In the summer of 2017, I sat down with NBA Hall of Famer Clyde “The Glide” Drexler on Scoop B Radio to address the greatest hypothetical in basketball history: Could the Houston Rockets have beaten a Michael Jordan-led Bulls team in 1995? At the time, we were following up on comments from Kenny “The Jet” Smith. Today, in 2025—after the world has digested The Last Dance and the Jordan/Drexler rivalry has been immortalized for a new generation—Clyde’s “buttoned-up” confidence remains the ultimate defense of the Rockets’ two-peat.
Reflecting on our session today, Drexler didn’t just offer an opinion; he offered a mathematical equation for victory.
The “Stole Something” Standard
When I asked Clyde the big question—would the 1995 Rockets, with him and Hakeem Olajuwon, have beaten the Bulls if Jordan hadn’t retired (or was fully back)—he didn’t stutter. He gave me one of the most viral quotes in the show’s history.
“We would’ve beat them like they stole something,” Drexler told me. “The thing is, think about it, the team that beat them with Michael, was the Orlando Magic, and we swept the Magic.”
In 2025, that logic still holds a lot of weight in barbershop debates. Drexler’s point was clinical: if the Bulls lost to Shaq and Penny in six games, and the Rockets dismantled those same Magic in a four-game sweep, the transitive property of basketball suggests a Rockets win. It wasn’t about disrespecting MJ; it was about respecting the “Dream” and the “Glide.”
The Matchup Nightmare: Hakeem vs. the Bulls
Drexler’s confidence wasn’t just based on the Magic series; it was based on the lack of a Bulls answer for Hakeem Olajuwon. During our discussion, he alluded to the fact that the Bulls’ championship formula struggled against dominant, versatile centers.
“There is a lot of hearsay, but you must deal with the facts. The facts are that year the Rockets were better.”
Looking at the 1995 landscape from today’s perspective, the Rockets were a “Small Ball” pioneer with a “Big Man” anchor. They surrounded Hakeem with shooters (Kenny Smith, Robert Horry, Mario Elie) and a secondary superstar in Drexler. Clyde’s “buttoned-up” assessment reminds us that even the greatest dynasties have a kryptonite—and for the Bulls, it was the “Dream.”
Respect Among Legends
Despite the competitive fire, Drexler made it clear that his take was strictly about the game, not the man. He went out of his way to send love to his 1992 Dream Team teammate.
“But I love Michael, tell him I love him, tell him I said hello.”
In 2025, this balance of fierce competition and mutual respect is what we miss in modern sports discourse. Drexler could claim he’d “beat them like they stole something” in the afternoon and then grab dinner with MJ in the evening. It’s a testament to the era where the battle stayed on the hardwood.
The Final Legacy of the 1995 Squad
Clyde Drexler’s 2017 session on Scoop B Radio was a definitive moment for Rockets fans everywhere. He moved the conversation away from the “asterisk” narrative and toward the “dominance” narrative.
As Clyde reminded me:
“You must deal with the facts.”
And the facts, according to the Glide, are that in 1995, Houston wasn’t just a championship team—they were a force that even the GOAT might not have been able to stop.
