1994 NBA Finals











































1994 NBA Finals
1994NBAFinals.png
















Team Coach Wins
Houston Rockets Rudy Tomjanovich 4
New York Knicks Pat Riley 3
Dates June 8–22
MVP
Hakeem Olajuwon
(Houston Rockets)
Television
NBC (U.S.)
Announcers
Marv Albert and Matt Guokas
Referees





























Game 1:
Joe Crawford, Jack Madden, Dick Bavetta
Game 2:
Darell Garretson, Ed T. Rush, Hue Hollins
Game 3:
Jake O'Donnell, Jess Kersey, Bill Oakes
Game 4:
Hugh Evans, Joe Crawford, Mike Mathis
Game 5:
Darell Garretson, Ed T. Rush, Dick Bavetta
Game 6:
Jake O'Donnell, Jess Kersey, Jack Madden
Game 7
Hugh Evans, Joe Crawford, Ed T. Rush
Hall of Famers
Knicks:
Patrick Ewing (2008)
Rockets:
Hakeem Olajuwon (2008)
Coaches:
Pat Riley (2008)
Officials:
Dick Bavetta (2015)
Darell Garretson (2016)
Eastern Finals
Knicks defeat Pacers, 4–3
Western Finals
Rockets defeat Jazz, 4–1

 < 1993
NBA Finals
1995 > 


The 1994 NBA Finals was the championship round of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 1993–94 season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs. The Western Conference champion Houston Rockets played the Eastern Conference champion New York Knicks for the championship, with the Rockets holding home-court advantage in the best-of-seven series. The Rockets defeated the Knicks 4 games to 3 to win the team's first NBA championship.


This matchup was Hakeem Olajuwon's second NBA Finals appearance, his other being in 1986, where Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics defeated the Houston Rockets four games to two. The series was Patrick Ewing's first NBA Finals appearance. The Rockets came in with strong determination to win not only the franchise's first NBA championship, but the city's first championship in a league that still existed, while the Knicks were looking to add a third NBA championship trophy, as the Knicks' last trophy came from the 1973 NBA Finals. The Knicks also hoped to impress their new owners Viacom, who had just bought Paramount Communications (formerly Gulf+Western), their longtime owners (after the series however, Viacom sold the Knicks and the rest of the Madison Square Garden properties).


The series was hailed as a meeting of the two great centers who had previously played for a championship in college. In 1984 while Olajuwon was with the University of Houston and Ewing was with Georgetown University, Georgetown had beaten Houston 84–75 in the 1984 NCAA Championship game. In this series, however, Olajuwon outperformed Ewing,[1][2][3] outscoring him in every game of the series and posting numbers of 26.9 ppg on 50.0% shooting compared to Ewing's 18.9 ppg on 36.3% shooting.[4] However, Ewing set an NBA finals record in the series with a total of 30 blocks, and he tied the single-game record of 8 blocks in Game 5.[5]Tim Duncan would later set the record for most blocks in a Finals series (2003) with 32 blocks in six games while Dwight Howard would set the record for most blocked shots in a Finals game with 9 blocked shots in Game 4 of the 2009 Finals while with the Orlando Magic.


During the series, the Houston Rockets played seven low-scoring, defensive games against the New York Knicks. After splitting the first two games in Houston, the Knicks won two out of three games at Madison Square Garden, which also hosted the Rangers first Stanley Cup celebration in 54 years during the series.


In Game 6, however, Rockets center Hakeem Olajuwon blocked a last-second championship-winning shot attempt by John Starks, giving the Rockets an 86–84 victory and forcing a Game 7, which made Knicks Coach Pat Riley the first (and to this date, the only) coach in a Game 7 NBA Finals on two teams, having been with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1984 and 1988. In addition, the Knicks set a record for most playoff games played in one season, with 25. The Detroit Pistons tied this record in 2005.[6] The Boston Celtics, coached by Doc Rivers, would surpass it during their championship season of 2008 when they played 26.[6]


The Rockets beat the Knicks in Game 7, 90–84, enabling the city of Houston to not only celebrate its first NBA and fifth professional sports championship (first in an existing league), but also deny New York from having both NBA and NHL championships in the same year (Chicago had suffered this fate two years earlier in 1992, with the Bulls winning their second NBA championship and the Blackhawks losing in the Stanley Cup Finals). For his efforts Olajuwon was named NBA Finals Most Valuable Player. For the Knicks, Riley had the unfortunate distinction of having become the first (and to this date, the only) coach to lose a Game 7 NBA Finals on two teams, having lost to the Celtics in 1984. It also denied him the distinction of being the first coach to win a Game 7 NBA Finals with two teams, having defeated the Detroit Pistons in 1988.


