Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, May 23, 1993 TAG: 9305230150
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: D-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: SEATTLE LENGTH: Medium
The Seattle SuperSonics proved there was no way for a road team to win this NBA Western Conference series.
But it wasn't easy.
The Sonics, trailing through most of the first three quarters, earned a trip to the Western Conference finals with a 103-100 overtime victory over the Houston Rockets on Saturday.
"I don't know who's the better basketball team," Sonics coach George Karl said. "These two teams are so close it's unbelievable."
Said Seattle's Ricky Pierce: "This whole series was about defending your homecourt."
Houston's Hakeem Olajuwon said: "It was a tough series from the beginning, and it could have gone either way. This just shows you how important the homecourt advantage is."
Added disappointed Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich: "We gave everything we could."
The Sonics won four of seven games in this conference semifinal series, in which no road team was able to win. Seattle will play the Phoenix Suns in a series that begins Monday at Phoenix.
Pierce scored 25 points, Sam Perkins 23 and Shawn Kemp 18 for Seattle, which overcame a 23-point, 17-rebound performance by Olajuwon. Kemp, who had only a free throw in Game 6 Thursday night at Houston, had 11 rebounds.
Kemp said he earned everything he could get in the series.
"It's hard to finish with Hakeem there," he said. "I decided if I went aggressively at him, I might get some free throws."
Pierce said, "I get motivated when I'm on a team that has a chance to go all the way in the playoffs."
Tomjanovich, shaking his head, said: "Seattle has so many weapons."
Tied at 93 at the end of regulation and 95-95 after the first 1:15 of overtime, the Sonics went ahead to stay on two free throws by Pierce with 2:47 left. Kemp added a 12-footer over Olajuwon with 2:07 left.
The Rockets closed to 99-98 when Olajuwon hit a free throw with 52.1 seconds left, but Perkins answered with a 12-foot fallaway jumper over Otis Thorpe with 28.5 seconds left for a 101-98 Seattle lead.
Olajuwon's 12-foot hook in the lane with 15.9 seconds left cut Seattle's lead to 101-100, and Derrick McKey of the Sonics missed two free throws after being deliberately fouled by Kenny Smith with 14.1 seconds left.
Vernon Maxwell, who finished with 19 points, missed an 18-foot baseline shot for Houston with 0.8 seconds left, and Kemp was fouled by rookie Robert Horry after rebounding Maxwell's miss. He made two free throws for the final points.
"A lot of nights, that would go in," Tomjanovich said of Maxwell's shot. "We set up the play and we liked the shot considering the pressure situation."
The Sonics weren't double-teaming Olajuwon on the play, so Maxwell wasn't as open as he was most of the time in the series, and Kemp said he was in the perfect spot to get the rebound.
"When you double-team, you lose your rebound position," Kemp said.
The Rockets outscored Seattle 10-4 in the final 4:30 of regulation to draw into a 93-93 tie, including a 15-foot turnaround jumper by Olajuwon with 1:15 to go and an 18-footer by Horry with 32.7 seconds left.
Those two baskets gave the Rockets a 93-91 lead. Pierce tied the score at 93 with a 15-foot turnaround jumper with 23.9 seconds left in regulation. Smith missed a 3-point attempt as time expired.
Trailing by 10 points at halftime, the Sonics rallied in the third quarter to take the lead for the first time. They made 10 of 10 free throws, including eight by Kemp, to Houston's three of eight and took a 73-70 lead. Kemp made six free throws in the final 1:40 of the third quarter.
Seattle's first lead came at 65-64 with 2:56 left in the quarter on a 3-point shot by Dana Barros.
Matt Bullard hit a 3-point basket with 0.7 seconds left in the first half for a 48-38 Houston lead.
Maxwell made a 3-pointer with 2:32 left in the half and followed that with a fast-break layup as Houston took its biggest lead at 43-32 with 1:59 left.
The Rockets scored the first five points of the game and led 26-18 at the end of the first quarter.
by CNB