(c) The Associated Press, 1995 HOUSTON (06-14-95) -- Like so many other teams this season, the Orlando Magic simply had no answer to Hakeem Olajuwon. They were in good company. Utah tried. Phoenix tried. San Antonio tried. All with the same sorry result. "If I knew how to solve him, I wouldn't be sitting here 0-4," Magic coach Brian Hill said. Olajuwon -- controlling the boards, powering through the lane, even hitting a 3-pointer -- dominated the playoffs and carried the Rockets to a second straight title Wednesday night and a four-game sweep of the Magic. It was the second consecutive year he was honored as the finals MVP. This time, he averaged 32.8 points, 11.5 rebounds and shot 48 percent. He put an exclamation point on the 113-101 victory with a 3-pointer in the closing seconds. "I'm surprised," an elated Olajuwon deadpanned when asked his reaction to the honor. "That's a big accomplishment being voted MVP. I think it's a special award. I'm grateful." Olajuwon was more intent on sharing the finals victory with teammate Clyde Drexler, his former college teammate who is now an NBA champion at last. "I'm just so happy for Clyde," he said. Said Drexler: "He's the best player on the planet." Olajuwon's 3-pointer came with 11.4 seconds left. "He's been working on that all year long," said Drexler, laughing. "For next year, he's including that 3-point shot in his repertoire. They're not going to know what to do with him now." _____________________________________________ http://www.chron.com/content/chronicle/sports/rocketfinal/ visit this site if you want to see old articles about the championship yrs. I love this one.. we once dominated Utah u know? 7:28 PM 06/17/95 Second title run starts with win over Utah By CARLTON THOMPSON Houston Chronicle Fluke City. That's what the rest of the country whispered about the Rockets behind closed doors. The experts wondered how the Rockets could expect to defend their NBA title as a No. 6 seed. They wondered how the Rockets expected to get past a solid Utah Jazz team that had finished the season on a seven-game winning streak. Meanwhile, the Rockets finished 15 games out of first place in the Midwest Division and stumbled into the playoffs on the heels of three consecutive losses. To make matters worse, the Rockets began the series without power forward Carl Herrera, who was nursing a dislocated shoulder. Jazz power forward Karl Malone just had completed an MVP-type season. So with all the logical factors taken into account, the so-called experts were left with only one seemingly sound conclusion: the Rockets had no chance to defend the first major championship their city had ever known. Of course, we now know the Rockets make a habit of defying logic, as the Jazz found out in this best-of-five series. The series opened in Salt Lake City, with the Jazz -- who had adopted the slogan ``It's Our Year'' after a 60-win regular season -- taking the first game 102-100 at the Delta Center. Vernon Maxwell missed a 3-pointer that could have won the game for the Rockets. Houston wasted a mammoth 45-point effort from center Hakeem Olajuwon, who set the tone for what would become his career-defining stretch of basketball. Clyde Drexler, who joined the Rockets in February, scored just seven points. Utah got a combined 53 points from its dynamic duo of Malone and point guard John Stockton, but it was the Jazz bench that ultimately did in the Rockets, outscoring Houston's bench 37-9. The biggest drama of the series took place off the court. Prior to Game 2 at the Delta Center, Maxwell claimed he had a hamstring injury and was sent back to Houston, further depleting coach Rudy Tomjanovich's rotation. Maxwell had shown no signs of injuring his leg in Game 1, and a Salt Lake City television station reported he had been seen out dancing at a popular nightclub. Maxwell also had been spotted in a heated discussion with Tomjanovich in a back hallway of the Delta Center. Maxwell, who played 16 minutes in Game 1, apparently was displeased with his playing time. The Rockets tried to blow off Maxwell's latest episode as no big deal, but it was crystal clear we had not heard the last of Mad Max. Oh, by the way, the Rockets bounced back to trounce the Jazz in Game 2. Houston routed Utah 140-126 behind Kenny Smith, who scored 32 points and made 7 of 8 from 3-point range. The Rockets set a playoff record with 19 3-pointers, and the series headed to The Summit tied 1-1. Once again, the on-court product had to share