Led by 46 combined points from Hakeem Olajuwon and Vernon Maxwell, the Rockets claimed the first major sports title in Houston history with a 90-84 victory (box score) in Game 7 of the 1994 NBA Finals.
That game, which took place at The Summit in Houston, came 26 years ago today on June 22, 1994. Celebrations followed up and down Richmond Avenue, and a parade went through downtown days later.
Olajuwon, who was MVP of the 1993-94 regular season and the NBA Finals, scored a game-high 25 points in Game 7 to go with 10 rebounds, seven assists, and three blocks. Meanwhile, Maxwell added 21 points, including a dagger 3-pointer with just under two minutes left to play.
“Finally,” Olajuwon said postgame after the win over visiting New York. “If you were to write a book, you can’t write it any better. It’s been a great season for the team.” Houston had home-court advantage in Game 7 courtesy of a 58-24 regular season, which was the best record in team history. (Even today, only the 2017-18 Rockets have won more games.)
Point guards Kenny Smith and rookie Sam Cassell each played well under pressure, scoring a combined 24 points on 8-of-13 shooting (61.5%).
The New York Knicks were led in defeat by point guard Derek Harper, who scored 23 points. Patrick Ewing had 17 points and 10 rebounds, but Olajuwon’s defense helped limit him to a 41.2% shooting clip.
Maxwell’s defense was also quite impactful against Knicks guard John Starks, who scored just 8 points on 2-of-18 shooting (11.1%) from the field in the Game 7 loss. Starks was New York’s second-leading scorer in the 1993-94 season at 19.0 points per game.
Maxwell also, of course, hit the clinching shot on offense. “It’s the biggest shot so far in my career,” Maxwell said postgame. “Dream [Olajuwon] made a great pass, and I just shot the ball with a lot of confidence.”
Known best as “Clutch City,” that era’s Rockets went on to win the 1995 NBA championship, as well. Those back-to-back triumphs remain the only two professional basketball titles in Houston history.
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