The All-Time Houston Rockets Squad Begins With "The Dream"

Ralph Sampson and Moses Malone were great Rockets big men, but Malone played with the team longer. It also helps that Malone was a big part of Hakeem's development in college. Malone played his best season in a Rockets uniform, winning an MVP trophy and setting a single-season record for offensive rebounds (587).

C: Ralph Sampson (1983-1988)

The original "Twin Towers" experiment worked in the short time it existed. Bill Fitch developed a distate for Sampson in the '87-88 campaign and encouraged management to trade him. His knee injuries worsened and his time in Sacramento was a disappointment. I wish I had been born a few years earlier so I could have enjoyed the Olajuwon/Sampson pairing a bit more. Any student of the game should know about Sampson's miraculous shot. With a second remaining, he hoisted up a prayer from an inbounds pass and it somehow went in the hoop. There is no question Sampson played his finest years in Houston.

C: Dikembe Mutombo (2004-?)

The ageless wonder gulped from the fountain of youth, again, and provided four tear-jerking swats the night of Yao's injury announcement, including a memorable stuff of a Caron Butler drive. How does this guy still do that at age 41? My second favorite Deke moment came against the Lakers. His blocks in that game helped the Rockets squash the Lakersd 102-77 and vaulted him above Kareem Abdul Jabar in the all-time blocked shots list. If Yao plays six to eight more seasons and can stay healthy, the Rockets could conceiveably boast three of the top-10 shot blockers in NBA history. Hakeem sits comfortably in the top spot and I do not see any player overtaking him.

Head Coach: Rudy Tomjanovich (1992-2003)

I never saw him play live, though he was a great player, so I picked him as the team's coach. When he uttered a certain famous phrase after the Rockets swept the Orlando Magic in the 1995 Finals, clinching a second-straight NBA crown, he did not intend to inspire with his words. He meant it more as a condemnation of those who doubted the Rockets' muscle and grit.

It sounds beautiful either way.

"Don't ever underestimate the heart of a champion."

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