NBC Sports used Ahmad Rashād (Knicks sideline) and Hannah Storm (Rockets sideline).


Hal Douglas narrated the season-ending documentary Clutch City for NBA Entertainment.




Contents






  • 1 Background


    • 1.1 Houston Rockets


    • 1.2 New York Knicks


    • 1.3 Road to the Finals


    • 1.4 Regular season series




  • 2 1994 NBA Finals rosters


    • 2.1 Houston Rockets


    • 2.2 New York Knicks




  • 3 Series summary


    • 3.1 Game 1


    • 3.2 Game 2


    • 3.3 Game 3


    • 3.4 Game 4


    • 3.5 Game 5


    • 3.6 Game 6


    • 3.7 Game 7




  • 4 Olajuwon vs. Ewing


  • 5 Player statistics


  • 6 New York Rangers win Stanley Cup


  • 7 Telecast interrupted by O. J. Simpson car chase


  • 8 Aftermath


  • 9 See also


  • 10 References


  • 11 External links





Background



Houston Rockets



The Rockets chose Hakeem Olajuwon as the first overall pick in the 1984 NBA draft. Olajuwon's first nine NBA seasons included numerous All-Star, All-NBA and All-Defensive selections, but the closest he got to a championship was in 1986, when the Rockets fell two games short of a title against a powerful Boston Celtics team.


By his tenth season, Olajuwon became a more complete player, and he led the Rockets to a 15–0 start en route to a 58–24 record. But after a four-game defeat of the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round, they blew a pair of big fourth quarter leads at home and lost to the Phoenix Suns to begin the second round (in the process earning a derisive nickname of 'Choke City' by the Houston Chronicle).


In response, the Rockets used the headline as motivation, overcoming a 0–2 deficit to defeat the Suns in seven games (earning the nickname 'Clutch City'). In the conference finals, Houston defeated the Utah Jazz in five games to claim their third conference title. Olajuwon won the MVP and Defensive Player of the Year awards at season's end.



New York Knicks



Like Olajuwon, Patrick Ewing was a first overall pick of the NBA draft. Ewing was picked by the Knicks in the 1985 draft, and won Rookie of the Year that season. But despite earning All-Star accolades of his own, the Knicks teams he played with only made it past the first round twice during his first six seasons (in 1989 and 1990).


In the 1991 off-season, the Knicks hired Pat Riley as head coach. In contrast to the fast-paced style of Showtime he used with the Los Angeles Lakers, Riley decided to go for a more deliberate and physical approach in New York. Aided by the likes of Charles Oakley, Anthony Mason, John Starks and Charles Smith, Ewing and the Knicks rose to prominence under Riley, and in 1994, they won 57 games to finish second in the Eastern Conference.


Their playoff run began with a 3–1 victory over their cross-river rival New Jersey Nets. However, they had a hard time disposing a Chicago Bulls team that lost Michael Jordan to retirement, but managed to win all four home games to advance. In the conference finals, they were pitted against the upstart Indiana Pacers, who were led by Reggie Miller. Though the Pacers gave the Knicks a scare, the latter's experience proved too much as they won the series in seven games.



Road to the Finals





























Houston Rockets (Western Conference champion)

New York Knicks (Eastern Conference champion)





























































































































#

Western Conference
Team

W

L

PCT

GB
1

z-Seattle SuperSonics
63 19 .768
2

y-Houston Rockets
58 24 .707 5
3

x-Phoenix Suns
56 26 .683 7
4

x-San Antonio Spurs
55 27 .671 8
5

x-Utah Jazz
53 29 .646 10
6

x-Golden State Warriors
50 32 .610 13
7

x-Portland Trail Blazers
47 35 .573 16
8

x-Denver Nuggets
42 40 .512 21

9
Los Angeles Lakers 33 49 .402 30
10
Sacramento Kings 28 54 .341 35
11
Los Angeles Clippers 27 55 .329 36
12
Minnesota Timberwolves 20 62 .244 43
13
Dallas Mavericks 13 69 .159 50

