Robert Horry and the Houston Rockets improved their unbeaten run with a win over the New York Knicks in a December game at Madison Square Garden. The victory saw the Rockets tying their then-franchise record of longest winning streak.
Stating the obvious, it was a massive accomplishment for the Rockets. However, they couldn’t celebrate yet as they were scheduled to fly to Atlanta the next day for another road game.
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According to Horry, that’s when they realized how passionate the Knicks faithful truly are. They experienced a very discomforting delay at the airport, which Horry suspected was some sort of revenge for the Knicks’ tough loss to them.
“We started 15-0. We tie the NBA record for consecutive wins against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden, the mecca of basketball,” Horry wrote on The Players’ Tribune in 2015. “The whole city was so pissed that they did something I’ve never seen before in my career. The crew at the airport made us wait like two hours at the gate — no announcement, no updates, nothing.”
“I swear to God, they had us sitting there for no good reason other than we just whooped the Knicks,” he continued. “We didn’t get into Atlanta until 5 a.m. and the Hawks beat us by 25 that night.”
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Horry and the Rockets got back on track
As it turns out, Horry’s recollection of that day was vivid. They arrived late in Atlanta, which messed up their schedule and sleeping patterns. The Hawks torched them and finished the game with a blowout 133-111 victory.
Hakeem Olajuwon only only scored 17 points, while Horry logged 19. It was Vernon Maxwell who led the Rockets with 26 points. On the other hand, the Hawks caught fire and had their way with them. Six Hawks players, including Dominique Wilkins, scored double digits, with Wilkins registering 27.
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Admittedly, Horry and the Rockets were still quite upset by what the New York airport staff did to them. Nevertheless, they managed to re-center their focus, move on, and get back to their winning ways.
“After that, we just kept on cruising,” Horry recounted. “We didn’t lose our second game until two days before Christmas against the Nuggets. We were 22-2.”
The Knicks and the Rockets met in the Finals
That season, the Rockets and the Knicks were among the top teams of their respective conferences. After their last duel, the Rockets were eager to clap back at the Knicks for causing a delay at the airport that saw them failing to break their record in consecutive wins.
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The February visit of the Knicks to Houston was already circled in the calendar. As expected, the Rockets got their revenge and dominated the Knicks in a lopsided showdown, 93-73.
Both teams headed to the postseason with a 1-1 regular-season record against each other. Many were rooting for the Knicks and the Rockets to win the championship. Unsurprisingly, the two teams met in the Finals.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Sep 29, 2025, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.