Today in 1995: Rockets sink Suns with ‘Kiss of Death’ by Mario Elie

It was 25 years ago today when Mario Elie sank the most iconic shot in Houston Rockets history to clinch Game 7 at Phoenix.

Known best as the “Kiss of Death,” this Wednesday marks the 25th anniversary of the most famous shot in Houston Rockets franchise history, courtesy of three-time NBA champion Mario Elie.

On May 20, 1995, Elie hit a corner 3-pointer with under 10 seconds left in Game 7 at Phoenix. The legendary shot broke a tie and lifted the Rockets to victory in the game (box score) and the Western Conference semifinal series, which they had previously trailed by a 3-1 margin.

Led by Charles Barkley and Kevin Johnson, the Suns (59-23) were much better than Houston (47-35) in the 1994-95 regular season. But true to their nickname, “Clutch City” was a different beast in the playoffs. And just a few weeks later, those Rockets secured their second straight NBA championship. (Elie captured his third title in 1999 with San Antonio.)

The Phoenix shot is perhaps best remembered for what occurred right after it, with Elie blowing a kiss in the direction of the home bench. The Suns never had a realistic shot to tie the game after Elie’s make, with head coach Rudy Tomjanovich opting to foul the Suns with a 3-point lead.

In a story on the shot’s 20th anniversary, Elie told the Houston Chronicle that the kiss was gestured at backup Suns center Joe Kleine. Elie said:

He started that in Game 5. It started as fun, but I got the last kiss. It was just emotion, friendly competition, and us going at each other for the second year in a row.

It was a somewhat risky play by Elie on multiple levels. With the shot clock off, Tomjanovich ideally wanted the Rockets to take the game’s last shot, so that the worst-case scenario was overtime. Because Elie shot early, a miss would likely have allowed the Suns a shot to win in regulation.

Those Rockets also had two future Hall of Famers on the court in Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler. On paper, one of those two would seem be the preferred option in a late-game scenario. But Elie was open after a cross-court pass by Robert Horry, and he fired without hesitation.

“Robert threw a high pass, and I had to jump to get it,” Elie said. “But I had time to gather myself and get a great look at the basket.”

Olajuwon and Drexler each had 29 points in the victory, which was just the fifth time in NBA history that a road team had won a Game 7. But it was the final shot of an 8-point outing by a veteran role player — known best for his defense and toughness — that the game is best remembered for.

“My kids don’t think the old man could play,” Elie told the Houston Chronicle in 2015. “I can show them on video that I was pretty good.”

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