Fired-Up Rockets Go Out With Bang

The Houston Rockets played with the heart of a champion, even as the Seattle SuperSonics swept away their hopes of a three-peat.

When Sam Cassell’s three-pointer tied the game with 4.1 seconds to play in regulation, it looked as if the Rockets were on the verge of pulling off another incredible comeback and forcing a fifth game in the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series.

But Seattle, after blowing a 20-point second-half lead, used a 9-0 run in overtime to hold on for a 114-107 victory and complete the sweep of the back-to-back champions Sunday. “They haven’t won championships by giving up,” said Shawn Kemp, who scored five of Seattle’s 13 points in the extra period. “They held their composure and fought back.

“It got a little scary at the end. Fortunately, we regained our composure in the overtime.”

Over the last two seasons, Houston had won eight playoff games in which it faced elimination but couldn’t do it a ninth time, despite the encouragement of a raucous Summit crowd. After the final buzzer, the Rockets watched the SuperSonics celebrate on the same court where they had swept Orlando in the NBA finals 11 months earlier.

“I believe our heart was there, but we ran into a team who really got it going,” Rocket Coach Rudy Tomjanovich said.

The SuperSonics had a nine-point lead with 1:32 to play in regulation, only to watch the Rockets come back with three three-pointers.

Kemp finished with 32 points and 15 rebounds. Gary Payton added 24 points and 11 assists to pace Seattle.

In overtime, the Rockets took their first lead of the game as Clyde Drexler made a free throw and then Mario Elie’s shot went in off the glass with 3:18 to go to give Houston a 104-101 advantage.

But it didn’t last. Sam Perkins made two free throws, Hersey Hawkins made a layup, Kemp was fouled as his shot went in and converted a three-point play, then Hawkins made two more free throws to put Seattle ahead to stay.

The Rockets have lost 13 games in a row to Seattle.