The Clutch City Rockets are still the blueprint for an NBA title team

The Rockets' two titles, in 1994 and 1995, are today looked back upon by the greater basketball commentariat as a fluke, a blip in history, even a blight upon the game. It's often said they would have had little chance ascending to the throne had Michael Jordan not taken his 18-month leave of absence. Others say the Rockets grueling style of play (particularly in '94) was an eyesore to behold. But to Houstonians, the then-innovative style of play was poetry in motion. 

Read more about Houston in the '90s

In 1994, after winning a then-franchise-record 58 games, Houston stomped through the Western Conference, disposing of the Portland Trail Blazers, Phoenix Suns, and Utah Jazz in succession. They then took on the rough and tumble New York Knicks in a battle of wills, ultimately winning the title after coming back from a 3-2 deficit, and escaping Game 6 by the skin of their teeth thanks to a last-second Hakeem Olajuwon block of Knicks guard John Starks.

The Knicks were built similarly to Houston, with hall-of-fame center Patrick Ewing in the middle and muscular forwards Charles Oakley, Anthony Mason, and Charles Smith flanking him up front. (Houston surrounded Olajuwon with 6-foot-10 forwards Otis Thorpe and Robert Horry).

New York Knicks' John Starks (C) drives to the basket between Houston Rockets' Hakeem Olajuwon (L) and Robert Horry (R) during the third quarter of Game four of the NBA Finals. / Houston Rockets Robert Horry holds the NBA Championship trophy.

Downsizing

The following season, things took a sudden turn with the Rockets stumbling out of the gate. The team flipped Thorpe—the team's starting power forward—at the trade deadline for Clyde Drexler, a superstar for sure, but a 6-foot-7 shooting guard. Houston hobbled its way into the postseason battling injuries, finishing 47-35 for the 6th seed in the Western Conference with little chance to repeat. But, as they say, don't ever underestimate the heart of a champion.

The Rockets upset the Jazz and Suns, winning deciding games on the road each time. But it was a then-drastic move made by head coach Rudy Tomjanovich before Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals against the Spurs that changed the team's course. After taking a 2-0 series lead on the road, then dropping games 3 and 4 at home, the Rockets' momentum was heading in the other direction. Tomjanovic switched things up, pushing starting power forward Chucky Brown to the bench and sliding the spindly Horry up to play power forward, with 6-foot-5 Mario Elie small forward also coming off the bench to join the rest of the frontline.

Horry scored 14 points, grabbed 13 rebounds, and snagged four steals to help Houston win a comfortable 111-90 victory. The Rockets never looked back, sticking with the same starting lineup as they walked through the next five games, closing out the Spurs and then sweeping the Magic in the NBA Finals for Houston's second straight title.

A blueprint for the modern game

The small lineup was instrumental. While the Rockets, throughout the entirety of the early 90s, surrounded Olajuwon with shooters including Kenny Smith, Vernon Maxwell and Elie, and focused much of their attack on the open 3s facilitated by double teams induced by Olajuwon, Tomjanovich's change turbocharged that effect. Now, instead of traditional plodding power forwards such as Brown or Thorpe, Horry could hang out on the perimeter, where he could spread the court and slash to the basket with his quickness off of closeouts.

At the other end, the Rockets gave up next to nothing defensively with Horry being a potent shot-blocker and low-post defender and Elie being a menacing defender despite his size.

The downsized '95 Rockets were ahead of their time and remain a blueprint for today's game. The six titles sandwiching the Rockets', won by the Chicago Bulls, featured teams built with traditional power forwards in Horace Grant and Dennis Rodman, and then the Spurs title teams started two 7 footers in tandem. Analytics and the "pace and space" revolution have ushered in an era where almost every contender features floor spacing, versatile power forward and a three-point heavy attack. Robert Horry would have been the prototypical player in today's NBA.

And while guards and perimeter athletes have sat atop the rankings of the league's best players throughout the past 20 years (from Kobe Bryant to Tracy McGrady, to Lebron James), the big man is making a comeback with Joel Embed and Nikola Jokic finishing in the top two in MVP voting this season. Olajuwon would have fit right in, with his athleticism, his light touch, and his dizzying and destructive array of moves that would fit into any era.

And then, of course, surround the stars. Teams today expend major capital on "three-and-D wings," or perimeter players whose role is to defend and space the floor without demanding the ball. Elie and Maxwell would have commanded major paydays in this era.

The next time someone besmirches the memory of the 90s Rockets, remember that those titles were not unique just for what they meant for this city. Those title teams were ahead of the curve.