I can think of four right off the top of my head (and my answers): 1. What if the refs correctly rule the DRob tip-in at the buzzer no good in '93? ANSWER: We have a 58-24 record and homecourt against the Sonics. We beat them in the 7th game at the Summit, from there, who knows... 2. What if Charles Barkley had not been injured midway through game 4 of the first round series against Utah in '98? ANSWER: We win game 4, and the series. We also beat San Antonio & LA to reach our 3rd Finals in 5 years. 3. What if MJ doesn't retire, and plays the 1993-94 season? ANSWER: We win in 7 games. 4. What if Ralph Sampson is injury-free, and our guards "Just Say No" to drugs? ANSWER: The Lakers beat us in '87 and '88, but we make it back to the Finals in '89, losing to Detroit, but get revenge next year, winning 4-2 in the Finals. In '91 we beat LA and then an upstart Bulls team in the Finals, who comes back to win in '92 and '93. By '94 Hakeem and Ralph are both hitting their peak, and we win the '94, '95, and '96 Finals, with Sampson retiring after one of the greatest Finals of all-time, with the Rockets winning game 7 in OT against the 72-win Bulls. Hakeem retires two years later, and the Rockets run is over, with 5 championships and Finals appearances in '86, '89, '90, '91, '92, '94, '95, '96. The Rockets-Bulls series in the 90s is considered the equivalent of the Lakers-Celtics in the 80s. The late 80s to mid 90s Rockets with their "twin towers" and great supporting cast is considered by most experts to be the 2nd best dynasty in NBA history, with the 50s-60s Celtics ranking first...... (Hey, I can dream can't I?)
On this one, you have got to be kidding. Using what logic, they beat the Rockets the year before with basically the same team and Rockets the same. I mean really, based on what logic? We were old they were better.
It always depressed me to think about Ralph and all the "what ifs". Sampson was truley a freak of nature. 7'4'' and 250 lbs and could do it all. Played inside, played outside, could pass, dribble and play difference. The best reason to always hate Boston is for their crappy court.
Thanks. That would rank #2 in the "what if" category for me. #1 would be : what if we had drafted Hakeem, drafted Drexler instead of McCray, and traded Sampson for the #3 pick which turned out to be Jordan as the legend says we were offered...
pga, I am sure you watched both series. While both teams were the same, the two series couldn't have been more different. In '97 we were coming off a grueling 7 game set with the Sonics, and dropped the first two in Utah. We won game three and barely won game four to tie, but then lost the next two. In '98 our players were better rested and we jumped out to a 1-0 and 2-1 lead, and were winning in game 4 when Barkley was injured. After that they destroyed us in game 4, and won by double digits in game 5. Trust me, the injury made a huge difference.
Lord there are buncha whiny ass senior members on this bbs. What the hell else do you guys want to talk about? Salary cap figures and make-believe games?
i want cheese with my whine, damnit! . . . . . . sorry, i'm a little edgey today. ex-girlfriend problems. i think i'll go drink until i forget about my problem..... hooray beer!
Oh great... I hope you're not one of those knuckleheads that like to post when they're drunk! Hey P Moon how long have you been a Rockets fan? You seem to go back a bit.
I was born in 1980, and the earliest I really remember is the '87 season. (Don't know why I haven't come to this board sooner) I grew up watching ol' channel 20 with Bill and Calvin. I enjoy looking back to those years because they were pretty successful, even though it seemed like we got knocked out in the first round every year (actually I think it was 3 years in a row), so I guess the late 80s Rockets were like the modern day Astros.
Also, the most memorable non-playoff game I've ever attended was Vernon Maxwell's last second 3 vs. Miami. I think that was '91 or '92. I've always wondered that too. Another is: What if the Seattle Sonics go under due to financial troubles in 1981?
What if Steve's Migraines never existed? Answer: Kelvin Cato is our starting center next season and we have no chance of making it to the playoffs.
Not to be a pain, but if we did draft Drexler, then the Blazers would probably have looked a lot harder at Jordan at #2 the following year. The reason they didn't draft Jordan was because they had Drexler already. Also, from what I remember, Jack Ramsey said they would have traded the #2 pick for Sampson (assuming they still had Drexler), so we could have also taken Jordan. I'm pretty sure that the Bulls intended to take Jordan all along and were not interested in trading the #3 for Sampson.
What if Karl Malone was a nice guy and didn't bear-hug Clyde to free up Stockton to beat us with that shot?
