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Speaker 1: We interrupt this regularly scheduled podcast to tell you about

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Speaker 1: one of the strangest days of my career. It all

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Speaker 1: started around two pm on June seventeenth, nineteen ninety four

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Speaker 1: ian Us Approach It.

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Speaker 2: Too one for a Sevel one eighty seven and West

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Speaker 2: the Lady Vision suspect named Marthel Jane Simpson O J. Simpson.

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Speaker 1: Four days, every American with a television has been following

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Speaker 1: the drama unfolding in Los Angeles as Nicole Brown Simpson,

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Speaker 1: ex wife of NFL legend and celebrity O J. Simpson,

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Speaker 1: was found brutally stabbed to death outside her condominium in Brentwood.

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Speaker 1: Nicole's friend, a waiter named Ron Goldman, who was visiting her,

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Speaker 1: was murdered too.

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Speaker 2: That's maybe driving a white or light colored Ford Bronco

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Speaker 2: S's that was last seen wearing a yellow golf shirt,

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Speaker 2: staded blue jeans, and white Rebot tennis shoes.

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Speaker 1: From the outset, things didn't great for OJ. He disappeared

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Speaker 1: to Chicago the night of the murder. The cops found

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Speaker 1: evidence at his home and in his car, and on

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Speaker 1: this afternoon, the seventeenth of June, the LAPD confirmed it

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Speaker 1: was actively searching for OJ. A few hours later, Dave

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Speaker 1: Gascon from the LAPD confirmed the unbelievable.

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Speaker 3: Detectives from the Los Angeles Police Department, after an exhaustive investigation,

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Speaker 3: which included interviews of dozens of witnesses, a thorough examination

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Speaker 3: and analysis of the physical evidence both here and in Chicago,

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Speaker 3: sought and obtained a warrant for the arrest of Oj Simpson,

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Speaker 3: charging him with the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and

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Speaker 3: Ronald Wyle Goldman.

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Speaker 1: The Juice pitch Man, TV analyst, movie star, all of

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Speaker 1: course after Act one of his career Heisman Trophy hero MVP,

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Speaker 1: but now a fugitive on the run, wanted for a

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Speaker 1: double homicide. At five pm, OJ's friend, an attorney named

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Speaker 1: Robert Kardashian, held a cress conference to read a letter

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Speaker 1: written by Simpson.

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Speaker 4: I think of my life and feel I've done most

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Speaker 4: of the right things, So why do I end up

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Speaker 4: like this?

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Speaker 1: Simpson ended his letter with the phrase I've had a

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Speaker 1: great life. An hour later, at five point fifty one PM,

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Speaker 1: OJ called nine to one one.

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Speaker 5: We are looking at live pictures of Interstate five in

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Speaker 5: Los Angeles. We believe that that white vehicle which is

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Speaker 5: being trailed by a failanx of California Highway Patrol cars

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Speaker 5: and helicopters belongs to l Collings, who disappeared with OJ

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Speaker 5: Simpson earlier. Today.

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Speaker 1: Police traced OJ's location to the five Freeway in Santa Anna.

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Speaker 1: He's in a white fordco his best friend Al Collings

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Speaker 1: is driving. California Highway Patrol tracks him in minutes, and

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Speaker 1: then a news chopper finds him across the country.

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Speaker 6: An estimated ninety five million.

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Speaker 1: People watched the real life drama unfold on TV.

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Speaker 7: Quarter to go, give us first half. We will set

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Speaker 7: up to NBC News work call.

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Speaker 4: Thank you Marvin.

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Speaker 5: We are looking once again at pictures of el Cowing's cars.

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Speaker 4: That makes it work for me.

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Speaker 1: June seventeenth came in the middle of a busy stretch

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Speaker 1: covering the NBA Finals for NBC. It was Game five

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Speaker 1: Nicks versus Rockets at Madison Square Garden. With a series

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Speaker 1: tied two games apiece, few things would be big enough

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Speaker 1: to interrupt our coverage.

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Speaker 6: This was one of them.

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Speaker 1: Halftime the Madison Square Garden leading the Rockets in Game five,

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Speaker 1: forty eight to thirty seven.

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Speaker 6: Tom Brokaw happily described.

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Speaker 3: The circumstances surrounding the Oj Simpson story is not just tragic,

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Speaker 3: but now surreal. And it is also somewhat.

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Speaker 8: Surreal for us to sit here.

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Speaker 6: And do the only thing we can do until we

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Speaker 6: hear of new developments.

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Speaker 1: Viewers watching the NBA broadcast saw a split screen. Half

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Speaker 1: was Game five, the other half was the Bronco Chase.

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Speaker 1: I was the Western Conference reporter covering the Houston Rockets.

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Speaker 6: Robert Rory for the Houston Rockets.

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Speaker 1: As you saw, is starting the night after a scary

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Speaker 1: incident during Game four, after a flavored film by Anthony Mason.

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Speaker 1: Remember there were no cell phones at the time, no

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Speaker 1: way for people to follow the Bronco Chase unless they

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Speaker 1: were watching television, and the only TVs in the garden

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Speaker 1: were up by the concession stance. I was sitting baseline

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Speaker 1: with a tiny television monitor in front of me. The

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Speaker 1: entire section behind me was filled with fans straining to

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Speaker 1: watch the events unfold on my little screen. The game

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Speaker 1: play by play interrupted by live updates from Tom Broke

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Speaker 1: up and Tom.

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Speaker 5: Broke on New York. You're looking at a Ford Bronco

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Speaker 5: and Oj Simpson is almost back home.

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Speaker 8: He's in that car, we're told that he.

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Speaker 5: Has a gun.

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Speaker 1: Courtside coaches pat Riley and Rudy tom Janovich were tasked

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Speaker 1: with keeping their teams focused.

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Speaker 7: At every lost.

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Speaker 1: But how much were you aware during Game five of

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Speaker 1: that series at the Garden about the OJ chase, the

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Speaker 1: fact that NBC had the game and one part of

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Speaker 1: the screen the OJ chase and the other were you

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Speaker 1: guys clued in on that?

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Speaker 4: Yeah? We were, and I was worried that it was

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Speaker 4: going to play our focus off the game, and we

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Speaker 4: didn't know what the heck was going.

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Speaker 6: On at that time.

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Speaker 1: Robert Or was a second year power forward for the Rockets,

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Speaker 1: playing in his first NBA five.

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Speaker 9: We didn't find out until halftime because you had to

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Speaker 9: have the TV on one stand with the VCRs underneath

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Speaker 9: recording the game so you can do film session, and

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Speaker 9: so when you go into the locker room, the TV

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Speaker 9: is still on. So we walk in the locker room,

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Speaker 9: all we see is like a Broncos going down the

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Speaker 9: freeway and we're like the hell And then all of

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Speaker 9: a sudden, someone I don't know who it was, turned

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Speaker 9: the volume up. It was Colin is talking about oh

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Speaker 9: Jay in the car and going like We're like, oh,

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Speaker 9: turn that out, and we're like, let's get focused, and

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Speaker 9: so he.

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Speaker 10: Said we can't.

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Speaker 9: You know, we don't have no game film around there

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Speaker 9: because of that. BS is going to LA and you know,

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Speaker 9: we just got even though we went out and lost

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Speaker 9: that game, but we were still like focused on you know,

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Speaker 9: what was what was at hand. But it was a

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Speaker 9: weird situation. And I remember after that game, I called

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Speaker 9: my mom and she was like, no, I didn't see

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Speaker 9: the game because of that damn o J Chase.

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Speaker 1: The outcome of OJ's story is well known. He was

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Speaker 1: acquitted in what would become the trial of the century,

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Speaker 1: as divisive as it was surreal. On the basketball side,

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Speaker 1: things were much simpler. The Knicks would win Game five,

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Speaker 1: ninety one to eighty four, paving the way for a

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Speaker 1: dramatic Game six, and my adopted hometown would enter its

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Speaker 1: sports heyday, finally giving fans what they had craved for decades,

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Speaker 1: a championship. From the NBA and iHeart podcast This is

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Speaker 1: NBA DNA with Me Hannah Storm, Episode seven, part of

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Speaker 1: a Champion, the nineteen ninety three ninety four NBA season

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Speaker 1: began a lot like it ended, full of drama in

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Speaker 1: the fall of ninety three, the biggest story in basketball

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Speaker 1: was the exit of the best player in basketball, Jordan.

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Speaker 11: Michael Short Michael, thanks Sherry. I think everyone knows exactly

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Speaker 11: what the circumstances are right now in terms of my

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Speaker 11: decision not to play a game of basketball in the NBA.

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Speaker 1: Michael Jordan had won three NBA championships in three years.

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Speaker 10: The fall have repeated. Let the party begin.

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Speaker 1: He was a three time MVP, two time Olympic Gold Medalist,

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Speaker 1: nine time All Star, and a cultural force without precedent.

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Speaker 1: He changed the sneaker industry, revolutionized the advertising industry, and

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Speaker 1: heightened the way athletes endorsed products. He was a mythic figure,

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Speaker 1: one of one. News of his decision to leave the

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Speaker 1: game at just thirty years old was shocking.

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Speaker 8: Good evening from Chicago. Michael Jordan's retirement means not only

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Speaker 8: the end of an era here in Chicago, that it

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Speaker 8: also means the end of one of the most spectacular

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Speaker 8: careers in sports.

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Speaker 1: It had been a harrowing time for Michael. A little

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Speaker 1: more than a month after the Bulls beat the Phoenix

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Speaker 1: Suns in the finals to secure their first three peat,

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Speaker 1: Jordan's father, James Jordan was murdered, a devastating loss for

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Speaker 1: Michael and his family, and while mj was clear he

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Speaker 1: might come back and play at some point, for the

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Speaker 1: first time in nearly a decade, he would not be

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Speaker 1: on the Bulls roster.

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Speaker 10: I've talked to.

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Speaker 11: All my confidence, my family, my friends, as Jerry is

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Speaker 11: just you uh, to the organization. H I even talked

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Speaker 11: to David Stern as of yesterday and even today, and

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Speaker 11: I'm very solid with my decision of not to play

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Speaker 11: the game of basketball.

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Speaker 1: With Jordan out of the league, came opportunity other great

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Speaker 1: players and teams eager to be the main attraction to

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Speaker 1: the year.

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Speaker 6: There's darkly there Scotch Starts among them.

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Speaker 1: The franchise that I covered at the start of my career,

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Speaker 1: the Houston Rockets.

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Speaker 12: I'm the right Elijah Wan one on one Donald's and thanks,

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Speaker 12: Jets fan said coast to Robert are.

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Speaker 13: If dogs.

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Speaker 1: Michael Jordan has retired from the sport of basketball, how

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Speaker 1: did that resonate in Houston?

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Speaker 9: You know, we really we really didn't care because if

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Speaker 9: you look at our record when Mike was there, it

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Speaker 9: was like nine and two of his or something like that.

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Speaker 10: It was it was something crazy. What we didn't have

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Speaker 10: no fear.

