Coaching a former nemesis on the court rarely goes well, and with AInge and Robert Horry, it very much did not.
Sometimes, when your co-worker becomes your boss, the situation just isn’t the same. The relationship you had with your co-worker is forever changed for the worse. This is not exactly uncommon in most workplaces, and the NBA is no exception, particularly when that co-worker is also a rival player.
In fact, when former Boston Celtics player and general manager Danny Ainge left the game as a player to pick up a clipboard and coach, he ended up as the head coach of a former rival, Robert Horry. The relationship was likely doomed. The player still harbored that hatred for having been dispatched by Ainge’s Suns when he was a Houston Rocket. The result is one epic tale.
To hear it for yourself, check out the clip embedded below put together by the folks at the Secret Base YouTube channel.
The all-time greats of Alabama Crimson Tide basketball!
The annual NCAA men’s basketball tournament is rapidly approaching with Selection Sunday taking place on March 12. Alabama’s success this season has propelled the program into the national spotlight. The top-ranked seed is up for grabs and it may belong to the Crimson Tide.
Though Alabama is typically known for its accolades on the football field, the Crimson Tide has a rich history on the hardwood that spans decades and generations.
Numerous coaches and players have left their mark on the program for being especially outstanding.
Roll Tide Wire chose one head coach, two assistants and 10 players to make up the all-time roster. We tip it off with the head coach.
Former NBA player Robert Horry was ejected from the Harvard-Westlake game after heckling referees about their foul calls.
Former NBA player Robert Horry was ejected from his son’s high school basketball game on Friday night after yelling from the stands at the referees, according to a video posted to the TMZ website.
Horry, who won seven championships in the NBA and was known by his nickname Big Shot Bob while playing, got some shots in at the official as he was getting ejected from the Harvard-Westlake game against St. Francis (La Canada, Calif.). Video shows him yelling “You suck” at the referees, and when a security officer approaches and appears to be looking at Horry, the former NBA player says “Hey ref, you talking about me? You suck.”
He walked down the bleachers and got a few more words in to the referee before walking toward the gym exit and pausing to talk to the Harvard-Westlake coach.
According to the outlet, Horry was mad after his son, 6-foot-3 guard Christian Horry, got called for his fourth foul. Harvard-Westlake went on to win 68-55.
He has since taken to twitter to offer an apology:
The passion I have for basketball goes beyond words..words got me tossed out my son’s game. Emotions are a part of sports & always will be whether you play or a fan, I’ve been both. Respect the game & all those involved, yes. Basketball unifies in many ways.
The Wolverines, who have a record of 26-1, are one of the best teams not just in California but in the country. They were ranked No. 10 in the Super 25 this week.
Tari Eason (21 points, 10 rebounds) to @BigSargeSportz after his #Rockets debut: “Plays aren’t really run for me, anyway, so I’m just used to finding open spaces and getting it on my own.”
HOUSTON — Rockets rookie Tari Eason had an intriguing NBA preseason debut in Sunday’s 134-96 win over San Antonio. He finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds. The 6-foot-8 forward connected on 9-of-13 shots (69.2%) in only 21 minutes played.
Going back to his LSU career, ending the game with a double-double is a normal stat line for last season’s Southeastern Conference Sixth Man of the Year. In this case, it was fascinating he did it all without one offensive play designed to get him the ball.
“We did not run one play for Tari tonight,” said Rockets head coach Stephen Silas during his postgame press conference. “But his crashing and his knack for getting to the rim is good.”
Silas knew precisely what the No. 17 selection in the first round of the 2022 NBA draft brought to his team when he sat courtside in Las Vegas and watched Eason earn All-NBA Summer League first-team honors, averaging 17.2 points and 10.2 rebounds per game.
“I am always working on my game,” Eason said over the summer. “I love to hoop, so anywhere a hoop is, I love to go play.”
Eason, 21, admitted it is common for an offensive set not to have any designed plays involving him, and he is OK with that.
“Plays aren’t really run for me, anyway, so I am just used to finding open spaces and getting it on my own,” Eason said after Houston’s 38-point victory over the Spurs. “Whether that is getting it off the glass or a steal. Anything I can do to try and get myself going.”
“Plays aren’t really run for me anyway, so I am just used to finding open spaces and getting it on my own,” said Rockets rookie Tari Eason when responding to Rockets HC Stephen Silas’s praise about his play despite not having offensive sets called for him. #Sargepic.twitter.com/PwmL2wOeKa
That mentality takes many Rockets fans back to 30 years ago when Houston selected another All-SEC small forward in the first round of the 1992 NBA draft: Robert Horry. Like Eason, Horry had to find his way in a system focused on more offensive-minded players such as Hakeem Olajuwon and Vernon Maxwell.
