(SportsRadio 610) -- After eliminating the teams with the NBA’s second and third best records in the first two rounds of the 1995 NBA Playoffs, the Rockets set their sights on the team with the league’s best regular season mark, the San Antonio Spurs, in the Western Conference Finals.
San Antonio was the only team in the NBA to finish in the top five in offensive and defensive rating, which led to a league best 62-20 record. The Spurs advanced to the Western Conference Finals after sweeping Denver in the first round and dispatching the Lakers 4-2 in the conference semifinals.
As division rivals, the Rockets and Spurs met six times before the playoffs, and the Spurs won five, including both games after the Clyde Drexler trade, but the Rockets won a tight game one on Robert Horry’s jumper with 6.5 seconds left, so for the first time all postseason, the Rockets enter game two with a series lead. Here’s a look back at a memorable night from the Alamodome.
Broadcasters: Dave Barnett and Coby Dietrick on the Spurs local broadcast. TNT also had the game.
Rockets starters- Robert Horry
- Pete Chilcutt
- Hakeem Olajuwon
- Clyde Drexler
- Kenny Smith
Spurs starters
- Sean Elliot
- Dennis Rodman
- David Robinson
- Vinny Del Negro
- Avery Johnson
The start of this game was delayed a couple of minutes. Let’s find out why:
With Hakeem Olajuwon just a few feet away, David Robinson accepted the NBA MVP for the 1994-95 season. Contrary to how it’s been portrayed, this wasn’t a James Harden/Steph Curry situation with 1-2 in the MVP race facing off in the conference finals. In fact, Olajuwon barely finished in the top five and garnered just one first place vote to Robinson’s 73. Shaquille O’Neal, Karl Malone and Patrick Ewing finished ahead of Olajuwon that season.
First quarter
11:36- David Robinson wins the tip against Hakeem Olajuwon and on the game’s first possession, the Spurs go to the league’s MVP. It would be the start of a long night for him.
I’m sure you can hear the large contingent of Rockets fans at this game, and as you’d expect with less 200 miles separating Houston and San Antonio there were, however, there were simply a lot of people at this game.
This was the Spurs second season playing inside the Alamodome, and while the seating capacity for Spurs games during the regular season was just over 20,000, they expanded the seating for the playoffs and the official attendance for this game was 35,888, not an NBA record, but a Spurs record at the time.
The free throw was good and the Rockets jump out to a 3-0 lead.
8:07- Avery Johnson answered Drexler’s three-point play by beating Kenny Smith off the dribble for a layup, but no one has scored since. The Rockets have missed their last five shots, while the Spurs have started the game 1-of-8.
6:54- Up to this point Bob Hill’s first season as Spurs head coach really couldn’t have gone better. Not only did Robinson win MVP, the team won a franchise-record 62 games and advanced to the conference finals for the first time. Hill’s big failure: controlling Dennis Rodman.
Rodman was suspended, took a leave absence and suspended again before playing his first game. Then he missed four weeks near the end of the season after separating his shoulder in a motorcycle accident. His shaky behavior continued into the playoffs as he sat on the floor with his shoes off during the conference semifinals against the Lakers.
Things only got worse between Hill and Rodman during the Rockets series. The Spurs coach kept Rodman on the bench for the Spurs final possession in game one, and Rodman’s game two isn’t starting any better.
Despite attempting just two three-pointers in the regular season, Rodman has already airballed a three in this game, and while he did score on the Spurs previous trip, Rodman decides to try a corner three the next time down. He misses and watch what happens next.
While Rodman is busy talking to the Rockets bench, his man, Horry sprints right past him. Rockets lead 5-4.
4:55- Things are starting to pick up a bit. Mario Elie sinks a three-pointer to put the Rockets up four, but San Antonio answers with buckets inside from Rodman and Johnson to tie the game. No points for Olajuwon or Robinson.
4:37- Robinson is the first of the star centers on the score sheet. Rodman rebounded an Olajuwon miss and delivered an outlet pass to the MVP. He missed his initial shot but was fouled on the putback. He knocked down both free throws and the Spurs lead 10-8.
3:26- Robinson stops a quick 4-0 Rockets run with his first field goal of the game, but Olajuwon answers with his first points.
1:55- The Rockets start the game just 5-of-16 from the floor, but it appears Olajuwon is starting to heat up.
16-14 Houston
1:20- Sean Elliot ties the game with his first field goal of the game, but thanks to Olajuwon the Rockets regain the advantage.
0:00- An ugly first quarter ends with the Rockets leading 21-16. Olajuwon has six for the Rockets while Robinson scored four for San Antonio. For some reason, Rodman attempted three three-pointers and missed all three badly.
Second quarter
12:00- Olajuwon sits to start the period, so Charles Jones, who closed out the first with Olajuwon on the floor, is the Rockets lone center. The 38-year old didn’t play in the final three games of the Rockets series against the Suns after being a big part of their win over Utah, but two nights earlier he played 23 crucial minutes in the Rockets game one victory.
9:52- San Antonio scores the first four points of the period, taking advantage of the Rockets inside, but after failing to score on their first two possessions, Drexler cans a jumper to increase the Rockets lead to 23-20.
8:41- With Olajuwon out of the game it’s Drexler’s time to shine. He beats Chuck Person on a backdoor cut for two and then on the Rockets next possession he gets Person again.
Rockets with a 27-23 advantage.
7:17- Olajuwon returns and finds Horry for back-to-back threes to give the Rockets an eight-point lead, their largest of the night. It’s interesting that the Spurs are sending help for Robinson while Olajuwon is guarding the Spurs center straight-up.
6:51- Vinny Del Negro responds to Horry’s three with a long two, and on the other end, Olajuwon again hurts the Spurs with his passing.
