Houston Blasts Off After Rockets’ Sweep
They’re calling Houston “Twoston” these days.
“Believe It! Again!” signs dangle from apartment complex balconies. Office workers wear commemorative T-shirts. And strangers talk like lifelong acquaintances to revel in the joy of the Houston Rockets’ sweep of the Orlando Magic for a second straight NBA championship.
“People are euphoric,” said Larry Davis, a disc jockey at radio station KRBE-FM. “They won’t stop honking for days. All that people are talking about is Rockets, Rockets, Rockets.”
The carnival atmosphere was to resume Friday with a 1.3-mile parade downtown. A similar event last year drew some 500,000 fans.
Another celebration was set for Monday night at the Astrodome.
“Everyone is in such a good mood,” said Annette Washington, a 36-year-old delivery truck driver. ‘Everyone is being nice to each other.”
Washington was among a couple dozen workers who tried to win T-shirts in an office building freethrow shooting contest during lunch hour.
“The Rockets didn’t win; Houston did,” engineer Eugene Stanley said, explaining that Wednesday night’s 113-101 seriesclinching victory united the sprawling city, the nation’s fourth largest.
“HOW SWEEP IT IS!” the Houston Chronicle blared in a 14-page NBA Finals special section Thursday.
Crowds poured in to Oshman’s Sporting Goods on the city’s southwest side to pick up red-andgold T-shirts and baseball caps honoring the team’s triumph.
“It’s a frenzy,” said Danny Kim, a buyer of licensed apparel for the Houston-based chain.
Some 50,000 fans flooded a 30-block area of southwest Houston’s Richmond strip, an area lined with restaurants and bars, first to watch the game on television and then to rejoice. For hours, they honked horns, swept the streets with brooms and sat in bumper-tobumper traffic.
Police said there was relatively little ruckus in the victory aftermath and reported 24 arrests.
One man celebrating from the back of a truck died after falling from the pickup, authorities said.
Miner traded to Cavs
The Cleveland Cavaliers have acquired Miami guard Harold Miner, who twice won the NBA slam dunk title but never won a permanent spot in the Heat’s lineup.
Cleveland also obtained Miami’s second-round selection (39th overall) in the upcoming NBA draft for the Cavaliers’ second-round pick (46th overall) and future considerations.
The Heat also announced the signing of top European player Predrag Danilovic.
The 6-foot-5 Miner, the 12th player taken in the 1992 draft, played three seasons for Miami, averaging 9.6 points in 181 games.
Danilovic, 25, a 6-foot-6 guard who led Buckler Bologna to a third straight Italian League Championship this year. He was also a member of the Partizan Belgrade team that won the European Cup in 1992.
Cummings free agent
The San Antonio Spurs have bought out Terry Cummings’ contract, making him an unrestricted free agent.
In another development, the team has left Willie Anderson unprotected on the expansion draft list, the San Antonio Express-News reported.
Spurs coach Bob Hill declined any comment on who was on the unprotected list. Under league rules, the Spurs had to leave at least one player unprotected.
Hill said Cummings still could figure into the Spurs’ future.
“We made the decision in the best interest of the team,” Hill said. “We do have his best interest at heart. We are fully aware of his contributions to this franchise. It’s certainly not out of the realm of possibility that he will return to the team.”
An option in Cummings’ contract allowed the Spurs to pay the veteran power forward $800,000 and release him. The Spurs would have had to pay Cummings $3 million if the team retained him through the 1995-96 season.