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What was the most memorable shot in Rocket's history???

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by codell, Jun 19, 2003.

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What was the most memorable shot in Rocket's history?

  1. Ralph Sampson's twisting miracle vs. Lakers 1986

    134 vote(s)
    31.6%

  2. Mario Elie's "Kiss of Death" vs. Suns 1995

    181 vote(s)
    42.7%

  3. Eddie Johnson's 27 footer vs. Jazz 1997

    38 vote(s)
    9.0%

  4. Sam Cassell proves he is no rookie vs. Knicks 1994

    4 vote(s)
    0.9%

  5. Maxwell's clutch 3 seals the deal vs. Knicks 1994

    14 vote(s)
    3.3%

  6. Hakeem's tip in wins it vs. Orlando 1995

    16 vote(s)
    3.8%

  7. Kenny Smith sends it to OT vs. Orlando 1995

    14 vote(s)
    3.3%

  8. Robert Horry's game winner vs. Spurs 1995

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%

  9. Yao Ming's first shot as a Rocket

    16 vote(s)
    3.8%

  10. Other - Please Specify

    7 vote(s)
    1.7%
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  1. codell

    codell Member

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    I listed those that immediately came to mind. I put an "other" option in, in case I forgot any.

    I voted for Sampson's shot, simply because that completed probably one of the most improbably upsets in NBA history and plus, the akwardness of the shot was something to see.

    Here is a summary of the options (from the Houston Chronicle):

    Ralph Sampson's twisting miracle vs. Lakers, Game 5 of the WC Finals, 5/21/1986: Exactly what was supposed to happen," said Rodney McCray. He was supposed to go down low, circle back out and get the pass.

    He was wide open. But Ralph had told me to throw the ball up high no matter who was there. He said he'd go and get it."

    When Sampson caught the ball, he had his back to the basket and no time to square up for a proper shot, or even to come down with the ball.

    It was part Baryshnikov and part Houdini. It was the kind of tricky move with a high degree of difficulty that won Greg Louganis his Olympic diving medals.

    Sampson spun around, let the ball fly over the outstretched arms of the 7-foot-2 Abdul-Jabbar and did a little double-kick with both legs.

    The shot bounced off the rim and, for a split second, appeared to be a miss. But the ball bounced up and then straight back down into the net.

    Mario Elie's "Kiss of Death" shot vs. Phoenix, Game 7 of the WC semifinals, 5/20/1995: It was Elie who nailed an all-or-nothing 3 -pointer from the left corner with 7 .1 seconds left that put the Rockets ahead 113-110. The shot came after Kenny Smith had been trapped in the backcourt and whipped a pass to Robert Horry on the right side near midcourt. Horry spotted Elie wide-open in the corner, fed him and then all the Rockets watched as the shot of the season swished through the net.

    "Don't ever question that guy's guts," coach Rudy Tomjanovich said. "That's probably the biggest shot of his life. I was just hoping it would hit net."

    Eddie Johnson's 27-foot heave at the buzzer vs. Utah, Game 4 of the WC Finals, 5/25/1997: The Rockets had the ball after a timeout with 6.7 seconds left. They inbounded and got the ball to Drexler, who was double-teamed quickly by Bryon Russell and Jeff Hornacek. He passed out to Matt Maloney, who fired a quick pass to Johnson , who was 27 feet from the basket and just to the right of directly in front of it. His shot was a thing of beauty.

    "That's the biggest shot I've ever had," Johnson said. "If we go ahead and win this thing, then we will look back at that particular play as being very important."

    Sam Cassell's 3 point shot vs. N.Y., Game 3 of the NBA finals, 6/12/1994: Olajuwon couldn't get free. He finally wheeled into the lane and had a chance to put up an off-balance hook shot. But at the last possible second, he caught a flash of red out of the corner of his eye. No time to catch a number and no time to recognize the face.

    But the MVP made the pass. He just flicked the ball outside to whoever it was that was standing wide-open beyond the 3 -point line and hoped for the best.

    "Then, I saw it was Sam ," Olajuwon said. "All I thought was, "Good!' "

    And it was.

    Good. Real good. Right into the bottom of the basket. Nothing but net.

    Sam Cassell , the rookie without nerves, stepped right up and knocked it down. The biggest shot of his career, maybe the biggest shot of all the careers of all the Rockets to this point.

    Good. With 32.6 seconds to play, Cassell buried that baby and the Rockets were back from the brink. It gave them an 89-88 lead that eventually turned into a 93-89 victory, and it was the kid who pulled their wagon again down the stretch.

    Vernon Maxwell's game clincher vs. Knicks, Game 7 of the NBA Finals, 6/22/1994: He never hesitated, never paused to consider just how much was riding on the 23-foot, nine-inch flight of the ball to come.

    Vernon Maxwell just fired away. He caught a pass from Hakeem Olajuwon with the Rockets clinging frightenly to a five-point lead, and let fly with a bomb that burried the Knicks and lifted the Rockets to Houston's first-ever championship.

