Even 20 years later, Rockets' title run a stunning NBA feat

Clutch city is forever

 

I mean...wow.

That was my favorite of the 2. I was there for more of the playoff games in 1994. I was there for the championship game both years.

But 1995 was like watching a movie. I've said it here before, but I'll never forget waking up the next morning and talking to my dad who said, "I'm so glad they won...but I'm so disappointed it's over."

You just got the sense that you were watching something that really wasn't likely to ever happen again.

 

this article is terrible but game one of the wcf is still the single greatest moment of my sports fandom.

there is so sadness that clips of that game cannot lift

 

Not sure why Fran said that. It could be said that the Bulls would've had 3 less titles if they played the Rockets during their first 3 title runs. The Rockets were 5-1 against them in that 3 yr period....

 

The first championship was nice but the second one was mind-boggling.

 

The first championship run in 1994 was special because Houston had never has a champion in any of the major sports.

The second ring in 1995 was just magical, surviving 7 elimination games, and getting better as the playoffs went on. By the time we faced the Magic in the finals, the Rockets were a machine.

Truly great memories for those lucky to have been a Rockets fan back then.

I think the 2015 version is very resilient, easily much tougher than last year's squad. No matter what happens, I hope Morey brings almost everyone back and with an addition of a starting caliber pg, we will be set. I hear about Llull, but I would give my left nut for Lawson.

 

OT but didn't want to start a new thread... Hakeem in 1990 with the quadruple double. Some footage of Hakeem and his family, and a young Calvin Murphy at the end

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/F3Kv_-RJj7g" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

The two title runs were simply spectacular for a Rockets fan...and especially for someone who so closely followed Hakeem from UH to the pros. Adding Clyde to that second run just made it even more special for me.

I'll never agree that those championships were * because of Jordan's absence. Hakeem and Clyde and the rest of that team would have beaten the Bulls, no doubt.

I've seen a few similarities with this current Rockets team that make me cautiously hopeful. We have a great team leader in Harden and a superior inside presence in D12....similar to the Clyde and Hakeem combo, although no one is the equal of Hakeem and Clyde was also still playing at a very elite level.

The team chemistry, like the champs, is excellent. We have other guys who can step up on any given game...but we don't see this as consistently as on that championship team...and that scares me. I don't see a Mario or Vernon but certainly Ariza and Brewer are both very good. I don't see a Sam or Kenny, but Prige and Jet have a lot of experience and bring it consistently. Josh Smith is my wild card...he can make or break this team, IMO. If he can consistently play at the level we have only sometimes seen him play, then we can win it all...but that seems unlikely at this point.

 

That's because Jordan wasn't absent in 95, he was eliminated by Orlando.

It's a lie that has been said so many times that fans start believing it.

also another dumb myth is that he was not 'himself', oh yes he was himself.

you can't celebrate him scoring 55 points on the knicks and say that he wasn't ready.

the obvious reason was that they needed a front court change in adding Rodman to help rebound and defend against Shaq .

 

Yeah, the Rodman acquisition really helped them out big, 72-10 the next year. I think sometimes people just forget the history, Jordan came back in March and played just fine, I remember watching his first game back... Didn't take many games for him to get the 55 either, and in the playoffs he still averaged 31.5 against the Magic. I thought it was funny that he chose to wear 45, and iirc started wearing 23 in the playoffs and was getting fined for doing so. Ah it was Eastern semi finals: http://www.nytimes.com/1995/05/12/s...st-of-jordan-switch-is-25000-and-on-rise.html

Anyway back on topic, loved the 95 run, proved everyone wrong, and loved seeing Clyde and Hakeem get a championship together, freaking robbed of it in college.

 

I almost teared up reading this article, those were some fun time during the Rockets championship years. I remember going to richmond street after the rockets won their second title, the whole city became alive again that night. Oh man oh man

 

Rodman, Harper and Kerr were fantastic adds.

The only thing I envy about the Bulls is that when they won their championships, they didn't change their Logo to a flying dildo like we did

I do believe the ugliness of our uniforms caused us from winning more championships

 

"When I hear the stuff about Michael not being there, I say, 'Hey, we went through Hall of Fame players, everybody they put in front of us," Tomjanovich said.

