We already have a thread on Astrodome memories... ...since i've never been to a rockets playoffs or finals game, my best memory was the first rockets game i ever went to...it was '94...i was 9 years old... and we were playing mitch richmond and the sacramento kings
Went to watch the Hagler vs. Leonard fight via satellite. Good fight. Bad result. Prince 1999 concert. That tops any Rocket game that I've been to (no finals appearances).
Game 3 1976-77 NBA Playoffs. Philadelphia 76ers at Houston Rockets. My first time seeing the great Dr. J live. What an athlete. The Doctor, George McGinnis, Doug Collins, a very good 76er team that lost in the finals that year to the Bill Walton led Portland Trailblazers. The Rockets won this game 118-94. John Lucas had a great game and Moses had his usual 27 pt 18 reb game. Buying a $6 ticket and sneaking down to the 4th row from the floor (the Summit was empty) to watch Larry Bird (rookie year) look like a man among boys. Even as a rookie, he was so much better than most NBA players. The man was born to play basketball. Worst memory- Seeing Ralph Sampson blow out his knee against the Golden State Warriors
I was at Game 5 between the Rockets and the suns during our first championship run. The birth of Clutch City. We got off the first 9 points of the game and that's the first time I felt like we could actually win it all. Up until that very moment, I didn't believe.
Back in 1991 I believe, when Olajuwon came back for his first home game from his Eye injury from Bill Cartwright. I was 9 at the time and remembered that I begged my dad to go to the game because they were giving out foam goggles. Great Times. Went to the last regular season of the 95 Championship season vs. the Jazz but lost that game. My sister was to last class to graduate under the Summit name in 1996. As for Compaq Center memories: 09/13/01: Went to WWF/E Smackdown, cosidered the biggest event that happened after 9/11 Oct/Nov 2002: Went to Yao's first home game ever (vs. Phil) and regular home game (vs. Tor). April 2003: Last Rockets game EVER at the Compaq Center
My greatest memory was: The season we got Skippin' Quitin' Pippen my aunt from League City bought me courtside...yes courtside seats to a game with Pippen's future team, the Portland Trailblazers. I got to see Olajuwon, Barkley, and Pippen and even got to talk to Mobley, Matt Bullard, M. Dickerson, and Rasheed Wallace. I couldn't talk to Olajuwon, Barkley or Pippen because they all had security guards with them. Anyway, during his stretching routine Olajuwon looks up and I'm staring at him and then BAM!!! he flashes a smile at me and waves. Great time. Oh yeah, we won the game.
I didn't get to go to too many rox games, so I'll have to go the concert route.... I went to a Beastie Boys concert back in high school when "Ill Communication" came out, from what I recall. We had floor/ general admission tickets, and people kept trying to jump the barricades from the seated areas to get down to the floor, and security was going crazy trying to stop them. I know because at one point, some dude had jumped the barricade and ran into the back of my knees trying to escape a security guard. I remember thinking, "WTF?" turning around, and seeing some boozed up guy being dragged off Anyway, it was a blast. The Roots were one of the opening acts as well, and I remember being impressed.
Hakeems last game as a Rocket vs Minnesota. The rockets played their best of game of the year they completely whooped them, the place was going wild. I also attended Rudy T's last game vs phoenix if I would have known that would have been his last than it would be most memorable for me.
My favorite Compaq Center memories are.... Bruce Springsteen - 1978 Grateful Dead - 1978 Queen - 1978 Eric Clapton (with Muddy Waters opening) -1979...Muddy was great and Clapton was drunk out of his mind and only played a 45 minute show...he even fell down during one song! Bruce Springsteen - 1980 The Who - 1980
My favorite summit memory was back in the late 80s. Not sure wich year though. But it was back when people used to shoot a free throw, a 3 pointer and a half court shot and try to win a car. Well, as luck would have it, my dads seat was chosen and he gave me the ticket. Each time, they would choose 3 people and I was the 3rd to shoot. The 1st guy was shooting Rick Barry style and didn't come close. The 2nd guy missed his 1st and airballed his next 2. So I am up. At the time, I was on the Bball team in junior high and felt I was a pretty good shooter. I had always shot FTs pretty well. Yet, I ended up missing all three FTs and of course, there were some boos. Makes a 13 year old feel pretty good. However, I take pride in the fact that I came much closer than the other 2 guys. A few years later, I remember attending a game where two people made their FT, the 3 pt shot and the half court heave at the same game. The crowd went nuts!!! One of my other favorite moments was seeing Mad Max send the Heat game into OT in 1993 with one of his miracles.
