Sonics are the reason,why I fell in love with the game of basketball.Back in 1991,my mom bought me my 1st basketball,besides life itself, that was the best gift I ever got from her.Thanx Mom.
R.I.P Greg Gumbel Thank you for the memories, but mostly thank you for this game for my Rockets, of course, game 6 Western Conference Finals, but mostly the NFL March Madness NBA and many more. Thank you for bringing our childhood memories🙏
one of my fav rivalries of the 90s. Wish they woulda met in 94 & 95 as well. really wished it woulda been the Knicks-Bulls ECF & Rockets-Bulls Finals in 97.
factz...Miami was not ready for that stage & you could clearly see it in that ECF. Bulls shoulda swept that series. I think Houston was sooo burned out from that Seattle series, they just ran out of gas vs Utah. I thought Houston was better than Utah that year. They were up late in Gm 6 & thought it was going 2 a Game 7, but they just couldn't close it out@@williamwright8250
@@williamwright8250knicks got Screwed. They wrre up 3-1 and thenthe brawl happened at the end of game 5 so they were up 3- 2 but starks, Ewing, LJ, and more were suspended. Half game 6 the other in-game 7.
Yeah. Bulls-Knicks in 1997 ECF was more enticing and interesting. Not saying the Knicks will pull it off, but Knicks offense is more spread out while defense remains rugged. It seems the league did the manipulation so to keep Jordan, the league's biggest commodity, has less complications clinching number 5.
It was revealed decades later during this season, Kemp reportedly tend to stay late at a bar to satisfy his alcoholism. This could be the reason why he was traded to Cavs instead of giving a contract extension. This kept secret, in a way, benefited Shawn as he signed a lucrative deal with Cleveland, making him a largest paid Cav. Of course, until LeBron comes to town.
@@OrionOodama NBC broke the story on Kemp's alcoholism in 1997 when he was still with the team. I definitely knew about his cocaine use by the mid 2000s, in either NBA 2K4 or 2K5 Kemp was in the free agent pool and looked really fucked up in his media picture, my friends and I used to all fight over which one of us would get to sign "Sweaty Kemp" to our team
@@hectorlopez1069 Tenure-wise, it should be Gary Payton. It's been said Clay Bennett and the management responsible moving the franchise from Seattle to OKC offered Payton a jersey retirement which "The Glove" flat-out refused.
@@benyah3390EXACTLY, ikr what crack this dudes talking about. He got destroyed all series long next round by John Stockton. Had they still had Cassell, they would have a better chance beating the Jazz in 1997.
I say it all the time. With his athleticism, speed and silky smooth jump shot, Shawn would be an absolute superstar in today's game. With traveling and offensive fouls, two of the main factors holding him back back then, hardly being called anymore, he would score at will. Nobody stopping him.
The one on one matchup between Charles Barkley and Shawn Kemp was the deciding factor of this series. The rebounding, in particular, was the deciding statistic of this game.
@@PIP...33 Exactly. The year before, without Chuck, it was a sweep, in part, because Hakeem on his own couldn't keep up with Shawn's athleticism. It needed Chuck teaming up with Hakeem to stop Shawn and some questionable foul calls that limited Shawns playing time. Just like in the finals, the year before. They simply never had a strong body in the paint besides Shawn. Especially Sam Perkins almost drove me crazy. He knocked down smooth threes from time to time, but he almost never manned his post in the paint. And never really played as if he wanted to help his teammates.
@@christiangwenner6384Kemp wasn't Olajuwon's responsibility. Kemp was a power forward, Olajuwon a center. And it's not like Kemp was shutting down Olajuwon.
0:49-0:53 “And This Is The Summit In Houston, Texas. Where Stars Abound. 0:54: Barkley and Payton. 0:56-0:58: Olajuwon and Kemp. 1:00 And Kevin Willis Who Looks Like He’s Just Happy To Be Here And So Are We. 1:05-1:11: Welcome To Game Seven Of This Western Conference Semifinals Series, The Seattle Sonics And The Houston Rockets.” Classic❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿
They would swarm him every time he touched the ball. George Karl admitted that they didn't exactly play man-to-man against him even though that was required back then with the illegal defense rules.
