ROBERT Horry may be known by most Filipino fans for his time with the Los Angeles Lakers, but he admitted his stint with the Houston Rockets was near the top of the most impressive moments of his career.
A seven-time NBA champion, Horry said his 1995 title with the Rockets was his favorite championship due to how they won the crown as the lowest-seeded team ever.
“Just for the journey,” said the 54-year-old Horry in the media availability with Filipino reporters during his recent visit in Manila. “What we did with the Rockets, the people we had to beat to get there."
During that title run, six-seed Houston first had to overcome a 3-1 deficit to beat the Charles Barkley-led Phoenix Suns in the first round before eventually claiming the NBA title against Shaquille O’Neal, Penny Hardaway, and the Orlando Magic via sweep.
“You think about it. We were down 3-1 to the Suns, came back, and won that series on the road. Then we go to beat San Antonio (and) David Robinson is the MVP. Now, you are going to talk Utah, who is hard to beat at home. There were so many teams with great records that we had to beat," he said.
“Then, we swept Shaq and Penny. When you have that run, it doesn’t get talked about, but that to me is the best run in basketball.”
Not selling Los Angeles and San Antonio short, either
And even after playing for Phil Jackson with the Lakers and Gregg Popovich with the San Antonio Spurs, Horry said Houston coach Rudy Tomjanovich is also his favorite coach.
“Rudy T is my favorite because he ran plays for me,” said Horry with a smile. “They are all great coaches, but Rudy T is always going to stick out. I always talk about as a player, you always like to get a pat on the back, you always like to get rewarded. I think for me, the hard work that I put in on the defensive end and everything else that came to the game, we were like, ‘Okay, I want a play for Rob,’” he shared
“I don’t think Phil and Pop ran a play for me,” he added in jest.
Tomjanovich was recently quoted as saying that Horry deserves a spot in the Hall of Fame, a statement that reinforces his similar belief about his basketball career.
"It's called a Basketball Hall of Fame. It's not an NBA Hall of Fame. And when you look at my career, it speaks for itself. I love that Rudy T backed me. That's another reason why he is my favorite," Horry said.
Horry actually won two titles with the Rockets before being part of the three-peat with Los Angeles from 2000 to 2002. He then wrapped up his career with two more titles with San Antonio.
Horry’s Laker days, however, will still be memorable moments for him, especiallly the 2001 championship where they only lost one game during their playoff run en route to downing Allen Iverson and the Philadelphia 76ers.
“Basically, you take my run in 1995, my run in 2001, those are the best two runs in basketball ever. We shouldn’t have lost Game One. We should have been 16-0 in that year. But we didn’t. But those to me are the best runs ever in basketball,” said Horry.
To no one's surprise, Horry’s buzzer-beater in Game Four of the 2002 Western Conference Finals between L.A. and the Sacramento Kings will go down as his best clutch play, with Game Five of the 2005 NBA Finals between San Antonio and the Detroit Pistons as close second.
“Even though I really enjoyed what I did as a whole in 2005 against the Pistons in their building, when you think about it, I had to make that shot against the Sacramento Kings and I think the fans stuck around and chanted my name like five to six, maybe 10, minutes after that,” said Horry.
“On a personal note, growing up as a Lakers fan and having that moment to make that shot in a Laker uniform was so fantastic. And of course, egos come to play when they chant your name. You are used to Shaq, Kobe [Bryant] (fans chanting their name). Now, it’s Horry,” he added.
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