5:20- Robinson completes a three-point play by drawing Olajuwon’s second foul. Hakeem has the three assists, but Robinson has doubled him up in the points column, 12-6. After Olajuwon misses on the other end, Willie Anderson hits a jumper to tie the game. Spurs are on an an 8-0 run.
4:09- Rockets break the tie when Mario Elie cashes in a free throw following the Spurs second illegal defense of the game, then Drexler hits a jumper. After the Spurs fail to score on their end, Olajuwon goes to work.
Those are his first points of the second quarter, and he has eight for the game on 4-of-11 shooting.
2:12- Out of a timeout, Horry, who has been the beneficiary of a couple Olajuwon dishes, returns the favor.
Rockets lead 45-39.
0:00- Olajuwon only has 10 points on 5-of-13 shooting, but the Rockets still lead at the break 49-41.
Third quarter
12:00- One change for the Rockets out of the break: Elie starts the second half in place of Pete Chilcutt.
11:35- The second half begins with Elie missing a three and Robinson converting two free throws after Olajuwon picks up his third foul. Remember, he spent much of game one saddled with foul trouble. Rockets still lead by six.
10:47- San Antonio threw a lot of double teams at Olajuwon post-ups in the first half, but his first touch of the second half comes away from the basket on a pick and roll, so Robinson is defending him on an island. It doesn’t go well for the MVP:
“Just footwork. Just casual, calm, collected footwork on the part of Olajuwon to get the shot that he wanted.”- Dietrick
9:48- Olajuwon thought he got fouled on the Rockets previous possession when Rodman was defending him, but with the Rockets advantage down to six he gets matched up with Robinson again:
Both Olajuwon and Robinson have scored 14 points.
9:08- The lead is now 10 as the Rockets go back to the pick and roll:
This forced a Spurs timeout, and here’s a brief look at an unhappy Rodman on the bench:
8:38- San Antonio failed to score out of the timeout and at the other end Olajuwon went back to work.
6:36- Houston’s lead ballooned to as many as 13 thanks to a Drexler three, but the Spurs have scored four in a row, though they can’t keep the momentum, thanks to number 34 in red.
He’s already doubled his halftime point total and we aren’t even halfway through the third quarter.
4:31- Doc Rivers drains a three to cut the Rockets lead to eight, and the Spurs have a fastbreak opportunity to cut the lead down even further, but Horry swats that away and Olajuwon completes a four-point swing.
3:25- Olajuwon goes back to work after Robinson sinks a pair of free throws.
He’s scored 14 points in the quarter.
2:44- The Rockets take a timeout after Rivers connects on a jumper, which leads to a conversation between Barnett and Dietrick about Olajuwon possibly getting tired. Here’s the back and forth along with Olajuwon’s emphatic answer:
26 in the game, 16 in the quarter, and he appears to have a lot left in the tank.
1:41- In between a pair of Elliot free throws, Hill elects to give Robinson a break, so now Terry Cummings gets his first shot at Olajuwon in this game, and you can guess how that went:
0:00- Led by a burst from Rivers the Spurs trim a 13-point Rockets lead down to six. He scored 10 in the quarter. Olajuwon finished with third with 19 points, but his teammates combined for just six.
Fourth quarter
12:00- Olajuwon starts the period on the Rockets bench, while Robinson is on the floor for San Antonio.
11:10- On the Spurs second possession Robinson turns away from a double-team and powers through Jones for a layup, cutting the Rockets lead to four.
10:45- Big missed opportunity for San Antonio. Anderson steals a bad entry pass intended for Drexler, but throws the ball away attempting a long pass ahead to Rivers. The Rockets make them pay when Horry slashes to the basket for an easy two. The Spurs had a chance to trim the lead to two, instead its back up to six.
10:20- Rivers misses a three after Horry’s layup, and then Sam Cassell, who has been quiet in this game, gets isolated against Person and just blows right by him.
9:30- Elliot answers with five in a row and it’s a one possession game again as Olajuwon makes his way towards to the scorer’s table.
8:55- Elliot misfires on what would’ve been a game-tying three, but Robinson is there to clean things up:
Timeout Rockets.
7:36- Drexler and Rivers trade baskets out of the timeout, but after Horry misses a tough shot inside Person hits from three to put the Spurs on top for the first time since it was 4-3 in the first quarter.
7:00- When in doubt, give the ball to Olajuwon:
Why you would decide to put two guys on the ball in that spot is beyond me.
5:50- A couple of possessions with the game still tied at 82, Olajuwon tosses in a Dream Shake.
4:34- It’s now a 9-1 Rockets run as Horry connects for his fourth three-pointer of the game, forcing the Spurs to call timeout. After scoring seven points in game one, Horry has given the Rockets 21 in game two.
1:53- Robinson converts a three-point play to bring the Spurs within four, but after Drexler misses a long-jumper with the shot clock winding down, Olajuwon rips a rebound away from Rivers to keep possession. He sinks two free throws following a foul by Reid. Rockets lead is back to six.
1:23- Robinson sinks both free throws after drawing Olajuwon’s fifth foul, but the Rockets answer with a dagger:
0:53.1- Robinson gets two of those points back, but Olajuwon sucks the life out of the building.
0:20.1- How about one more just for good measure:
On the night David Robinson accepted the MVP trophy, Hakeem Olajuwon went off for 41 points, 16 rebounds, four assists, three steals, and two blocks. He scored 31 points in the second half on 13-of-18 shooting. I don’t know if this was the best game he ever played, but it’s certainly in the conversation.
0:00- The Rockets take a 2-0 series lead by beating the Spurs 106-96 for their fifth straight win, and fourth straight road win.
While he was thoroughly outplayed by Olajuwon, it’s not like Robinson was bad. He finished with 32 points and 12 rebounds on 10-of-18 shooting.