The majority of his four years with the Rockets consisted of Horry being in the right place at the right time and doing all the dirty work.
When he was called to produce offensively, he had a knack for finding ways to create points, especially in the clutch, which was needed during the Rockets’ back-to-back NBA championships.
“Big Shot Bob” then went on to win five more NBA titles during his time with the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs.
Early indications are Eason has similar levels of determination and grit, which the team hopes will lead him down a familiar path.
O’Neal responded to some recent criticism from seven-time NBA champion Robert Horry.
Shareef O’Neal, the son of Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal, responded to recent feedback from seven-time NBA champion Robert Horry about his recent play with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Horry, who won three titles with Shaquille in Los Angeles, recalled watching Shareef in a workout with the Lakers on the “Big Shot Bob” podcast. He wasn’t impressed by what he saw from Shareef, who was apparently outworked by a teammate on the court.
He then proceeded to question his drive and effort.
I picked up my phone and I was getting ready to call Shaq like, ‘Yo, man, you gotta tell your son he can’t be playing off the damn O’Neal name.’ He gotta go out there and play. I was like, ‘You gotta put forth some effort, man.’ Shareef is such a nice kid that I don’t know if he has that dog in him to go out and take what he wants. Shaq had that dog in him. You gotta be able to do that.
The statement by Horry, which was made on July 28, started to circulate around social media and made it back to Shareef. He seemingly took the criticism in stride and vowed to bounce back and prove everyone wrong next season.
I know this outta love and no disrespect!!! I got you BIG SHOT but you know who raised me , I don’t quit. Always been taught to go get it and take it . Been heading in the right step …like I said I got you! Youll see https://t.co/QmbciWH46c
Shareef, who transferred from UCLA to LSU ahead of the 2020-21 season, missed much of the past two years due to a foot injury. He made his season debut with the Tigers on Jan. 12 and averaged 2.9 points and 2.1 rebounds in 14 games.
The 22-year-old went undrafted but joined the Lakers for summer league. He averaged 4.7 points and 3.7 rebounds in six games between Salt Lake City and Las Vegas. He produced his best game on July 8 with seven points and four rebounds.
Following his stint with the Lakers, Shareef signed a six-figure contract with the NBA G League Ignite for this season. He will have the opportunity to continue his development against NBA-caliber players alongside some of the top up-and-coming prospects.
He will certainly enter next season with that criticism from Horry in the back of his mind and look to turn in a strong 2022-23 campaign. With the season approaching, it will be worth monitoring to see how Shareef responds with the Ignite.
In Game 3 of the 2001 NBA Finals, Kobe Bryant shined brightly in his hometown and helped lead the Lakers to a victory.
The Los Angeles Lakers tied the 2001 NBA Finals with a win over the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 2, but it came in a very competitive game, and many thought the rest of the series might be a dogfight.
The Finals moved to Philly for Game 3, making it the first such game in that city since the Sixers swept an injury-riddled Lakers team in 1983.
But it was also a homecoming for Kobe Bryant.
Even though Bryant had spent much of his childhood in the Delaware Valley region, a sort of antipathy was building between him and his hometown. Perhaps it wasn’t surprising, as Philadelphians tend to hate anything that has nothing to do with their city.
But it didn’t matter to Bryant, as he came out hot in Game 3.
After the two teams played to a standstill in the first quarter, he went into nova mode, making eight straight shots in the second period to drive Los Angeles to a 55-45 halftime lead.
As they would do all series long, the Sixers fought back in the second half. When Shaquille O’Neal fouled out with 2:21 left in the fourth quarter and the Lakers clinging to a two-point lead, it looked like the Sixers were about to channel Rocky Balboa and come up with an inspiring come-from-behind win.
Instead, another hero would emerge for L.A.
With less than a minute left and the Lakers only up by one, Philly was able to get the ball out of Bryant’s hands, but it found its way into the hands of Robert Horry, who nailed a 3-pointer to secure a 96-91 win for the Purple and Gold.
Bryant finished with 32 points, while O’Neal had 30 points, 12 rebounds and four blocked shots.
Horry had been a clutch 3-point shooter for the 1994 and 1995 world champion Houston Rockets, but since he was traded to the Lakers in 1997, some had wondered where his magical shooting touch had gone.
Game 3 of the 2001 championship series was a huge step towards Horry regaining his old reputation and earning the nickname “Big Shot Rob.”
It was also a huge step toward the Sixers losing their fight and succumbing to the dominance of O’Neal, Bryant and the Lakers.
Game 4 of the WCF between the Lakers and Kings was the setting of Robert Horry’s most famous game-winning shot.
For every sports fan, there are moments that will be forever frozen in time.
They will serve as a snapshot of either that moment one abandoned all hope of glory or a moment one felt born again.