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Speaker 9: And I think the way that Vernon used to guard Mike,

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Speaker 9: we didn't worry about that, And the way I used

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Speaker 9: to guard Scottie, we didn't worry about that.

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Speaker 10: But they had nobody, no answer for Dream. They go

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Speaker 10: to a key.

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Speaker 6: Here's the fight away, It's got.

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Speaker 1: Jan a Keem e lajahwan aka a Keem the Dream

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Speaker 1: was entering his tenth season in the NBA. He had

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Speaker 1: been the first overall pick over Michael Jordan in the

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Speaker 1: nineteen eighty four NBA draft. He was virtually unstoppable, but

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Speaker 1: at the start of the ninety three season, frustrations were

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Speaker 1: running high.

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Speaker 6: Fall Away Jis, the Rockets, the league.

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Speaker 1: A championship had eluded not just a chem but the

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Speaker 1: entire city of Houston. The Rockets, the Astros, the Oilers.

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Speaker 1: Near misses in every sport had fans wondering if it

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Speaker 1: were ever meant to be. The Rockets had an especially

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Speaker 1: rough road after losing to the Celtics in the nineteen

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Speaker 1: eighty six NBA Finals.

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Speaker 9: The Boston Celtics will have won their forty first grade

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Speaker 9: home game.

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Speaker 1: They lost their entire backcourt to a drug scandal, and

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Speaker 1: failed to make it past the second round of the

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Speaker 1: playoffs for the remainder of the decade. Here's former Rockets

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Speaker 1: GM Steve Patterson. You lose your backcourt, you go into

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Speaker 1: this rebuild mode. Where did you start? What was the

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Speaker 1: key first move that you made?

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Speaker 8: Well, I think probably the biggest piece was the trade

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Speaker 8: for August thorpe Born for.

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Speaker 2: The whole I don't.

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Speaker 10: I don't believe that.

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Speaker 8: Now to Jim Peterson and Rodney McCrae, we got Kenny Smith.

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Speaker 3: Kenny Smith has to say what he does and he leaves.

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Speaker 6: The Jet.

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Speaker 8: Build a team that could shoot threes and play inside

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Speaker 8: out outside, and we were able to build that team

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Speaker 8: alage we're on and it, you know, ultimately resulted in

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Speaker 8: a couple of NBA championships.

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Speaker 6: Yeah, no kidding.

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Speaker 1: When you're building a team at that time and the

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Speaker 1: Bulls and Michael Jordan are having the kind of success

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Speaker 1: that they're having, how are you thinking in that regard

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Speaker 1: that's a franchise that's out there, that's setting a standard

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Speaker 1: that you need to match or be.

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Speaker 8: Yeah, I think you'll see trends where like when we

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Speaker 8: started the Twin Towers, the other teams in the league

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Speaker 8: tried to emulate.

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Speaker 10: That I do ali Jo on he thanks looking's up.

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Speaker 7: Sampson collapses inside of the past.

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Speaker 10: The count in East foud and.

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Speaker 7: The Twin Towers of Texas now have really started the Rockets.

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Speaker 8: And they started playing more inside out.

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Speaker 4: You know.

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Speaker 8: Now you see everybody shoots threes like crazy. It wasn't

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Speaker 8: like that back then. So you're looking at who your

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Speaker 8: competition is and who you have to get by in

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Speaker 8: your conference first, right, So with us, generally it was

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Speaker 8: the Lakers, and then who's going to be in the finals.

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Speaker 8: In that era it was Boston in Chicago. Then you

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Speaker 8: have to work with where your strents are, right. Obviously

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Speaker 8: it was more in the back court with Chicago, and

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Speaker 8: with Us it was more in the front point. You know,

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Speaker 8: if you look at that era when we played each other,

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Speaker 8: we won six out eight games against the Bulls during

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Speaker 8: the regular season. So there are those that say, well,

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Speaker 8: you only want it because Jordan has gone. It's not true.

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Speaker 8: We beat them regularly with full rosters.

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Speaker 1: The early nineties ushered in a significant coaching change. In

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Speaker 1: the middle of the ninety one to ninety two season,

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Speaker 1: the Rockets fired head coached Don Cheney and replaced him

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Speaker 1: with Rudy tom Janovic, an assistant coach who had played

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Speaker 1: for the Rockets from nineteen seventy to nineteen eighty one.

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Speaker 12: I'm dan of it, put it up out a hook.

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Speaker 4: Well, first of all, I love Don Chaney, I love Rooker.

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Speaker 4: And we lost the game where we had a twenty

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Speaker 4: point lead against Minnesota and Errel Dawson and I had

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Speaker 4: a real bad feeling about it because it was just

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Speaker 4: so negative. And the next day we go to they

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Speaker 4: call us to the office and we're going to fight

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Speaker 4: for Don. You know, he had done a great job.

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Speaker 4: He had been Coach of the Year and all that,

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Speaker 4: and they said it's two way. He's gone. And then,

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Speaker 4: you know, I thought Errol Dawson would get the job,

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Speaker 4: and Carol had some health issues, and Steve Patterson says, Rudy,

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Speaker 4: if you wanted, you got it, and he left us alone.

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Speaker 4: And I was like, oh my god, I had no

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Speaker 4: idea this was going to happen. And I walked out

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Speaker 4: and said, Okay, I'll take it.

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Speaker 1: Do you remember the moment when you got the job

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Speaker 1: permanently after being an interim coach.

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Speaker 4: Yeah. There was a lot of stuff flying around. Tom

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Speaker 4: Heinsten's name was was big, Mike Tellow's name was big,

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Speaker 4: and uh, it was here it is. I got a chance.

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Speaker 4: I've got some years. This isn't going to be for

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Speaker 4: a month or so, this is this is what you

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Speaker 4: got to do. And we went to work. I was excited,

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Speaker 4: but I didn't know for sooner if I could really

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Speaker 4: be good at it. But here's what happened. Here's what

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Speaker 4: added to the drama, the whole thing. We spent the

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Speaker 4: whole summer looking for trades for a team. Because a

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Speaker 4: team and Kellie Thomas we're not seeing it eye to eye.

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Speaker 4: I said, well, I want to coach a team. You know,

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Speaker 4: I've been here, I knew him, and I saw what

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Speaker 4: he could do. So luckily on in a training camp,

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Speaker 4: he and a team got together and they ironed it out.

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Speaker 4: And I was the happiest guy, you know for that.

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Speaker 1: With Rudy t on board and a team still there,

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Speaker 1: the pieces began to fall into place.

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Speaker 6: That year.

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Speaker 1: With the eleventh pick in the NBA Draft, the Rockets

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Speaker 1: selected Robert.

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Speaker 7: Or Wild class later Class Orange.

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Speaker 1: So take me back to that day, and you know

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Speaker 1: what you thought of the Rockets at the time.

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Speaker 9: When I was coming out of college, I really really

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Speaker 9: wanted to go to the Houston Rockets. I felt like,

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Speaker 9: looking at all the teams that were coming along, where

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Speaker 9: would I fit best? Because in college I played center

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Speaker 9: and everybody like wall, he's the center. No, I'm a

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Speaker 9: small four who was forced to play center. And I

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Speaker 9: was like, looking at the Rockets said they got they

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Speaker 9: got a great point guard, they got a great two guard,

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Speaker 9: they got a great four or five.

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Speaker 10: I'm like, they have no three, that's me. You know.

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Speaker 1: It's so funny to hear you say that. People were like,

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Speaker 1: oh is he three or four or five? You know,

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Speaker 1: and you think of basketball today and it's so positionless,

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Speaker 1: you know, it's hard to imagine people having the cutter

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Speaker 1: covers today. They'd be like, he's great, let's let's ring

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Speaker 1: him in right.

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Speaker 9: Yeah, yeah, Oh that's what we need because he can

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Speaker 9: play multiple positions, you know, And back then it was like, oh,

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Speaker 9: he's a you coming in, you know, to play the

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Speaker 9: specific position and that's who you were. And it worked

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Speaker 9: for me because I know, think about it, I'm playing

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Speaker 9: alongside Vernon Maxwell, Kenny's men, oldest stored dream and I

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Speaker 9: fit perfect because I'm like, who's the three on this team. Carr, No,

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Speaker 9: Matt Bullet, Nope, Hey it's me. It was my spot

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Speaker 9: to take.

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Speaker 6: So hello, it was really cool.

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Speaker 1: I mean, and they had had a disappointing season and

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Speaker 1: at one point there were you know, there was talk

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Speaker 1: of that a team wanted to be traded.

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Speaker 6: I mean this was.

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Speaker 1: Before you got there, right, So then they bounced back.

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Speaker 1: They went fifty five games and that's.

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Speaker 6: Your rookie year.

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Speaker 1: And it was also Rudy Tea's very first year full

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Speaker 1: season as the head coach.

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Speaker 6: What was that like? Take me through that time.

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Speaker 8: Well, you know, the.

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Speaker 9: Rookie season was you know, my eyes were wide open,

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Speaker 9: trying to learn as much as power.

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Speaker 10: We depended on Dream a lot, and Dream dependent on

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Speaker 10: himself a lot.

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Speaker 6: Goes right to a team, good heads up play and

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Speaker 6: I steal by Strickland.

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Speaker 7: My lazy cash. Wow.

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Speaker 9: You know he was kind of reluctant to share the basketball.

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Speaker 9: You think about, he's one of the best players in

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Speaker 9: the game, rightfully, so he should go out and try

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Speaker 9: to do as much as possible.

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Speaker 10: And it was so so strange.

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Speaker 9: It was almost like someone had a conversation with him

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Speaker 9: and say, hey, you have to depend on your teammates

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Speaker 9: in order to be successful. And that next year, my

348
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Speaker 9: second year in the league, we started out the year

349
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Speaker 9: you know, game busters, you know, we know, we tied

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Speaker 9: a wreck for most wins and start the season.

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Speaker 1: In the power ranking of NBA teammates, Robert or is

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Speaker 1: among the very best. He would go on to win

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Speaker 1: seven NBA championships with three different teams, the Rockets, the Lakers,

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Speaker 1: and the Spurs.

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Speaker 8: Three we at Hory basically was a seven footer that

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Speaker 8: could shoot the ball and had probably had the best

357
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Speaker 8: entry pass outside of Oscar Robertson of anybody I've ever seen.

358
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Speaker 10: A shot bottom.

359
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Speaker 6: On me just smuttered by.

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Speaker 8: Everybody marries the three, not because of it. He could

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Speaker 8: get the ball in the lodger on, he could get

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Speaker 8: the ball the thorpe.

363
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Speaker 10: Done on the block.

364
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Speaker 8: He could guard anybody on the other team, whoever was

365
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Speaker 8: getting out of control. It's like put Robert On in

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Speaker 8: this front and down.

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Speaker 1: The Rockets continued to fine tune their lineup before the

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Speaker 1: start of the ninety three ninety four season. They picked

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Speaker 1: up Mario Ellie, the junk yard Dog from the Trailblazers.

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Speaker 11: There's a steel by Ellie Ellie.

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Speaker 7: He's gonna get the steel in the.

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Speaker 1: Slop and drafted tireless rookie Sam Cassell.

