Questions after watching the "Clutch City" documentary

1. Gene Peterson does radio and yes he's absolutely the best. His emotions send chills through car speakers everywhere back in the day.

2.Carl Herrera a great backup, he was critical vs the Knicks.
Scottie brooks was relevant in the regular season... then this rookie started getting play time


3. The valiant hero and fire of Clutch City is mentoring young children
God Bless Vernon Maxwell, and may his haters burn in Hell.

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4.The city of houston was labeled Choke City because of the Oilers, Astros, UH. And the Rockets blew the first two games vs Phoenix .

The Rockets were always a tight family like organization (before Les screwed up the uniforms etc) you have the same broadcasters, tv people for many many years, the coach Rudy T was a Rocket at heart.

Basically people were honking their horns all night, driving down Richmond Ave and Westheimer slowly and enjoying the bliss.

It was like you were in a Dream.

 

I'll answer 4- it first started for me in 1986 (wasn't in Houston in 1981). After Sampson hit that shot and the Rockets made it to the Finals, it was crazy. Signs everywhere, etc. Akeem, at the time, lived in Northgate Forest in the FM 1960 area, and there were signs all over his front yard in front of the fence (and his gate to the driveway had "A" on the left side and "O" on the right). Same with 1994 and 1995. Indescribable feeling of unity. Richmond was Mardi Gras in 1995 after Game 4. Those that were here know why fans invest time in their teams- even for those a-championship-every-20-years cities, the euphoria of the "run" is something you never, ever forget.

 

Random. I just re-watched Clutch City and Double Clutch tonight for no reason.

 

Scott brooks - greatest rockets cheerleader ever !!!!

 

Past two days I have watched the rockets playoffs of their glorious championship runs. Still gives me chills.

 

4. Imagine a 6-7 week event with every day escalating more and more until the entire city is one gigantic party.

I remember going to SRO Champions and holding seats and tables for co-workers and friends like 2 hours before game time. It was what you had to do to get a seat. I remember SRO also having to put big screen TV's in the parking lot so people could watch the game. I remember the yellow "Clutch City" and "Believe it" signs in EVERYONE'S rear window. I remember every business with a sign had something that was supporting the Rockets. I remember the t-shirts going on sale at practically every spot in town and Academy opening right after the championships were won so folks could buy the official T's and hats.

Its been 18 years but I remember all this like yesterday. It was just so damn fun I doubt I'll ever forget it. And it CEMENTED my fanhood for life.

 

I've been telling all the newbs, people who experienced Clutch City, it's in their hearts forever. You can have demencia and you'll still remember that Dream blocked Starks in game 6.

 

Man, I was so young but I remember my dad was a teacher and Sam Cassell visited his school... I was thrilled to just have his name signed on some piece of yellow paper... Still have it.

 

Dude, I f**king lived at SRO at Champions practically. At the time, I was working at Spaghetti Warehouse in front of Willowbrook Mall. We would go in between our shifts and after our shifts to watch the games. Remember Game 7 against Phoenix? We got out at 2:30 after the lunch shift, just in time to watch the game- but we had to be back by 4. Screw that crap. Not only did we go into work drunk (I swear, my customers had to have known), but we all got written up for being late. Best write-up of my life.

To top that, I actually quit my job at Bookstop for the same reason. I was working there at the same as Spag WH, right across from the mall. I tried like hell to get Game 5 of the Utah series off, but they wouldn't let me out of work. I drove to Bookstop, sat in the parking lot for about 10 minutes, turned around and went straight to SRO Champions. Never set foot in Bookstop again, not even to get my check. Totally worth it. I ran screaming in the parking lot after we won that series- people don't realize how futile it felt being down by 8 in Utah with less than 4 minutes left- in Utah, I must repeat.

 

Bookstop and Spaghetti Warehouse....

How on earth these businesses ever existed is beyond me

Walden books > bookstop

Anything > Spaghetti Warehouse

 

How about this one: Victor's Restaurant. One still exists on FM 1960, the one in Sugar Land closed down. A Jewish-styled delicatessen owned by a native of Turkey with an all-Hispanic kitchen staff in Texas. When I worked there from 1996 to 1997 in Sugar Land, Robert Horry, Sam Cassell, Mario Elie, Moses Malone, Mike Hampton, Carl Herrera, and Charles Barkley's wife all dined there, waited on all of them. All tipped great and were nice, except one: Sam Mack. Of all people, Sam Mack asked to get his meal free because "I'm a Rocket." Sam freaking Mack was the cheap, obnoxious one.

 

I would agree that Scott Brooks was the best cheerleader, and that's not sarcasm, he had the whole bench out of their seats cheering the team on the floor. That was new for us. And that really made a difference. It brought the team together. Something I think that is undervalued by most teams. He was ok on the floor, and for a short time was the go-to point guard in the final minutes, though I don't think that lasted for very long. He brought the team together in ways I had never seen before. And it if you ever played tecmo basketball, he never misses.

 

I had his call from Game 7 v. Knicks in my phone system at work for a long time. It was late in the 4th Q, Rockets had the lead, one more score would have probably iced it. Hakeem got the ball on the right side, pivoted right then left, was covered, almost threw up a shot but then flicked it to Vernon Maxwell at the last moment. There was a little bit of panic in that pass. You could actually see it in Hakeem's eyes. But Maxwell calmly canned the three with the shot clock running out (as a side note: I recall my head actually hitting the ceiling as I came off the sofa). We had clinched the first championship of any kind right there and Gene's call was epic. That 30 seconds needs to be in the Houston Sports Hall of Fame as THE greatest single moment ever for the long-suffering Houston fan. Since I had it in the phone system, I could play it anytime I wanted. I lived in DC at the time, around alot of New Yorkers and could easily forward it to them as well. I wish I still had it as I would happily send it to you. Since he worked in Houston, Gene will never get the credit on the national level he deserved. He was greatness.

 

Yes, it was. Especially for those of us fortunate to be in the stands for game 7.

For the second championship, Richmond Strip was unlike anything I'd ever seen before. Everyone was high fiving, partying, climbing on moving buses and I even witnessed a cop take a hit off of a spliff. That was impressive.

 

And nary a riot to be seen, thats how you win

 

I don't think my generation will ever experience this (in Houston) in our lives.
Too many fake fans, fairweather fans, and bandwagoners.

 

Yup. I don't think anyone would have had any interest to destroy anything or even fight. Blacks, whites, Latinos, Asian- We were all a HUGE hug/high five fest. One of the best nights of my life, so much fun!

 

agreed

 

Yep. Me and a bunch of guys/girls (I was 18) were driving on Richmond. It was a parking lot! Everybody drinking, running around, high-fiving, horns honking, nothing but Rockets euphoria and love.