European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 2, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Of rockets grab spot in finals Aba playoffs Utah Center Felton Spencer goes up fora shot against the rockets Robert Hony. By Chris Sheridan Houston a after eight years during which three mini dynasties came and went the Houston rockets Are Back to the Aba finals. A this is a Good Opportunity a second Chance a said Hakim Olajuwon the Only member of the 1986 team still with the rockets. A i want to take advantage. We have an excellent Chance. Now we just have to be  on tuesday night the rockets were patient and overpowering. Playing near perfect basketball for the first 3vi quarters they Ridden themselves of the Utah jazz with a 94-83 Victory for a 4-1 Victory in the Best-of-7 Western conference championship series. This will be the third appearance in the finals for Houston which lost to the Boston celtics in 1981 and 1986. Since then the rockets have watched the lakers pistons and bulls each win consecutive championships. Now the rockets get their crack at a title. Quot what a great feeling a Houston coach Rudy Tomjanovich Laia. A a in be been Here before As a player and As an assistant coach but this is the Best  it was a lopsided game until Utah went on a 16-0 fourth Quarter run. But the jazz were Down by 24 when the spurt started and there was simply too much ground to make up. Houston will have a week off before playing new York or Indiana for the championship. A a we la take some time to refuel then its Back to business a said Kenny Smith who had four free throws and a fas Brcak Dunk to help end Utah a rally. Houston came out hitting almost everything took a 13-Point Lead after one Quarter built the Lead As High As 22 in the second Quarter and barely avoided a a choke City breakdown in the second half. A when you re playing on the Road you just try to stay in the Gamey Utah guard Jeff Hornacek said. A but they hit every shot in the first Quarter and that is what the stars and stripes june 2,1994 Page 36 you worry about with the  once again it was a Case of too much Olajuwon the leagues map. He scored 22 Points played his usual dominating defense and finished with 10 rebounds seven blocks six assists and four steals. He had exceptional support. Robert Horry had his Best game of the series scoring 22 Points Vernon Maxwell who hit four 3-pointers in the first period gave the rockets momentum and finished with 19 Points. Otis Thorpe had 16 rebounds and 11 Points a luckily my shot was falling and we had a Good opening Quarter we wanted to end it tonight because we did no to want to go Back to Utah a Maxwell said. The jazz shot poorly right from the Start and  keep up with Houston a onslaught. Hornacek scored 21 Points and Karl Malone had 31, but no of else played in the first 3 i quarters As if it w Ere a do or die game. That More than anything else led to the loss a they just outplayed us and we got a Little Lucky there in the fourth Quarter when they had the game won and slacked off a Little bit a Utah coach Jerry Sloan said. Houston will begin the championship round june 8 at the Summit. The series Between new York and Indiana was tied 2-2 with game 5 wednesday night at new  take opener in overtime by Mike Nadel new York a for almost 80 minutes the new York rangers played to win. In a matter of seconds they lost the opener of the Stanley cup finals. Moments after new Yorkus Brian Lietch hit the crossbar Greg Adams scored with 33.1 seconds left in overtime and the Vancouver canucks won 3-2 tuesday. A tonight was definitely a feeling of escape a Vancouver Captain Trevor Linden said. A when 1 see Brian Leetch walk in the Way he shoots the puck you usually done to get another  canucks goalie Kirk Mclean made 52 saves a including 17 in overtime a in holding off the no la a Best regular season team. Mclean took a career 0-7-2 record against the rangers into the game. A they were pushing really hard for the whole overtime but its pretty obvious that Kirk Mclean won the game for us a said Cliff running who set up Adams Winner. A the kept us in the game. Our team was Flat and our legs weren to there but somehow we  said Leetch a a it a belter than not having any chances having All the pressure in your end. Its better to put pucks on the Goa under and do what we were doing a trying to win the game and not trying not to lose it. In a sure if we get that Many shots again it la be touch for him to do it  i he teams meet at Madison Square Garden thurs Stanley cup finals Day before the Best-of-7 series shifts to Vancouver for games 3 and 4. A a we expect the same out of them a canucks de Senseman Dave Bayeh said. A hopefully we can play a Little better and not make it a situation where we have to come  for the second straight game and the third time in eight games the rangers seeking their first Stanley cup since 1940, blew a one goal Lead in the final minute of regulation. This time Martin Gelinas scored for Vancouver with exactly a minute to go hacking in a rebound that rangers goalie Mike Richter appeared to have in his pads. With about 40 seconds left in overtime Leetch one of the no la a Best offensive minded defens Eman pinched in from the Point to take a shot from Between the face off circles that beat Mclean High to the stick Side but clanged off the crossbar. A i got knocked Down As 1 shot it so i did no to even see it hit the Post a Leetch said. The canucks immediately took advantage of Leech a a absence. Pavel Bure got the puck to Ronning who skated into new Yorkus zone with Only Esa Tikkanen Back. Ron Ning lured Tikkanen to him and then found Adams alone at the Edge of the right Circle. Adams then slapped the rolling puck past Richter a Glove. It was the first win Ever in the finals for Vancouver which was swept by the new York islanders in 1982 in its Only other appearance. The canucks 6-1 in playoff overtimes Are 12-2 since losing three of their first four postseason games. New York is 2-2 in overtime. Since the finals went to a seven game format in 1939, teams winning the first game have gone on to win the Idle 44 of 55 times. Two of the last three champions however lost the first game. And new York lost the opener of its Eastern conference final series against new Jersey but prevailed in seven games. Vancouver a Victory had extra significance in that the canucks have been dominated Over the years by the rangers. They had been 1-12-3 against new York since the Start of the 1988-89 season and were wingless in their last eight games at Madison Square Garden. The rangers Overall regular season record against the canucks 66-18-8, is the Best against any opponent they be a Jared More than 10 times. Steve Larmer and Alexei Kovalev scored for the rangers. A a. For Vancouver Bret Hedican scored Only his second career goal. He Hadnot scored in 144 games dating Back to his first on april 14, 1992.