The Houston Rockets completed a sweep of the Orlando Magic with a 113-101 at home in Game 4 on this date in 1995.
Hakeem Olajuwon had 35 points and 15 rebounds in the victory.
Houston began their improbably win against the Utah Jazz in the first round of the postseason. They trailed 2-1 in the best of five series. A blowout victory at home forced a win-or-go-home game in Utah. They trailed by seven points going into the fourth quarter but outscored the Jazz 31-20 in the fourth quarter. Olajuwon finished with 33 points and 10 rebounds. Clyde Drexler finished with 31 points and 10 rebounds.
Houston took on the Phoenix Suns in the second round of the postseason. They trailed 3-1 in the series but stayed alive with an overtime victory in Game 5. Olajuwon had 31 points Kenny Smith had 21. They then won Game 6 at home. In Game 7, with the game tied, Mario Elie hit the game-winning “Kiss of Death” three-pointer with 7.1 seconds left. The Rockets won the game 115-114. Olajuwon and Drexler both finished the game with 29 points.
The Rockets took on their in-state rivals, the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals. Houston won game 1, 94-93, after Robert Horry knocked down a clutch game-winning jumper with 6.5 seconds remaining. They went on to win the series in six games. In Game 6 Olajuwon was dominant, finishing with 39 points, 17 rebounds and five blocked shots. His incredible performance sent them to the NBA Finals.
Houston traveled to Orlando for Game 1 of the Finals. Orlando’s Nick Anderson missed four consecutive free throws, which could have put the game away for the Magic. Instead, Smith hit a game-tying 3-pointer for the Rockets with 1.6 seconds remaining. With the game tied at 118 and time running out in overtime, Olajuwon tipped in the game-winning shot with 0.3 seconds remaining.
The Magic were never able to recover from their collapse in Game 1, and the Rockets won the next three games of the series to complete the sweep. It was their second consecutive championship.
Olajuwon was named Finals MVP for the second consecutive season.
