June 22, 1994: The Rockets Make Houston Clutch City

June 22, 1994: Game 7 of the NBA Finals, at The Summit in Houston. The New York Knicks can still make it a title double for New York City, and for Madison Square Garden. Unfortunately for them, John Starks turned The Summit into a brick house.

The Houston Oilers had won the AFL Championship in 1960 and 1961, but had lost the Championship Game in 1962 and 1967, the AFC Championship Game in 1978 and 1979, and the biggest blown lead in NFL Playoff history in 1993.

The Houston Aeros had won the World Hockey Association title in 1974 and 1975, but lost the Final in 1976, and folded in 1978, and the NHL has never put a team in Houston. The Housotn Astros had won the National League Western Division title in 1980 and 1986, but had lost the NL Championship Series both times. And the Houston Rockets had reached the NBA Finals in 1981 and 1986, but lost to the Boston Celtics both times.

Not that Texas' other major city, Dallas, had much sports success. But the Dallas Cowboys had won 2 Super Bowls in the 1970s, and, at this time, had just won the last 2. In contrast, Houston had become known as "Choke City."

But with head coach Rudy Tomjanovich, a former star player for the Rockets, and center Hakeem Olajuwon leading the way, the Rockets reached the Finals again in 1994. They had to get past the Utah Jazz, with their 2 big stars, forward Karl Malone and guard John Stockton. Malone was nicknamed "The Mailman," because he always seemed to "deliver." But Game 7 of their series was at The Summit on a Sunday, and a fan held up a sign saying, "There's no mail on Sunday!" (Unless you're in the British newspaper business.)

With Michael Jordan taking time off, the Knicks were finally able to get past the Chicago Bulls, after losing to them in the Playoffs in 1992 and 1993. It took them 7 games, but they did it. Then they beat Reggie Miller and the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Knicks took a 3-games-to-2 lead in the Finals, but Games 6 and 7 would be at The Summit. And the Rockets came through in Game 6, winning 86-84. The entire series was close: The Rockets won Game 1 by 7 points, Game 3 by 4, and Game 6 by 2; while the Knicks won Game 2 by 8, Game 4 by 9, and Game 5 by 7.

Game 7. The biggest game in Rockets history, and the biggest game for the Knicks in 21 years. The Rockets led 22-21 after the 1st quarter, 45-43 at the half, and 63-60 after 3 quarters. They never quite pulled away, but won, 90-84, for their 1st NBA Championship.

Olajuwon scored 25 points, and Vernon Maxwell added 21. Derek Harper led the Knicks with 23. The stat that really stands out, though, belonged to John Starks: He made 2 out of 18 shots from the field, including taking 11 3-point shots and missing all of them. He was 4-for-4 on free throws, for a total of 8 points. So maybe it wasn't so much that the Rockets were finally clutch, as Starks went the other way, putting up the most infamous "bricklayer" performance in basketball history.

Houston had so often known as "Choke City" for its sports performances. The Rockets printed up signs reading "CLUTCH CITY," for the fans to hold up. They lived up to it.

The following year, the Rockets acquired Portland Trail Blazers star Clyde "the Glide" Drexler, Olajuwon's teammate at the University of Houston. They got back to the Finals, and swept the Orlando Magic in 4 straight. During Game 4, a fan held up a sign saying, "Hey, Clyde: What's your ring size?" He had made 2 NBA Finals with the Blazers, losing both of them. Now, Clyde the Glide and Hakeem the Dream had won an NBA Championship together.

It's easy to forget now, just how good the 1994 and '95 Houston Rockets were. Don't assume that, just because Michael Jordan wasn't there that year, the Chicago Bulls would have beaten them.

UPDATE: The Rockets do not have a team Hall of Fame, but they do retire numbers. From their 1981 NBA Western Conference title, they have retired 23, for guard Calvin Murphy; 24, for center Moses Malone; 44, for forward Elvin Hayes; and 45, for forward Rudy Tomjanovich. From their 1986 Western Conference title: 34, for center Hakeem Olajuwon.

From their 1994 and 1995 NBA Champions: Tomjanovich, by then the head coach; Olajuwon; and 22, for guard Clyde Drexler. From since then, 11, for 2000s center Yao Ming. They have also raised a banner for longtime general manager Carroll Dawson.

Hayes, Tomjanovich, Olajuwon, Drexler and Dawson have been elected to the Texas Sports Hall of Fame.

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June 22, 1994 was a Wednesday. Football was out of season. The hockey season ended 8 days earlier, when, to my dismay, the New York Rangers won the Stanley Cup. And these Major League Baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees beat the Minnesota Twins, 9-2 at Yankee Stadium. Scott Kamieniecki was the winning pitcher. Paul O'Neill hit a home run. Don Mattingly went 3-for-4 with 2 RBIs.

* The New York Mets beat the Atlanta Braves, 5-2 at Atlanta-Fulton Stadium.

* The Milwaukee Brewers beat the Baltimore Orioles, 9-2 at Camden Yards in Baltimore. Cal Ripken Jr. went 1-for-3.

* The Boston Red Sox beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 3-2 at the SkyDome (now the Rogers Centre) in Toronto.

* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 5-4 at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh.

* The Cincinnati Reds beat the San Francisco Giants, 4-3 at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati. Barry Bonds and Matt Williams hit home runs for the Giants. As far as I know, neither was using steroids yet.

* The Cleveland Indians beat the Detroit Tigers, 9-6 at Tiger Stadium in Detroit.

* The Chicago White Sox beat the Texas Rangers, 4-0 at the new Comiskey Park (now Rate Field) in Chicago. Wilson Álvarez pitched 8 innings of 2-hit shutout ball, and Paul Assenmacher struck out the side in the 9th.

* The Montreal Expos beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 6-4 at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis.

* The Colorado Rockies beat the Houston Astros, 14-5 at Mile High Stadium in Denver.

* The San Diego Padres beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 7-6 at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego. Tony Gwynn went 2-for-2 with 2 walks and an RBI.

* The Seattle Mariners beat the California Angels, 12-3 at Anaheim Stadium (now Angel Stadium of Anaheim). Ken Griffey Jr. went 2-for-5 with a home run and 3 RBIs.

* And the Kansas City Royals beat the Oakland Athletics, 10-1 at the Oakland Coliseum.