```
At the end of the 1985 season, the team underwent a lot of changes, one of which being that a teammate had all but ended his professional career due to drug problems. I watched, helplessly, as my teammate and friend became the victim of some vile curse. He could not fend off the demon inside him and gave up the most valuable things.
We also experienced coaching changes because assistant coach Phil Johnson went to Kansas City to become the head coach, and Jerry Sloan came from Southern Illinois to fill the gap. At first, I was very nervous; Jerry was known for his toughness. The first time we shook hands, I knew he lived up to his reputation.
The team made it to the playoffs and, in Houston, we achieved a shocking victory in the first round of five games. Then, without Mark-Eaton, we headed to Los Angeles. Even though Billy Bolts had driven Olajuwon mad in the first round, everyone knew we couldn't beat Jabbar and the Lakers; we were swept 0:4, ending our season.