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Speaker 10: It flows so well, and it started with Vernie.

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Speaker 7: Maxwell with a great move out front.

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Speaker 9: You know, everybody thinks of Matt Max and his all

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Speaker 9: his craziness he's done on the court, but his defensive

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Speaker 9: intensity was what that key to us, you know, him

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Speaker 9: playing the perimeter defense, and then myself and you know

379
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Speaker 9: Sam and they're all funneled to dream. We think, when

380
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Speaker 9: you got a shot blocker that allows you to press

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Speaker 9: up on guys on a perimeter, you know, okay, we

382
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Speaker 9: going senior dream. Do you really want to get that

383
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Speaker 9: shot blocked? Do you really want to get knocked to

384
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Speaker 9: the ground. It's so many things we were able to

385
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Speaker 9: do as a unit, and that's why we was like,

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Speaker 9: you know, I think we will be finished that year

387
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Speaker 9: number one defensively at number two. And that was one

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Speaker 9: of the things that you have to love about Rudy.

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Speaker 9: We talked about defense every day, We talked about offense

390
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Speaker 9: every day. And Rudy was so great at talking and

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Speaker 9: communicating the players, and not like these coaches now where

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Speaker 9: they do a lot of yelling or they are afraid

393
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Speaker 9: to talk to people. I think Rudy was just that,

394
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Speaker 9: you know, because he played the game, he's been at

395
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Speaker 9: a high level.

396
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Speaker 10: He just talked to the individual. What makes you feel a

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Speaker 10: part of the team. I know.

398
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Speaker 9: I played for Phield, I played for Pop And the

399
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Speaker 9: one thing I loved about Rudy was Rudy would come

400
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Speaker 9: to us as players, say what.

401
00:22:02,720 --> 00:22:05,080
Speaker 10: Do you guys want to run? What are you comfort with?

402
00:22:05,160 --> 00:22:06,720
Speaker 10: What are you seeing out there on.

403
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Speaker 1: The Rockets finished first in the Midwest, going fifty eight

404
00:22:15,440 --> 00:22:18,560
Speaker 1: and twenty four, but the road to the finals was

405
00:22:18,600 --> 00:22:24,600
Speaker 1: a tough one. Portland Barkley's Phoenix, Suns, Stockton and Malones.

406
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Speaker 6: You taught jazz.

407
00:22:26,520 --> 00:22:31,240
Speaker 1: The Rockets defeated the Trailblazers easily. The Suns were a

408
00:22:31,240 --> 00:22:32,080
Speaker 1: different story.

409
00:22:32,880 --> 00:22:35,640
Speaker 4: Age stops to three point range but doesn't take the shot,

410
00:22:36,040 --> 00:22:38,000
Speaker 4: gets the pass where they're at the kJ.

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Speaker 12: Out of Barkley, Barkley on the drive baseline about a

412
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Speaker 12: twelve footer.

413
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Speaker 1: Yes, indeed, and you face the Suns in the Western

414
00:22:44,480 --> 00:22:47,639
Speaker 1: Conference semis. It was a seven game series, but actually

415
00:22:48,119 --> 00:22:50,359
Speaker 1: you lost the first couple of games, blowing a twenty

416
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Speaker 1: point lead with home court advantage and twice and then

417
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Speaker 1: the headline said, Choke City. Yes, in Houston, what is

418
00:23:00,200 --> 00:23:02,080
Speaker 1: wrong with you guys in those first couple of games?

419
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Speaker 1: And then how did you turn it around to then

420
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Speaker 1: become Clutch City.

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Speaker 10: You know, you look what's going on in the NBA.

422
00:23:09,080 --> 00:23:10,679
Speaker 10: Now you look what happened to Denver.

423
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Speaker 9: Sometimes you get you need to get knocked down and

424
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Speaker 9: then you have to get back up. And for us

425
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Speaker 9: and the Suns came out, we were winning and then

426
00:23:18,640 --> 00:23:21,639
Speaker 9: we got comfortable. It pissed us off just from the

427
00:23:21,720 --> 00:23:24,560
Speaker 9: fact that we lost those two games. Everybody was like

428
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Speaker 9: our championship to win, because that's you know, that was

429
00:23:27,680 --> 00:23:30,600
Speaker 9: the road and we just laid an egg. But we

430
00:23:30,680 --> 00:23:33,359
Speaker 9: came together, you know, and that's how Rudy always say

431
00:23:33,400 --> 00:23:35,800
Speaker 9: is the heart of a champion. We just came together

432
00:23:35,840 --> 00:23:37,440
Speaker 9: and said, yo, man, it's all about us.

433
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Speaker 1: At what point did you develop the phrase that became

434
00:23:42,440 --> 00:23:45,080
Speaker 1: so famous, of the heart of a champion? When did

435
00:23:45,080 --> 00:23:46,920
Speaker 1: you start saying that?

436
00:23:47,359 --> 00:23:53,600
Speaker 4: I start saying that after an opponent sat and it

437
00:23:53,640 --> 00:24:04,800
Speaker 4: was in the morning all and they beat us both

438
00:24:05,160 --> 00:24:09,200
Speaker 4: games in Houston when we had twenty point victories. That's

439
00:24:09,200 --> 00:24:12,840
Speaker 4: when Choke said he started I saw that paper and

440
00:24:13,040 --> 00:24:18,600
Speaker 4: then Dard letters you know, and I'm thinking, maybe this

441
00:24:18,760 --> 00:24:21,679
Speaker 4: is what I'm going to be remembered for. You know,

442
00:24:21,800 --> 00:24:26,119
Speaker 4: balling two games at help, which was very characteristic of

443
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Speaker 4: our team. So you know, how to turn that thing

444
00:24:30,800 --> 00:24:34,800
Speaker 4: around was one of the biggest balances and what it was.

445
00:24:34,880 --> 00:24:38,280
Speaker 4: And started trying to aim the ball. We started playing

446
00:24:38,440 --> 00:24:43,439
Speaker 4: conservative and it just snowball and we sold how we

447
00:24:43,480 --> 00:24:48,040
Speaker 4: got those twenty point leads, and you know, the guys

448
00:24:48,080 --> 00:24:50,520
Speaker 4: were feeling terrible, and I was like, look at this stuff.

449
00:24:51,040 --> 00:24:53,560
Speaker 4: These guys can't stop us. They have them, you know,

450
00:24:53,960 --> 00:24:56,840
Speaker 4: they have problems dealing with us, you know, and then

451
00:24:57,119 --> 00:25:01,560
Speaker 4: Vernon goes crazy. There has some one big game where

452
00:25:02,160 --> 00:25:05,679
Speaker 4: he takes over the game. And we went both games

453
00:25:05,680 --> 00:25:08,440
Speaker 4: there and get the home court and manage back.

454
00:25:08,920 --> 00:25:12,480
Speaker 1: I didn't realize that kJ said that first. That's really interesting.

455
00:25:13,280 --> 00:25:16,119
Speaker 4: After we did that, he says, well, you know, the

456
00:25:16,160 --> 00:25:18,480
Speaker 4: Eastern markets have the heart of extent. That's what I said.

457
00:25:18,480 --> 00:25:21,640
Speaker 4: That's a great, great uh. I like that.

458
00:25:21,880 --> 00:25:25,400
Speaker 1: The Rockets came back from that two game deficit, beating

459
00:25:25,400 --> 00:25:29,960
Speaker 1: the Suns in seven games and then the Utah Jazz

460
00:25:30,400 --> 00:25:33,560
Speaker 1: four games to one in the Western Conference Finals.

461
00:25:33,600 --> 00:25:38,560
Speaker 7: The market is Houston record, talent is that in different games.

462
00:25:38,640 --> 00:25:41,200
Speaker 4: Rudy Tom Jon Bridge has had a different players.

463
00:25:40,960 --> 00:25:44,080
Speaker 1: That got bigs And I remember covering that series on

464
00:25:44,119 --> 00:25:46,480
Speaker 1: the sidelines, right, so I was like around the benches

465
00:25:46,560 --> 00:25:47,520
Speaker 1: a lot, and it.

466
00:25:47,560 --> 00:25:50,359
Speaker 6: Just felt like the Rockets psyched them out.

467
00:25:52,720 --> 00:25:54,960
Speaker 9: I think Dream has a lot to do that because

468
00:25:55,520 --> 00:25:57,560
Speaker 9: you know when you guard someone and they pull it

469
00:25:57,600 --> 00:26:00,800
Speaker 9: out moves like Dream does, and you looking around like,

470
00:26:00,840 --> 00:26:04,200
Speaker 9: what the heck just happened, it's demoralized.

471
00:26:04,440 --> 00:26:04,600
Speaker 10: You know.

472
00:26:04,680 --> 00:26:06,960
Speaker 9: You think about when you knocking down three's, you contest

473
00:26:07,040 --> 00:26:09,160
Speaker 9: and shot and you got a guy making moves you've

474
00:26:09,200 --> 00:26:11,600
Speaker 9: never seen before. He's like, oh, the basketball guys are

475
00:26:11,640 --> 00:26:14,240
Speaker 9: taken over. So we just got to take this butt

476
00:26:14,240 --> 00:26:15,720
Speaker 9: whipping and pay for next year.

477
00:26:25,800 --> 00:26:29,159
Speaker 1: For a Lajawan and the City of Houston, the ninety

478
00:26:29,200 --> 00:26:32,920
Speaker 1: four finals against the Knicks and Patrick Ewing was the

479
00:26:33,000 --> 00:26:43,800
Speaker 1: matchup they'd been waiting for US at NBC. The hype

480
00:26:44,000 --> 00:26:48,240
Speaker 1: surrounding the matchup was unreal. For pat Riley, it was

481
00:26:48,280 --> 00:26:51,440
Speaker 1: a chance to coach a championship team for the fifth time.

482
00:26:52,080 --> 00:26:55,679
Speaker 1: For Rudy t a shot at his first NBA title,

483
00:26:56,240 --> 00:26:59,320
Speaker 1: and for the Stars, a collegiate rematch.

484
00:26:59,720 --> 00:27:03,480
Speaker 6: Here's Albert Now for Patrick Ewing at a King Elijah

485
00:27:03,520 --> 00:27:06,080
Speaker 6: wadd for only the second time of their career and

486
00:27:06,160 --> 00:27:08,720
Speaker 6: has come down to one game winner.

487
00:27:08,800 --> 00:27:11,560
Speaker 7: Check all. It was back in nineteen eighty four at

488
00:27:11,640 --> 00:27:15,520
Speaker 7: the King Golvin Seattle, Washington and the age A championship

489
00:27:15,560 --> 00:27:18,520
Speaker 7: game Ewing against Elijah Want Georgetown.

490
00:27:19,040 --> 00:27:20,840
Speaker 9: I've played a lot of basketball, but that was the

491
00:27:20,880 --> 00:27:24,720
Speaker 9: most physical matchup ever. You think about the way pat

492
00:27:24,800 --> 00:27:29,000
Speaker 9: Riley had that team constructed, You think about you got Oakley,

493
00:27:29,440 --> 00:27:34,520
Speaker 9: You and Charles Smith, Mason, Derek Harper in the starks

494
00:27:34,640 --> 00:27:35,920
Speaker 9: that that's that's all.

