Mario Elie reveals 3 toughest opponents the Rockets faced from 1993-95

In a Twitter Q & A on Wednesday, Houston Rockets great Mario Elie listed the three toughest opponents the team faced during the championship runs.

Mario Elie took some time on Wednesday to reminisce about the championship days of the Houston Rockets. Answering questions from fans and even Rockets GM Daryl Morey, Elie gave some interesting answers to inquiries about his five years in Houston.

Among the questions Elie addressed was one from Daryl Morey, who asked him which current Rocket he’d like to have seen as part of the 1995 championship team.

As I’d expect, the three-time NBA champion went with the best player the Rockets have seen since Hakeem Olajuwon. “I would love to see Clyde and Harden play together,” replied Elie. “Two guards with great size and skills.”

As the conversation shifted to tough opponents, Space City Scoop contributor Lachard Binkley asked about the toughest teams Houston had to face during their glory years.

Seattle-Phoenix-Utah .3 toughest opponents.

— mario elie (@marioelie1) April 1, 2020

None of the answers come as a big surprise. The Rockets had to go through the Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz in the playoffs during both of their championship runs while the Seattle SuperSonics gave the team fits all throughout the 90s.

While he didn’t appear to rank them in order, in looking further into Elie’s Twitter responses, I was able to determine the team he considered the toughest. Former NBA center Ryan Hollins posed the same question about tough opponents, to which Elie responded:

Phoenix. Barkley and Kevin Johnson were so good.They had great shooters also Thunder Dan and Ainges.

— mario elie (@marioelie1) April 2, 2020

Looking back at the Rockets’ improbably playoff runs, let’s dive a little deeper into why Elie singled Phoenix, Utah and Seattle out.

Next: Phoenix Suns