@@DavidOkutinyang-td4jt RINGS MEANS NOTHING HERE WE TALK BOUT MATCHUP THAT DONT FIT. KENNY USED TO SAY WE OWNED OTHERS TEAMS BULLS JORDAN HAD NO ANSWER VS HAKEEM . BUT WE COULD NOT WIN VS SOME OTHER TEAMS LIKE SONICS.
ROCKETS HAVE PROLEMS WITH TEAMS THAT HAVE INCREDIBLE POINT GUARDS. JAZZ SONICS EVEN SUNS. BUT CENTERS OR JORDAN WERE NO MATCH TO THEM BCAUSE OLAJUWON CANCEL MJ EVERYTHING WITH DEFENSE BLOCKS REBOUNDS POINTS.
@@DavidOkutinyang-td4jt i never said the sonics had more success then the rockets, I just said the rockets used to get destroyed by Seattle. That specific series Sir Charles made the difference
@@ilfusarrista1943 The Rockets also added Willis to the team they had a frontline that matched up better with the Sonics forwards who all played in the post compared to the prior year with Chucky Brown out of position there. Besides the Rockets Barkley wasn't exactly the Suns version of him in G3 he had just 3 points (no FGs) in the 4th and in this game had no points in the last quarter, G4 was the only game throughout the entire series he dominated down the stretch. Also in the first 7 game series there was bad officiating in overtime against the Rockets which was practically the only reason the Sonics won that series.
There really isn't a huge different in athleticism/skill/bag between 90s guys and today. I can see maybe some criticism from today's players maybe about guys from Jordan's early days, but basically from around 90 it seems like the NBA hit it's modern era, and there isn't that much difference between then and now aside from rules.
i dont understand the final Kemp shot. he was stumbling with plenty of time left and instead of tossing to a nearby teammate throws up a way-off-balance 3 to lose the series.
A lot of that goes back to the coach, I'm afraid. George had some fine tactical ideas, but it never appeared as if he was able to lend the team some calm and confidence.
The Rockets could've just gotten Kevin Willis in free agency and they wouldn't have had to give up anyone. The only reason Barkley ended up w/the Rockets was because he wanted to go there and Rudy understandably took the gamble.
How could you not show the score for the entire highlight? Woulda been a good video but the suspence isn't there when you can't see the score during the game.
There's a part of me rooting for the Rockets so to fulfill a Bulls-Rockets Finals (Utah had the last say, though). Despite forcing G7, it's noticeable Ervin Johnson and Shawn Kemp were hands full containing Dream and Chuckster. Somehow, the Sonics were unable to do swarming double-team to Hakeem unlike the previous year that held Dream to single-digit scoring. Thanks for Barkley putting that scheme away from Hakeem. Still, the Sonics were still there until sealed by the Rockets' clutch shots in the 4Q. Speaking of Shawn, it was revealed decades later he was having alcoholism issues during the 1996-97 season. This should be a deciding factor why the Sonics traded him to Cavs (a surprise for some) instead of giving an extension. Interestingly, trade replacement Vin Baker had that same issue in Seattle few years later. Maybe Milwaukee kept it a secret too, or there's something in Seattle that makes athletes susceptible to liquor.
I mean, it's raining 365 days a year and all the music on the radio was from depressed grunge bands. Who could blame those guys. More seriously, great to hear someone appreciating Chuck's impact. He was hard to shake and a great passer out of double teams, by that stage of his career. The difference to the year before is amazing. With the Sonics it's troubling. I was such a huge fan as a kid, given that here in Germany they were broadcasted a lot, because of Det playing for them. Looking at the games now, with some on court experience of my own, it's quite disturbing to watch how they often lost their composure and fell apart as a team at times, when refs made questionable calls. At other times, in moments of fury, they seemed to play so wonderfully in sync. Only to almost completely lose cohesion in the next game. Sometimes I wish they would have had a stronger coaching personality at the sideline. George often looked so troubled himself. You wonder what a more calm and confident coach might have achieved with such talent.