495
00:27:36,000 --> 00:27:38,240
Speaker 10: Those guys are physical guys.

496
00:27:38,440 --> 00:27:41,160
Speaker 9: They want to beat you up, grind you down, make

497
00:27:41,200 --> 00:27:45,040
Speaker 9: you tie mentally and physical and then knockdown shots. And

498
00:27:45,119 --> 00:27:48,800
Speaker 9: from us, it was exciting because a part of us like, okay,

499
00:27:48,880 --> 00:27:52,160
Speaker 9: dream you gotta get you, gotta get you in back.

500
00:27:52,720 --> 00:27:54,960
Speaker 9: He took it, he took a national championship. For me,

501
00:27:55,400 --> 00:27:56,400
Speaker 9: that's getting.

502
00:27:56,080 --> 00:28:01,320
Speaker 5: Back Pepper's firing between the rockets half of the.

503
00:28:03,080 --> 00:28:05,240
Speaker 1: You know, the modern day Nicks kind of remind me

504
00:28:05,480 --> 00:28:08,920
Speaker 1: at times of those Knicks back then. I mean they

505
00:28:08,920 --> 00:28:13,040
Speaker 1: were super intimidating. Yes, they really were, you know, And

506
00:28:13,080 --> 00:28:16,119
Speaker 1: it's really funny because pat Riley and obviously you have,

507
00:28:16,720 --> 00:28:18,879
Speaker 1: you know, ties the Lakers franchise, having won a couple

508
00:28:18,880 --> 00:28:19,560
Speaker 1: of titles there.

509
00:28:19,600 --> 00:28:22,480
Speaker 6: But he was this kind of you know, slick.

510
00:28:23,160 --> 00:28:27,520
Speaker 1: ARMANI Clad, you know, coach like showtime guy. And then

511
00:28:27,520 --> 00:28:30,680
Speaker 1: he had the Knicks and they were just this grinded out,

512
00:28:30,840 --> 00:28:36,000
Speaker 1: like physical team, right, so intimidating. How did you guys

513
00:28:36,240 --> 00:28:39,240
Speaker 1: match that physicality and intimidation.

514
00:28:40,520 --> 00:28:43,800
Speaker 9: Well, you know, when you got Vernion, Maxwell, Oldest Thought,

515
00:28:44,160 --> 00:28:46,720
Speaker 9: and Dream, you kind of you kind of got three

516
00:28:46,760 --> 00:28:50,120
Speaker 9: guys right there that you know, can strength wise can

517
00:28:50,160 --> 00:28:53,040
Speaker 9: match them, you know, and then mentally strength wise they

518
00:28:53,080 --> 00:28:55,080
Speaker 9: can match them. For us, you know, Kenny and I

519
00:28:55,680 --> 00:28:57,600
Speaker 9: kind of two weekends on the team kind of just

520
00:28:57,600 --> 00:28:58,080
Speaker 9: fed off it.

521
00:28:58,200 --> 00:28:58,920
Speaker 10: Yeah, you know.

522
00:28:59,000 --> 00:29:01,280
Speaker 9: And and then you think about Mario really Beer from

523
00:29:01,320 --> 00:29:04,200
Speaker 9: New York, he had that attitude anyway, and Sam he

524
00:29:04,280 --> 00:29:06,000
Speaker 9: had the attitude Beer from Baltimore.

525
00:29:06,520 --> 00:29:09,440
Speaker 10: So we kind of match that greedy gramness that they had.

526
00:29:13,880 --> 00:29:16,120
Speaker 6: So what was the strategy?

527
00:29:16,400 --> 00:29:21,000
Speaker 1: As you mentioned they were big, strong, aggressive, tough. What

528
00:29:21,080 --> 00:29:23,760
Speaker 1: was the strategy to preserve a king?

529
00:29:24,360 --> 00:29:28,600
Speaker 4: I don't have my board here, but we definitely had

530
00:29:28,640 --> 00:29:32,640
Speaker 4: a strategy. What it was is the Knicks were very

531
00:29:32,680 --> 00:29:37,040
Speaker 4: good at double teaming the pick and roll, they jump

532
00:29:37,120 --> 00:29:40,600
Speaker 4: out aggressively and make you have to make a pass.

533
00:29:41,160 --> 00:29:45,440
Speaker 4: And we didn't have the three point shooting that we

534
00:29:45,520 --> 00:29:48,640
Speaker 4: had own Us, only it is not a three point shooter,

535
00:29:48,720 --> 00:29:53,480
Speaker 4: and he was a fair mid range seater. What happened

536
00:29:53,520 --> 00:29:56,680
Speaker 4: is if we threw the ball to own Us, the

537
00:29:56,800 --> 00:30:00,120
Speaker 4: man who was starting a king on the other the

538
00:30:00,160 --> 00:30:05,520
Speaker 4: side of the basket automatically had to run to take bonus.

539
00:30:06,320 --> 00:30:09,440
Speaker 4: Now we would swing the ball around and throw it

540
00:30:09,560 --> 00:30:13,360
Speaker 4: to a key who hadn't been pounded out, so that

541
00:30:13,440 --> 00:30:15,560
Speaker 4: as an indirect way to get it to a key.

542
00:30:16,960 --> 00:30:18,280
Speaker 6: This series was tight.

543
00:30:18,800 --> 00:30:22,200
Speaker 1: The Rockets took game one, the Knicks took game two,

544
00:30:22,640 --> 00:30:26,360
Speaker 1: The Rockets won Game three, and the Knicks won games

545
00:30:26,440 --> 00:30:30,240
Speaker 1: four and five, looking like they might wrap it up

546
00:30:30,280 --> 00:30:30,800
Speaker 1: in six.

547
00:30:31,360 --> 00:30:34,120
Speaker 4: Still might be surprised to see John Starks side to

548
00:30:34,200 --> 00:30:40,600
Speaker 4: win from.

549
00:30:38,000 --> 00:30:40,840
Speaker 1: With five and a half seconds left and the Rockets

550
00:30:40,960 --> 00:30:44,520
Speaker 1: up by two, John Starks took an in bounce pass

551
00:30:44,920 --> 00:31:03,360
Speaker 1: Star Game six, y'all just broke the Knicks fans. Hearts

552
00:31:03,920 --> 00:31:07,520
Speaker 1: a came blocks John Starks buzzer beater. Take us into

553
00:31:07,560 --> 00:31:08,120
Speaker 1: that moment.

554
00:31:08,800 --> 00:31:12,560
Speaker 9: Well, you know, we talked about Dream being defensive player,

555
00:31:12,560 --> 00:31:15,840
Speaker 9: of the year so much and his ability to recover

556
00:31:15,920 --> 00:31:17,880
Speaker 9: because John made a good move, but Dream was able

557
00:31:17,880 --> 00:31:21,600
Speaker 9: to recover and blocked that shot. And I think John

558
00:31:21,800 --> 00:31:24,640
Speaker 9: was on fire that game too. He was the one

559
00:31:24,640 --> 00:31:27,160
Speaker 9: that kept in the game, not Patrick, not you know,

560
00:31:27,200 --> 00:31:29,440
Speaker 9: not do Charles or any It was John.

561
00:31:29,240 --> 00:31:31,840
Speaker 10: Stark stars controls.

562
00:31:33,560 --> 00:31:35,880
Speaker 9: He was killing us that game, and we were very

563
00:31:35,920 --> 00:31:38,360
Speaker 9: fortunate that Dream was able to get a fingertip on

564
00:31:38,400 --> 00:31:41,120
Speaker 9: that and block that shot. They take it to Game seven.

565
00:31:41,320 --> 00:31:44,200
Speaker 9: I just think about the intensity in that game and

566
00:31:44,360 --> 00:31:47,880
Speaker 9: us using the fear of losing because the Rockets had

567
00:31:47,920 --> 00:31:50,040
Speaker 9: been there before, you know, they lost to Boston in

568
00:31:50,080 --> 00:31:53,000
Speaker 9: the finals, and so it was that fear like, no,

569
00:31:53,160 --> 00:31:54,680
Speaker 9: we ain't doing this again.

570
00:31:55,480 --> 00:31:58,760
Speaker 5: Live from the Summit in Houston, Texas, that Houston Rockets

571
00:31:58,760 --> 00:32:01,800
Speaker 5: are about to play the biggest game in this city's history.

572
00:32:01,960 --> 00:32:05,560
Speaker 1: Game seven was another grueling matchup. At the half, the

573
00:32:05,680 --> 00:32:09,040
Speaker 1: Rockets held just a two point lead in the Battle

574
00:32:09,080 --> 00:32:12,160
Speaker 1: of the centers, a team put up twenty five points

575
00:32:12,160 --> 00:32:16,080
Speaker 1: and ten rebounds. Ewing would finish with seventeen points and

576
00:32:16,120 --> 00:32:20,400
Speaker 1: ten rebounds. The Knicks backcourt, John Starks, in particular, had

577
00:32:20,400 --> 00:32:23,920
Speaker 1: an abysmal night. He shot just two for eighteen from

578
00:32:23,960 --> 00:32:27,640
Speaker 1: the floor and went oh for eleven from beyond the.

579
00:32:27,800 --> 00:32:32,720
Speaker 7: Arm stars great Don starks has been off mash with

580
00:32:32,760 --> 00:32:35,320
Speaker 7: the rebound another offensive rebound.

581
00:32:36,200 --> 00:32:39,560
Speaker 1: By the third quarter, the Knicks had fallen behind and

582
00:32:39,680 --> 00:32:43,200
Speaker 1: were unable to catch up. Unfortunately for the Knicks. Part

583
00:32:43,240 --> 00:32:45,440
Speaker 1: of the big legacy of that game is obviously one

584
00:32:45,440 --> 00:32:48,000
Speaker 1: of the most beloved Nicks ever, but John starks had

585
00:32:48,000 --> 00:32:53,680
Speaker 1: an absolutely nightmarish shooting night. Were you surprised that pat

586
00:32:53,760 --> 00:32:55,960
Speaker 1: Riley led him in and that he kept shooting?

587
00:32:56,600 --> 00:33:00,400
Speaker 4: I was surprised. John Starkson is one of my favorite players.

588
00:33:00,680 --> 00:33:03,320
Speaker 4: You know, when I scouted and I looked at guys,

589
00:33:03,360 --> 00:33:05,000
Speaker 4: He's the kind of guy I liked what he was

590
00:33:05,040 --> 00:33:07,760
Speaker 4: emosed to know. He was streat key, he played and

591
00:33:07,840 --> 00:33:11,400
Speaker 4: spot off and played hard. So yeah, I was surprised.