2nd seed in the West, 2nd best league record



Regular season





































































































































#

Eastern Conference
Team

W

L

PCT

GB
1

c-Atlanta Hawks
57 25 .695
2

y-New York Knicks
57 25 .695
3

x-Chicago Bulls
55 27 .671 2
4

x-Orlando Magic
50 32 .610 7
5

x-Indiana Pacers
47 35 .573 10
6

x-Cleveland Cavaliers
47 35 .573 10
7

x-New Jersey Nets
45 37 .549 12
8

x-Miami Heat
42 40 .512 15

9
Charlotte Hornets 41 41 .500 16
10
Boston Celtics 32 50 .390 25
11
Philadelphia 76ers 25 57 .305 32
12
Washington Bullets 24 58 .293 33
13t
Milwaukee Bucks 20 62 .244 37
13t
Detroit Pistons 20 62 .244 37
2nd seed in the East, 4th best league record
Defeated the (7) Portland Trail Blazers, 3–1
First round
Defeated the (7) New Jersey Nets, 3–1
Defeated the (3) Phoenix Suns, 4–3
Conference Semifinals
Defeated the (3) Chicago Bulls, 4–3
Defeated the (4) Utah Jazz, 4–1
Conference Finals
Defeated the (5) Indiana Pacers, 4–3


Regular season series


The Houston Rockets won both games in the regular season series:




December 2, 1993






Houston Rockets 94, New York Knicks 85



Madison Square Garden, New York City






February 24, 1994






New York Knicks 73, Houston Rockets 93



The Summit, Houston, Texas





1994 NBA Finals rosters



Houston Rockets













1994 Houston Rockets Finals roster
Players
Coaches


















































































































































Pos. # Name Ht. Wt. DOB From

PG

7000100000000000000♠1

Brooks, Scott

7000180340000000000♠5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
165 lb (75 kg)
1965–07–31

UC Irvine

PF

7001500000000000000♠50

Bullard, Matt

7000208279999999999♠6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
215 lb (98 kg)
1967–06–05

Iowa

PG

7001100000000000000♠10

Cassell, Sam

7000190500000000000♠6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
1969–11–18

Florida State

PF

7001350000000000000♠35

Cureton, Earl

7000205740000000000♠6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
210 lb (95 kg)
1957–11–03

Detroit

SF

7001170000000000000♠17

Elie, Mario

7000195580000000000♠6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
210 lb (95 kg)
1963–11–26

American International

PF

7000700000000000000♠7

Herrera, Carl

7000205740000000000♠6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
215 lb (98 kg)
1966–12–14

Houston

PF

7001250000000000000♠25

Horry, Robert

7000205740000000000♠6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
220 lb (100 kg)
1970–08–25

Alabama

SF

7001210000000000000♠21

Jent, Chris

7000200659999999999♠6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
220 lb (100 kg)
1970–01–11

Ohio State

SG

7001110000000000000♠11

Maxwell, Vernon

7000193040000000000♠6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
1965–09–12

Florida

C

7001340000000000000♠34

Olajuwon, Hakeem

7000213360000000000♠7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)
255 lb (116 kg)
1963–01–21

Houston

C

7001340000000000000♠34

Petruška, Richard

7000208279999999999♠6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
260 lb (118 kg)
1969–01–25

UCLA

C

7001420000000000000♠42

Riley, Eric

7000213360000000000♠7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)
245 lb (111 kg)
1970–06–02

Michigan

SG

7001200000000000000♠20

Robinson, Larry

7000190500000000000♠6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
1968–01–11

Centenary College of Louisiana

PG

7001300000000000000♠30

Smith, Kenny

7000190500000000000♠6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
170 lb (77 kg)
1965–03–08

North Carolina

PF

7001330000000000000♠33

Thorpe, Otis

7000205740000000000♠6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
225 lb (102 kg)
1962–08–05

Providence


Head coach

  • Rudy Tomjanovich

Assistant coach(es)


  • Bill Berry

  • Jim Boylen

  • Carroll Dawson




Legend



  • (C) Team captain


  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick


  • (FA) Free agent


  • (S) Suspended


  • Injured Injured




New York Knicks













1994 New York Knicks Finals roster
Players
Coaches























































































































Pos. # Name Ht. Wt. DOB From

PG

7001500000000000000♠50

Anthony, Greg

7000182880000000000♠6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
176 lb (80 kg)
1967–11–15