1. Ervin Johnson wasn't with the Sonics at this point. 2. Barkley's impact in the series was really with his rebounding, in this game he didn't score at all in the 4th and G3 which the Rockets also won wasn't a scoring factor in the last quarter either (only 3 points off freethrows). 3. Barkley didn't really fit the Rockets system with him holding the ball too long on some possessions stalling the offense. That's actually the reason the Rockets didn't put the series away immediately after G4. 4. Barkley struggled guarding the pick and roll which got exploited a lot in the conference finals. The championship Rockets team on the other hand had forwards that could guard it effectively (Horry and Thorpe).
The Rockets specifically got Barkley and Kevin Willis to deal with Shawn Kemp. Houston as a whole could not deal with the Seattle Forwards. Perkins, Schrempf, and Kemp were way too much for Hakeem to handle and Horry wasn't helping all that much. The Drexler trade in 95' was a double edged sword for them as they lost Thorpe who was able to counter Kemp to a degree and when they lost him it became a huge matchup issue in the 96' playoffs where The Defending Champ Rockets got swept by The Sonics.
@@ChrisM07 Thanks for the clarification Ervin Johnson no longer with Seattle this season (1996-97). It reminded me the Sonics signed Jim McIlvaine which upsets Shawn Kemp because he demands contract increase around that time. Gosh, 7-year, USD 33M-plus signed by McIlvaine was a biggie back them. As for the Chuckster, it eased the low post plays from Hakeem but as you said, he's liable in pick and roll defense, perhaps more obvious when John Stockton made that WCF-winning clutch three few weeks after this featured game.
@@christiangwenner6384 Would you believe that the rainfall between Seattle and Miami is about the same?? Vin Baker was skilled but not athletic. His hobby was Cooking. Not good as a professional athlete
He wasn't really a good fit in the Rockets system ball movement usually stalled when they ran the offense through him, that's the reason they didn't put this series away immediately after G4.
Kemp was not scare about Hakeem . You clearly see how he move forward one to one against him with determination. All of them show an spirit of warriors.
Houston was missing Otis Thorpe. A strong athletic forward that held his own against anyone. He didn't play!! Hakeem had to do too much work in the interior. The Rockets gave up way too much for Drexler and waaay to much for Barkley. They made themselves old overnight
Exactly im a rockets fan and remember that. The Sonics had the frontcourt to matchup with the Rockers. The bulls did not. Olajuwon could roam against the bulls@mongoslade277
Sonics are the reason,why I fell in love with the game of basketball.Back in 1991,my mom bought me my 1st basketball,besides life itself, that was the best gift I ever got from her.Thanx Mom.
Prime Kemp was so much fun to watch
Yea pretty much unstoppable, sad to see him fat and addicted to drugs later on in his career tho.
As a Rockets fan no he wasn’t. It was painful to watch him clown my Rockets
@@bdizzle9484 Be grateful the Rockets didn't have to face the Sonics in 94 and 95
@@annie20232 too bad the Sonics choke in the first round
@@annie20232i think 94 rockets woulda got them
I grew up watching the Rockets in the 90's so it's nice to relive the moments. Thank you MDBBall.
👍
I liked watching Kemp's games, even bought his Reebok shoes 2.
R.I.P
Greg Gumbel
Thank you for the memories, but mostly thank you for this game for my Rockets, of course, game 6 Western Conference Finals, but mostly the NFL March Madness NBA and many more. Thank you for bringing our childhood memories🙏
Wish this Rocket team made the Finals to play Bulls. Wouldve been an interesting series
Doesn't matter. The Bulls would still win
@@annie20232 They would have won easier.
@@acornsucks2111 6 games
Yeah, interesting.
But Hakeem is gradually passing his prime and no longer surrounded by great shooters unlike in 94 and 95.
