Peaks project: #3

[trex_8063]

Hakeem is another interesting one, and I’m not sure how to contextualize his offense. I don’t think his defense was on the level of David, and as I’ve explained David was a ridiculous offensive player in his own right. hakeem’s offensive impact looks terrible in his later years, and I don’t think it’s a stretch to say it wasn’t all THAT in his peak years.

I'm afraid I need more evidence to be convinced that 1995 Robinson > 1995 Hakeem.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hW4uXlRGAF0[/youtube]

This is video with cherry-picked clips and narrative designed to put a particular spin on the story.

I think Dr Spaceman addressed a lot of this series pretty well already (I'll highlight the portions I find particularly relevant):

What about his playoff performance?

Yes, it is an issue, although how big I’m not sure. When we talk about Robinson in the playoffs really his big flaw was that he didn’t have a back-to-basket game, and thus had really no way to create reliable offense. Teams that sent aggressive help could stifle his dribble attacks, and he didn’t have many counters.

That’s not to say he wasn’t effective in the playoffs; on the contrary, he put up 25/12/3 in his 1995 playoff run. His efficiency wasn’t great, but for a guy who gets murdered for his performance this year there’s really nothing supporting that. Even in the series against Hakeem he put up 24/11/3… where exactly is this reputation coming from?

Look, I’ve brought this up a little bit before, but look at the dude’s usage level on offense. And think about the role he played on defense. And now think about the fact he averaged 42 MPG in the playoffs after averaging 38 in the regular season, and consider that his peers Hakeem and Shaq were notorious for taking regular seasons off. Is his playoff run starting to make a bit more sense now?

And let’s not sugar coat this: Robinson’s cast was BAD. His best teammte in 1995 was Sean Elliot. Ive pulled up a comparison to give you an idea of who exactly Elliot was as a player:

http://bkref.com/tiny/sLYXM

Again, this is Robinson’s best teammate. What about Rodman, you say? Dennis Rodman played 49 games total this season, and started ony 26. During the offseason,he was arrested twice: once for carrying a loaded shotgun with an “introverted note” (he denies it was a suicide attempt) and again after he drove a motorcycle while intoxicated and sustained serious injuries.

Hell, Rodman can tell his story of the 1995 season far better than I can:

It started to fall apart in the Western Conference Semifinals against the Lakers. In Game 3 of the series, which we lost, I came out of the game in the second half and took my shoes off on the sideline. This was no different than most other games. I didn't see a place for me to sit, so I lay down to the press table that ran behind the baseline. So there I was, shoes off, towel over my head, kicking back watching the game.
Then, during a time-out, I didn't get up. I didn't join the huddle. I sat where I was, watching.
I didn't play any more in that game. Nothing was said to me; I guess it was just supposed to be understood that I wasn't going back in. After we lost that game, we still led in the series, two games to one, and the Spurs decided to suspend me for Game 4. They said the suspension was for "insubordination". Then, after we won that game, they decided I wasn't going to start Game 5.

Players started deciding I wasn't worth the trouble, that the team would be better off without me.

The Rockets went seven games to beat the PHoenix Suns, and the last game of that series was May 20, two days after we finished off the Lakers. I wanted to go to Las Vegas during that time off, so I did. I went with my friend Dwight Manley and Mike Silver, an reporter from Sports Illustrated. This, of course, drove everyone crazy. They didn't know where I was, and they were worried that I'd just bailed on the team.
Jack Haley called me in Las Vegas and told me everyone was panicking. He told me I had to get back to San Antonio that Saturday Night, May 20, to attend a team dinner with everybody and their wives. Then Bob Hill called and told me I better be there - or else.

They asked me to guard Olajuwon, and I refused. Bob Hill came up to me and asked if I would take Hakeem in the first half, and I said no

.

David asked me for help, and I told him right to his **** face, "I am not going down there." I was not going to help him.
They asked me to double-team Olajuwon, and I refused.

so they'd throw it out to the shooter - Horry - and he killed us on three-pointers. We made Horry a star in that series.