UNLV

SG

7001200000000000000♠20

Blackman, Rolando

7000198120000000000♠6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
1959–02–26

Kansas State

SF

7000400000000000000♠4

Bonner, Anthony

7000203200000000000♠6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
215 lb (98 kg)
1968–06–08

Saint Louis

SG

7001440000000000000♠44

Davis, Hubert

7000195580000000000♠6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
183 lb (83 kg)
1970–05–17

North Carolina

C

7001330000000000000♠33

Ewing, Patrick

7000213360000000000♠7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)
240 lb (109 kg)
1962–08–05

Georgetown

SG

7000700000000000000♠7

Gaines, Corey

7000190500000000000♠6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
195 lb (88 kg)
1965–06–01

Loyola Marymount

PG

7001110000000000000♠11

Harper, Derek

7000193040000000000♠6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
1961–10–13

Illinois

PF

7001140000000000000♠14

Mason, Anthony

7000200659999999999♠6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
250 lb (113 kg)
1966–12–14

Tennessee State

PF

7001340000000000000♠34

Oakley, Charles

7000203200000000000♠6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
225 lb (102 kg)
1963–12–18

Virginia Union

SF

7001540000000000000♠54

Smith, Charles

7000208279999999999♠6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
230 lb (104 kg)
1965–07–16

Pittsburgh

SG

7000300000000000000♠3

Starks, John

7000190500000000000♠6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
1965–08–10

Oklahoma State

C

7001320000000000000♠32

Williams, Herb

7000208279999999999♠6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
242 lb (110 kg)
1958–02–16

Ohio State


Head coach

  • Pat Riley

Assistant coach(es)


  • Dick Harter

  • Jeff Nix

  • Bob Salmi

  • Jeff Van Gundy




Legend



  • (C) Team captain


  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick


  • (FA) Free agent


  • (S) Suspended


  • Injured Injured




Series summary



































































Game Date Home Team Result Road Team Local Time
Game 1 Wednesday, June 8 Houston Rockets 85–78 (1–0) New York Knicks 8:00pm CDT
Game 2 Friday, June 10 Houston Rockets 83–91 (1–1) New York Knicks 8:00pm CDT
Game 3 Sunday, June 12 New York Knicks 89–93 (1–2) Houston Rockets 7:30pm EDT
Game 4 Wednesday, June 15 New York Knicks 91–82 (2–2) Houston Rockets 9:00pm EDT
Game 5 Friday, June 17 New York Knicks 91–84 (3–2) Houston Rockets 9:00pm EDT
Game 6 Sunday, June 19 Houston Rockets 86–84 (3–3) New York Knicks 6:30pm CDT
Game 7 Wednesday, June 22 Houston Rockets 90–84 (4–3) New York Knicks 8:00pm CDT

  • This was the second NBA Finals that went to a Game 7 since the Finals went to the 2–3–2 format in 1985.


Game 1




NBC



June 8
9:00et















New York Knicks 78, Houston Rockets 85

Scoring by quarter: 24–26, 22–28, 17–18, 15–13

Pts: Patrick Ewing 23
Rebs: Charles Oakley 14
Asts: Derek Harper 5

Pts: Hakeem Olajuwon 28
Rebs: Otis Thorpe 16
Asts: Kenny Smith 5
Houston leads the series, 1–0



The Summit, Houston, Texas
Attendance: 16,611
Referees:

  • No. 17 Joe Crawford

  • No. 14 Jack Madden

  • No. 27 Dick Bavetta







Game 2




NBC



June 10
9:00et















New York Knicks 91, Houston Rockets 83

Scoring by quarter: 24–20, 18–22, 30–23, 19–18

Pts: John Starks 19
Rebs: Patrick Ewing 13
Asts: John Starks 9

Pts: Hakeem Olajuwon 25
Rebs: Otis Thorpe 12
Asts: Kenny Smith 6
Series tied, 1–1



The Summit, Houston, Texas
Attendance: 16,611
Referees:

  • No. 10 Darell Garretson

  • No. 4 Ed T. Rush

  • No. 42 Hue Hollins







Game 3




NBC



June 12
7:30et















Houston Rockets 93, New York Knicks 89

Scoring by quarter: 26–18, 19–20, 24–25, 24–26

Pts: Hakeem Olajuwon 21
Rebs: Hakeem Olajuwon 11
Asts: Hakeem Olajuwon 7

Pts: Derek Harper 21
Rebs: Patrick Ewing 13
Asts: John Starks 9
Houston leads the series, 2–1