I think it would’ve been a very interesting series. I think the Bulls probably win in 6. But I think the games would’ve been close.
one of my fav rivalries of the 90s. Wish they woulda met in 94 & 95 as well. really wished it woulda been the Knicks-Bulls ECF & Rockets-Bulls Finals in 97.
Me too miami was not as good as the Knicks this year and Houston had bad fortune against Utah
factz...Miami was not ready for that stage & you could clearly see it in that ECF. Bulls shoulda swept that series. I think Houston was sooo burned out from that Seattle series, they just ran out of gas vs Utah. I thought Houston was better than Utah that year. They were up late in Gm 6 & thought it was going 2 a Game 7, but they just couldn't close it out@@williamwright8250
@@williamwright8250utah was on a mission in 97&98... But of course ..... Jordan😂
@@williamwright8250knicks got Screwed. They wrre up 3-1 and thenthe brawl happened at the end of game 5 so they were up 3- 2 but starks, Ewing, LJ, and more were suspended. Half game 6 the other in-game 7.
Yeah. Bulls-Knicks in 1997 ECF was more enticing and interesting.
Not saying the Knicks will pull it off, but Knicks offense is more spread out while defense remains rugged.
It seems the league did the manipulation so to keep Jordan, the league's biggest commodity, has less complications clinching number 5.
What a game. 90s NBA basketball was so fun to watch
what a game. Kemp looked like Westbrook in the clutch - uncontrolled chaotic basketball decisions.
Shawn Kemp's final game in a Sonics uniform.
Yup so sad
It was revealed decades later during this season, Kemp reportedly tend to stay late at a bar to satisfy his alcoholism. This could be the reason why he was traded to Cavs instead of giving a contract extension.
This kept secret, in a way, benefited Shawn as he signed a lucrative deal with Cleveland, making him a largest paid Cav. Of course, until LeBron comes to town.
@@OrionOodamawhen he was with Cleveland, he started to gain weight and he was no longer that really good.
@@OrionOodama NBC broke the story on Kemp's alcoholism in 1997 when he was still with the team. I definitely knew about his cocaine use by the mid 2000s, in either NBA 2K4 or 2K5 Kemp was in the free agent pool and looked really fucked up in his media picture, my friends and I used to all fight over which one of us would get to sign "Sweaty Kemp" to our team
@@hectorlopez1069he was an all star in 98 but yeah really fell off in cleveland after 98
This was Shawn Kemps last game as a sonic, phenomenal series by both teams.
Kemp is the greatest sonics player ever
@@hectorlopez1069no… Kevin Durant
@@hectorlopez1069or Ray Allen
@@noahwarinerfootball3917 Shawn Kemp was better than Durant. He was was more explosive.
@@hectorlopez1069
Tenure-wise, it should be Gary Payton.
It's been said Clay Bennett and the management responsible moving the franchise from Seattle to OKC offered Payton a jersey retirement which "The Glove" flat-out refused.
God that crowd is insane😂 playoff games now everyone is watching it through their phones live in the stadium n barely makin noise
Barkley/Kemp? Game 7? I'm here!
Intros were everything back in the day!!
it should have been the Rockets vs Bulls in the Finals
In 93, that would have been epic to watch.
I would of loved to see that. But I don't think anybody would have beaten the Bulls
@@danielfletcher8491rockets can beat them.
Matt Maloney ladies and gentlemen. Such an underrated guard. Played with three HOFamers and held his own.
Dude was trash. Losing Cassell hurt.
@@benyah3390EXACTLY, ikr what crack this dudes talking about. He got destroyed all series long next round by John Stockton. Had they still had Cassell, they would have a better chance beating the Jazz in 1997.
All he had to do was spot up for the three
I remember his nickname around the city was Matt "bologna" 😂
What if Brent Price didn't get hurt 😂
16:40mn OMG 😮Charles how he jumped very high to catch the ball despite his old age 😮😳😳😳
Kemp is like watching Blake Griffin without all the crying and flopping.
