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How Elvin Hayes Last Games Brought Olajuwon to Houston

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by Gary Vance, Sep 1, 2010.

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  1. Gary Vance

    Gary Vance Member

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    Man! It seems like forever until the season starts. Stumbling upon this forum has been the coolest thing to happen to this Rockets Junkie since the last championship season. I have lived in Tennessee for the last twenty five years and I have found no one here who loves the Rockets...except my wife and my kids, whom I have programmed from birth. They know they have to love this team or move out. So, reading and posting here has given me a connection to fellow freaks and fans that I never had before. Thanks to everyone who posts here!

    Growing up in Lake Jackson, just south of Houston, I have followed the Rockets since the '71 season when they moved from San Diego. Having always been a U of H Cougars fan, I loved seeing Elvin Hayes return to Rocket City even if it was only briefly. The Coogs beating Lew Alcindor and the Bruins in the Astrodome was one of the greatest basketball events ever. So, I always pulled for the Big E throughout his career. I never knew anything about his reputation for being hard to get along with. I just knew he had great heart to go along with incredible skills and I was glad he came back to the Rockets to finish an amazing career.

    I seemed to remember Bill Fitch playing him every minute of a double overtime game in his last game and wanted to verify that fact. What I found was an article about how the NBA arrived at the current lottery system and how Hayes last two games factored into that. The Rockets were accused of tanking the season in an effort to get into the coin toss for the number one pick that year...Olajuwon or Jordan. Shoot man...you do whatever you gotta do to get Hakeem. I just thought it was cool to see the Coog connection to two of the greatest players ever and how their careers book-ended together with the Rockets.

    Here's the link to the article...I know some of you junkies will appreciate this story.

    http://reclinergm.wordpress.com/200...lottery-did-the-rockets-tank-to-get-olajuwon/
     
    #1 Gary Vance, Sep 1, 2010
    4 people like this.
  2. Deckard

    Deckard Blade Runner
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    "Tanking games is unquestionably unethical and a disgrace to the game, but it did pay off for Houston. By winning back-to-back championships in ’94 & ’95 when MJ decided to give the league a break for two seasons, the Rockets essentially paved the “tanking” way for the other teams as well."

    The major flaw in the column. Otherwise, a nice read. Thanks! :)
     
    #2 Deckard, Sep 1, 2010
    Last edited: Sep 1, 2010
  3. CBrownFanClub

    CBrownFanClub Contributing Member

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    This is an excellent post. Like you, I have been a Rockets fan since the 1970s - 1974 i guess. Nice to have you here.

    And an interesting article, I never thought that part through - it made me wonder about the fact that the Rockets lost Wiggins, Lloyd and Lucas to drug offenses later. Certainly the Rockets were not the only team in the league with their backcourt hopped up on drugs, alcohol, tranquilizers, angel dust, detergent, liquid paper, spray starch and prostitutes during the 1980s. But we certainly seemed to have a dynasty interrupted by the drug tests - which I do not believe were administered in a systematic, league-wide fashion at the time.

    I wonder if the Rockets received extra scrutiny during the 1980s after taking down the Showtime Lakers at their peak. Certainly David Stern did not lace Lew Lloyds Seagrams and Seven with cocaine, but I do wonder if they were being monitored a little closer after trying to build a dynasty with some suspect tactics.

    I dont know. The Spurs seemed to do fine after their Tim Duncan Tankapalooza, so maybe not.
     
    #3 CBrownFanClub, Sep 1, 2010
  4. wyo-ming

    wyo-ming Rookie

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    yep FITCH was a win at all cost kinda guy & tanking was something he did w/o regret . i would not want him for his talent evaluation skills but if i had a young talented team i would have to think about it! i hope too love another team as much as that team !! "HOUSTON ROCKETS in need of a lunatic guard since 96"
     
    #4 wyo-ming, Sep 1, 2010
  5. Yetti

    Yetti Contributing Member

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    Welcome to Clutch Fans!! I might point out though your title was a little misleading. :p
     
    #5 Yetti, Sep 1, 2010
  6. ross84

    ross84 Contributing Member

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    Welcome to the forum and thanks for the read!
     
