Throughout the 1999-2000 season the Rockets celebrated the
Millennium Moments in Rockets History in celebration of the
approaching new millennium. We recently asked you to select the
five greatest moments in Rockets history and tell us what made
these moments special to you. Some of you believe that Ralph
Sampson's buzzer-beating miracle shot that propelled the Rockets
into the 1986 NBA Finals was the greatest moment while others feel
that the 1995 acquisition of Clyde Drexler, who led
the Rockets to a second consecutive NBA title, was the sweetest
moment. But the majority of you agree that the Rockets' first NBA
championship a year earlier was the most unforgettable and
important moment in franchise history. The Top 5 Moments in Rockets
History, as voted by you the fans, appear below.
5. (June 19, 1984) In a draft that
featured Michael
Jordan, Charles
Barkley and John
Stockton, the Rockets took just 39 seconds of their allotted
five minutes to write down Hakeem Olajuwon's name
on a sheet of paper and hand it to NBA Commissioner David Stern. In
the 16 seasons since then, Olajuwon has led the Rockets to two NBA
championships and has become one of the greatest players ever to
play in the NBA. In 1994, he became the only player ever to win
Defensive Player of the Year, NBA MVP and NBA Finals MVP in the
same season. He entered the 1999-2000 season as the Rockets'
all-time leader in 21 regular-season and playoff statistical
categories.
The Rockets drafted Hakeem and that's where it all
began. I've followed the Rockets and loved them all, but he is
by far the best player ever to play with the Rockets B he is
the Houston Rockets!
Kristi -- The Woodlands, TX
4. (May 22- June 1, 1995) David Robinson was in
the wrong place at the wrong time. For six games during the 1995
Western Conference Finals, the reigning NBA MVP was standing
between Hakeem Olajuwon and the basket. Olajuwon used a variety of
fakes, hooks and Dream Shakes to drive past, escape from, and score
over Robinson and the Spurs' double-and-triple teams. In the
series, Olajuwon outscored Robinson 212-146, pouring in 40 or more
points in three of the games. Olajuwon cemented himself as one of
the greatest basketball players of all time by turning in one of
the most dominant individual performances in NBA history. "He
(Robinson) worked so hard to keep up with all my fakes, but he
couldn't," Olajuwon said. "I was at my best."
Hakeem just took David to school. He was showing him
who was the real MVP. I will never forget that series.
Abdullah -- Big Rapids, MI
3. (May 20, 1995) Everybody expected Mario Elie to throw the ball
to Hakeem Olajuwon, but Elie had a feeling he was going to be the
one to kiss the Phoenix Suns goodbye. With the score tied at 110
late in Game 7 of the 1995 Western Conference Semifinals, Robert Horry spotted Elie
across the floor in perfect position to get the ball to Olajuwon.
"Dream was wide-open, but I had my feet set. I let it go and it
felt good," Elie said. As his shot swished through the net, he ran
toward the Suns' bench and blew a kiss to let them know the game
was over. The Rockets won 115-114.
Elie's game-winning "3" in the Desert because I was in a
hotel room in Dallas watching it. After the shot, I went
running down the hallway yelling and jumping all around. It was
awesome.
Chris -- Harker Heights, TX
2. (June 14, 1995) One year after
winning their first title, the Rockets became the fifth franchise
in NBA history to repeat as champions. All it took was a major
trade and one of the greatest runs in playoff history. After
acquiring superstar Clyde Drexler from Portland in February, the
Rockets limped into the playoffs as a No. 6 seed after a rash of
injuries hit the team late in the season. They then surprised
everybody by winning four straight playoff series against the teams
with the best four records in the NBA. The Rockets completed their
sweep of the Orlando Magic in the 1995 NBA Finals with a 113-101
Game 4 win to become the lowest playoff seed ever to win an NBA
title.
The Rockets winning their second championship, because
they were not supposed to do anything in the playoffs and proved to
everyone that they were deserving of the first championship. It
made me proud to be a Rockets fan.
Cody -- Moscow, ID
1. (June 22, 1994) As the crowd
counted down the remaining seconds and his teammates celebrated all
around him, Hakeem Olajuwon took a seat on the scorer's table and
smiled. He was an NBA champion and the city of Houston finally had
a championship to call its own. The Rockets captured their first
NBA title by defeating the New York Knicks 90-84 in Game 7 of the
1994 NBA Finals. "My celebration was to watch everybody being
ecstatic, rejoicing, jumping on tables and hugging each other,
showing emotion in their own way," said Olajuwon, the unanimous MVP
of the Finals. He finished the game with 25 points, 10 rebounds,
seven assists and three blocked shots and then took turns hugging
the Larry O'Brien championship trophy with his teammates and
first-year owner Leslie Alexander. Rockets Head Coach Rudy
Tomjanovich and his former roommate Calvin Murphy, who had become
Rockets for life via the 1970 NBA Draft, met on the court and
hugged. "Houston, you've wanted this for so long. You've finally
got it," Tomjanovich said later. "I'm proud to be part of a team
that got it for you." And while most of Houston partied in the
night, Olajuwon celebrated with a smile. "Champion! I always wanted
be called a champion."
I was in Section 104 for Game 7. My mother and I
watched as the Rockets offed the Knicks on John Starks' worst
shooting night. Greatest Rockets game ever. I hugged my Mom. We had
finally done it.
Jon -- Farmington, NM