I say it all the time. With his athleticism, speed and silky smooth jump shot, Shawn would be an absolute superstar in today's game. With traveling and offensive fouls, two of the main factors holding him back back then, hardly being called anymore, he would score at will. Nobody stopping him.
The one on one matchup between Charles Barkley and Shawn Kemp was the deciding factor of this series. The rebounding, in particular, was the deciding statistic of this game.
NOPE CAUSE KEMP GOES VS BARKLEY AND OLAJUWON INSIDE. NOT SAME MATCHUP WHEN SONICS DOESNT HAVE 2 SUPERSTARS IN POST AREA.
SAM PERKINS IS USELESS IN DEFENSE REBOUNDS AND PASS. HE IS BEST 3 PTS SHOOTER IN HISTORY BUT MEANS NOTHING BECAUSE HE IS CENTER.
@@PIP...33 Exactly. The year before, without Chuck, it was a sweep, in part, because Hakeem on his own couldn't keep up with Shawn's athleticism. It needed Chuck teaming up with Hakeem to stop Shawn and some questionable foul calls that limited Shawns playing time. Just like in the finals, the year before.
They simply never had a strong body in the paint besides Shawn. Especially Sam Perkins almost drove me crazy. He knocked down smooth threes from time to time, but he almost never manned his post in the paint. And never really played as if he wanted to help his teammates.
@@christiangwenner6384Kemp wasn't Olajuwon's responsibility. Kemp was a power forward, Olajuwon a center. And it's not like Kemp was shutting down Olajuwon.
The Sonics should have gotten Patrick Ewing. They were one dominant center away from winning the title
0:49-0:53 “And This Is The Summit In Houston, Texas. Where Stars Abound. 0:54: Barkley and Payton. 0:56-0:58: Olajuwon and Kemp. 1:00 And Kevin Willis Who Looks Like He’s Just Happy To Be Here And So Are We. 1:05-1:11: Welcome To Game Seven Of This Western Conference Semifinals Series, The Seattle Sonics And The Houston Rockets.” Classic❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿
👍
0:30-0:39: This Is The NBA on NBC👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
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Bring back the damn Sonics FFS
Ahhh...yes....The ol' Summit. I miss basketball there.
Make it Reign, Shawn!
How is it that the Sonics were always able to give the Rockets such a hard time. One would think Hakeem would just completely dominate.
They would swarm him every time he touched the ball. George Karl admitted that they didn't exactly play man-to-man against him even though that was required back then with the illegal defense rules.
The NBA was funner to watch on NBC
Now is so boring.
Rip Bill Walton
Great work
👍
when Houston finally could beat the sonics, their worst nightmares
Yes, but history ill ultimately remember the Rockets as better even if this never happened! They won 2 titles, while the Sonics choked repeatedly
@@DavidOkutinyang-td4jt RINGS MEANS NOTHING HERE WE TALK BOUT MATCHUP THAT DONT FIT. KENNY USED TO SAY WE OWNED OTHERS TEAMS BULLS JORDAN HAD NO ANSWER VS HAKEEM . BUT WE COULD NOT WIN VS SOME OTHER TEAMS LIKE SONICS.
ROCKETS HAVE PROLEMS WITH TEAMS THAT HAVE INCREDIBLE POINT GUARDS. JAZZ SONICS EVEN SUNS. BUT CENTERS OR JORDAN WERE NO MATCH TO THEM BCAUSE OLAJUWON CANCEL MJ EVERYTHING WITH DEFENSE BLOCKS REBOUNDS POINTS.
@@DavidOkutinyang-td4jt i never said the sonics had more success then the rockets, I just said the rockets used to get destroyed by Seattle. That specific series Sir Charles made the difference
@@ilfusarrista1943 The Rockets also added Willis to the team they had a frontline that matched up better with the Sonics forwards who all played in the post compared to the prior year with Chucky Brown out of position there. Besides the Rockets Barkley wasn't exactly the Suns version of him in G3 he had just 3 points (no FGs) in the 4th and in this game had no points in the last quarter, G4 was the only game throughout the entire series he dominated down the stretch.
