Hakeem Olajuwon

NEW YORK -- The Rockets came, they dominated and they remained unbeaten. They left behind a rattled Knicks team that played tentatively and became frustrated against an opponent that looked superior.Led by the brilliance of Hakeem Olajuwon (37 points, 13 rebounds), Houston tied the NBA record for most victories to start a season, winning their 15th consecutive game, 94-85, last night at Madison Square Garden.The 1948-49 Washington Capitols also started 15-0. The Rockets can set the record by defeating the Hawks tonight in Atlanta.

SALT LAKE CITY - With the retirement of superstars Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, who dominated pro basketball in the '80s, the NBA torch has been passed to Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, David Robinson, and the New Breed, featuring first-time All-Stars Shaquille O'Neal, Shawn Kemp, Larry Johnson and Danny Manning.Together, they represent the wave of the future, but the Old Guard will not go quietly.Three proud over-30 veterans - Hakeem Olajuwon, Isiah Thomas and Dominique Wilkins - are at today's All-Star Game to prove they can still hold their own with the new kids.

Pro basketballOlajuwon backs out of Shaq showdown because of injuryHakeem Olajuwon was described as embarrassed, disappointed and still hurting yesterday after backing out of his one-on-one matchup with Shaquille O'Neal.The Houston Rockets center, who appeared healthy and mentioned no injury at a news conference in New York on Thursday, pulled out of the $1 million contest yesterday because of a back injury suffered last week while lifting weights, promoters said. The heavily hyped showdown was scheduled for tonight at Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort in Atlantic City, N.J."

"The Air Up There" is the sort of movie that hardly gets made any more: expertly choreographed piffle.It is lighter than a no-cal souffle and as manipulative as a crossword puzzle, but it also shows why formulas become formulas: because they work and because they're pretty much critic-proof.Ultimately, this is the formula about the Big Game. It has all the high-church hallmarks of the genre: the hopeless team hastily assembled, the stakes jimmied up much higher than a normal athletic contest, the early lead by the opponents, the injury of a key player, the arrival of a last-minute sleeper, and the final countdown as the time leaks off the clock and our heroes, down by one, drive for a winning score.

LANDOVER -- The Washington Bullets were searching the Capital Centre for ghosts and goblins last night after their home record slipped to 2-9 with a 107-100 loss to the Houston Rockets.How else to explain A. J. English, an 86-percent free-throw shooter, missing four in a row at a critical juncture in the fourth quarter? Paul Evans, a Baltimore high school algebra teacher who doubles as a Bullets statistician, said the odds of that happening were 2,400-1.Buoyed by three straight road wins, the Bullets (9-18)

SAN ANTONIO -- Next.Operation Mints On The Pillow failed in a big way last night, after the San Antonio Spurs, trying to simulate the road experience that has been so successful the last nine days, checked into a hotel in their own town and then came close to checking out of the NBA Western Conference finals. In other words, they didn't get a per diem and they didn't get a victory.What the Spurs got instead was the wrong side of five-star play by Hakeem Olajuwon (42 points), as usual, and Sam Cassell (30)

LANDOVER -- These days it's getting kind of difficult to figure out which is the real Washington Bullets team. Is it the one that goes out and gets blasted by mediocre teams? Or is it the club that goes toe-to-toe with the NBA's best?Going against the Houston Rockets last night, the Bullets -- at least on paper -- appeared to be no match for the top team in the Western Conference. But Washington managed to go toe-to-toe with the Rockets, only to fall short in the end, 103-99, before a sellout crowd of 18,756 at USAir Arena.

Hakeem Olajuwon had been in a thoughtful, analytical state for about 20 minutes. He was the only player left in the Houston Rockets' locker room after a recent home game, and he had been calmly discussing the differences among the National Basketball Association's blue-blood centers -- the New York Knicks' Patrick Ewing, San Antonio Spurs' David Robinson and, of course, himself.Finally, Olajuwon no longer could sit. The subject demanded animation. He bolted to his feet and began an impressive show-and-tell session.

No. 1 seed Utah (62-20) vs. No. 8 Houston (41-41)Season series: Utah, 4-0 (107-103, Dec. 25; 111-84, Jan. 10; 106-100, March 1; 100-93, March 9).Last playoff appearance: Utah reached last year's NBA Finals, losing in six games to Chicago. Houston reached last year's Western Conference semifinals, losing in seven games to Seattle.Key players: Utah -- Karl Malone (27.0 ppg, 10.3 rpg), John Stockton (12.0 ppg, 8.5 apg), Jeff Hornacek (14.2 ppg), Bryon Russell (9.0 ppg). Houston -- Hakeem Olajuwon (16.4 ppg, 9.8 rpg)

WASHINGTON -- With the official start of business yesterday, NBA teams began their mad scramble in preparation for the coming season. Yet the Washington Wizards and free-agent point guard Rod Strickland were still miles apart when the team's camp opened last night.The Wizards opened camp with 17 players, but their pursuit of Strickland is still stalled. Washington is offering Strickland a three-year contract in the range of $30 million, but agent David Falk is seeking a deal in the five-year, $65 million range for his client.