Guess who was guarding Robert freaking Horry?

look, I’m not going to say Robinson doesn’t deserve some criticism for that series. But that’s become the series that defined his entire career, and that’s entirely unfair, considering he didn’t play badly, and he was simply one of many, many problems for that team, which frankly far overachieved for its talent level. Olajuwon was brilliant, of course, but not so much so that it should be the end-all be-all.

Let’s take a step back for a second and evaluate Robinson’s role again: he was carrying a devastatingly heavy role. he was rocking Michael Jordan levels of offensive usage in addition to performing his duties as one of the greatest defensive anchors we’ve ever seen. The Spurs had no perimeter players save Elliot who could create a shot from the perimeter, and Elliot wasn’t even good. Rodman was a soul-destroying monster who openly sabotaged the coach and team. And Robinson found himself right in the middle.
I don’t think you’ll find another example of a player carrying that kind of load, and I don’t think it’s close. So when we talk about Robinson’s offense and his playoff struggles, we should be boiling this down to one key point: he simply wasn’t good enough to drag a team to a title playing the role of Michael Jordan on offense and Bill Russell on defense.
How do you feel about criticising him now?

Also, if we're comparing '95 versions of both, I'd note a couple other rs tidbits:

Robinson
29.1 PER, .273 WS/48, +8.4 BPM
RAPM (colts18's data): +7.42

Olajuwon
26.0 PER, .181 WS/48, +5.3 BPM
RAPM: +4.47

'95 Rockets DRtg: -0.9 to league avg (12th of 27 teams)
'95 Spurs DRtg: -2.9 to league avg (5th of 27)

[theonlyclutch]

Elgee on Bird/Magic in the 2012 Peaks Project

Bird and Magic: I encountered a Larry Bird stat recently that floored me a bit. In 1988 (considered to be the end of Bird's prime, or slightly after his peak), the Celtics offensive rating with Kevin McHale in the lineup was...

117.1 (+9.4 to league).

Those would both be records for a full season (McHale played in 64 games). The highest team rating on record for a season is 115.6. (87 Lakers) The greatest distance from league average is +9.2 (04 Dal). The 87 Lakers were +7.3 FTR, and their team was a beacon of health all year.

Of course, most people consider 86 Bird's peak -- not sure how much they differentiate on offense but defensively he was a better team defender still. Well, McHale missed 17 games that year as well and the Celtics were a 110 (+3.1) offense during that time...and a +9.6 SRS team. Scott Wedman replaced McHale in the starting lineup and they just slid Bird to PF. What did Bird do there?

Averaged 27-12-8 57.4% TS 3.1 TOV 7.8 FTA/g 2.1 stls and 0.8 blks in those games. Ho hum stuff.

Now, you can see where the 87 Lakers offense parks itself in the playoffs: http://www.backpicks.com/2011/12/19/the-best-playoff-offenses-since-1980/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; Right near the top of the 3-pt era at +10.5. For comparison, the 86 Celtics were +8.2 and the 85 Celtics were +8.5.

In short, I believe these to be the best passers AND two best offensive players in NBA history.

Bird is perhaps the highest portable offensive player there is: he's a GOAT-level off-the-ball player, not in the Reggie Miller mold, but ITO of movement and position through the post and out onto the wing for spacing. He's a ridiculously good rebounder because of this. He's a GOAT-level outlet passer if you want to run. He's a GOAT-level trailer in semi-transition. He's a great post player. He's great off picks. His passing is freakish. He can clearly flourish at either forward position. At his peak, he's still giving you quality defense with positioning and defensive rebounding (it wanes as his body wears down IMO).

For Magic, you give him the keys to the car and get out of the way. Although early Magic's career demonstrates how powerful his GOAT-level passing can be even when Norm Nixon was still handling the ball more. Peak Magic -- unarguably 1987 -- developed his shot so well that he was a major treat to score from the outside and from the line. People have a misconception that Magic was a transition-only offensive threat ("Showtime"), but he was deadly in the halfcourt because of his use of screens and mismatches against smaller players. He is virtually un-guardable, calls his own number efficiently and like Bird, it seems as if he can drop into any system and help "run" the offense.

