"He got so mad"- When Magic Johnson pissed off Hakeem Olajuwon so much that he blocked 20 shots the next game
Magic Johnson’s LA Lakers and Hakeem Olajuwon’s Houston Rockets had numerous thrilling and exciting playoff battles in the 1980s. During the offseason, they, and several other NBA stars would meet to play pick-up games.
Here’s what the Showtime Lakers point guard had to say about one of those times (via Basketball Archive):
“I remember Hakeem [Olajuwon] came. Hakeem was late. We had a rule. You can’t come after a certain time. You can’t get on a team ‘cause there are so many NBA players.
“I said, ‘Man, I’m sorry, man. They already got all the teams and we’re playing.’ Man, do you know he got so mad? The next day he came, he must’ve blocked 20 shots! He was just so upset."
Magic noted that great players such as Moses Malone, Isiah Thomas, Mark Aguirre and others regularly played. For Hakeem Olajuwon to dominate such a stellar cast of players should give fans an idea about how good the legendary Rocket was.
Olajuwon led the NBA in blocks in three seasons (1990, 1991, 1993). “The Dream,” during the first 15 years of his career averaged 3.3 BPG.
Hakeem Olajuwon was the first pick of the 1984 draft and was taken by the Houston Rockets ahead of Michael Jordan (third). He was an All-Star in 14 of his first 15 seasons in the NBA.
In 1986, he led Houston to an upset win over the LA Lakers led by Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to reach the NBA Finals. The versatile big man averaged 31.0 points, 11.2 rebounds, 2.2 steals, 2.0 assists and a staggering 4.0 blocks.
On this day in 1986 Ralph Sampson and Hakeem Olajuwon of the Houston Rockets routed the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals. Sampson caught an inbounds pass with one second left and hit a turnaround jumper to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 114-112 at Los Angeles.#NBA #TwinTowers https://t.co/OCFsz33eNr
The Rockets eliminated the fancied Showtime Lakers in five games and went to face the Larry Bird-led Boston Celtics in the championship round.
Hakeem Olajuwon dominated Patrick Ewing and Shaquille O’Neal in winning two NBA championships
The 1986 NBA Finals did not end well for Hakeem Olajuwon and the Houston Rockets. Larry Bird, who was the MVP that season, ran rings around the Western Conference champs. Boston raced to a 3-1 lead before dispatching the Rockets in six games.
Olajuwon’s next opportunity to win the NBA title came eight years later. The Rockets’ opponents were Patrick Ewing and the New York Knicks.
Charles Oakley, who was Ewing’s teammate, had this to say about how “The Dream” played (via Basketball Time Machine):
(4:50 mark)
“If it was a fight, they would have stopped it, between him and Patrick [Ewing]. As a team, we took it seven games. Hakeem [Olajuwon] was treating him like a mop. He was mopping the floor with him [Ewing].”
It wasn’t just Ewing that Hakeem Olajuwon overwhelmed. Oakley also had his turn guarding the shifty big man and the “Oak” couldn’t do anything about him as well.
Olajuwon averaged 26.9 points on 50.0% shooting and added 9.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 3.9 blocks and 1.6 steals. He won his first NBA Finals MVP for his effort.
The following year, the Houston Rockets returned to the NBA Finals with the upstart Shaquille O’Neal and Orlando Magic as their opponents.
Shaq had this to say about his encounter with “The Dream:”
(3:30 mark)
“He was the only guy that I couldn’t figure out. I couldn’t fire him out. He was the only guy I couldn’t intimidate.”
Gary Payton had the same observation:
(3:00 mark)
“Shaq couldn’t guard Dream. Dream would give him 30 [points] and 40 anytime he felt like it.”
Also read: "His body of work was just incredible" - Robert Horry picks Hakeem Olajuwon over Tim Duncan and Shaquille O'Neal