Rockets Blast To 3-0 Lead In Finals

Sydney Morning Herald

Monday June 12, 1995

LISA OLSON

HOUSTON, Monday: The feeling is so palpable they can practically taste it, as well as smell it. It permeates the air like the down-home ribs and grits you can get around the corner at Drexler's Barbeque , a long three-pointer from the Houston Summit. It's tantalisingly greasy, this emotion engulfing the Houston Rockets, and now they're just one game away from savouring the succulence of it all.

Houston beat the Orlando Magic 106-103 last night in game three of the National Basketball Association finals, giving them a formidable 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

The way the Rockets are playing, they'll be drinking champagne before the weekend rolls around. During the regular season, they had a mediocre 47-35 record and no-one except their wives expected them to get past the first round of the play-offs, never mind defending their title.

"I am surprised myself, but you have to believe some things are beyond human explanation," said Houston centre Hakeem Olajuwon, who again dominated with 31 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists. "It just shows if you play as a team you can do anything."

This is what playing as a team means to the Rockets: it means Olajuwon showing off moves on the baseline that would make Thomas Muster jealous.

It means geriatric guard Clyde Drexler, owner of the best barbecue restaurant in Houston, leaving the Magic drooling with his full-court drives and slashes to the basket.

Drexler finished with 25 explosive points, most of them coming after he out-jumped players 50cm taller and a decade younger to grab the defensive rebound.

And it means Robert Horry playing defence like an octopus on amphetamines and then moving out of his power forward spot to hit two big threes down the stretch, one of which came with just 14s on the clock to give the Rockets a 104-100 lead.

Down 106-103 with 2.2s left, the Magic had a chance to tie but Horry was all over Anfernee Hardaway like tomato sauce on a bag of chips and Hardaway's shot fell short.

The Magic, so talented but so green, were aggressive at both ends but couldn't stop Houston's transition game. The Rockets had 27 fast-break points, compared with Orlando's eight, and even the inside work of Shaquille O'Neal (28 points, 10 rebounds) and Horace Grant (18 points) couldn't curtail the Rockets' hunger.

"Your mind starts to say what can we do that we haven't already done?" said Hardaway after finishing with 19 points and 14 assists. "You look on paper and wonder how this team (the Rockets) manage to win. But they have a big heart and I guess that's how they do it."