    With 1:48 left, and a second perhaps remaining on the shot clock, Maxwell nailed a 3 -pointer to give the Rockets an 83-75 lead and begin the Rockets lean for the tape.

    Hakeem Olajuwon's game winning tip in vs. Orlando, Game 1 of the NBA Finals, 6/7/1995: That set up Olajuwon to be the hero. After a timeout, Clyde Drexler (23 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists) drove the right side for a layup that missed. But Olajuwon , sandwiched between Horace Grant and O'Neal, tipped in the miss. The Magic didn't get off a shot in the final 0.3 seconds.

    "I had inside position," said Olajuwon , who had a game -high 31 points. "When I tipped the ball in, it was so quiet, I didn't even realize the basket was good for a moment."

    Kenny Smith's game tying 3 forces OT vs. Orlando, Game 1 of the NBA Finals, 6/7/1995: The Orlando Magic gave the Rockets one thing no team should offer the defending NBA champions -- an opening.

    Given second life because Orlando 's Nick Anderson missed four consecutive free throws -- any one of which could have iced the game -- the Rockets made the young Magic pay dearly.

    Kenny Smith , who had seven 3 -pointers among his 23 points, nailed his last one with 1 .6 seconds left in regulation to force the overtime. That set up a successful five-minute bonus frame. But even the Rockets admitted it probably should not have come to that.

    "We were very fortunate to win this game ," coach Rudy Tomjanovich said. "We got some breaks at the end. But we made some big plays, too."

    Robert Horry's 17 foot game winner vs. San Antonion, Game 1 of the WC semifinals, 5/22/1995: Robert Horry had found himself a comfortable place to watch the final minute. Courtside. Unobstructed view. Close enough to touch the players.

    "I was sitting there, just chilling," he said.

    Then, Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich interrupted, ordering his 6-10 forward, who was without a field goal in the previous 47 minutes, to get on the court.

    "I didn't even know what the play was," Horry said. "I had to ask Sam (Cassell)."

    The Rockets stepped to a 1-0 lead in their best-of-seven Western Conference final series with the Spurs when, with 6.5 seconds remaining, Horry freed himself from Spurs guard Avery Johnson, stepped inside the 3 -point line and swished a 17-footer for the win.

    "I had no doubts," Horry said. "That was no time to be doubting myself."
     
    #1 codell, Jun 19, 2003
  2. TheFreak

    TheFreak Member

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    Nothing else really deserves to be there after the first two.

    Although it wasn't a significant shot in terms of importance, I would put Hakeem's 3 against the Magic in there somewhere.

    edit: btw, I voted for the Sampson shot.
     
    #2 TheFreak, Jun 19, 2003
    Last edited: Jun 19, 2003
  3. codell

    codell Member

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    Its funny that you say that, because as soon as I hit the submit button, I realized that shot should have been listed.

    My bad. Although I agree in that the 1st two have to be the most memorable.
     
    #3 codell, Jun 19, 2003
  4. SA Rocket

    SA Rocket Member

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    Absolutely has to be Ralph's shot! Anyone old enough to remember both that and Elie's shot clearly, would agree. The only thing that could make it more dramatic was if it had won the NBA championship instead of the WCF.

    How many of us played out a scenario like that as kids....last of the ninth, World Series game 7, two outs, 3-2 count, you're the last hope(as a batter or pitcher)?:)

    It wasn't in the Finals but it put the team IN the Finals. Special moments don't come much more magical than that. Ralph got to live out the fantasy moments we all dreamed up in the backyard!
     
    #4 SA Rocket, Jun 19, 2003
  5. pgabriel

    pgabriel Educated Negro

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    Even though I voted for Sampson's, Cassell's three against the Knicks was just as important in Rocket's history as the Kiss of Death and Sampson's.

    My favorite shots are Vernon Maxwell's game winners against the Spurs. That guy really had it out for them.
     
    #5 pgabriel, Jun 19, 2003
  6. coma

    coma Member

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    Kiss of Death, baby!

    Nice work putting all that supporting information together codell.
     
    #6 coma, Jun 19, 2003
  7. ragingFire

    ragingFire Contributing Member

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    Yao's first shot as a Rocket? :)
    It's the least memorable of all ... to me. I don't remember it.
    I can see all the other shots in my head except for Horry's.
     
    #7 ragingFire, Jun 19, 2003
  8. Rocketman95

    Rocketman95 Hangout Boy

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    I'm tempted to vote for Cassel's shot because without that shot, we probably wouldn't have won our first title.
     
    #8 Rocketman95, Jun 19, 2003
  9. Lil Pun

    Lil Pun Member

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    The shot that I remember the most is Hakeem's three-pointer during the 95 Finals at the end of game four versus Orlando. Man that shot still gives me goosebumps, I wonder if I can download it. Is it included on any of the ClutchCity tapes for sale?