Madison Square Garden, New York City
Attendance: 19,763
Referees:

  • No. 11 Jake O'Donnell

  • No. 20 Jess Kersey

  • No. 21 Bill Oakes







Game 4




NBC



June 15
9:00et















Houston Rockets 82, New York Knicks 91

Scoring by quarter: 14–19, 19–21, 28–20, 21–31

Pts: Hakeem Olajuwon 32
Rebs: Otis Thorpe 10
Asts: Sam Cassell 5

Pts: Derek Harper 21
Rebs: Charles Oakley 20
Asts: Derek Harper 5
Series tied, 2–2



Madison Square Garden, New York City
Attendance: 19,763
Referees:

  • No. 25 Hugh Evans

  • No. 17 Joe Crawford

  • No. 13 Mike Mathis







Game 5




NBC



June 17
9:00et















Houston Rockets 84, New York Knicks 91

Scoring by quarter: 21–22, 16–26, 24–13, 23–30

Pts: Hakeem Olajuwon 27
Rebs: Otis Thorpe 13
Asts: Robert Horry 6

Pts: Patrick Ewing 25
Rebs: Patrick Ewing 12
Asts: Derek Harper 7
New York leads the series, 3–2



Madison Square Garden, New York City
Attendance: 19,763
Referees:

  • No. 10 Darell Garretson

  • No. 4 Ed T. Rush

  • No. 27 Dick Bavetta







Game 6




NBC



June 19
7:30et















New York Knicks 84, Houston Rockets 86

Scoring by quarter: 21–21, 15–25, 26–19, 22–21

Pts: John Starks 27
Rebs: Patrick Ewing 15
Asts: Derek Harper 10

Pts: Hakeem Olajuwon 30
Rebs: Olajuwon, Thorpe 10 each
Asts: Otis Thorpe 6
Series tied, 3–3



The Summit, Houston, Texas
Attendance: 16,611
Referees:

  • No. 11 Jake O'Donnell

  • No. 20 Jess Kersey

  • No. 14 Jack Madden







Game 7




NBC



June 22
9:00et















New York Knicks 84, Houston Rockets 90

Scoring by quarter: 21–22, 22–23, 17–18, 24–27

Pts: Derek Harper 23
Rebs: Charles Oakley 14
Asts: Derek Harper 5

Pts: Hakeem Olajuwon 25
Rebs: Hakeem Olajuwon 10
Asts: Hakeem Olajuwon 7
Houston wins the series, 4–3



The Summit, Houston, Texas
Attendance: 16,611
Referees:

  • No. 25 Hugh Evans

  • No. 17 Joe Crawford

  • No. 4 Ed T. Rush







Olajuwon vs. Ewing


Although most fans in New York, and some members of the national media, blamed John Starks' poor performance, who shot 2-for-18 from the field in Game 7, as a contributing factor in the Knicks' loss in the series, another important factor in the Rockets series win was Olajuwon's performance. Olajuwon outscored Ewing in every game of the series, while Ewing outblocked (4.3 to 3.9 bpg) and outrebounded him (12.4 rpg to 9.1 rpg). Plus, he set a then NBA Finals record with a total of 30 blocks.[4]




































1994 NBA Finals
Gm 1
Gm 2
Gm 3
Gm 4
Gm 5
Gm 6
Gm 7
Totals
Hakeem Olajuwon
28
25
21
32
27
30
25
26.9 ppg 50.0% fg 9.1 rpg 3.6 apg 3.9 bpg
Patrick Ewing
23
16
18
16
25
17
17
18.9 ppg 36.4% fg 12.4 rpg 1.7 apg 4.3 bpg


