1993-94 Houston Rockets: Clutch City Part 1/4

In the Finals, the Rockets would meet the rough and tough New York Knicks. "That's part of their game," Olajuwon said. "But to win a championship, you have to use all aspects of the game well: physical, mental, speed and finesse. All playoff games are physical."

In Game One, the Rockets matched the physical play of the Knicks every step of the way. Thorpe mixed it up with Charles Oakley and Anthony Mason under the boards for 16 rebounds while Olajuwon scored 28 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the Rockets 85-78 victory.

New York's strategy of keeping a fresh defender on Olajuwon at all times helped them to a 91-83 win in Game Two as the Rockets center made only one field goal in the fourth quarter.

The series shifted back to The Big Apple for Game Three and Cassell came up big for the Rockets. Trailing 88-86 with 32 seconds left in the game, Cassell drilled a three-pointer from the top of the key to give Houston the lead. He then made four straight free throws in the final 22 seconds to give the Rockets a 93-89 win.

"I was out there doing my job," Cassell said. "The three-pointer was just another shot we needed. I hit it. It could have been any guy in that situation. It was a shot that we needed and fortunately I knocked it down."

The Knicks won Game Four 91-82 as Derek Harper scored 21 points. In Game Five, New York went up 3-2 in the series, with Patrick Ewing scoring a series-high 25 points in a 91-84 win. Competing for television coverage with Game Five of the Finals was a shocking car chase involving O.J. Simpson.

Unlike the rest of America, the Rockets had to put any distractions aside as they headed home to Houston with their backs to the wall. They needed two straight wins to capture the NBA title. "If we play five-on-five we can be champions," Rockets Head Coach Rudy Tomjanovich said.

Olajuwon made sure the Rockets would have an opportunity to play for the championship. With more than 40 seconds to play in Game Six and the Rockets protecting a 84-82 lead, Olajuwon stole a John Starks pass and was fouled by Ewing. Olajuwon calmly hit both free throws to give Houston an 86-82 lead. The Knicks came back with a basket and had an opportunity to win the game when Starks appeared open for a three-pointer from the corner, but Starks' shot never got close to the basket. Olajuwon blocked it into the waiting arms of Thorpe.

"We are going to Game Seven," Olajuwon said. "So close and so far. I'm going to take a little time tonight to digest this win, then watch the game on tape and start preparing. But after all of the time, all of the games, all of the years, this is the one game I've wanted to play."

Olajuwon scored 25 points to lead the Rockets to a 100-95 win and their first NBA title. He was also named Finals MVP and became the first player in NBA history to be named the league MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and the Finals MVP in the same season.

"The team has worked hard all year for the honor of being champions and the team as a whole, as a unit, deserved the title," Olajuwon said.

So did Clutch City.

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[trickpanda]

who did horry block at 5:58?

[LakersDynasty42]

@trickpanda He blocked Vern Fleming.

[thenintendogamer]

@AnotherStatsGuy NBA used that technique many times, like "...what greatness is all about" referring to Larry Bird was used lots of times during career highlights.

[BigTheNoodlez]

First team to beat 4 50+ win team... that means better...

[roo7227]

@BigTheNoodlez Sorry, I was there, and the 2nd team was not as good as the 1st.. Yes, they had drexler and they got on a hell of a run, but the rest of the team, other than Dream and Drexler, was Cassell, Horry, Kenny Smith, Mario Ellie, Chuckie Brown, Pete Chicutt (Chillybutt), Carl Herrera, Chuck Jones, and Tim Breaux.. Not exactly a "Dream" team.. Or maybe they were?..

[Beckinem]

Where can i get a transcript or subtitle??? PLZ HELP !

[dylanrocks83]

This team will be on NBA 2K 12. 

[BigTheNoodlez]

Super powerhouse team. The 2nd title team was better though. First team 2 beat 4 50+ win teams in playoffs 2 win title not to bad...

[xyzcannon92]

Holy Crap its Kenny The Jet Smith!!!

[AnotherStatsGuy]

Hey. I watched the Bulls 2nd & 3rd Championship videos. The 'Portland Inspiration ' Sequence & that guy w/ the red shirt@ 9:56 -- both of those clips were in1992 Finals Game 2 & 3 respectively, & also the 'Phoenix Suns in a remarkable comeback come from behind' audio clip actually came after their 3 OT win in '93 Finals.

But hey if the NBA wants to re-use media if it fits the video, go ahead. As long as the footage is OBVIOUSLY shown to be from a different timeframe.

[mariopot789]

yeah thank oyu for posting, I love these videos!