    I remember one of the sportscasters that night saying, after "The Dream" had hit that three, something like this: "Hakeem is the best player in the NBA, even better than Jordan." I agree, simply because Jordan is overrated but that's another thread, another time

    I am old enough to remember all the shots listed except for the Sampson "shot heard round the world" but I do realize how important that shot was after reading about it and seeing it. The Eddie Johnson shot is memorable because I remember I was at work and my aunt from Houston was paging the hell out of me but I couldn't call her back and then my friend called up to my workplace and asked if I heard about the game and I said no and he told me that the Rockets won but I would have to wait and see how it ended. I was sick for three days afterwards because I missed that game. :(
     
    #9 Lil Pun, Jun 19, 2003
  10. pgabriel

    pgabriel Educated Negro

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    Exactly.

    Also, it was the same game that Olajuwon did the spin move on Ewing down the baseline for the leaner. Ah, memories.
     
    #10 pgabriel, Jun 19, 2003
  11. mrdave543

    mrdave543 Member

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    I was in Phoenix for the kiss of death......no question that was the most memorable shot for me at least......MWAH!!
     
    #11 mrdave543, Jun 19, 2003
  12. basso

    basso Member
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    as great as sampson's shot was, it has to be the "kiss of death." that was the shot that put the "clutch" in "clutch city."
     
    #12 basso, Jun 19, 2003
  13. ima_drummer2k

    ima_drummer2k Member

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    Most memorable shot? Easy. Sampson. I still remember where I was (running and screaming around the house and waking up my folks after midnight).

    Most important shot? Maxwell's Game Seven 3. It could be debated that if he misses that shot, history may have been altered forever. We might not have EITHER championship. That one shot put the biggest game in Houston sports history out of reach for the knicks.
     
    #13 ima_drummer2k, Jun 19, 2003
  14. prlen

    prlen Member

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    Yao's first shot is a dream-like jump shot .
    Yao's first basket in Compaq Center is a Dream-shake hook shot.
     
    #14 prlen, Jun 19, 2003
  15. verse

    verse Member

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    happy as i was, i knew then, and still know now, that hakeem got away with an offensive foul on that play. left hand on the shoulder, baby. same as he did vs. the knicks in the finals.

    superstar calls are good when you've got the superstar! :D
     
    #15 verse, Jun 19, 2003
  16. verse

    verse Member

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    oh, and the choice absolutely has to be ralph sampson's "shot heard round the world."

    that lakers team was one of the greatest teams ever. we were just an up and coming team that no one gave much of a chance to beat the almighty lakers. yet, we shocked the world. that shot was the shot that put houston rockets basketball on the map.
     
    #16 verse, Jun 19, 2003
  17. dandorotik

    dandorotik Member

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    Here's an interesting one- for the 2nd championship, Hakeem's shot over Danny Schayes with 8 seconds left in Game 5 of the WCSF in 1995. If y'all remember, we were down by 2 at that point, and if Hakeem misses, we're out of the playoffs. If we're talking shots that prevented us from being eliminated, that has to be the one that saved our 2nd season.

    Interesting, also- remember when Wesley Person took a 3 at the buzzer and it rimmed out to force overtime? I mean, the ball literally bounced in and then out. That ball drops, and we really would have been talking about a one-hit wonder.
     
    #17 dandorotik, Jun 19, 2003
  18. Turcan5

    Turcan5 Member

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    That was a huge shot by Hakeem. Shayes played tough D on him. I think people forget how close we were to losing that game. It took a great 2nd half by Maxwell to get us back into it.
     
    #18 Turcan5, Jun 19, 2003
  19. JuanValdez

    JuanValdez Member

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    I may have voted for Sampson's shot, if I wasn't 11 years old and not watching the Rockets at the time. From what I hear, it was a very memorable shot.

    My vote goes to Kenny Smith (apparently the only one for Kenny). When the front page goes retro and the photo of that shot (with Penny reaching desperately and helplessly for a block), I get goose-bumps all over. I guess it rates higher for me than the Kiss of Death because (1) it was in the Finals and (2) Smith had a reputation for being washed up at that point, setting the shot up as a redemption for Smith as well as for the Rockets.
     
    #19 JuanValdez, Jun 19, 2003
  20. dandorotik

    dandorotik Member

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    Actually, Maxwell's standout performance was in Game 3 of the 1994 Western Conference semifinals. In that series, we were down 2-0.

    As much as Elie's shot and Sampson's shot and Smith's shot were critical, they did not in and of themselves save a series. In every instance, we were never on the brink of elimination as we were in game 5 of the Phoenix series. With Elie's, we were tied at that point in the game, and we did have the series lead.

    Matter of fact, if you look at the most important defensive play in Rocket's history, it would have to be Dream's block of John Starks's shot in game 6 of the 1994 finals. That shot goes in, and the Knicks win the trophy.

    I think Dream's plays, although probably not the most memorable, were the most important because they made the singular difference between championship elimination and survival.
     
    #20 dandorotik, Jun 19, 2003
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