the headlines with Maxwell. One day before Game 3, Maxwell requested and received a leave of absence in a move that probably marked the end of his six-year career with the Rockets. Maxwell's agent issued a statement saying the player was leaving the team to address a number of personal matters and that no further comments would be made until after the playoffs. Yeah, right. A few weeks later -- the playoffs still in progress -- Maxwell admitted to concocting the stories about his hamstring and personal problems. He said he left the team because of reduced playing time. Meanwhile, the Rockets' backs were to the wall after Utah stole Game 3 in Houston, putting the Rockets a game away from elimination. Herrera re-dislocated his shoulder in Game 4 and was lost for the remainder of the playoffs. The Rockets took Game 4 behind 41 points from Drexler and 40 from Olajuwon, setting the stage for the fifth and final game in Utah. The Rockets showed their championship mettle, overcoming a 12-point deficit late in the third quarter to bounce the Jazz from the playoffs. Olajuwon averaged 35 points a game in the series, including 33 in the decisive contest. He scored six consecutive points down the stretch to propel the Rockets to the Western Conference semifinals. Fluke City? Not so fast. ------------------ Mind is the fore-runner of conditions. Mind is chief; and they are mind-made. If, with an impure mind, one speaks or acts, then pain follows one even as the wheel, the hoof of the ox. Mind is the fore-runner of conditions. Mind is chief; and they are mind-made. If, with a pure mind, one speaks or acts, then happiness follows one even as the shadow that never leaves.
Brings back alot of memorys. Im going to cry, but first .. GET YOUR TOPIC INTO THE CORRECT FORUM. ------------------ "You look a team that's been to the mountaintop like the Houston Rockets, I'm going to put pressure on myself to be the best possible player that I can be. With the pieces they already have in place and myself, we can do some amazing things next season." Maurice Taylor
Hey this has to do w/the rockets ... past yes, but still rockets related ! and who are you to tell me to post it in correct forum ? just cause of the overinflated amt. of post u have ??? I still was here long before you ! ------------------ Mind is the fore-runner of conditions. Mind is chief; and they are mind-made. If, with an impure mind, one speaks or acts, then pain follows one even as the wheel, the hoof of the ox. Mind is the fore-runner of conditions. Mind is chief; and they are mind-made. If, with a pure mind, one speaks or acts, then happiness follows one even as the shadow that never leaves.
Errr . . . correct forum? This is the correct forum. Both articles do fit in the category of "game action" even if they are a little bit nostalgic. I think that you need to go back to the Serious Police Academy for further training ------------------
This is very interesting reading ... check it out ! They use the rockets as an example for early 90's season. http://www.tsoft.net/~deano/articles/indivwl.html ------------------ Mind is the fore-runner of conditions. Mind is chief; and they are mind-made. If, with an impure mind, one speaks or acts, then pain follows one even as the wheel, the hoof of the ox. Mind is the fore-runner of conditions. Mind is chief; and they are mind-made. If, with a pure mind, one speaks or acts, then happiness follows one even as the shadow that never leaves.
want to see some real cool info on Hakeem..? http://www.unc.edu/~lbrooks2/olaj.html ============================================ Info on Clyde: http://www.unc.edu/~lbrooks2/clyde.html ============================================ Real cool essay on Hakeem tha Dream http://www.lifemag.com/Life/essay/hakeem/hakeem01.html ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Cool Hakeem page http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/Arena/5311/menu.htm ============================================ interesting USAfrica online interview w/Hakeem http://www.usafricaonline.com/olajuwonbb.html hope you guys enjoy this links ------------------ Mind is the fore-runner of conditions. Mind is chief; and they are mind-made. If, with an impure mind, one speaks or acts, then pain follows one even as the wheel, the hoof of the ox. Mind is the fore-runner of conditions. Mind is chief; and they are mind-made. If, with a pure mind, one speaks or acts, then happiness follows one even as the shadow that never leaves.