Mostly due to shot selection, I consider Magic's offensive peak to slightly higher than Bird's. The defensive difference (Magic is a minor liability) makes the peaks very hard for to distinguish. I'll be looking for arguments to help me decide one way or another (do people have these peaks clearly separated in their minds??)

There's a Gideon post I'm recalling as well, haven't quite found it yet.

I don't mean to disparage your post, but I have trouble with Bird that high up.

What separates his peak seasons from what Curry just did last season?

Even ignoring boxscores (where Curry has the advantage), Curry had the Warriors operating as a stronger team than any of Birds Celtics, in particular, the offenses were quite similar despite Curry playing less than 33 minutes per game in the RS, and the relative absence of offensive talent of the Warriors in comparison to the Celtics. There's good evidence that Currys presence forces opponents into more compromising situations on D than Birds presence as well..

[Ballerhogger]

1st ballot 1971 Kareem Abdul Jabbar
As previously stated his stats and overall success are top 5 peak at least in my opinion. Winning a Championship in pure dominated fashion and the clear number one player in the league and world . I haven't seen argument that favors 2009 Lebron yet.
2nd ballot 1967 Wilt Chamberlin 2/b]
Great overall his defense was great this year and was offensive juggernaut.



[b] 3rd ballot 2013 Lebron James
His most complete year to date. Overall great year .

[Jim Naismith]

What about his playoff performance?

Yes, it is an issue, although how big I’m not sure. When we talk about Robinson in the playoffs really his big flaw was that he didn’t have a back-to-basket game, and thus had really no way to create reliable offense. Teams that sent aggressive help could stifle his dribble attacks, and he didn’t have many counters.

That’s not to say he wasn’t effective in the playoffs; on the contrary, he put up 25/12/3 in his 1995 playoff run. His efficiency wasn’t great, but for a guy who gets murdered for his performance this year there’s really nothing supporting that. Even in the series against Hakeem he put up 24/11/3… where exactly is this reputation coming from?

Look, I’ve brought this up a little bit before, but look at the dude’s usage level on offense. And think about the role he played on defense. And now think about the fact he averaged 42 MPG in the playoffs after averaging 38 in the regular season, and consider that his peers Hakeem and Shaq were notorious for taking regular seasons off.

In 1995, Hakeem played more minutes per game than Robinson. This was true for both the regular season and the postseason.

I got these data from bkref (http://bkref.com/tiny/l5RCO) :

1995 Robinson: 38.0 MPG (RS), 41.5 MPG (PS)

1995 Hakeem: 39.6 MPG (RS), 42.2 MPG (PS)

[MyUniBroDavis]

09 Lebron

Well, I guess this is self explanatory. As a pure defender, he is comparable to some great defensive big men anchors this year. His stamina was incredible, I would honestly put it at wilt level, considering that unlike some other players playing big minutes, not only did he handle the ball, but he always seemed like the most energized guys out there, sprinting and hustling for every loose ball. He was a decent shooter this year, shooting his average from 16< feet, and 34.4% from 3 point land, though he left much to be desired from 10-16 feet.
he had a ridiculous net of +21.2 plus/minus
2nd best DRAPM among qualified Perimeter players. (2.8+ I think)
according to hoops nation
defensively
(LGA is league average)
n-court = 100.6 (-7.7 from LGA)

Off-court = 108.8 (+0.5 from LGA)

Equivalent to the Cavs having the #1 ranked defense in the league to being ranked #19 (below league average)
He was a very good defender in plays that, imo, are important. He could defend the isolation, the post up, the P and R (man), the spot up, and the P and R ball handler very well.
his per 48 clutch stats were EXTREMELY impressive. a few stats to shout out.
56 ppg, 56% fg 8.2 3pFGA, 42% 3pFG%. basically Oscar Robinson on steroids for the other stats
net in the clutch? oh, just aorund 45.6+

In terms of how he ran plays, he was very solid, though his transition game was suprising to say the least. he was "only" in the 85th percentile.


