Cause the newbs only know our Hero as just an TNT analyst, its my duty to tell the legendary story of Kenny-Unite-us vs the millions of haters that tried to instill hate on the Rocket Nation. http://www.kennythejet.com/ Kenny Smith is in his eighth full season as a studio analyst for the Emmy Award-winning Inside the NBA on TNT. He joined the Turner Sports team near the end of the 1997-98 season, quickly transitioning from stellar NBA player to in-studio television analyst. In addition to his Inside duties, Smith served as a basketball analyst for the 2001 Goodwill Games and teamed with co-hosts Ernie Johnson and Charles Barkley for TNT's weekly Listen Up! during the 2002-03 NBA season. He was known for his exceptional quickness, blazing speed and dead-eye pull up jumpers, was named the Basketball Times' National NCAA Player of the Year in 1987. That same year, Smith was a consensus All-American and first-team All-ACC choice, leading the University of North Carolina Tar Heels in scoring with 16.9 points per game as well as in assists with 209. He was named second-Team All-ACC as a sophomore and a junior. One of only 10 freshmen under coach Dean Smith to start the first game of his career, Kenny had 86 assists in NCAA tournament play, which at the time was the most in that event's history. In 127 games as a collegian, he averaged 12.9 points per game and 6.0 assists per contest while running Carolina's offense to masterful perfection from his point guard spot. Smith led UNC to undefeated ACC marks in both 1984 and 1987, and he poured in a career-high 41 points during the 1987 season in a 108-99 comeback win at Clemson. Smith finished his career as Carolina's all time assist leader with 768, breaking the record of Tar Heel legend Phil Ford. Smith's total of 195 steals was a Carolina record at the end of his college career and is still good enough to rank fourth. His game-high 23 points against the Soviet Union in the championship game of the FIBA World Championships propelled the U.S. team to a medal-clinching victory in 1986. Smith won the Patterson Medal, the highest athletic award at Carolina, as the top senior athlete in 1987. After playing his first three years with the Sacramento Kings and Atlanta Hawks, Smith played five seasons with the Houston Rockets and was the starting point guard for the 1994 and 1995 World Championship teams. Career Highlights POINTS SCORED 41 @ L.A. Lakers 12/26/93 ASSISTS 17 vs. L.A. Lakers 3/31/92 (notice the high FG% for a PG) Rockets Season G FG% 1990-91 78 52.04 1991-92 81 47.47 1992-93 82 52.02 1993-94 78 47.96 1994-95 81 48.4 1995-96 68 43.32 Averages: 78 49.04 Season APG PPG 1990-91 7.1 17.69 1991-92 6.94 14.04 1992-93 5.44 12.99 1993-94 4.19 11.62 1994-95 3.99 10.4 1995-96 3.6 8.53 Averages: 5.25 12.63
Yep, and he was not so good on defense either...but he was GOOD enough.... JVG could learn a lot from Rudy about how to hide players weaknesses and getting a lot out of their strengths. DD
June 7, 1995) As soon as Kenny Smith saw he was open, he knew he was about to send Game 1 of the 1995 NBA Finals to overtime. With 5.6 seconds left in the game and the Rockets trailing 110-107 to the Orlando Magic, Smith hit one of the biggest shots in Rockets history. "I got the ball, dribbled a little, then faked Penny (Anfernee Hardaway)," Smith said. "When I saw the basket, I knew I was going to make the shot." Smith drilled his NBA Finals-record seventh three-pointer to tie the game at 110 with 1.6 seconds left in regulation. The Rockets ended up winning the game 120-118 in overtime after trailing by as many as 20 points in the second quarter. (April 29, 1995) The Rockets turned the Delta Center into a bomb shelter for Game 2 of the First Round of the 1995 NBA Playoffs. Houston hit an NBA playoff-record 19 three-pointers to destroy Utah 140-126 and even up the series. Kenny Smith finished the game with seven three-pointers, one short of the NBA playoff record. The Rockets finished the night 19-of-28 from way downtown and set NBA playoff marks for three-pointers in one half (11) and in a quarter (seven).
like hiding a 6'5 inch pf with no offensive skills? hiding an old howard who can be a liability on defense? hiding the weaknesses of having a 7'6 center who is slow and unathletic?
people chose to focus on the negative of kenny, especially against derek harper. but the nba corrected this by issuing the 'hand check' rule, so no more kenny smiths can be locked down. kenny smith can beat every single Rocket PG on this roster in a 3pt contest. you can spot rafer 10 free bucks too.
In Game Four, the Rockets went back to Olajuwon, who scored a team-high 28 points, but it was the second-half play of Kenny Smith and Otis Thorpe that propelled Houston to a 107-96 win to even the series at 2-2. After the Suns cut the Rockets lead to 86-83, Thorpe responded with five straight points to bury the Phoenix rally. Smith then clinched the game for Houston with a three-pointer that gave him 17 second-half points. The Rockets had arrived in Phoenix labeled as chokers, only to return five days later to Clutch City, Texas.
From what I remember, Kenny were the fans whipping boy back then much like Rafer is to us today. I think him being constantly being lit up by other PGs was the main thing.
Tinman, just so you know, I wasn't saying the only thing Smith could do is hit 3ptrs. My "that is all" comment was not to say that's all he could do, but rather underscore that his most important trait of hitting 3ptrs is exactly what we mostly need right now at the PG spot with the Rockets.
FACT: Career Playoffs: 305 Assists 104 Turnovers NCAA Champion NBA Champion Emmy Award Winner NBA Slam Dunk Contest participant
Yes. He surely should learn from Rudy T. on how to do that. He did such a great job with that aspect of coaching from 1997 until he left. Maybe a player...I won't say his name but sounds like...AKEEM...had alot to do with hiding other players weaknesses? Any ideas on who could the player be?... While you think about it, let me say that Kenny Smith will runs CIRCLES around the PG's we have now. Lets hope that T-Mac wakes up soon and then HE can hide the deficiencies we have a the point since Gundy seems to not be able to do that right now with his season long hamstring pull.
1. Akeem is the Center. the PG brings the ball up, its up to the PG to get the ball to the 'superstar' or if open make the best play, (either a shot, or a pass) 2. replace Yao with Dream, you think Rafer will have less shot attempts? nope. 3. True, when some PG blows by Kenny, Dream has his back. Rod Strickland highlight. He can thank kenny. 4. Kenny's strenght is not only his shooting (a given), its his decision making and execution. Pick and Rolls with OT were unstopable.
Yeah, like having a PF playing major minutes who can't play great defense and is old, having a shooting guard who is undersized to play bigger SG's and not good enough to play PG's, and having Rafer at PG who can't stay in front of the quicker PG's in the league, but still end up with one of the best defenses in the league. Next.