For Lakers fans, one of those snapshots came on May 26, 2002.
After taking Game 1 of their Western Conference finals showdown against the Sacramento Kings rather easily, the Lakers dropped Game 2.
Coming home for the next two contests, they felt confident they were about to regain control of the series.
Instead, the Kings scored a stunning 103-90 win in Game 3 in which Kobe Bryant went 8-of-24 from the field.
When the Kings took a 48-24 lead with 9:38 left in the second quarter of Game 4, it was beyond obvious the Lakers were in deep trouble. They were staring down the abyss of falling behind 3-1 with Game 5 to be played in Sacramento.
Just when it appeared they were becoming extinct, the Lakers fought back.
With Shaquille O’Neal struggling through a 9-of-22 afternoon, Bryant came alive and led a comeback by scoring 13 points in the second period.
L.A. cut its deficit to 65-51 at halftime and to seven with one quarter to go.
By now, the Kings, who had displayed gleeful confidence bordering on arrogance early in the contest, were devolving into their familiar pattern of whininess and deer-in-the-headlights syndrome.
Meanwhile, the Lakers were playing inspired ball, as they continually beat the Kings to rebounds and loose balls.
But when forward Hedo Turkoglu hit a jumper with 1:52 remaining to put Sacramento up, 96-90, it looked as if L.A. might be done.
Enter a new hero: Robert Horry.
He hit a 3-pointer seconds later to cut the Lakers’ deficit in half, and with 11.8 seconds left, they were down 99-97 with possession.
After both Bryant and O’Neal missed game-tying opportunities, Kings center Vlade Divac batted the ball out to the perimeter, trying to prevent another Lakers player from getting a close-range put-back.
But the ball went to Horry, who was open just beyond the 3-point line, and he hit the game-winner as time expired.
To this day, it remains Horry’s most memorable game-winning shot, and he is a man who knocked down many such shots throughout his long career.
For the Kings and their fans, it remains a devastating memory that they still haven’t gotten over 20 years later.
During his playing days, most of which were spent with the Boston Celtics in the 1980s, Ainge drew the ire of Lakers fans for his relentless, annoying cheerleading when he was on the bench and his frequent whining at the referees.
Critics charged that Ainge was spoiled, self-entitled and even dirty, and one of those who felt that way was Horry himself, who played against Ainge when he was at the tail-end of his career.
On April 28, 2002, Robert Horry hit one of his patented game-winning 3-pointers to help the Lakers sweep the Blazers out of the playoffs.
When people think of Robert Horry’s Lakers career, they will remember his game-winning shots, and the one that always comes to mind is the buzzer-beating 3-pointer he hit versus the Sacramento Kings to win Game 4 of the 2002 Western Conference Finals.
But earlier in that postseason, he knocked down another clutch shot that some may not remember too well.
The Lakers started the 2002 NBA Playoffs against the Portland Trail Blazers, a team that had almost ended their dynasty before it even started two years earlier.
L.A. had swept Portland in the first round in 2001, and it was looking to do the same a year later.
The Lakers won the first two contests of the series, but doing so wasn’t as easy as it was in ’01 when they went 15-1 en route to the NBA championship.
Shaquille O’Neal wasn’t himself due to an arthritic big toe, while Kobe Bryant shot terribly in those two games.
Game 3 was tight, and it would be up to another Laker to put it away.
With 2.1 seconds left in the fourth quarter and L.A. down by two, Horry took a pass from Bryant and nailed a 3-pointer to send his team to the next round.
It was indeed a sign of things to come later that spring, as he helped the Lakers claim their third straight world title.
“Hakeem the Dream” and “Clyde the Glide” are among Houston’s best contributions to elite NBA nicknames, but they’re far from alone. Here’s a comprehensive list through Rockets history.
The best sports nicknames are colorful accents that effortlessly add a dash of flavor to the games we watch and play.
Some originate as terms of endearment, while others are bestowed as labels of ineptitude. That got us wondering about where some of the greatest players in basketball history — such as Michael Jordan (Air), LeBron James (King James) and Earvin Johnson (Magic) — rank in the pantheon of great NBA nicknames.
Baseball, with its long and rich history, once generated vivid monikers such as the Sultan of Swat (Babe Ruth) and the Splendid Splinter (Ted Williams). But basketball, with its playground roots and hip-hop culture, arguably is the sport with the most imaginative sports nicknames today.
With that in mind, Thomas Neumann of Rookie Wire took a shot at ranking the 101 greatest nicknames in NBA history. See below for where players with ties to the Houston Rockets were ranked in that list.
All nickname commentary and history is from Neumann.
but you know who raised me , I don’t quit. Always been taught to go get it and take it . Been heading in the right step …like I said I got you! Youll see 
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