Rockets’ Depth Gives Big Thrust

The Orlando Magic have learned the hard way. You can’t just worry about stopping Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler.

The reason the Houston Rockets are bringing a 2-0 lead home to The Summit for Game 3 of the NBA Finals is because Olajuwon and Drexler have received so much help. From Sam Cassell’s 31 points off the bench Friday night to 38-year-old Charles Jones’ play on Shaquille O’Neal, Houston’s role players are the ones hurting Orlando.

The Magic’s Dennis Scott acknowledges his team may have focused too much attention on Olajuwon and Drexler. Now they know better.

“Maybe a little bit, but it’s not like we disrespect Sam Cassell or Kenny Smith,” Scott said.

“We know they can play, too. But it’s just like when teams play us. They’d rather see myself and Nick Anderson beat them than Shaq get down low and get 45. We don’t want to see Olajuwon hit 45 or 50.”

The problem is, while Olajuwon had scored 30-plus points in each of the first two games, when he goes to the bench the Rockets experience neither a dropoff in intensity nor an offensive lull.

When Drexler picked up two early fouls and left the game in the second quarter Friday, Cassell came in and scored 16 points in the period.

“That is the key to our success, to have somebody step up every game,” Olajuwon said after the 117-106 victory. “The last game was Kenny Smith and this game was Sam Cassell. He did a fantastic job of penetrating and making big steals. Robert Horry was so aggressive and forced a lot of turnovers.”

The matchup at point guard, which was supposed to be Orlando’s biggest advantage, has been the key for Houston, even though Orlando’s Anfernee Hardaway has 58 points in the first two games. In Game 1, Smith scored 23 and his backup, Cassell, played only 11 minutes. In Game 2, Smith never got going and Cassell stepped right in with 8-of-12 shooting and tied his career playoff high.

Horry, deadly from 3-point range in the Western Conference finals, has been superb on defense against the Magic, getting steals, going after loose balls, and starting and finishing fast breaks.

Houston found even more help from Jones, who helped limit O’Neal to 10 first-half points in Game 2, and Chucky Brown, who had eight points in 12 minutes.

“In every game they’ve had somebody step up, no matter who it’s been,” Magic guard Brian Shaw said. “That’s what makes them a great team. They’re resilient in that way. We pretty much expect anything.”

Orlando was supposed to hold the balance of talent in this series. But only O’Neal and Anfernee Hardaway have played at the level they did in the earlier rounds.

The other three starters - Scott, Anderson and Horace Grant - have struggled.

Scott, who averaged 17.6 points a game in the Eastern Conference finals, has been a non-factor, going 6 for 20 in the first two games while being guarded by Mario Elie. Grant’s rebounding and defense have suffered because of his defensive assignment - guarding Horry, who draws Grant out to the perimeter

“You have to give (Rockets coach) Rudy (Tomjanovich). a lot of credit,” Grant said. “He’s taking me away from the basket a lot and isolating me a lot where I can’t help the double team.”

While there’s little doubt there will be at least a few NBA titles in Orlando’s future, it’s looking like this won’t be the year. The Magic will have to mount an unprecedented rally to prevent Houston from claiming its second consecutive championship.

Only Phoenix in 1993 lost the first two games of the Finals at home, and the Suns ended up losing to Chicago in six games. Two teams have come back from 0-2 deficits - Portland in 1977 and Boston in 1969 - but they lost those games on the road.

“Probably no one thinks we can win it but us,” Scott said.

The Magic are clinging to the hope that this series follows the pattern of the Western Conference finals, in which Houston won the first two games at San Antonio only to drop the next two at home.

Houston has won eight straight playoff games on the road, an NBA record. Its record at The Summit, however, is 4-4.If they could, the Rockets would wear their road uniforms for today’s game.

“We’re going to call The Summit the O-rena, because we tend to play pretty well on the road,” Cassell said.