Sampson Stuns the Lakers

Perhaps the most famous Twin Towers in NBA history played for the Houston Rockets in the 1980s, when 7-0 Hakeem Olajuwon paired with 7-4 Ralph Sampson on the Rockets' front line. Both were All-Stars, and in 1986 they led Houston to a berth in the NBA Finals.

En route to the Finals, the Rockets beat Sacramento and Denver before meeting the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals.
Houston came into the series as a distinct underdog to a Laker team led by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson and James Worthy. Yet Los Angeles was able to take only one game from the surprising Rockets.

Los Angeles attempted to extend the series with a strong effort in Game 5. But with the score tied in the closing seconds, Sampson got the ball to the left of the lane and nailed a jumper at the buzzer for a 114-112 victory that eliminated the Lakers 4-1.

Thus the Lakers' four-year dominance of the Western Conference was ended. But Houston was no match for the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals, bowing in six games.