Great story, codell. My Dad had season tickets all through the 80's and he would take me to all the weekend games. I saw 2 people make the halfcourt shot and the crowd went crazy both times. One time the players were coming onto the court and they were all high fiving him. My Dads seat got picked one night. He played basketball at Oklahoma State for 2 years in college until he hurt his back. Anyway, he swished the first free throw. He swished the 3 pointer. Pops had a sweet jumper. He made it to the halfcourt shot and hit the backboard. So close! They gave him a $250 gift certificate to Randalls or something like that. They should bring that contest back. When someone made the shot, the crowd was energized for the rest of the game.
ID2K, I bet you were are talking about the same game (the one where two people won the car). I attended most home games up until I graduated from HS. I rarely remember only one person winning the car, mush less two. I am certain that the dual winners only happened once. I agree that they should bring it back. Its better than alot of the crap they have at halftime nowadays. However, nothing is worse than some of the Maverick halftime shows of the mid 90s. A friend and I had to sit through turkey bowling once.
2 in 1 game? Nope, it was 2 seperate games for me, but that must have been incredible. I wonder how they did that because they only had that one car behind the goal. They also used to have that contest sponsored by an airline where they would put different destinations on different spots on the court and have someone shoot from a spot ala H-O-R-S-E. If you hit the shot, you got tickets to the destination you hit it from. They always had Cancun at the 3 point line and the crappy places as 10 footers. The whole thing was timed, I think 30 seconds or something like that. That was fun too.
All of the B-Ball games I have went to and the concerts.. Journey, Rage Against The Machine, etc. Taking the kids to Disney on Ice....Great times.
I went to the draft the year that the Rockets drafted Robert Horry. Rockets turn comes up and Harold "Baby Jordan" Minor is still unclaimed. You should have heard the din when Robert "Who" Horry's name is called out by Rocket brass.
Too many to detail since I used to work as local crew for the concerts that came there for a while. Standouts in my mind: While working the load-out for the first Metallica show on the Black Album tour, we went back to catering for something to drink, and got to hangout with James, Jason, and Kirk..drinking beers and relaxing after an excellent high-energy show. They were really cool and didnt mind hanging out with us working stiffs. Ozzy's first retirement tour with Alice in Chains opening for him was also excellent because the roadies we were working with gave us passes and sent us out to scout for "free spirited" women that deserved to come backstage. You would not believe what some girls are willing to do for backstage passes. and also Alice in Chains absolutley kicked a$$! and as far as Rockets related, the Smeg game was a lot of fun because for once, I was sitting around a bunch of fanatical Rockets fans!
I used to get some sweet ****ing tickets directly behind the opponents bench through my stepfather so I've got some up close memories: - Don Nelson tried to have me thrown out back in '98. Here I was this fifteen year old punk just riding him, then I accidently let loose an f-bomb and he told security to shut me up. - My brother-in-law and I threatening to kick Steve Javie's ass after he ejected Clyde. - Getting Kevin Willis to chunk me the heart thump salute of his that was all the rage back then. - Running into Calvin Murphy, shaking his hand and telling him that he was "the boss, applesauce!!!" Was at Game Three '98 when we went up 2-1 on the Jazz. Loudest and funnest game I've ever been to. Outside of that, I had to steal RM95's seat and got a picture with Bostjan Nachbar at Smeggypalooza.
Seeing one of the best defensive plays ever, when Hakeem ran down the court and swatted a Kevin Johnson dunk on a breakaway. KJ had no idea what just happened.
