Top 15 Greatest Houston Rockets (11-15)

Apr 30, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; An exterior view of the Toyota Center prior to game five of the first round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Houston Rockets. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Richardson-USA TODAY Sports

15. Robert Horry

Coming in at number 15 is “Big Shot Bob.”  The 11th-overall pick was selected by the Rockets to be a key piece in their hopes for multiple titles. Before he became the player with seven rings today, Horry had lots of growing pains and was nearly traded away from Houston, had the player the Rockets were to receive not failed his physical.

So who was the player we were to trade for? San Antonio Spurs’ forward Sean Elliott. Elliott had failed his physical because of a kidney ailment and that nullified the trade. Who knows what the narrative of the 1994-95 season as well as the future moving forward had that trade gone through? Perhaps Elliott wouldn’t have been able to perform a clutch three-point, game-winning shot dubbed the “Memorial Day Miracle,” which was one that he hit during Game 2 of the 1999 NBA Finals. This shot shifted the momentum in series against the New York Knicks heavily in the Spurs favor, eventually leading to the franchise’s first NBA championship.

And Horry already had two rings to boot from his big-time shooting with the Rockets’s championship teams. The sharp-shooting big man shot one of the highest percentages from three-point land in Rockets’ team history, and also played a key role in the Rockets’ championships. In four seasons with the team, Horry averaged 10.5 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.

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