Houston Rockets – From Way Downtown

Otis Thorpe: Pure Power, 1995

You watch him on the court, and it can be like watching a machine. He doesn’t do everything. He never tries to do everything. But what Thorpe does, he does well. Filling the lanes on the break. Shooting the baby hook close to the basket. Rebounding and playing defense. No wasted motion.

Moses Malone: Capturing the Real Mo, 1981

Malone, in a characteristic bit of understatement, says, “I love to make my defensive man work.”

Calvin Murphy: Four Seasons, Three Coaches, 1974

“Ever since high school, I have always played taller ballplayers, and I’ve never had any trouble. Every year, it’s been getting easier for me.”

Sacramento Kings: Run, NBA, Run, 1999

Their high-octane offense played at Concorde-like speed with laser-precision passing, conjured memories of 1980s hoops. It was Showtime on the West Coast all over again. Run. Pass. Shoot. At 78 rmps, it was, well, Magical.

Hakeem Olajuwon: The Game I’ll Never Forget, 1990

I had passed up several easy shots in an effort to get those last two assists, and it paid off. I had accomplished something that only Nate Thurmond with Chicago in 1974 and Alvin Robertson with San Antonio in 1986 had done.

Elvin Hayes: The Meaning of the Letter E, 1982

“I’ve achieved. I would be backtracking to compare myself with the younger players in the league today. They’re still trying to prove what I already have achieved.”