Also in the first 7 game series there was bad officiating in overtime against the Rockets which was practically the only reason the Sonics won that series.
18:45 Bill Russell all over it. "That's not goaltending!"
I think you meant Bill Walton.
I MISS 90 FEET PRESSURE
18:52 traveling
Put This Game On NBA TV Hardwood Classic On TV
The intro music 🎶 🙌 👌 😍
Speaking of Game 7’s, ya gotta have the one between the Knicks and Heat from 1997- little Tim Hardaway exploding
Yes sir hopefully will get to it
Barkley basically giving The Jazz a promo during the postgame interview....
19:05 That's the most egregious carry and travel in NBA history.
What was that last possession by Kemp? Lol
DREXLER IS INCREDIBLE HIS PASSING SACRIFICE ALL SCORING - SOMETHING MJ NEVER LEARN.
Give those 6 rings back then if MJ was such a bad teammate. 😂
@@nukeboy4939 MJ NEVER SAW 40 GAMES OR 2 PAYOFF WINS. SHOULD HAVE BEEN ETERNAL GREATFUL FOR ME SAVING HIS 1-9 CAREER.
@@PIP...33remember Pip when you averaged 10ppg while Mj averaged 41ppg during Mj's first playoff win series. Who carried who?
Oh shut up, dummy. As great as Drexler was, I’m not taking him over MJ. Ever.
@@jordzbuenafe6239 BASKETBALL IS NOT PPG. WILT CHAMBERLAIN 25 RPG , 12 BPG WHEN MJ 5 RPG 0 BPG U DERSNGED
There really isn't a huge different in athleticism/skill/bag between 90s guys and today. I can see maybe some criticism from today's players maybe about guys from Jordan's early days, but basically from around 90 it seems like the NBA hit it's modern era, and there isn't that much difference between then and now aside from rules.
i dont understand the final Kemp shot. he was stumbling with plenty of time left and instead of tossing to a nearby teammate throws up a way-off-balance 3 to lose the series.
90’s mentality he had to take the last shot
A lot of that goes back to the coach, I'm afraid. George had some fine tactical ideas, but it never appeared as if he was able to lend the team some calm and confidence.
They just came out of a timeout. That's coaching, or lack thereof
Since 1996
If Rockets just proceeded on that Derek Harper trade, they would've been complete
What was the trade proposal? I think Houston wins it all if they somehow keep Cassell and Horry to go along with Barkley.
@@benyah3390There was no way the Rockets were getting Barkley without sacrificing Cassell and Horry.
@@Theterminato2013 I agree
The Rockets could've just gotten Kevin Willis in free agency and they wouldn't have had to give up anyone. The only reason Barkley ended up w/the Rockets was because he wanted to go there and Rudy understandably took the gamble.
What if Brent Price didn't get hurt 😂
The Sonics beat the Rockets swept the Rockets in 96 the year after they won the championship and held Hakeem to only 18pts a game.
How could you not show the score for the entire highlight? Woulda been a good video but the suspence isn't there when you can't see the score during the game.
It's how the game was covered in 1997
There's a part of me rooting for the Rockets so to fulfill a Bulls-Rockets Finals (Utah had the last say, though). Despite forcing G7, it's noticeable Ervin Johnson and Shawn Kemp were hands full containing Dream and Chuckster. Somehow, the Sonics were unable to do swarming double-team to Hakeem unlike the previous year that held Dream to single-digit scoring.
Thanks for Barkley putting that scheme away from Hakeem. Still, the Sonics were still there until sealed by the Rockets' clutch shots in the 4Q.
Speaking of Shawn, it was revealed decades later he was having alcoholism issues during the 1996-97 season. This should be a deciding factor why the Sonics traded him to Cavs (a surprise for some) instead of giving an extension.