592
00:33:11,840 --> 00:33:14,600
Speaker 1: Riley's decision to leave him in the game and allow

593
00:33:14,680 --> 00:33:17,800
Speaker 1: him to shoot was the biggest headline for Knicks fans

594
00:33:18,120 --> 00:33:21,160
Speaker 1: and one of the most intimidating moments of my career

595
00:33:21,440 --> 00:33:25,040
Speaker 1: because after the game, my boss, Dick Eversoll, told me

596
00:33:25,120 --> 00:33:28,360
Speaker 1: to go into the Knicks locker room and ask Riley

597
00:33:28,640 --> 00:33:31,480
Speaker 1: what he was thinking. Pat Riley, pat We're live on

598
00:33:31,560 --> 00:33:32,760
Speaker 1: air if he can come up here.

599
00:33:32,640 --> 00:33:35,840
Speaker 6: Please, which I did on live TV.

600
00:33:36,480 --> 00:33:39,200
Speaker 1: Coach John Starks had been so instrumental in bringing the

601
00:33:39,280 --> 00:33:41,600
Speaker 1: series to the seventh game because he had been so important.

602
00:33:41,640 --> 00:33:42,920
Speaker 1: Did you feel like it had to stay with him

603
00:33:42,960 --> 00:33:44,160
Speaker 1: even though he wasn't hitting tonight.

604
00:33:44,400 --> 00:33:47,840
Speaker 9: Yes, you know, you go with your guys that got

605
00:33:47,880 --> 00:33:49,400
Speaker 9: you here, and John.

606
00:33:49,160 --> 00:33:51,040
Speaker 4: Who's the kind of player that's so explosive.

607
00:33:52,200 --> 00:33:54,320
Speaker 2: You know, have you had any kind of an edge

608
00:33:54,720 --> 00:33:55,120
Speaker 2: where we.

609
00:33:55,120 --> 00:33:58,120
Speaker 4: Had some some airspace, maybe I could have given him

610
00:33:58,120 --> 00:33:59,960
Speaker 4: the rest that we were always fighting from behind.

611
00:34:00,560 --> 00:34:04,480
Speaker 1: The Rockets won Game seven on their home court ninety

612
00:34:04,520 --> 00:34:05,760
Speaker 1: to eighty four, and.

613
00:34:05,880 --> 00:34:09,919
Speaker 7: The Houston Rocket are the world champions of nineteen ninety four.

614
00:34:10,440 --> 00:34:13,000
Speaker 7: As they take the next and the seventh and decisive

615
00:34:13,080 --> 00:34:13,839
Speaker 7: game here at the.

616
00:34:13,719 --> 00:34:17,000
Speaker 6: Funal penning h Town, what had eluded them for years,

617
00:34:17,440 --> 00:34:18,560
Speaker 6: a championship.

618
00:34:20,800 --> 00:34:23,640
Speaker 9: I remember the first player of that game, Dream gives

619
00:34:23,680 --> 00:34:24,680
Speaker 9: it to me and I.

620
00:34:24,719 --> 00:34:30,360
Speaker 10: Duncan Patrick Yung. Crowd gets excited. From that moment on,

621
00:34:31,360 --> 00:34:32,520
Speaker 10: we just kind of took off.

622
00:34:32,640 --> 00:34:37,040
Speaker 9: And after winning that championship and watching Dream, you know,

623
00:34:37,280 --> 00:34:40,800
Speaker 9: shed a tear. You know, you think about all these

624
00:34:40,880 --> 00:34:44,920
Speaker 9: great athletes that fight to get to a championship, and

625
00:34:44,960 --> 00:34:47,200
Speaker 9: you think about the ones who finally get it, and

626
00:34:47,239 --> 00:34:49,320
Speaker 9: you think about the ones who don't get it, and

627
00:34:49,960 --> 00:34:53,120
Speaker 9: it's just a happy moment for me because I grew

628
00:34:53,200 --> 00:34:53,960
Speaker 9: up a Dream fan.

629
00:34:54,360 --> 00:34:57,879
Speaker 10: I had the shoes that he wore and everything I did.

630
00:34:57,920 --> 00:35:01,399
Speaker 10: I just kind of watched him and follow him. I was.

631
00:35:02,840 --> 00:35:06,160
Speaker 9: So happy for my teammates, not me. I was happy

632
00:35:06,239 --> 00:35:09,600
Speaker 9: for Dream oldest and running, because it's a grind to

633
00:35:09,640 --> 00:35:11,319
Speaker 9: get there, and when you've been in the league as

634
00:35:11,320 --> 00:35:14,920
Speaker 9: long as those guys have, you know, it's such a

635
00:35:14,960 --> 00:35:17,799
Speaker 9: feather in your cap anything. My second year, I got

636
00:35:17,800 --> 00:35:21,560
Speaker 9: a chip, you know, And so I tell everybody I said,

637
00:35:21,560 --> 00:35:24,080
Speaker 9: I didn't even touch the first trophy because I didn't

638
00:35:24,080 --> 00:35:26,000
Speaker 9: feel like I earned the right to touch it. Wow,

639
00:35:26,200 --> 00:35:29,399
Speaker 9: because I hang't grind enough like those guys. So I say, here,

640
00:35:30,120 --> 00:35:31,239
Speaker 9: but that changed next year.

641
00:35:36,120 --> 00:35:40,280
Speaker 6: What was the reaction in Houston. This was the.

642
00:35:40,080 --> 00:35:45,360
Speaker 1: First professional sports championship of any kind for the city

643
00:35:45,400 --> 00:35:45,920
Speaker 1: of Houston.

644
00:35:46,800 --> 00:35:53,239
Speaker 4: It was very hard to explain. We enjoy as a

645
00:35:53,360 --> 00:35:57,880
Speaker 4: coach the sense of what I believed in work, We're

646
00:35:57,920 --> 00:36:02,480
Speaker 4: the best, We're the best there is this year, and

647
00:36:03,360 --> 00:36:07,200
Speaker 4: tremendous pride. We got out of town and went the

648
00:36:07,280 --> 00:36:13,000
Speaker 4: family went to South Carolina and we're watching TV and

649
00:36:13,120 --> 00:36:17,880
Speaker 4: advertisement comes on. You know, get this video of the

650
00:36:17,920 --> 00:36:22,719
Speaker 4: Euston Rockets winning their championship, and it was all different

651
00:36:22,880 --> 00:36:26,799
Speaker 4: angles and I sat down, I said, that's us.

652
00:36:34,560 --> 00:36:37,240
Speaker 1: In the ninety four to ninety five season, the Rockets

653
00:36:37,280 --> 00:36:39,600
Speaker 1: found out just how tough it is to repeat.

654
00:36:40,080 --> 00:36:47,239
Speaker 6: For the Crawler, No Rockets fire now.

655
00:36:47,280 --> 00:36:51,080
Speaker 1: Houston started strong with nine straight wins, but a series

656
00:36:51,120 --> 00:36:54,960
Speaker 1: of losses to conference rivals signaled the need for a change.

657
00:36:55,280 --> 00:36:58,960
Speaker 1: To quote Rudy t from that time, sometimes it seems

658
00:36:59,000 --> 00:37:02,200
Speaker 1: like we've been running against the wind. Later that month,

659
00:37:02,480 --> 00:37:05,080
Speaker 1: the Rockets announced a trade.

660
00:37:07,280 --> 00:37:12,680
Speaker 9: Slammer Jamma Bride Boklyde truck Flande.

661
00:37:14,440 --> 00:37:19,520
Speaker 1: It's clutch City. You've won your championship, and about midway

662
00:37:19,640 --> 00:37:22,959
Speaker 1: through the following season that you're trying to defend this championship,

663
00:37:23,880 --> 00:37:28,640
Speaker 1: you acquire Clyde the Glide, Clyde Drexler over up.

664
00:37:31,880 --> 00:37:33,719
Speaker 3: That's why he's one of the.

665
00:37:33,640 --> 00:37:38,919
Speaker 1: Great Houston favorite from five Slama Jama days. What went

666
00:37:38,960 --> 00:37:43,440
Speaker 1: behind that acquisition and how did you integrate him into

667
00:37:43,520 --> 00:37:46,560
Speaker 1: this team that had already had a lot of success.

668
00:37:46,960 --> 00:37:50,480
Speaker 4: Before the season That he said, would you make the

669
00:37:50,560 --> 00:37:55,120
Speaker 4: trade to break this team up? I'd say absolutely not

670
00:37:55,800 --> 00:37:59,640
Speaker 4: what they did. They deserved to be together and defend

671
00:37:59,680 --> 00:38:05,240
Speaker 4: their championship. But things got so bad.

672
00:38:05,239 --> 00:38:08,879
Speaker 7: Time a new career high leads to the upset over

673
00:38:08,920 --> 00:38:11,240
Speaker 7: the world champion Houston Rocket.

674
00:38:11,560 --> 00:38:16,080
Speaker 4: You know, some horrible losses in to the Clippers and

675
00:38:17,239 --> 00:38:22,600
Speaker 4: heard the news that Clyde was available. Always expected Clyde's

676
00:38:22,600 --> 00:38:25,120
Speaker 4: staying one of the best guards ever played the game.

677
00:38:25,600 --> 00:38:28,960
Speaker 4: You know, he made a trade for another high profile player,

678
00:38:29,680 --> 00:38:33,480
Speaker 4: and how he would master with the Keeam would be

679
00:38:33,719 --> 00:38:37,360
Speaker 4: a big adjustment. But a guy who's like your best

680
00:38:37,400 --> 00:38:40,719
Speaker 4: friend that you played with in college that says this

681
00:38:40,880 --> 00:38:43,640
Speaker 4: can't happen, and to get a Clyde, you got to

682
00:38:43,680 --> 00:38:44,800
Speaker 4: give up good players.

683
00:38:45,440 --> 00:38:47,279
Speaker 6: Here's how Robert remembers it.

684
00:38:47,640 --> 00:38:49,800
Speaker 1: They don't run it back with the same team because

685
00:38:49,840 --> 00:38:53,000
Speaker 1: in February they make a huge trade and they acquired Clyde,

686
00:38:53,040 --> 00:38:54,720
Speaker 1: Drexler and Tracy Murray.

687
00:38:55,120 --> 00:38:57,720
Speaker 6: Otis Thorpe was in that trade.

688
00:38:57,840 --> 00:39:02,320
Speaker 1: Obviously with the Trailblazers and Clyde, the Glide and a

689
00:39:02,440 --> 00:39:06,320
Speaker 1: team had played together at you of h Rudy t

690
00:39:06,560 --> 00:39:08,800
Speaker 1: has said not everybody was happy with the trade.

691
00:39:08,880 --> 00:39:12,960
Speaker 6: At the time, what's your recollection? That was me, you

692
00:39:12,960 --> 00:39:13,840
Speaker 6: were not everybody.

693
00:39:14,640 --> 00:39:17,640
Speaker 9: I was not happy with the trade, you know, and

694
00:39:17,680 --> 00:39:20,000
Speaker 9: I knew this was a business coming into it, but

695
00:39:20,120 --> 00:39:22,840
Speaker 9: oldis Thorpe and I were like close. We would go

696
00:39:22,840 --> 00:39:26,080
Speaker 9: to breakfast together before shoot around. We would have like

697
00:39:26,120 --> 00:39:28,239
Speaker 9: we lived around the corner from each other. But I

698
00:39:28,320 --> 00:39:31,279
Speaker 9: also looked around the room and I'm like, okay, we

699
00:39:31,440 --> 00:39:35,799
Speaker 9: just lost our power forward. Who's next in line? Me like,

700
00:39:35,960 --> 00:39:39,759
Speaker 9: oh no, And this is before I put on weight.