Player statistics




































Legend
  GP
Games played
  GS 
Games started
 MPG 

Minutes per game
 FG% 

Field-goal percentage
 3P% 

3-point field-goal percentage
 FT% 

Free-throw percentage
 RPG 

Rebounds per game
 APG 

Assists per game
 SPG 

Steals per game
 BPG 

Blocks per game
 PPG 

Points per game



Houston Rockets










































































































































































Player
GP
GS
MPG
FG%
3FG%
FT%
RPG
APG
SPG
BPG
PPG
Matt Bullard 2 0 13.5 .200 .286 .500 3.0 0.0 0.5 0.5 4.0
Sam Cassell 7 0 22.6 .422 .438 .926 3.1 2.9 1.3 0.3 10.0
Earl Cureton 1 0 2.0 .000 .000 .000 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Mario Elie 7 0 11.3 .250 .400 .833 1.0 1.0 0.3 0.1 2.4
Carl Herrera 7 0 17.3 .579 .000 .750 3.6 0.4 0.4 0.1 7.1
Robert Horry 7 7 37.9 .324 .306 .619 6.1 3.7 1.3 0.6 10.3
Chris Jent 3 0 2.3 .000 .000 .000 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Vernon Maxwell 7 7 37.7 .365 .225 .682 3.3 2.9 0.6 0.0 13.4
Hakeem Olajuwon 7 7 43.1 .500 1.000 .860 9.1 3.6 1.6 3.9
26.9
Kenny Smith 7 7 25.4 .389 .357 1.000 1.4 3.1 0.7 0.0 5.6
Otis Thorpe 7 7 39.6 .519 .000 .500 11.3 3.3 0.9 0.0 9.3

New York Knicks




























































































































































Player
GP
GS
MPG
FG%
3FG%
FT%
RPG
APG
SPG
BPG
PPG
Greg Anthony 7 0 11.4 .323 .125 1.000 0.9 2.4 0.4 0.1 3.3
Anthony Bonner 2 0 5.5 1.000 .000 .000 1.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.0
Hubert Davis 5 0 7.6 .200 1.000 .500 0.4 0.4 0.0 0.2 1.6
Patrick Ewing 7 7 44.0 .363 .200 .714 12.4 1.7 1.3 4.3
18.9
Derek Harper 7 7 38.0 .467 .436 .824 3.0 6.0 2.4 0.1 16.4
Anthony Mason 7 0 29.3 .468 .000 .640 6.9 1.3 0.7 0.0 8.6
Charles Oakley 7 7 40.7 .484 .000 .833 11.9 2.4 1.1 0.1 11.0
Charles Smith 7 7 26.7 .441 .000 .684 4.3 1.7 0.6 1.0 9.3
John Starks 7 7 41.9 .368 .320 .769 3.1 5.9 1.6 0.1 17.7
Herb Williams 4 0 1.8 .000 .000 .000 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.3 0.0


New York Rangers win Stanley Cup



Game 4 took place at Madison Square Garden less than 24 hours after it hosted the New York Rangers' first Stanley Cup celebration in 54 years, following their 3–2 win over the Vancouver Canucks in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals.


Rangers Captain Mark Messier attended the game,[7] bringing the Stanley Cup in a bid to inspire the Knicks, first to their locker room before the game, and again out onto center court at halftime, much to the delight of fans.[8] During NBC's broadcast of Game 4, Marv Albert, who himself handled the radio call of the Rangers' win, and Matt Guokas mentioned the Rangers' win and that the Knicks were happy that their arena was "the scene of one of the glorious moments in the history of New York sports."[7]


Game 5 took place hours after the ticker-tape parade in the Canyon of Heroes in Lower Manhattan honoring the new Stanley Cup champions.[9] Players and representatives of both the Knicks and the Rockets were among the 1.5 million who attended.[10][11]


Both teams came away motivated, as evidenced by the remaining series.[11][12]



Telecast interrupted by O. J. Simpson car chase


During Game 5, most NBC affiliates split the coverage of the game between NFL Hall of Famer O. J. Simpson's slow speed freeway chase with the LAPD. At the time, Simpson had been an NFL analyst on NBC.


The coverage was presented on a split screen, with the game taking up the smaller portion of the television screen on the left, while live coverage of the chase was shown in a bigger screen on the right. The audio came from the chase as narrated by NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw.[13]


KNBC in Los Angeles, serving the media market where the police were tracking Simpson, left game coverage completely for the chase and did not even put up a split screen until the end of the game, which was still close at the time. By this point, Simpson had returned to his mansion in Brentwood and had surrendered to police.


A complete re-broadcast of Game 5, with natural crowd audio substituting for the parts for which NBC did not provide audio, is part of the DVD release of this series from Warner Home Video.