"Yes, I wish Michael was there. We were ready for anybody. I got a chance to talk to Michael at Charles Barkley's house a few years ago. Michael said, in that era, he always thought we were a big threat to them."

 

This dude Dream never got the true respect he deserved. I think only now after he's training Lebrons and Kobes how to post up, do people realize that he was one of the greatest .

And Rockets fans were treated to seeing him whip the Bulls lineup in the 90s. If any Rocket fan doubts that Dream couldn't hoop up Bill Cartwright and Scott Williams and Horace Grant, then you aren't a Rockets fan.

 

OT and Rudy T being kind of friends is new to me, also some nice quotes in there from Kenny (on seeing Clyde on a stretcher) & Elie (on choking) as well. Great stuff.

 

Fixed.

 

http://playbook.draftkings.com/nba/the-10-greatest-nba-playoff-performances-of-all-time/

The flu game. The shot. Michael Jordan’s playoff heroics are well-documented. Despite his six rings and clutch performances, he actually does not own a spot in the top 5 greatest playoff performances ever according to DraftKings stats. With the NBA playoffs about to start, and some really exciting contests going on such as the $65,000 Sharpshooter, we decided to take a look at the best playoff performances of all time. It came as a surprise not only that Michael Jordan not only wasn’t in the top 5, but that his best two games came before he ever won a ring. Many will remember Jordan scoring 63 points against Larry Bird on the road vs the Celtics in 1986, but his best game fantasy-wise actually came in 1989 against the Knicks, where he scored 40 points, 15 rebounds, 9 assists, and 6 steals.

Tim Duncan: Another veteran with plenty of playoff experience, Duncan’s two best came in the 2003 Playoffs, when he scored 34 points and had 24 rebounds against the Mavericks. A few weeks later, Duncan had another 20-20 game in the Finals, scoring 34 points and grabbing 24 rebounds to go along with 6 steals and 6 blocks against the Nets.

Charles Barkley: Sir Charles owns the 4th and 5th highest fantasy points in a playoff game. He put up 56 points, going 23-31 from the field in the 1994 playoffs, which would have been good for 89.4 points on DraftKings.

Shaquille O’Neal: While many remember the Lakers Kings series for other reasons, Shaq was simply dominant during the early 2000’s and this game was no different. 44 points, 21 rebounds, and 7 blocks later, and the Lakers were on their way to the finals.

Hakeem Olajuwon: A trend has certainly developed here — big men can take over a playoff game. At his peak, The Dream was one of the best, and he holds the greatest playoff game in fantasy basketball history. His performance would have earned him 99.8 points on DraftKings in 1987, when he scored 49 points, 25 rebounds, and 6 blocks against the SuperSonics.




Most DraftKings Fantasy Points in an NBA Playoff Game
Rank Name Date DK Points Game PTS REB AST STL BLK 3PM

10 Hakeem Olajuwon 4/26/1986 86 Rockets vs Nuggets 38 16 4 6 5

9 Michael Jordan 4/20/1986 86.3 Bulls @ Celtics 63 5 6 3 2

8 Michael Jordan 5/13/1989 86.8 Bulls vs Knicks 40 15 9 6 1 1

7 Tim Duncan 6/4/2003 87 Spurs vs Nets 32 20 6 3 7

6 Tim Duncan 5/23/2003 87 Spurs vs Mavericks 34 24 6 2 6

5 Charles Barkley 6/1/1993 87.8 Suns vs Supersonics 43 15 10 2 2

4 Charles Barkley 5/4/1994 89.5 Suns @ Warriors 56 14 4 3 1 3

3 Hakeem Olajuwon 4/30/1988 90.5 Rockets @ Mavericks 41 26 2 3 4

2 Shaquille O’Neal 5/6/2001 90.8 Lakers vs Kings 44 21 4 7

1 Hakeem Olajuwon 5/14/1987 99.8 Rockets @ Supersonics 49 25 2 2 6