701
00:39:39,840 --> 00:39:42,000
Speaker 9: When I got to the legers, I was like still

702
00:39:42,080 --> 00:39:43,880
Speaker 9: like two fifteen at this time.

703
00:39:43,719 --> 00:39:44,720
Speaker 6: You were so scared.

704
00:39:45,080 --> 00:39:46,839
Speaker 10: I was super stillar Yeah.

705
00:39:47,400 --> 00:39:50,120
Speaker 9: So for me, I think it was two parts of that.

706
00:39:50,160 --> 00:39:52,080
Speaker 9: I was mad about that I eventual was gonna have

707
00:39:52,080 --> 00:39:55,120
Speaker 9: to play power forward. And then then my best friend

708
00:39:55,160 --> 00:39:58,120
Speaker 9: on the team outside Sam Sail, was leaving, so it

709
00:39:58,200 --> 00:40:01,280
Speaker 9: was it was very disappointing. And then I feel like, okay,

710
00:40:01,320 --> 00:40:04,279
Speaker 9: now we got two dynamic two guards and my next

711
00:40:04,280 --> 00:40:05,840
Speaker 9: to be trader. I'm gonna move to the four or

712
00:40:05,880 --> 00:40:06,879
Speaker 9: I'm gonna move to the bench.

713
00:40:07,000 --> 00:40:07,200
Speaker 10: You know.

714
00:40:07,239 --> 00:40:09,400
Speaker 9: It was a lot of things going through my mind selfishly,

715
00:40:09,760 --> 00:40:12,200
Speaker 9: That's why I kind of hated the trade and the

716
00:40:12,280 --> 00:40:15,720
Speaker 9: people was like so happy because Clyde from Houston.

717
00:40:17,239 --> 00:40:19,440
Speaker 6: Right, the whole thing.

718
00:40:19,520 --> 00:40:21,960
Speaker 9: Yeah, you think about that part. But me, I was

719
00:40:22,000 --> 00:40:24,399
Speaker 9: thinking about on the lines of how this is gonna fit.

720
00:40:24,600 --> 00:40:25,200
Speaker 6: What was it?

721
00:40:25,400 --> 00:40:27,880
Speaker 1: You guys end up as the sex seed in the

722
00:40:27,880 --> 00:40:30,280
Speaker 1: conference and you have to fight your way through the playoffs.

723
00:40:30,280 --> 00:40:32,560
Speaker 6: And I want to get to that in a minute.

724
00:40:32,880 --> 00:40:36,520
Speaker 1: When did it start to gel, because you're also talking

725
00:40:36,560 --> 00:40:40,320
Speaker 1: about a February trade. Yes, right, So at what point

726
00:40:40,520 --> 00:40:44,600
Speaker 1: do you think that it started working for you post trade?

727
00:40:44,719 --> 00:40:48,080
Speaker 9: It was five games left into the regular season where

728
00:40:48,080 --> 00:40:52,120
Speaker 9: it started working. But people forget that dream got heard.

729
00:40:52,680 --> 00:40:54,840
Speaker 9: Mario broke his arm and he got taken out of

730
00:40:55,120 --> 00:40:57,000
Speaker 9: air by Jalen Rose in Denver.

731
00:40:57,080 --> 00:40:59,120
Speaker 10: He broke his arm. He was out, and so we

732
00:40:59,160 --> 00:41:00,480
Speaker 10: didn't come to get as.

733
00:41:00,320 --> 00:41:03,480
Speaker 9: A team after that train until like five games left,

734
00:41:03,719 --> 00:41:04,920
Speaker 9: and then it started clicking.

735
00:41:05,120 --> 00:41:07,719
Speaker 7: I go to Trump on the back to marry all

736
00:41:07,880 --> 00:41:12,440
Speaker 7: find the back, Chuck Ye slammed off right, Playlian Hello, Chunky.

737
00:41:12,200 --> 00:41:14,600
Speaker 6: Black, Oh, get a license point number.

738
00:41:14,760 --> 00:41:17,759
Speaker 10: I think it starts with twenty two together at the time.

739
00:41:18,200 --> 00:41:19,279
Speaker 7: There it is there.

740
00:41:19,280 --> 00:41:22,279
Speaker 9: It is is because we didn't know how to play

741
00:41:22,280 --> 00:41:25,400
Speaker 9: with Clyde and Clyde stot It was so weird. Clyde

742
00:41:25,400 --> 00:41:29,160
Speaker 9: start developed these individual things with each player, Like him

743
00:41:29,160 --> 00:41:30,799
Speaker 9: and Sam had this back door thing.

744
00:41:31,320 --> 00:41:33,719
Speaker 10: He and Checking had his pick and roll thing. He

745
00:41:33,800 --> 00:41:35,120
Speaker 10: and I had this live thing.

746
00:41:35,160 --> 00:41:37,480
Speaker 9: He started like, you know, becoming accustomed to us, and

747
00:41:37,480 --> 00:41:39,960
Speaker 9: we started coming a good accustom to him, and then

748
00:41:40,000 --> 00:41:40,920
Speaker 9: it started clicking.

749
00:41:41,440 --> 00:41:43,080
Speaker 10: And then it really clicked when.

750
00:41:42,920 --> 00:41:45,640
Speaker 9: We got to playing the Utah Jazz in that first game,

751
00:41:45,680 --> 00:41:49,120
Speaker 9: when Clyde and Dream had forty each and we were like, oh, oh,

752
00:41:49,520 --> 00:41:50,520
Speaker 9: we might have something here.

753
00:41:53,480 --> 00:41:56,840
Speaker 1: The Rockets finished the regular season forty seven and thirty

754
00:41:56,880 --> 00:41:59,799
Speaker 1: five as the sixth seed in the playoffs, they had

755
00:41:59,840 --> 00:42:02,880
Speaker 1: an uphill climb and a loaded Western Conference.

756
00:42:03,040 --> 00:42:05,080
Speaker 6: They had to get by the Jazz, the.

757
00:42:04,920 --> 00:42:08,799
Speaker 1: Suns, and the Spurs, all of whom had beaten them

758
00:42:08,840 --> 00:42:10,000
Speaker 1: in the regular season.

759
00:42:10,840 --> 00:42:12,040
Speaker 6: Marley breaks out on the.

760
00:42:12,120 --> 00:42:13,640
Speaker 7: River, He's gonna take it all.

761
00:42:14,480 --> 00:42:19,160
Speaker 6: Brought thunder Dan Dam slam age leader. I mean, you

762
00:42:19,200 --> 00:42:21,440
Speaker 6: guys had a.

763
00:42:21,040 --> 00:42:23,560
Speaker 1: Brutal run to the finals in terms of who you

764
00:42:23,600 --> 00:42:25,319
Speaker 1: had to face. Because you're you get you have to

765
00:42:25,320 --> 00:42:27,240
Speaker 1: go through the Jazz. You got stocked in them alone.

766
00:42:27,680 --> 00:42:31,080
Speaker 1: You got the Suns with Charles and thunder Dan and

767
00:42:31,120 --> 00:42:34,279
Speaker 1: the whole gang there, and then the Spurs you have

768
00:42:34,400 --> 00:42:37,680
Speaker 1: David Robinson, Dennis Rodman.

769
00:42:38,440 --> 00:42:40,520
Speaker 6: I mean, it's so crazy.

770
00:42:41,280 --> 00:42:45,920
Speaker 1: How different was that run to the championship from the

771
00:42:46,000 --> 00:42:46,720
Speaker 1: year before.

772
00:42:47,200 --> 00:42:51,239
Speaker 9: It was so different because you know everybody, you have

773
00:42:51,400 --> 00:42:55,640
Speaker 9: guys like Shawn Marion and a couple of guys.

774
00:42:55,320 --> 00:42:57,000
Speaker 10: Talking about how we started small ball.

775
00:42:57,239 --> 00:43:02,359
Speaker 9: Now doubt it started in round two against the Phoenix Suns.

776
00:43:02,320 --> 00:43:05,160
Speaker 10: When we were down three one to the Suns.

777
00:43:05,880 --> 00:43:11,680
Speaker 7: Black shirt that he's fast. He that's the play off,

778
00:43:11,760 --> 00:43:12,920
Speaker 7: the playoffs.

779
00:43:15,960 --> 00:43:18,200
Speaker 9: And everybody locked one. Who's gonna guard Charles? We can't

780
00:43:18,200 --> 00:43:21,919
Speaker 9: get Nobody guard Charles, and everybody look over Rob. I'm like, yo, Rob,

781
00:43:22,280 --> 00:43:23,759
Speaker 9: can you guard him? I said, yeah, I got it.

782
00:43:24,080 --> 00:43:24,960
Speaker 7: Wait short.

783
00:43:29,400 --> 00:43:32,560
Speaker 9: We got and I think the first game I guarded Charles,

784
00:43:32,600 --> 00:43:35,120
Speaker 9: he went like he was like one for fifteen us,

785
00:43:35,160 --> 00:43:35,839
Speaker 9: oh for something.

786
00:43:35,840 --> 00:43:38,359
Speaker 10: It was something ridiculous, right, and as oh, we got

787
00:43:38,360 --> 00:43:40,399
Speaker 10: a new team. Rob's gonna start the four.

788
00:43:41,719 --> 00:43:46,320
Speaker 9: And so from that moment on, we just started rolling

789
00:43:46,400 --> 00:43:49,640
Speaker 9: because it worked out because you think about it, now,

790
00:43:49,640 --> 00:43:51,920
Speaker 9: I'm guarding Charles. I don't have to guard Karl Malone

791
00:43:51,960 --> 00:43:54,840
Speaker 9: in the first round. I'm gotting Charles, who is just

792
00:43:54,880 --> 00:43:57,440
Speaker 9: as strong, but I'm taller than him, so I can

793
00:43:57,520 --> 00:44:01,719
Speaker 9: use yeah, my side guys. And then the next round

794
00:44:01,760 --> 00:44:05,520
Speaker 9: we go to Tantonyo Dennis Robin here, oh Fiser, so

795
00:44:05,560 --> 00:44:07,560
Speaker 9: I can do whatever I want. I can use my eye.

796
00:44:07,640 --> 00:44:10,399
Speaker 9: Let us him the trap roam. And then the next

797
00:44:10,440 --> 00:44:13,880
Speaker 9: series Harst Grant. You know, it wasn't any true power

798
00:44:13,960 --> 00:44:17,000
Speaker 9: forwards like Carl Malone, so we moved into the small

799
00:44:17,040 --> 00:44:18,879
Speaker 9: ball thing and it worked out.

800
00:44:18,960 --> 00:44:21,479
Speaker 13: Sham a great defense and why Joan gets the loose

801
00:44:21,520 --> 00:44:22,480
Speaker 13: ball up ahead.