Aftermath


The Rockets would repeat as NBA champions in 1995 although their season record wasn't so promising. Plagued by a lack of chemistry, the Rockets were stuck in the middle of the conference standings most of the year. Then, as the NBA's trading deadline approached, on February 14, 1995, the Rockets acquired Hakeem Olajuwon's "Phi Slama Jama" teammate Clyde Drexler. The Rockets finished the regular season as the 6th seed but the team on the court at season's end was clearly better than its 47–35 record. The new Rockets team had only had about two months to gel. The playoffs started rough for Houston, the team down 2 games to 1 to Utah in the First Round. However, the Rockets battled back and won that series, stealing the deciding Game 5 in Utah. The Rockets' ability to overcome adversity became more evident as the postseason wore on. They beat four 50-win squads (Utah, Phoenix, San Antonio and Orlando) to win the NBA championship, becoming the lowest seed ever to win it all.


Also in 1995, the Knicks enjoyed another strong season, with 55 wins. However, they were eliminated in seven games by the Indiana Pacers during the second round as Pacers guard Reggie Miller's 'Knick Killer' legacy continued. After the season Pat Riley departed for the Miami Heat, with whom he would win three championships. The Knicks would make the finals again in 1999, but fell to the Spurs in five games, and have not returned since.


Before this victory, only the Houston Oilers' AFL two championships at the close of the 1960 season and 1961 season and the Houston Aeros' two WHA Avco World Trophies in 1974 and 1975 represented Houston's only professional championships. The 1994 NBA Championship represented the city of Houston's first professional championship since those two teams, and the first in a league that did not later merge.



See also



  • 1993–94 New York Knicks season

  • 1993–94 Houston Rockets season

  • 1994 NBA Playoffs

  • 1994 Stanley Cup Finals



References





  1. ^ Araton, Harvey (June 23, 1994). "ON PRO BASKETBALL: N.B.A. FINALS; Long-Sought Title That Ewing Needed Eludes Him Again". The New York Times. Retrieved April 1, 2008. But he (Ewing) was just not as good as Hakeem Olajuwon, never has been..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}


  2. ^ Kalb, Elliot (2003). Who's Better, Who's Best in Basketball?: Mr. Stats Sets the Record Straight on the Top 50 NBA Players of All Time. McGraw-Hill Professional. p. 163. ISBN 0-07-141788-5. Olajuwon clearly outplayed Ewing


  3. ^ "Daily Dime: Special Edition The game's greatest giants ever". ESPN. March 6, 2007. Archived from the original on March 25, 2007. Retrieved April 12, 2007. He (Olajuwon) outplayed Ewing, Robinson and O'Neal to lead Houston to back-to-back titles...


  4. ^ ab "History of the NBA Finals: Hakeem Olajuwon: The NBA's Best In The Mid '90s". hollywoodsportsbook.com. Retrieved February 16, 2007.


  5. ^ "Patrick Ewing Bio". NBA. Retrieved April 19, 2007.


  6. ^ ab Beck, Howard (June 17, 2008). "Celtics Remain Mindful Of a Missed Opportunity". The New York Times. p. D2. Retrieved 20 June 2010.


  7. ^ ab NBA on NBC: Game 4 of the 1994 NBA Finals (television). NBC. June 15, 1994.


  8. ^ Zipay, Steve (June 14, 2009). "'94, a vintage year for Rangers, Knicks; Rangers ended 54-year Stanley Cup drought". Newsday. p. A78. Retrieved September 7, 2009.


  9. ^ MacMullan, Jackie (June 18, 1994). "Knicks pull away, close in on crown". The Boston Globe. p. 33. Capping a day when their fellow New Yorkers celebrated the Rangers' Stanley Cup with a parade, the Knicks were always there, keeping pace.


  10. ^ Barron, James (June 18, 1994). "New Yorkers Bury the Rangers' Curse in a Sea of Confetti". The New York Times. p. 28. Retrieved 28 February 2012.


  11. ^ ab Blinebury, Fran (June 13, 2004). "BELIEVE IT: 10 YEARS LATER; 'The Times of Our Lives'". The Houston Chronicle. p. 1.


  12. ^ Hahn, Alan (June 14, 2009). "After huge effort, Knicks fall short". Newsday. p. A79. Retrieved September 7, 2009.


  13. ^ Brett Morgen, Director (June 16, 2010). 30 for 30: June 17, 1994 (television). ESPN.




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