Interestingly, trade replacement Vin Baker had that same issue in Seattle few years later.
Maybe Milwaukee kept it a secret too, or there's something in Seattle that makes athletes susceptible to liquor.
I mean, it's raining 365 days a year and all the music on the radio was from depressed grunge bands. Who could blame those guys.
More seriously, great to hear someone appreciating Chuck's impact. He was hard to shake and a great passer out of double teams, by that stage of his career. The difference to the year before is amazing.
With the Sonics it's troubling. I was such a huge fan as a kid, given that here in Germany they were broadcasted a lot, because of Det playing for them. Looking at the games now, with some on court experience of my own, it's quite disturbing to watch how they often lost their composure and fell apart as a team at times, when refs made questionable calls. At other times, in moments of fury, they seemed to play so wonderfully in sync. Only to almost completely lose cohesion in the next game.
Sometimes I wish they would have had a stronger coaching personality at the sideline. George often looked so troubled himself. You wonder what a more calm and confident coach might have achieved with such talent.
1. Ervin Johnson wasn't with the Sonics at this point.
2. Barkley's impact in the series was really with his rebounding, in this game he didn't score at all in the 4th and G3 which the Rockets also won wasn't a scoring factor in the last quarter either (only 3 points off freethrows).
3. Barkley didn't really fit the Rockets system with him holding the ball too long on some possessions stalling the offense. That's actually the reason the Rockets didn't put the series away immediately after G4.
4. Barkley struggled guarding the pick and roll which got exploited a lot in the conference finals. The championship Rockets team on the other hand had forwards that could guard it effectively (Horry and Thorpe).
The Rockets specifically got Barkley and Kevin Willis to deal with Shawn Kemp. Houston as a whole could not deal with the Seattle Forwards. Perkins, Schrempf, and Kemp were way too much for Hakeem to handle and Horry wasn't helping all that much. The Drexler trade in 95' was a double edged sword for them as they lost Thorpe who was able to counter Kemp to a degree and when they lost him it became a huge matchup issue in the 96' playoffs where The Defending Champ Rockets got swept by The Sonics.
@@ChrisM07
Thanks for the clarification Ervin Johnson no longer with Seattle this season (1996-97).
It reminded me the Sonics signed Jim McIlvaine which upsets Shawn Kemp because he demands contract increase around that time. Gosh, 7-year, USD 33M-plus signed by McIlvaine was a biggie back them.
As for the Chuckster, it eased the low post plays from Hakeem but as you said, he's liable in pick and roll defense, perhaps more obvious when John Stockton made that WCF-winning clutch three few weeks after this featured game.
@@christiangwenner6384 Would you believe that the rainfall between Seattle and Miami is about the same?? Vin Baker was skilled but not athletic. His hobby was Cooking. Not good as a professional athlete
12:59
This was the reason they got him all right. To lose in the next round.
He wasn't really a good fit in the Rockets system ball movement usually stalled when they ran the offense through him, that's the reason they didn't put this series away immediately after G4.
@@ChrisM07 Rockets should have kept Horry and Cassell.
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Olayowonnnnnnnnnn jakeen
Kemp was not scare about Hakeem . You clearly see how he move forward one to one against him with determination. All of them show an spirit of warriors.
Kemp sure wasn't scared of the dream, he battled him in his career.
The rockets had no answer for Kemp
Yeah they did Barkley pretty much cancelled him out, the prior year though they didn't with Chucky Brown at the PF position.
But, not this series and this game.
Kemp was the one player to stop Olajuwon in the regular seasons and playoffs, always giving Houston issues, but not this 97 playoffs.
Houston was missing Otis Thorpe. A strong athletic forward that held his own against anyone. He didn't play!! Hakeem had to do too much work in the interior. The Rockets gave up way too much for Drexler and waaay to much for Barkley. They made themselves old overnight
Exactly im a rockets fan and remember that. The Sonics had the frontcourt to matchup with the Rockers. The bulls did not. Olajuwon could roam against the bulls@mongoslade277