802
00:44:22,520 --> 00:44:25,439
Speaker 7: The brexer Bres were on the drive for good.

803
00:44:25,880 --> 00:44:28,160
Speaker 9: And this is the one thing that people sometimes forget

804
00:44:28,160 --> 00:44:31,000
Speaker 9: about the ninety five championship. Of the ninety five season,

805
00:44:31,320 --> 00:44:33,880
Speaker 9: they moved a three point line in, and so that

806
00:44:34,080 --> 00:44:36,480
Speaker 9: was the year the three point line was in. And

807
00:44:36,680 --> 00:44:40,239
Speaker 9: you're thinking about you got Vernie, you got Clyde, you

808
00:44:40,360 --> 00:44:43,359
Speaker 9: got Kenny, you got Sam, you got Mario. We were

809
00:44:43,440 --> 00:44:49,160
Speaker 9: lighting up from three.

810
00:44:50,120 --> 00:44:50,400
Speaker 2: Mary.

811
00:44:52,800 --> 00:44:57,680
Speaker 4: We are pretty good team. I'm a regular game. You

812
00:44:57,840 --> 00:45:02,880
Speaker 4: pushed us into a corner. We become phenomenal. We have

813
00:45:04,320 --> 00:45:08,480
Speaker 4: the will to survive all our little petty differences we had,

814
00:45:09,200 --> 00:45:11,759
Speaker 4: you know, doing a regular deal. When it's time to win,

815
00:45:11,840 --> 00:45:15,759
Speaker 4: that game man, they would come together for you.

816
00:45:15,840 --> 00:45:20,000
Speaker 1: As a coach, when did you you talk about players

817
00:45:20,120 --> 00:45:22,600
Speaker 1: understanding what it means to be a champion and having

818
00:45:22,640 --> 00:45:26,239
Speaker 1: gone through that as a coach, do you remember a

819
00:45:26,320 --> 00:45:32,279
Speaker 1: point where you relied on sort of your own confidence

820
00:45:32,320 --> 00:45:34,280
Speaker 1: and experience having won a title.

821
00:45:35,200 --> 00:45:38,719
Speaker 4: You never know how they're going to now people are

822
00:45:38,719 --> 00:45:42,040
Speaker 4: going to respond. The clouds are going to come. The

823
00:45:42,120 --> 00:45:45,600
Speaker 4: storms are going to come. Everybody's got to deal with them.

824
00:45:46,200 --> 00:45:50,880
Speaker 4: And I said, you gotta stick together to the clouds

825
00:45:50,920 --> 00:45:55,120
Speaker 4: pull away. A lot of times people get upset about

826
00:45:55,160 --> 00:45:59,000
Speaker 4: things that aren't even true because of the way things

827
00:45:59,000 --> 00:46:03,279
Speaker 4: are covered. There's so much many different articles. There's somebody saying, well,

828
00:46:03,400 --> 00:46:07,080
Speaker 4: the two guard battle, this guy's winning that battle, and

829
00:46:07,280 --> 00:46:10,239
Speaker 4: all of a sudden, somebody they hit a nerve and

830
00:46:10,280 --> 00:46:15,160
Speaker 4: it throws somebody off and they get defensive and they

831
00:46:15,360 --> 00:46:19,000
Speaker 4: lose that unity. So we used to talk about that

832
00:46:19,160 --> 00:46:19,520
Speaker 4: a lot.

833
00:46:23,360 --> 00:46:27,280
Speaker 1: Among the unforgettable moments of that ninety five playoff run

834
00:46:27,760 --> 00:46:31,360
Speaker 1: game one of the Western Conference Finals against the Spurs,

835
00:46:32,000 --> 00:46:36,360
Speaker 1: and you hit this game winning jumper with six seconds

836
00:46:36,360 --> 00:46:39,520
Speaker 1: on the clock to beat the Spurs by one.

837
00:46:39,800 --> 00:46:46,040
Speaker 7: Rush Buffalo. The PA over man is Elijah walk I

838
00:46:46,160 --> 00:46:49,040
Speaker 7: got to tack down Robert by what's the trumper?

839
00:46:51,960 --> 00:46:53,680
Speaker 6: You know what's always blew my mind?

840
00:46:53,719 --> 00:46:55,680
Speaker 1: And I'm sure people have told you this a million times.

841
00:46:55,960 --> 00:46:59,919
Speaker 1: You're so laid it seems so laid back, so calm,

842
00:47:00,200 --> 00:47:03,040
Speaker 1: so cool, and then hit this deadly shot, like what

843
00:47:03,200 --> 00:47:04,080
Speaker 1: is that dynamic?

844
00:47:04,280 --> 00:47:06,760
Speaker 6: Like you know what's happening? Take us inside your mind.

845
00:47:07,719 --> 00:47:10,000
Speaker 9: It all stems from my mom, I think, and it's

846
00:47:10,040 --> 00:47:12,680
Speaker 9: gonna sound weird from you know. I love playing games

847
00:47:12,719 --> 00:47:16,320
Speaker 9: growing up as a kid, and I used to cry

848
00:47:16,400 --> 00:47:19,480
Speaker 9: and get upset when I lost. We could be playing marbles, cards,

849
00:47:19,560 --> 00:47:22,560
Speaker 9: you know, basketball, football, baseball. If I lost, I'm like crying.

850
00:47:22,600 --> 00:47:24,640
Speaker 9: She was like, she would always say, you know, you

851
00:47:24,680 --> 00:47:26,400
Speaker 9: got to figure it out. You got to slow it

852
00:47:26,440 --> 00:47:29,160
Speaker 9: down mentally and think about it. Think about what you're doing,

853
00:47:29,719 --> 00:47:31,359
Speaker 9: and do it to the best of your ability. And

854
00:47:31,400 --> 00:47:34,800
Speaker 9: for me, everything started slowing down even in high school.

855
00:47:34,840 --> 00:47:37,359
Speaker 9: Things would slow down for me in college because my

856
00:47:37,360 --> 00:47:40,960
Speaker 9: mom was always saying, use your noodle, use your noodle

857
00:47:41,000 --> 00:47:43,920
Speaker 9: and think about it, because the mental part of everything

858
00:47:44,000 --> 00:47:46,239
Speaker 9: you do in life is so important. And for me,

859
00:47:46,320 --> 00:47:49,560
Speaker 9: I think when I slow things down mentally, I'm able

860
00:47:49,560 --> 00:47:51,560
Speaker 9: to go through my steps and when you go through

861
00:47:51,560 --> 00:47:54,200
Speaker 9: your steps, it goes down to fundamentals. And if you

862
00:47:54,200 --> 00:47:56,640
Speaker 9: shoot the ball the correct way, you get your you

863
00:47:56,640 --> 00:47:58,640
Speaker 9: know whatever, your routine is to go up and gather.

864
00:47:59,160 --> 00:48:04,440
Speaker 6: And I been able to do that, and the Rockets

865
00:48:04,440 --> 00:48:05,120
Speaker 6: followed suit.

866
00:48:05,360 --> 00:48:11,560
Speaker 1: They beat the Jazz in Five's over this Baby's over.

867
00:48:12,360 --> 00:48:16,040
Speaker 6: The Sons in seven, and the Spurs in six. I'll

868
00:48:16,080 --> 00:48:17,000
Speaker 6: tell you line you on.

869
00:48:17,040 --> 00:48:19,920
Speaker 10: Has David Robinson just bam.

870
00:48:19,760 --> 00:48:23,160
Speaker 1: Boozel getting back to the NBA Finals, where they would

871
00:48:23,200 --> 00:48:26,879
Speaker 1: meet the Orlando Magic, led by a young rookie named

872
00:48:26,880 --> 00:48:27,960
Speaker 1: Shaquille Onney.

873
00:48:27,920 --> 00:48:35,080
Speaker 6: Got chance, O'Neal rocks a fat Jason. The Magic appeared

874
00:48:35,120 --> 00:48:36,759
Speaker 6: to have the edge in Game one.

875
00:48:37,320 --> 00:48:38,640
Speaker 10: Juston looks very rusty.

876
00:48:38,719 --> 00:48:41,720
Speaker 4: This is not the tea that dominated the Western Conference.

877
00:48:41,280 --> 00:48:44,000
Speaker 1: Player leading one to ten to one oh seven with

878
00:48:44,200 --> 00:48:49,160
Speaker 1: ten seconds left until Robert or fowls Nick Anderson, and

879
00:48:49,160 --> 00:48:52,640
Speaker 1: Anderson misses four free throws.

880
00:48:59,440 --> 00:49:03,160
Speaker 7: Users fourth straight for Walt track time.

881
00:49:03,040 --> 00:49:06,439
Speaker 6: Out with five and he goes to the line.

882
00:49:06,480 --> 00:49:10,160
Speaker 1: The Magic is leading by three and he misses his

883
00:49:10,280 --> 00:49:14,080
Speaker 1: free throws. You know, Kenny gets a rebound, takes the

884
00:49:14,080 --> 00:49:15,000
Speaker 1: game into overtime.

885
00:49:15,960 --> 00:49:17,400
Speaker 6: Kenny Duck lead.

886
00:49:20,600 --> 00:49:24,480
Speaker 1: He fill I'll never forget like sitting there and watching

887
00:49:24,520 --> 00:49:26,960
Speaker 1: him miss those free throws. I'm wondering what that was

888
00:49:27,000 --> 00:49:28,279
Speaker 1: like being on the other side.

889
00:49:28,360 --> 00:49:29,560
Speaker 10: Well, you gotta understand that.

890
00:49:31,080 --> 00:49:32,520
Speaker 9: I hate to say this, but I'm have to say

891
00:49:32,560 --> 00:49:34,920
Speaker 9: it all right, when you missed the first the second

892
00:49:34,960 --> 00:49:37,520
Speaker 9: of the first two, I was boxing out hards, but

893
00:49:37,760 --> 00:49:40,040
Speaker 9: my horris a little bit stronger than me. And that's

894
00:49:40,040 --> 00:49:42,200
Speaker 9: where I come in talk about playing small, being small

895
00:49:42,280 --> 00:49:44,399
Speaker 9: for a plin of power. For I kind of got

896
00:49:44,440 --> 00:49:46,840
Speaker 9: pushed under the basket and he tipped it out. He

897
00:49:46,960 --> 00:49:48,279
Speaker 9: was able to get they were able to get the

898
00:49:48,320 --> 00:49:51,560
Speaker 9: offensive rebound, but we file and go back. So I

899
00:49:51,640 --> 00:49:54,360
Speaker 9: made sure I did everything in that second the box

900
00:49:54,400 --> 00:49:57,120
Speaker 9: that But for me, it was just when you know

901
00:49:57,520 --> 00:50:00,560
Speaker 9: when you talk about confidence, I wanted that shot. McKinny

902
00:50:00,680 --> 00:50:02,440
Speaker 9: was able to knock it down over Penny and I

903
00:50:02,480 --> 00:50:07,040
Speaker 9: was like happy for it. And once he made that shot,

904
00:50:07,200 --> 00:50:08,759
Speaker 9: you're going to look at the rest of the game.

