i cannot belive that there is a rockets fan out there that does not know what clutchcity means. those were awesome years. kiss...of...death.
hehe. How many times do we have to tell people you can't be a fan of both teams. It's against the law folks.
Here's the story of Clutch city(not Choke city) in Chinese Version: NBA¾ÅÊ®Äê´úÇ¿¶ÓÖ®Ò» -1993-95 ÐÝÊ¿¶Ù»ð¼ý
Actually, the team had adopted the motto of "Clutch City" before the newspaper headline. I hate it that the Chronicle and Sefko get credit for that when all they did was steal it from the team. Here are a couple of articles from the Chronicle archives: CHOKE CITY: Rockets lose 20-point lead infourth quarter to Suns By EDDIE SEFKO Staff The fans came back. Unfortunately, so did the Phoenix Suns. What was supposed to be an all-for-one show of strength turned into one incredible fourth-quarter collapse Wednesday night as the Rockets blew a 20-point lead in the final 10 minutes to lose 124-117 in overtime at The Summit. No team has lost a bigger lead in the fourth quarter of a playoff game. It was a gag of the same proportion as the Oilers' 41-38 overtime playoff loss in Buffalo 16 months ago when they led 35-3 early in the third quarter. "Everybody feels terrible about this," coach Rudy Tomjanovich said. "It's a very hard, depressing thing to go through." The Rockets fell behind 2-0 in the Western Conference semifinals, which continue Friday night at America West Arena in Phoenix. Only one team -- the 1969 Los Angeles Lakers -- has rallied to win a seven-game series after losing the first two games at home. Charles Barkley had 34 points for the Suns, who relied on Barkley, Kevin Johnson and Dan Majerle to bring them back from an ominous 104-84 deficit in the final 10 minutes. But it was the Rockets' faulty execution offensively that opened the floodgates and left a wildly enthusiastic sellout crowd frustrated. The Rockets, who got 31 points and 17 rebounds from Hakeem Olajuwon, were outscored 26-8 in the fourth quarter, shot 3 -for-18 from the field and had five turnovers. They went cold and played with the common sense of a sixth-grade team down the stretch, which might be an insult to sixth-graders. In a span of just more than seven minutes, they scored one point as the Suns chipped away at the lead. Even the Rockets admitted they threw their savvy out the window in the fourth quarter. They resorted to outside jump shots after trying to force the ball in to Olajuwon, who had only three points on 1-for-5 shooting in the fourth quarter. "They collapsed very strong inside," Olajuwon said. "That's why we needed to penetrate and try different things. We cannot depend on outside shots. They wanted us to shoot outside shots, and that's what we did. We played right into their hands." Added forward Robert Horry: "They were keying on one play, and we still kept running it. That's just my opinion, but we got too predictable. "It's ridiculous. Here we are with some of us talking about how much we want the fans to get behind us. We talked too much about that and didn't focus on winning the game. "I don't blame the fans. I wouldn't show up for the next game either." There might not be another home game unless the Rockets can win at least once in Phoenix. As for the fans, they put aside the feud that started when several players lashed out at them for failing to sell out Game 1 on Sunday. The crowd did everything it was supposed to Wednesday. So did the Rockets, until the fourth quarter. The Rockets missed 14 of their last 15 shots in the period. Cedric Ceballos and Barkley combined for eight Phoenix points as they climbed within 105-92 with 5:30 to play. When Majerle hit a 3 -pointer with 3 :25 to go, the Rockets' lead was down to eight points. Were it not for Sam Cassell's prayer of a 3 -pointer with 2:34 to go, the Rockets would have gone scoreless in the final 6:48. Cassell's attempt came just as the shot clock was expiring. Up 108-97, the Rockets kept doing the same things that had eroded their lead -- chunking up outside shots with time left on the shot clock and turning the ball over. When Barkley converted a three-point play, then hit two free throws with 1:28 to go, the Suns had pulled to within 108-105. The Rockets suffered a senseless turnover when Cassell tried to make a pass in to Carl Herrera but had it stolen. When Danny Ainge hit a 3 -pointer with 32.9 seconds left, the game was tied. Both teams missed shots to end it in regulation as Olajuwon had a baseline jumper rim out and Barkley missed from 18 feet at the buzzer. Somehow, you just knew the Suns would romp when they forced the overtime. They did. The Rockets got a three-point play from Olajuwon to go up 111-109, but Johnson scored and, after a Cassell turnover, Majerle got loose on the break for a layup and a 113-111 Phoenix lead. Cassell missed two shots and had a turnover. When Barkley hit a 3 -pointer, the Suns went up 116-111, and the lead grew to nine before the Rockets made a couple of late 3 -pointers. It was an amazing turnaround from early in Wednesday's game, when the Rockets had won back