Learn newbs Learn the TRUTH Paper: HOUSTON CHRONICLE Date: SUN 01/31/1993 Section: Sports Page: 9 Edition: 2 STAR Bulls turn into a get-well card Rockets 94, Bulls 83 Rudy Tomjanovich was ecstatic after what might become one of the most important victories of the season. Michael Jordan was slumped in disappointment. Yet they reflected on the Rockets' thorough slamming of the Chicago Bulls at The Summit and came up with the same analysis. "We were very focused and very intense," said the Rockets' coach. "I just wish we could be that way against some of the sub-.500 teams. If we could, we'd be sitting up there with a great record right now." Countered Jordan, "Maybe if they played us every night, they would have a better record." It was just like old times. The house was full, the Rockets were rolling and the Bulls were beaten soundly. The Rockets knocked off Chicago in front of the first sellout of the season, a gathering that included former President George Bush and a squad of stunned, lifeless Bulls. The Bulls lost for the fifth consecutive season in their annual visit to Houston. Only one of those five Rockets wins was a nail-biter. Overall, the Rockets have won five of six from the Bulls over the last three seasons. This victory was as dominating as one over the twice-defending world champions could be. Chicago needed to score the last eight points just to make it respectable. Chicago shot just 42 percent from the field, had its second-lowest point total of the season and gave up 51 percent shooting to the Rockets. Vernon Maxwell led some of the best defense the Rockets have played by clamping down on Jordan. With Hakeem Olajuwon playing goalie under the basket, Maxwell was able to confront and, at times, agitate Jordan into 12-for-27 shooting. Jordan's 26 points were six less than his season average, and none of the other Bulls had their shooting lenses on. As a result, the Rockets humiliated the Bulls for much of the game. And they did it without Olajuwon scoring a basket in the second half. But he was ever the force with his shot blocking, intimidation and rebounding. When it was done, the Rockets had halted a two-game losing trend before it became one of those all-out streaks. The Rockets did what they had to to stump the Bulls. They kept Chicago from getting out on the fast break by outrebounding the Bulls 46-33. The Rockets got good shots and they got to the free-throw line 25 times compared to eight for the visitors. And, of course, The Maxwell Spell on Jordan continued. Two segments capsulized the entire game. The first came at the end of the first half. With the Rockets up 38-34 2:53 before halftime, Scottie Pippen (17 points, 7-for-17 shooting) was called for an offensive foul under the basket. At the same time, Jordan and Maxwell got tangled up and pushed off each other. The pair exchanged angry glares and even more angry words. Maxwell could be heard saying: "You're going down. You're going down." Jordan responded constantly, although his words were inaudible. Maxwell said Jordan elbowed him in the neck. "I just told him if he did it again, I was going after him," Maxwell said. What followed was three minutes of impressive one-on-one battling. Robert Horry took a nice lob feed from Maxwell, who made the right decision by not trying to force something silly on Jordan, who was guarding him tightly. Horry was fouled and sank one of two free throws. Olajuwon connected after a Pippen turnover, but the Bulls came right back with a lob from Pippen to Jordan that resulted in a beautiful slam on a play on which Maxwell was fooled. Maxwell then worked on Jordan and was fouled on a move to the basket. That tied the individual score at 1. The next two possessions ended in turnovers. Maxwell forced a bad pass by Jordan, then Jordan stole a pass from Otis Thorpe to Maxwell. The Maxwell-Jordan scorecard stayed tied; the game certainly didn't. The half, which ended with the Rockets holding a stunning, and well-earned, 48-38 advantage, ended with a Jordan jumper and four Kenny Smith points. The Rockets finished the half with a 17-8 run. Jordan said the second period sealed the Bulls' fate. In the third quarter, the Rockets built a 15-point lead, then saw it reduced to 66-60 when the Bulls opened the fourth with a bucket. But the Rockets had avoided the pitfall. In the final two minutes of the third quarter, the Bulls were shut out. The Rockets got only two points, but they came in dramatic fashion. A bucket by Horry was disallowed when the acrobatic forward hung on the rim to fire in his own missed dunk. That's a no-no. But when Thorpe followed Scott Brooks on a fast break, it paid off because Thorpe got a tip-in at the third-quarter buzzer. That bonus bucket changed the tone of the game. The Rockets buried the Bulls with a 12-2 run early in the fourth quarter, a surge capped by Maxwell's 3-pointer. The Rockets never had to sweat down the stretch.
Jordan is the best non big to ever play. I don't think it was even close, including adding in Magic, Bird, etc It has been easier for swingmen to score in the 30s from 2000+ than the Jordan era, just look at some of Kobe, Tmac, AI and Lebron lines vs anyone not name Jordan in those times. Funny, I thought Kobe had by far the most misses on our team and one of the worst %s, and was pretty clearly the 3rd best overall player. Also, let's remember in elimination games vs the Celts Lebron scored in the 40s with a high %--no defense the Celts tried worked. Same can't be said about Kobe despite having much superior players around him. Or back to the peak Pistons squads, Wade and Lebron navigated and demoralized them, Kobe didn't in the finals. Jordan played more like a superior version of Wade/Lebron than Kobe--Kobe is a little more jumper happy and makes less of an effort to draw contact (relative to Wade, Lebron, Jordan in his heyday, etc). Kobe of these 4 also has the least floor leadership and recognition of his teammates strengths and weaknesses--and more prone to get frustrated and lose them. Kobe has a case to to be the 2nd best SG to play. But the gap to #1 (Jordan is HUGE). And yes it is quite debatable if Kobe is the best swingman today--that guy is Lebron (though Wade in good health/form and Kobe are in the mix--I am not going to say it is clear cut among them).
Yeah. The Basketball is a 5-players-team sport, even lord cannot win the title without assistance from decent teammates. So can we also say the Rockets should give Blazers credits for trading Clyde Drexler here to accomplish Dream's another title in 1995? tinman, thanks for the link, will read it later...
its a very long thread. i hope you have plenty time to read all the REAL ARTICLES about the REAL GAMES that were played I warn you ahead of time, you will articles about the Bulls losing to the Rockets. its might shock you and you might need to call the paramedics to revive you oh, i put games in the 80s also. cause there's this huge perception that Jordan made it to the finals before Dream, somehow the 86 Rockets were harder to find then weapons of mass destruction. Jordan was great, i accept everything about him which is fact. However when I witness with my own eyes that his team could not touch The Dream's team, I know the truth. Fortunately I'm a Rockets fan, and I take great pride in knowing we owned the Bulls cause I saw it. It happened. Who cares about what if? I care about what did!
word I was 13 in 1990 and watched almost every Rox game in the early/mid 90's and that's exactly what I remember...I mean know
being serious, or sarcastic? do you know me? or you are that type of person who have an emotional response towards it if the situations were reversed... lol