905
00:50:08,800 --> 00:50:12,000
Speaker 9: We were just talk about the basketball guys and things

906
00:50:12,000 --> 00:50:14,799
Speaker 9: are meant to be, and you think, like, oh, it's

907
00:50:14,880 --> 00:50:15,360
Speaker 9: meant to be.

908
00:50:16,000 --> 00:50:17,680
Speaker 3: Tarkle got back and said, they give up the dragon.

909
00:50:17,880 --> 00:50:18,840
Speaker 2: He's right there, grinving.

910
00:50:18,960 --> 00:50:21,200
Speaker 8: He goes he put off.

911
00:50:23,560 --> 00:50:23,840
Speaker 4: Team.

912
00:50:23,920 --> 00:50:27,520
Speaker 7: But the Houston Rocket touch stun the Orlando Magic and

913
00:50:27,640 --> 00:50:30,360
Speaker 7: they win the game one of the NBA Finals.

914
00:50:30,440 --> 00:50:32,600
Speaker 9: He just started playing with a different type of swagger

915
00:50:32,640 --> 00:50:34,560
Speaker 9: going into game to game three.

916
00:50:34,840 --> 00:50:37,080
Speaker 10: You know, we were just we were just killing it.

917
00:50:37,200 --> 00:50:37,800
Speaker 6: Oh my gosh.

918
00:50:37,840 --> 00:50:40,480
Speaker 1: Game three you also hit the game winner with fourteen

919
00:50:40,520 --> 00:50:55,920
Speaker 1: seconds last. Yeah, you know you're hitting another shot, you're

920
00:50:55,960 --> 00:50:59,520
Speaker 1: putting the game away. And in game three and and

921
00:50:59,560 --> 00:51:03,359
Speaker 1: that was it. Listen, it was you breeze to like it.

922
00:51:03,360 --> 00:51:06,400
Speaker 1: It was a sweep. What's your most.

923
00:51:06,200 --> 00:51:08,520
Speaker 6: Enduring memory about winning that second championship?

924
00:51:08,880 --> 00:51:11,800
Speaker 9: I think at one point, you know, when I set

925
00:51:11,800 --> 00:51:14,279
Speaker 9: the Finals record for steals in a game in game two,

926
00:51:14,960 --> 00:51:17,440
Speaker 9: you know, average twenty and ten in that series, and

927
00:51:17,480 --> 00:51:20,000
Speaker 9: all of a sudden, someone comes to me and says,

928
00:51:20,320 --> 00:51:22,680
Speaker 9: they're thinking about giving you MVP right.

929
00:51:22,640 --> 00:51:24,640
Speaker 4: For people on that baseline corner you catch it out

930
00:51:24,680 --> 00:51:28,879
Speaker 4: the horse and just like that, just been back off

931
00:51:28,920 --> 00:51:29,560
Speaker 4: top by one.

932
00:51:29,800 --> 00:51:30,680
Speaker 10: And I was like what.

933
00:51:31,040 --> 00:51:33,759
Speaker 9: I'm like, yeah, because and I was like stop playing.

934
00:51:33,840 --> 00:51:36,120
Speaker 9: They said no, they was they thought about it. I said, okay,

935
00:51:36,120 --> 00:51:38,239
Speaker 9: as long as I was in that thought process. But

936
00:51:38,520 --> 00:51:40,560
Speaker 9: of course it was just dream dream. Dream was just

937
00:51:40,760 --> 00:51:44,440
Speaker 9: dynamic and but it was like you you you hit

938
00:51:44,520 --> 00:51:46,640
Speaker 9: so many threes in this game, you had you set

939
00:51:46,640 --> 00:51:49,560
Speaker 9: a recorded steals, You did so many things, And for me,

940
00:51:49,920 --> 00:51:53,560
Speaker 9: I thought that was my coming out party.

941
00:51:52,080 --> 00:52:04,680
Speaker 13: Come up, suck it up.

942
00:52:07,680 --> 00:52:10,120
Speaker 6: What's your enduring memory of that finals?

943
00:52:11,000 --> 00:52:15,480
Speaker 4: How important that first game was? That first game was amazing.

944
00:52:15,560 --> 00:52:20,520
Speaker 4: Now I respected that game greatly. They had so much talent.

945
00:52:21,040 --> 00:52:24,640
Speaker 4: They just kicked our butt during the regular season, and

946
00:52:24,719 --> 00:52:27,520
Speaker 4: now here we are, we go on our first game,

947
00:52:27,560 --> 00:52:32,359
Speaker 4: they're picking our butt again, and then you know, we

948
00:52:32,400 --> 00:52:36,480
Speaker 4: fight back. We fight back then, but magic happened for us.

949
00:52:36,719 --> 00:52:37,360
Speaker 10: No one has.

950
00:52:37,200 --> 00:52:40,000
Speaker 12: Ever done what this team's done, come from the sixth

951
00:52:40,000 --> 00:52:46,399
Speaker 12: seed down in series, and we had non believers all

952
00:52:46,440 --> 00:52:49,479
Speaker 12: along the way. I have one thing to say, those

953
00:52:49,520 --> 00:52:53,800
Speaker 12: non believers don't ever underestimate the heart of a champion.

954
00:52:57,880 --> 00:53:01,640
Speaker 1: When people look back at that era, and obviously they

955
00:53:01,680 --> 00:53:04,400
Speaker 1: see the Bulls three peat, then the two Rockets titles,

956
00:53:04,400 --> 00:53:07,440
Speaker 1: then that when Michael Jordan was playing baseball, and then

957
00:53:07,440 --> 00:53:11,680
Speaker 1: another Bull's three peak. A lot of teams had the

958
00:53:11,800 --> 00:53:15,040
Speaker 1: chance to step in when Michael Jordan was out.

959
00:53:14,840 --> 00:53:18,359
Speaker 6: Of the league. The Rockets were the ones to do it.

960
00:53:19,120 --> 00:53:22,799
Speaker 1: How do you look on those two championships sort of

961
00:53:22,800 --> 00:53:26,040
Speaker 1: within the prism of his presence in the NBA.

962
00:53:26,920 --> 00:53:29,440
Speaker 4: We keep it, well, you did it when Michael was

963
00:53:29,480 --> 00:53:33,880
Speaker 4: playing baseball, But we had to go to Call Malone

964
00:53:33,960 --> 00:53:37,400
Speaker 4: and John Stockton and Gary Sloan. We have to go

965
00:53:37,520 --> 00:53:41,080
Speaker 4: through Charles, Markley AJ and all those shooters. I mean,

966
00:53:41,640 --> 00:53:44,840
Speaker 4: we have to go through that New York being with

967
00:53:44,960 --> 00:53:49,239
Speaker 4: Patrick Ewing and later when Charles joined the team. The

968
00:53:49,280 --> 00:53:53,360
Speaker 4: first time we went to Phoenix, he invited the coaches

969
00:53:53,719 --> 00:53:56,759
Speaker 4: over the house for a great stake dinner. We had

970
00:53:56,880 --> 00:54:02,239
Speaker 4: two he had two surprise guests, Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods.

971
00:54:03,080 --> 00:54:05,680
Speaker 6: What can you share? What can you share from that coach?

972
00:54:06,280 --> 00:54:09,880
Speaker 4: Well, what was funny is Charles was such a big

973
00:54:10,040 --> 00:54:15,000
Speaker 4: personality on our team. But he's around those guys. He's

974
00:54:15,120 --> 00:54:21,520
Speaker 4: number three, you know. But what Michael Jordan said was,

975
00:54:22,320 --> 00:54:27,359
Speaker 4: out of all the teams during that era, we respected

976
00:54:27,480 --> 00:54:31,759
Speaker 4: you guys the most, he says, because we had nobody

977
00:54:31,800 --> 00:54:35,840
Speaker 4: to stop a team. You're a team that week here.

978
00:54:35,440 --> 00:54:37,959
Speaker 10: Coming straight together. You always pick together the whole game

979
00:54:38,239 --> 00:54:39,560
Speaker 10: and take him out. Take him.

980
00:54:41,560 --> 00:54:41,880
Speaker 6: Coach.

981
00:54:42,160 --> 00:54:45,759
Speaker 1: As you sort of look back on a Hall of

982
00:54:45,800 --> 00:54:49,839
Speaker 1: Fame career, what was the most gratified part for you.

983
00:54:50,480 --> 00:54:54,800
Speaker 4: I'd like to say, you know, sticking, sticking with things.

984
00:54:55,480 --> 00:54:59,440
Speaker 4: I've had guys about me all along, even as a coach,

985
00:55:00,280 --> 00:55:05,000
Speaker 4: and I understand why I don't have a typical personality,

986
00:55:05,239 --> 00:55:08,759
Speaker 4: but I believe and myself I got people that were

987
00:55:08,800 --> 00:55:12,160
Speaker 4: good people to help me. No one does it alone.

988
00:55:13,040 --> 00:55:18,000
Speaker 4: And to see that you could get the results pulling

989
00:55:18,120 --> 00:55:20,480
Speaker 4: together and you don't have to pound it. If it's

990
00:55:20,520 --> 00:55:24,480
Speaker 4: somebody you could do it as a gentleman. I'm just

991
00:55:24,600 --> 00:55:29,520
Speaker 4: proud of help. I had a lot of expectations as

992
00:55:29,520 --> 00:55:32,680
Speaker 4: a player, never knew how it would be as a coach,

993
00:55:32,760 --> 00:55:38,759
Speaker 4: but it actually turned out better than I could ever imagine.

994
00:55:39,160 --> 00:55:47,080
Speaker 1: Never underestimate the heart of a champion. Next time on

995
00:55:47,360 --> 00:55:51,239
Speaker 1: NBA DNA, Women's Hoops goes prime time.

996
00:55:51,080 --> 00:55:54,200
Speaker 6: After in the history of women's sports, the debut of the.

997
00:55:54,400 --> 00:56:09,480
Speaker 1: WNBA and Houston Gets a Dynasty. NBA DNA with Hannah

998
00:56:09,480 --> 00:56:13,400
Speaker 1: Storm is a production of iHeart Podcasts, the NBA and

999
00:56:13,520 --> 00:56:17,759
Speaker 1: Brainstorm and Productions. The show is written and executive produced

1000
00:56:17,800 --> 00:56:22,120
Speaker 1: by me Hannah Storm, along with Julia Weaver and Alex French.

1001
00:56:22,480 --> 00:56:26,360
Speaker 1: Our lead producer and showrunner is Julia Weaver. Our Senior

1002
00:56:26,400 --> 00:56:31,440
Speaker 1: producers are Peter Kouder, Alex French, and Brandon Reese. Editing

1003
00:56:31,600 --> 00:56:35,360
Speaker 1: and sound design by Kurt Garren and Julia Weaver. The

1004
00:56:35,400 --> 00:56:40,680
Speaker 1: show's executive producers are Carmen Belmont, Jason English, Sean ty Tone,

1005
00:56:40,719 --> 00:56:43,279
Speaker 1: Steve Weintraup and Jason Weikelt.