On this day in 1995, June 15, the Rockets, who only finished sixth in the regular season, swept the Magic 4-0 in the Finals and won the NBA championship, thus giving birth to this famous saying " Never underestimate the heart of a champion."
Since then, we have often described those teams that defeated the strong and faced many difficulties and finally overcome them with this evaluation: You should not underestimate the heart of a championship.
The Rockets' two NBA championships were in 1994 and 1995. Compared with 1994, when Olajuwon was at the peak of his career, it was reasonable to lead the Rockets to win the championship. However, the Rockets' championship journey in 1995 was very difficult. In 1995, the Rockets welcomed Drexler, but due to various reasons such as injuries, the Rockets only achieved a record of 47 wins and 35 losses in the regular season, ranking sixth in the Western Conference. At that time, most people were disappointed with the defending champion. Feeling pessimistic, no one will believe that the Rockets can successfully defend their title before the playoffs start.
Because in the history of the NBA’s 71 championships, the first-place team won 52 times in the regular season, the second-place team won 10 times, the third-place team won 7 times, and the fourth-place team won 7 times. A famous team has only won once (the Celtics in 1969).
Facts also prove the difficulty of winning this championship.
The 60-win Jazz at that time had Utah as its core. The Rockets were beaten 1-2 by the Jazz in the first three games (the first round at that time was played in 5 games), and in the fourth game they were in a desperate situation. Glider and Dameng broke out at the same time, both scored 4 points, and the team evened the score. The life-and-death battle returned to the Jazz's devil's home court. In the last four minutes, they were still behind. Olajuwon and Germany Rexler played perfectly, the two scored 3 points at the same time, and the team finally advanced in a thrilling way.
Facing the Suns led by Barkley in the second round, the Rockets fell behind 1:3 in the first four games and once again faced a desperate situation. However, the Rockets have always had the spirit of not admitting defeat and once again turned around, especially The Suns led by 15 points as soon as Game 7 started, and a "kiss of death" three-pointer in the last 20 seconds of the game made a thrilling comeback.
Facing the regular-season champion Spurs in the Western Conference Finals, Olajuwon used his rich experience to defeat David Robinson, the MVP of the year.
After a season of counterattack against adversity, in the finals against the invincible Magic, the Rockets broke out completely. The Dream Glider and O'Neal Hardaway exploded with each other, and the role player Horry became the key player. He hit key goals many times without giving the Magic or young O'Neal any chance. In the end, the Rockets swept the championship 4-0.
On June 15, 1995, the Rockets swept the Magic and completed two consecutive championships! Never underestimate the heart of a championship!
- 47 wins in the regular season, sixth in the Western Conference
- Defeat the 60-win Jazz 3-2 in the first round
- Reversal 4 from 1-3 in the second round -Won the Suns by 3
- Eliminated the Spurs 4-2 in the Western Conference Finals
- Swept the Magic 4-0 in the Finals
Olajuwon's Finals average 32.8 points, 11.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 2.0 blocks and 2.0 steals, FMVP.
The Rockets won the championship in 1995, defeating teams with records ranging from first to fourth in the league, experiencing the baptism of four super insiders, and two big wins in desperate situations. A reversal will ultimately bring out all the potential, so never underestimate the heart of a championship, and don't underestimate the current Rockets. They will always be the most resilient team in the league.
Looking forward to the glorious reappearance of the Rockets!