of death and Olajuwon's show vs. the Admiral were great, but 93-94 is the more memorable, more important and special title.

Plowman · Jun 24, 2014

tinman said: ↑

http://www.houstonchronicle.com/spo...er-Rockets-first-NBA-title-has-5567452.php#/0

Click to expand...

On the court and off the court during our run, it was as good as it gets.....so much going on in my life (family and friends I was close to were still around)...makes you really appreciate things.

I watched part of the series in the Quarter with my woman. On Sunday she had to be back for work at 8 am. We left the casino/boat at like midnight or one and while headed back were notified over the radio "O.J. Simpson is now a fugitive"...talk about surreal..She made it to work and then we watched the game at home that night.

I'm proud to be a Houstonian....Dude, tinman....you've got me tearing up.

Thanks man.

SLRokJok · Jun 24, 2014

Never went to the parade, but great memory of the Championship run. I can't imagine the streets would be THAT packed if we were to win one today.

Wonder what it looked like for the 2nd title...

chenjy9 · Jun 24, 2014

It was a crazy and great time to be a fan. The passion in the air was indescribable.

tmac · Jun 24, 2014

Those two years were amazing.

tycoonchip · Jun 24, 2014

People please read the part about Robert Horry. The trade that didn't happen. We do jot need a ball stopper just a great Mr. Intangibles.

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[chron]Twenty years later, Rockets' first NBA title has a special ring

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[chron]Twenty years later, Rockets' first NBA title has a special ring

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