Along with the Kennedy Assassination and September 11, one of the saddest days in American History. RIP 1996-97 Houston Rockets
I generally recall that incident as "The Bearhug." "The Shot" happened in 1986 in the Western Conference Finals.
why did you have to hurt me with this shi!t AntiSonic? Dude I was having a decent day - just starting to get over this years debacle... and then you go and force this one on me?
This wasn't a series where game 7 was a guaranteed win (like if Mike Scott was pitching). The Jazz were the better team... just like they were this year (btw, they had a 7 point lead with 2 minutes left when Stockton decided to go off on Maloney... the bearhug wasn't the least of their problems).
You are either a liar or a Kool-Aid drinker. The Jazz cheated their way throughout the enitre series and the NBA handed them the Western crown because they knew the Rockets had a better shot at defeating the Bulls.
ohhh man, i REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY wanted to play the Bulls that year and prove once and for all that we could kick their ass. How sweet would it have been if we ended their dynasty.
I'm drinking the kool-aid? Whatever. Maloney couldn't guard Stockton, and Barkley couldn't guard Malone. They couldn't guard Hakeem, but Clyde didn't expose Hornacek/Russell all that much till game 6. We needed heroic efforts from a 50-something year old Eddie Johnson to even keep it a close series... and I'm pretty sure the NBA would have been fine with a Houston-Chicago, Jordan-Drexler, Barkley-Rodman, Pippen- Hakeem series. Not to mention that they'd be getting two top 10 media markets at a time when the NBA was thriving in Jordan's popularity (over the paltry SLC market).
It's hard to guard someone who's allowed to foul you on every possession. The bearhug should be proof enough, but I'm sure there are countless other examples someone could dig up. I remember seeing a clip where Stockton freaking punches Maloney and gets away with it. 1998 series proved a healthy Houston with halfway fair officiating eats Utah's lunch. Rockets would have won 3-1 if Barkley didn't get hurt. EAT IT.
Not only was there a bear hug, but even if you take malone's arms off he was blatantly moving as he set the "screen." So there was a moving screen AND a bear hug. The Broadcasters even mentioned a breakdown on defense. Well, its tough to NOT have a breakdown on D when on offensive player bearhugs and sets a moving pick on a defender. Out in the open court.
98 proved that Kevin Willis should have played more in 1997. He defended Malone better, and Barkley provided more energy than he did off the bench. And in the end, it all still wasn't enough in 98 either... you're not going to win many series going 1-5 in Utah over the two years.
One could even say RIP Houston Rockets as it was this shot that started their downward spiral from the upper echelon into the state of mediocrity they have cemented themselves in for the past 10 years. '97 was the last hurrah. They haven't won a playoff series since then nor have they realistically been legit contenders.
One could even say that this all had just a little bit to do with a certain #34 not being all-world anymore.
Rockets had a commanding lead in game four prior to Barkley going down. You could tell by looking in the beady little eyes of the Jazz that they were defeated. Barkley's injury is the only thing that saved them.
Except that Willis was god awful in the playoffs in '97 capped off by his embarrassing fight with Shawn Kemp and subsequent suspension.
It was a 6 point lead... and Barkley's injury shouldn't have translated to the eventual 22 point loss at home. They figured out how to defend Kevin Willis after game 1, and Hakeem didn't have the dominating game he brought in game 3. Clyde was actually our best/most consistent player that year. They had a commanding lead in game 6 in 97 with 2 minutes to go... and Clyde didn't need to shoot with time left on the clock. There are a lot of "ifs"... not enough wins. Hell, the Suns likely win game 7 in 1995 if Barkley doesn't hurt his knee in game 6 (and even then, it took the Rockets half the game to stop doubling Barkley... Walton recognized from the get-go he was being used as a decoy).
He was still a better defender than Barkley. By 98, Hakeem was coming off the surgery, and Barkley was another year older. Willis was the reason we won the game in Utah (and a big reason why we were able to finish .500 at all that year).
If I recall correctly, we held a 15 point lead and looked to be in complete control until Antoine Carr tore Barkley's triceps muscle.