    #6 ross84, Sep 1, 2010
  7. Pipe

    Pipe Contributing Member

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    Welcome to the Board GV and thanks for the link to the interesting article. It partially answered a question that has been in the back of my mind for years, but not totally ....

    The background. I was a season ticket holder for 18 years starting in the 82 -83 season. I remember being at the last home game of the year in the 83 - 84 season (not sure if it was the last game of the season or not) and it was so obvious that the Rockets were trying to lose the game I wondered if they were going to ask me to suit up for the second half (my seat was six rows behind the Rox bench). But until now I didn't really remember tanking at the end of the season other than that last game. But the article implies it was a long term effort:

    That business decision was carried out to perfection for the Rockets. They dropped 14 of their last 17 games, 9 of their last 10, and their final 5

    I wonder, does anyone have a link to the box scores from those games so we can see who got the playing time?

    Again, welcome to the Board GV. Nice break from the Melodrama ;) .

    :grin:
     
    #7 Pipe, Sep 1, 2010
  8. meh

    meh Contributing Member

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    Surprised no "tanking is for losers" posts yet. You know, the whole "tanking makes the organization bad and you can't possibly win from throwing games etc. etc. etc."
     
    #8 meh, Sep 1, 2010
  9. Gary Vance

    Gary Vance Member

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    Wow Pipe...six rows back!! Never mind my slight shade of green with envy. :grin: I listened to that game on a transistor radio in a cabin out in the woods just outside of Tyler. I guess maybe it was the last home game. So, Coach Fitch helped Elvin finish with an even 50,000 minutes and the Rockets lost some games, won the toss and took Hakeem and gave us the Twin Towers...sweet memories.
     
    #9 Gary Vance, Sep 1, 2010
  10. 3rdRingsAComin

    3rdRingsAComin Member

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    Too bad Mike took those 2 years off, the finals would have been amazing
     
    #10 3rdRingsAComin, Sep 1, 2010
  11. DaDakota

    DaDakota If you want to know, just ask!

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    Welcome aboard to another fellow old timer.

    Sometimes tanking pays off, it did for the Rox, it did for the Spurs.

    DD
     
    #11 DaDakota, Sep 1, 2010
  12. Pipe

    Pipe Contributing Member

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    I am getting old and my memory is not so good ...at least that's what my kids tell me ;) . But if I recall correctly those tickets were only $17.50 a piece in 82 - 83. :eek:
     
    #12 Pipe, Sep 1, 2010
  13. magnetik

    magnetik Contributing Member

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    Just a heads up... I drive in from Little Rock to watch the Rockets a few games out of the year in Memphis. If you go I would be glad to meet up with other Rockets fans. I grew up in Houston too.. Scarsdale on the southside.

    I also drive to catch Texans/Titans also every year... last years game was one of the best I've seen in a while. (esp considering we won)
     
    #13 magnetik, Sep 1, 2010
  14. rockbox

    rockbox Around before clutchcity.com

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    I wish JVG thought that. It would have been the difference between Roy and Battier.
     
    #14 rockbox, Sep 1, 2010
  15. htownrox1

    htownrox1 Member

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    Well I don't like to call it "tanking", I call it smart decision making. :grin:
     
    #15 htownrox1, Sep 1, 2010
  16. DontTradeOswalt

    DontTradeOswalt Member

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    Unless your the Nets..
     
    #16 DontTradeOswalt, Sep 1, 2010
  17. Easy

    Easy Boban Only Fan
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    A similar story: JVG played the over-the-hill Juwan Howard heavy minutes late in a losing season... wait, we won... dang!
     
    #17 Easy, Sep 1, 2010
  18. Hayesfan

    Hayesfan Contributing Member

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    Tanking at that point was worth it for the franchise... tanking now isn't. You have to work within the system you are given ;)

    Nice post OP!
     
    #18 Hayesfan, Sep 1, 2010
  19. Danbury

    Danbury Member

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    I am also from the Lake Jackson area. Nice post! At least its not about Melo or some sort of trade speculation.
     
    #19 Danbury, Sep 2, 2010
  20. SuperBeeKay

    SuperBeeKay Member

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    Gary Vance, of Vance refrigeration?
     
    #20 SuperBeeKay, Sep 2, 2010
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