With the entire sports world shutdown due to the Coronavirus outbreak, I have nothing to do, and you have nothing to watch.
In order to cut through the boredom, and with this being the 25th anniversary of the Rockets second NBA championship, I’m going to take a look back at some of the more important games of that playoff run with running diaries of each.
Installment number one features game four of the Rockets first round series against the Utah Jazz, the first of five elimination games that team faced.
After a split of the first two games in Salt Lake City, the Jazz stole back homecourt advantage with a 95-82 win at the Summit, thanks to Karl Malone’s 32-point, 19-rebound night.
Broadcasters: Gary Bender, Chuck Daly, and Lisa Malosky
Jazz Starters- Karl Malone
- David Benoit
- James Donaldson
- Jeff Hornacek
- John Stockton
Rockets Starters
- Pete Chilcutt
- Robert Horry
- Hakeem Olajuwon
- Clyde Drexler
- Kenny Smith
“It’s the toughest thing in sports.”- Chuck Daly on trying to repeat as a champion
First quarter
12:00- Rockets open the game with a slow developing Kenny Smith, Robert Horry pick and roll. It’s easy to forget because he’s known for his three-point shooting, but Horry was an elite athlete.
10:40- In between two free throws, which put the Rockets up 6-2, TNT puts up the following graphic.
10:06- Olajuwon hits this jumper from the left elbow to put the Rockets up 8-2 and force a Jazz timeout
That’s a 7-foot center running isolation from behind the three-point line in 1995.
6:40- Olajuwon isos against James Donaldson again to put the Rockets up 15-8.
"Here's the matchup they like."- Chuck Daly. Might want to give the big guy a little help.
4:50- With the Rockets up 19-12 Clyde Drexler picks up a cheap second foul for grabbing Jeff Hornacek in the paint. For a who was only 6’3 and known for his shooting, it’s fun to see how much Utah played Hornacek in the paint as a screener
2:31- With the Rockets up 24-17 Carl Herrera makes his first appearance of the series. A dislocated shoulder kept him out of the first three games, and remember, back in 1995 you named your 12-man roster before the start of the postseason and that was it. You couldn’t make any changes. Vernon Maxwell left the team after one game, so the Rockets have been playing shorthanded.
1:00- On his first touch of the postseason, Herrera takes Malone baseline and puts the Rockets ahead 30-22.
“This team, the Rockets, would not have won the world championship without Herrera in the Finals last year.”- Gary Bender
0:00.3- David Benoit hits his second three-pointer of the quarter to make it 32-27 Rockets at the end of the first quarter. Olajuwon dominated with 18 points.
Second quarter
Here’s a great graphic from TNT as the second quarter begins:
10:42- Drexler was held to two points in the first quarter but comes alive to start the second. He hits a line-drive three from the left wing on the Rockets first possession, and then with Olajuwon on the bench he posts up Jamie Watson, a rookie second round pick, on the left block, draws a foul and makes both free throws. 37-29 Rockets.
10:20- Look at Drexler in transition after the Rockets force a turnover.
He hits both free throws and the Rockets get the lead to 10.
8:52- Herrera re-injures his shoulder and that’s it for him. The Rockets go the rest of the playoffs with a 10-man roster, two of which are little-used centers Charles Jones and Zan Tabak.
7:14- Olajuwon hits the 20-point mark after connecting on a couple of free throws, but now it’s his defense that helps the Rockets hit their biggest lead of the night.
Rockets lead 48-37
5:56- Rockets lead 54-42, but TNT puts up this graphic.
5:26- Olajuwon makes it 56-42 with this absurd move.
4:50- Jazz try a video game defense against Olajuwon, which was illegal back then
1:14- Rockets lead 67-51 and Rudy Tomjanovich sits Olajuwon AND Drexler.
0:00.5- Benoit strikes with a put-back dunk to make it 67-53 at the break. Olajuwon leads all scorers with 27 points on 11-of-15 shooting. Rockets shot 71 percent as a team.
Third quarter
Here is your Olajuwon touch update:
8:30- Olajuwon hits a pair of free throws to make it 78-57. Hornacek has four fouls and the Rockets are already in the bonus. The three officials, Dick Bavetta, Jack Nies, and a young Ron Garretson called a total of 57 fouls in a 48-minute game, leading to 82 free throw attempts. Karl Malone attempted 21 on his own.
7:01- Benoit and Antoine Carr lead a 6-0 Jazz run, cutting the Rockets lead to 15. Olajuwon hasn’t taken a shot in the quarter.
6:22- After the Jazz force a missed jumper from Chucky Brown, Benoit hits again. Lead down to 13.
6:12- An Olajuwon three-point play stops the bleeding, giving him 34 points.
5:36- Six straight for the Rockets after Drexler hits a three, his fourth of the night. He’s scored 22 points.
4:16- Carr can only throw his hands up in the air after this Olajuwon bucket. Rockets lead is still 19.
1:03- With the Rockets leading 95-78 TNT comes out of a timeout with this graphic.
0:01.9- With Olajuwon on the bench in foul trouble, Drexler finishes off the third quarter.
Drexler scored 17 in the quarter as the Rockets take a 99-78 lead into the fourth quarter.
Fourth quarter
12:00- The Rockets open the fourth quarter with Olajuwon and 38-year old backup center Charles Jones on the floor. What a time to be alive.
7:27- The celebration is on with the Rockets up 107-90
6:23- Olajuwon picks up his third foul with the Rockets up 107-92, but Drexler takes things into his own hands.
Drexler has 37 points on 12-of-17 shooting and nine rebounds.
2:36- Olajuwon hits the 40-point mark by splitting a pair of free throws. Drexler has 41 making it just the third time in NBA history two teammates have scored 40-points in a single playoff game. Rockets lead 118-102.
FINAL: Rockets 123 Jazz 106- Rockets force a winner-take-all game five in Salt Lake City Sunday afternoon.