their fans, with whom players had had a two-day feud about Game 1 not selling out. The fans were as loud as they had been all season, providing a wonderful atmosphere and a legitimate sixth-man inspiration. The Rockets rang up 40 points in the third, but it was simply a setup for a crushing letdown. .... Choke City The Rockets' NBA-record 20-point fourth-quarter collapse against Phoenix on Wednesday night was just the latest in a long line of blown leads by Houston teams: The Oilers: On Jan. 3 , 1993, the Oilers blew an NFL playoff-record 32-point lead against Buffalo in a first-round game. The Bills came back from a 35-3 second-half deficit to win 41-38 in overtime. The Astros: On Oct. 15, 1986, the Astros lost a 3 -0, ninth-inning lead in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series with New York. The Mets won a series-clinching 7-6 decision in 16 innings. The University of Houston: On April 4, 1983, the No. 1-ranked Cougars tossed away a five-point lead late in the game and with it the NCAA championship when North Carolina State's Lorenzo Charles slammed home an airball at the buzzer to give the Wolfpack a 54-52 win in Albuquerque, N.M. The Astros: On Oct. 12, 1980, the Astros, with Nolan Ryan on the mound, coughed up a 5-2 lead in the eighth inning of Game 5 of the NL playoffs. The Phillies scored five times in the eighth and went to the World Series after an 8-7, 10-inning win. The University of Houston: On Jan. 1, 1979, in the Cotton Bowl, UH built a 34-12 lead on a frigid, windy winter afternoon. Operating with the wind at its back in the fourth quarter, Notre Dame scored three touchdowns -- the last as time ran out -- for a 35-34 comeback win over the Cougars. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summary By EDDIE SEFKO Staff Herrera lost Forward Carl Herrera suffered a dislocated right shoulder with 8:24 to go in the second quarter, and his status for the rest of the playoffs is in question. The injury came when Phoenix forward Cedric Ceballos drove the lane and smashed into Herrera, who was attempting to draw an offensive foul. Instead, Herrera hit the floor hard and was called for the foul. Herrera was escorted to the Rockets' locker room, where his shoulder was popped back into place. Herrera did not return to Tuesday's game. A dislocated shoulder sometimes requires a few weeks to heal. His status for Thursday's game and the rest of the playoffs will be evaluated today. Another scare Vernon Maxwell has hit the floor more times in this series than the ballboys' mops. Late in the first quarter Tuesday night, he was undercut by Phoenix's Kevin Johnson and hit the deck hard as the two raced for a loose ball. Maxwell came up clutching his left wrist and had to come out of the game. Johnson was called for a foul on the play. Maxwell suffered a broken navicular bone in his right hand late last season but returned in the first round of the playoffs and played inspiringly in the postseason. He suffered a sprained tendon on his right hand in Game 3 against Portland that has nagged him against Phoenix. Maxwell returned with 9:28 to go in the second quarter with his left wrist taped. Moving up Comments by forward Matt Bullard that bring his commitment to the greater good into question are not the only reason coach Rudy Tomjanovich has elevated 6-7 Chris Jent as the spot player when the Rockets need a bigger outside shooting threat. Bullard has played only two minutes in one game in the Phoenix series and hasn't gotten off the bench in the past three. Bullard openly questioned the play-calling after the Rockets lost a 20-point fourth-quarter lead in Game 2. Tomjanovich is not one to carry a grudge, but it is a concern about how strong Bullard's commitment is if he openly questions strategies. But Jent's play during practices is the main reason he is seeing playing time. "The guy has really, really been playing well in practice situations," Tomjanovich said. "He's earned the chance." Jent played in Games 3 and 4, accumulating 16 minutes and holding his own throughout. Jent got a kick out of the fact Phoenix guard Kevin Johnson didn't know who the newcomer was. "They put in that Jent guy," Johnson said. "I don't even know his first name." Replied Jent, "He'd better find out." Bullard said before Tuesday's game that he isn't upset about the situation. "The way I see it, we're all going to get rings out of it," Bullard said. New motto The Rockets have latched on to "Clutch City " as their new catch phrase. They put "Clutch City , Texas" on The Summit's billboard facing the Southwest Freeway and distributed placards with the phrase on it to fans at Tuesday's game.
Word. I didn't even think about it. Goes to show, even if you make it to a championship game/series, and even if someone's favorite team beats you, that person still won't associate you with that team down the road of the top of their head.
"They put in that Jent guy," Johnson said. "I don't even know his first name." Replied Jent, "He'd better find out." ------------------------------------- I bet KJ still dosent know
