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14 years ago at this day we started one of the biggest "what if" series in Rockets history

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by hajkov, May 4, 2023.

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  1. hajkov

    hajkov Consummate Member

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    https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/200905040LAL.html

    To me that was the second biggest "what if" series in Rockets history, behind only of course CP3 hammy vs GSW.

    A TMacless team in the playoffs, with Yao going going down in game 3 -> the team of guys with HUGE BALLS in Artest, Scola, Battier, Landry and Brooks bravely pushed it to a game 7 the eventually champion Lakers.

    Lakers won all other series to the championship with ease. Just like the Rockets would have....... :(

    Lets take this moment to enjoy once again one of the best TEAM BASKETBALL games in history - Game 6.

     
    #1 hajkov, May 4, 2023
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  2. Lurch

    Lurch Live Wilder.

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    This year hurt the most! No doubt this was the Rockets year had Mac/Yao been able to stay healthy.
     
    #2 Lurch, May 4, 2023
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  3. Kevooooo

    Kevooooo Member

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    An unbelievably fun team and series. It was surely a heartbreaker but I was still so proud and pleased to be a Rockets fan.
     
    #3 Kevooooo, May 4, 2023
    Rockets FTW and clos4life like this.
  4. J.R.

    J.R. Member

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    [​IMG][​IMG]

    Yao
    Artest
    Battier
    Brooks
    Hayes
    Scola
    Landry
    Lowry
    Deke
    Von
     
    #4 J.R., May 4, 2023
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  5. Bo6

    Bo6 Member

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    it's why the lakers signed artest the next season.

    This was Yao's true breakout into Superstardom. There is no doubt in my mind he would have gone on to have 2-3 MVP caliber seasons after this. His mentality was different that post-season and he had figured the Lakers out. Sadly, it was not meant to be :(
     
    #5 Bo6, May 4, 2023
    RKREBORN, BigShasta, hajkov and 1 other person like this.
  6. SamFisher

    SamFisher Contributing Member

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    That Rockets team overachieved mightily to get to that point.

    Would much rather have seen the 97 team play the Bulls (or the 93 team, if they had survived OT in seattle with all of the home cookin', which was only in Seattle because they got screwed by even more home cookin on the last day of the season in san antonio in a game that they actually won, but were ruled to have lost due to no replay review).
     
    #6 SamFisher, May 4, 2023
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  7. ashleyem

    ashleyem Member

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    Still my favourite rocket team. Von, Landry, Brooks and young Lowry were electric.
     
    #7 ashleyem, May 4, 2023
    REEKO_HTOWN, Sean Dr34ms, don grahamleone and 3 others like this.
  8. Mathloom

    Mathloom Shameless Optimist
    Supporting Member

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    Ron Artest and Shane Battier (with Chuck Hayes coming off the bench) was beautiful to watch defensively. Kyle Lowry even made a 15 minute appearance that game. That was a great team, Yao deserved to win with that team.
     
    #8 Mathloom, May 4, 2023
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  9. clos4life

    clos4life Member

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    Man, that team had heart.
     
    #9 clos4life, May 4, 2023
    Richie_Rich and J.R. like this.
  10. kjayp

    kjayp Contributing Member

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    that was a gutsy team... pretty much why i'd rather have a group of hard nose guys workin it - than catering to the whims of prima donnas...
     
    #10 kjayp, May 4, 2023
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  11. Invisible Fan

    Invisible Fan Contributing Member

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    Deke played like he was 10 yrs younger, a spry 33...

    That was definitely a team/era to break up and sell for parts. Everyone knew they were to injury prone to last years before. Back injury this...leg injury that.
     
    #11 Invisible Fan, May 4, 2023
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  12. snowconeman22

    snowconeman22 Member

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    In my viewing lifetime , the rockets have had 3 legit title contenders .

    08-09
    14-15
    17-18

    first two years bad injury luck . 17-18 was
    Bad 3 point and injury luck . and refs

    14-15 to 15-16 with no smith , bad brewer , no Dmo , ty Lawsons smell , harden and Howard fued.

    what a crazy turnaround

    we never got to see 08-09 gel at full potential. Same with 14-15 . Beverley and Dmo got hurt as Howard was coming back and we added smith and (good) brewer
     
    #12 snowconeman22, May 4, 2023
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  13. Mattician

    Mattician Member

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    Man I miss Yao and Battier the most.
     
    #13 Mattician, May 4, 2023
    hajkov likes this.
  14. YaoMac09

    YaoMac09 Member

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    Wish we traded TMac's corpse for Carter before the traitor announced his season-ending surgery. If Yao stayed healthy we go past the Lakers and would have swept the Magic in Finals. Yao sonned Dwight every game.
     
    #14 YaoMac09, May 4, 2023
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  15. wizkid83

    wizkid83 Contributing Member

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    Anybody downloaded or can find the video pre game 7 with the VS theme background?

    That video was hype
     
    #15 wizkid83, May 4, 2023
  16. Ancient Moabite

    Ancient Moabite Member

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    They had a nice mix of star players with junkyard dogs who could actually play
     
    #16 Ancient Moabite, May 4, 2023
    hajkov likes this.
  17. Salvy

    Salvy Member

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    Rockets win it all that year with Sengun...
     
    #17 Salvy, May 4, 2023
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  18. napalm06

    napalm06 Huge Flopping Fan

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    In 2005 I thought I had witnessed the worst Rockets heartbreak ever.
    Then in 2009 I realized what true existential misery was.
    Then in 2018 the last pieces of my optimism as an NBA fan were crushed by CP3 and urinated upon by Scott Foster.
     
    #18 napalm06, May 4, 2023
    Last edited: May 5, 2023
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  19. YaoMac09

    YaoMac09 Member

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    Still my favorite Rockets team. Sura, Barry, Wesley, Mike James, Juwan Howard and Padgett weren't great on the court but very easy to root for. **** Cuban and the Mavs.
     
    #19 YaoMac09, May 4, 2023
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  20. riko

    riko Member

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    Man I feel old. It feels like it was yesterday
     
    #20 riko, May 4, 2023
    Jags, ryan_98, SuperMarioBro and 2 others like this.
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