# Rockets contend they'd have been champs even if MJ was playing



## TomBoerwinkle#1 (Jul 31, 2002)

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/3221857



> Ten years later and it's still there, hanging over their legacy.
> 
> In the two years when the Rockets won their back-to-back championships, Michael Jordan was off pursuing a baseball career and then making his first NBA comeback.
> 
> ...





> The Rockets, in fact, had a 5-1 record vs. Jordan and the Bulls from 1991 through 1993, the span of Chicago's first "three-peat."
> 
> After a loss on his home floor at Chicago Stadium in 1993, Jordan said, "We have no answer for the big guy. It's a good thing they won't ever make it to the (NBA) Finals, because I don't think we could beat them."
> 
> ...


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## Rocket Man (Jun 10, 2005)

I read the Chronicle daily and believe me, I agree with it completely. I am so tired of people wanting to downgrade and put an astrisk by those two Rocket championships. I have been a Rocket fan since the Moses Malone era but still think that I can be objective about a team's strenght and weakness. Yes I think Jordan's Bulls probably had more overall talent. Talent alone does not always win championships. Teamwork, chemistry, and matchups have a lot more to do with advancing in the playoffs. Veron Maxwell, even being a headcase was probably the best person in the league to guard Jordan. Even if Jordan got his who did Chicago have that could stop Hakeem from going off and completly dominating the game at both ends. Hakeem's greatness was not just on the offensive end, he was the best shot blocker(probably close with Russel) that the league has ever seen much less his hand quickness with the steals he always produced. No, if it Houston had made it to the Finals in those other years, I don't think the Bulls would have had all those six titles either.


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## sherwin (Mar 21, 2005)

We SWEPT a team that could have beat the Bulls in the East, and did, the Magic. When Jordan came back in 95, he lost his only playoff series in the championship run at the hands of SHAQ.


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## Hakeem (Aug 12, 2004)

People like to think that Jordan was rusty in '95, but he was kicking *** in the playoffs. The reason the Bulls could beat the Magic the next year was that they had Dennis Rodman instead of Will Perdue.


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## Rocket Man (Jun 10, 2005)

Yeah, I still go back and watch the final game of the sweep of Orlando in 95. The way Shak looked like he was crying after Hakeem manhandled him in that series.


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## Rocket Man (Jun 10, 2005)

Maybe I was being a little unfair about Shak. He has never shown anything but respect for Hakeem and actually looked up to him as a mentor. But during the 95 playoffs Hakeem was unstopable. It seemed that he raised his game to higher level in each series. What he did to David Robinson and the Spurs was the things that I have never seen a big man be able to do. When I went to the old Summit I would watch him during pregame warmups practicing guarding the guards and small forwards to enhance his hand quickness. And to think if he was in the championship rounds against the Bulls he would be facing Cartwright,Perdue, or Rodman. He could probaby average 35 to 40 points, 10+ rebounds, 2 or 3 blocks, and 2 to 3 steals in the series against the Bulls much less this opening up shot for all the other guys.


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## ThaShark316 (May 7, 2004)

It's simple...if the Knicks win the NBA Title in 94 and 95, they're regarded as one of the great championship teams in league history. But since the "hated" Texans won..."OH JORDAN WAS RETIRED!!"


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## hitokiri315 (Apr 30, 2004)

> It's simple...if the Knicks win the NBA Title in 94 and 95, they're regarded as one of the great championship teams in league history. But since the "hated" Texans won..."OH JORDAN WAS RETIRED!!"


Great point there has always been a texas bias in all sports. Just like this year when the spurs sweep the pistons it will be downplayed by some other great non texas based team. That is just how it is and that is why guy lewis is not in the hall of fame.


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## Rocket Man (Jun 10, 2005)

Yeah if we could have gotten past Seattle and Utah those couple years that we fell short, I believe the Rockets would probably have a couple more banners hanging in the rafters. Seattle just had our number back then with the defense that they ran against us.


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## Adol (Nov 25, 2004)

I don't know what it is, but I just can't see anyone beating the bulls (aka MJ) during that stretch. I would have had to see someone beat Jordan in the playoffs to believe it. And sure, he did get beat his first comeback year...But give the guy a little slack. He had stopped playing ball for 2 years! Loses...Comes back and gets another three peat. The guy was just unreal...Regardless I would have loved to see this matchup.


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## Ron Mexico (Feb 14, 2004)

hitokiri315 said:


> * there has always been a texas bias in all sports*.


yeah sure biased against all teams from texas


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## MacDanny 6 (Jun 7, 2002)

ThaShark316 said:


> It's simple...if the Knicks win the NBA Title in 94 and 95, they're regarded as one of the great championship teams in league history. But since the "hated" Texans won..."OH JORDAN WAS RETIRED!!"


It would be the same exact thing. People would be saying "The only reason Patrick Ewing won 2 rings is because Michael Jordan decided to take a break."


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## Hakeem (Aug 12, 2004)

In fact, they'd be saying it even more, since the Bulls frequently beat the Knicks when Jordan was playing.


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