Fitch Had No Doubts About His Twin Towers

NEW YORK —  According to Bill Fitch, the public was inquisitive over an inappropriate question. In the mind of the Rockets’ coach, after 7-0 center Akeem Olajuwon had been taken first in the draft one year after the Rockets had chosen 7-4 Ralph Sampson, the issue was not whether the two could play together.

“I had no doubt that they could play together from the start, but it was a good media question,” Fitch said. “The question should really have been ‘How well can they play together?’ and not ‘Can they play together?’ They’ve been good, especially on offense.”

The question now, perhaps, should be: Can they be stopped? Sampson says no. For proof, look at the stat sheet from the Rockets’ 113-105 victory over the Knicks Thursday night, their first triumph in Madison Square Garden in eight visits.

Sampson played well, totaling 22 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks. Olajuwon was outstanding, with 30 points, a career-high 25 rebounds -- 15 offensive -- and three of the Rockets’ nine rejections.

“If you stay with one of us you’ll get hurt by the other,” Sampson said. “That’s what happened tonight. You can’t handle Akeem one-on-one. It’s like with Bernard.”

Sampson and Olajuwon particularly enjoyed the opening quarter when they put on an aerial show that left the Knicks looking at a 36-23 deficit. The Rockets dunked eight times in the quarter and bruised the Knicks off the boards 19-7.

With the score tied 6-6, Sampson scored eight points -- six coming on dunks -- Olajuwon scored off two offensive rebounds and Lewis Lloyd and Rodney McCray (16 points) each had a three-point play in a 20-9 burst that led to a 26-15 lead.

“That’s what we like to do, dunk,” Olajuwon said.

Then a curious thing occurred. The Knicks relaxed their trapping defense and forced the Rockets into a half-court game. The Rockets’ guards played along by shooting outside jumpers. The Knicks probably never would have made a game of it if guards Lionel Hollins, Robert Reid, Allen Leavell and Mitchell Wiggins hadn’t shot 6-for-20 from the floor.

“I think if you make them work they’re not a great half-court ballclub,” said Cummings, who scored 20 points. “They don’t shoot too well from the outside.”

But they still had Olajuwon inside. The rookie from Lagos, Nigeria, set a Garden record, grabbing 15 of the Rockets’ 23 offensive rebounds, one more than the Knicks.