67 Wilt

This was really the season where he put it all together. He really became a team playing force. Previously, he was basically a 4.4+ on defense and 1.1+ on offense. Very comparable to other great defensive big men (in the 3 games shaq missed, the lakers were 8.8 worse, considering the sample size, I would say his impact was 5 ish)
Now, he was the leader of one of the ATG teams (era specific of course). Basically, he was probably as good as if not better than shaq on defense this year, and was absolutely great offensively (compared to other big men, I estimate he was around +4 on offense, considering how they did over the next few years).
A +10 ish range is rare. in my research and Wilt might be one of them.
Not only that, but he simply swept aside the 62-20 Celtics, and Russell as well.
really, the only possible thing to criticize him for in this season was that his finals performance wasnt as good as his performance in other areas (FG% - minus 12%, PPG - minus 7 ish, rebounds per game - up by around 3, but only had a 0.5 advantage against the opposing center), but not only did he shut his opposing center down, but he was being defended By Nate Thurmond.


94 Hakeem

I cant do statistical analysis right now, so ill just post a few quotes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hW4uXlRGAF0
Shaq put it: "I was dominated, Hakeem kicked my butt".
Granted, when they went one on one with each other, I recall that statistically Shaq won that matchup, but still, I think even shaq said that hakeem got in his head.
One thing that seperates Hakeem from the rest is his mentality. I know player quotes arent the most accurate, but Shaq said that Hakeem was the only person he could never intimidate.
Granted, this wasnt in 94, but still.
I think his greatest asset was his ability to get into people heads.
He had 28 ppg and 11 rebounds a game, most of it on post ups.
33 ppg and 10 rebounds a game in the playoffs.
52% fg percentage
along with ATG level defense (I consider ATG to be a long list though, but he obviously was one of the best)
4.5 assists and 3.5 blocks
Also, considering that he had to go one on one against, imo, one of the greatest man to man motivated defenders in shaq (shaq was VERY motivated against Hakeem).

[70sFan]

I don't have a time right now to explain my choises. I will do it later.
1st ballot - Wilt Chamberlain 1967
2nd ballot- Kareem Abdul Jabbar 1971/1974/1977
3rd ballot - LeBron James 2012/2013


One think is strange for me. When Wilt played as a volume scorer, people talk about pace and inflated stats. For his 1967 season, they say he scored too low and played only finisher role on offense. That's just not true. He played in the post every time he steps on the court. Even as a Laker, he wasn't finisher but post player who shoot at low volume.
Do you really think Wilt couldn't be volume scorer in 1967? Look at his series in playoff vs Royals. He averaged 30 ppg. on 60+%TS.

[Gregoire]

1. Lebron James 2013
2. Hakeem Olajuwon 1993
3. Wilt Chamberlain 1967

Wilt is emigma in grand sheme of things, but I cant ignore his stats and legends about him. He was basically Shaq with worse post-game and better defense and rebounding.

[SactoKingsFan]

1st ballot: 2013 LeBron James

As previously mentioned, I prefer 13 LeBron over his 09 physical peak since 13 was close enough to his physical peak and had a much more polished and versatile offensive game.  I think 13 LeBron with his elite two way impact (near peak offense + legit defensive anchor), extremely diverse skill-set, defensive versatility and RS+PS performances is as close to peak Jordan as it gets.

2nd ballot: 1967 Wilt Chamberlain

This was Wilt's most complete and impactful season when he was a highly effective offensive hub with ATG passing from a center while providing very efficient scoring and great defense and rebounding.  67 Wilt also had a fantastic playoff run and beat Russell's Celtics in the Division Finals.  

3rd ballot: 1964/65 Bill Russell

Russell had unparalleled defensive impact while anchoring historically dominant defenses. Since Russell's defensive impact was so immense, I don't think it makes sense to rank his peak much lower than top 5 unless he was a major negative/liability on offense. Although Russell's offensive skill-set was limited, I think he was far from a major liability on offense due to his underrated passing and ball handling. His passing and ball handling were more than good enough for Russell to be an offensive hub when needed and initiate the fast break.   

[theonlyclutch]

1st Ballot: 2009 Lebron

Reasons here: http://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=64&t=1406055&start=140#start_here

In short, GOAT carrying job ever, huge impact as shown through boxscore and plus-minus, somehow got even better in the playoffs, even as the team otherwise fell apart...

2nd Ballot: 1971 Kareem

Reasons here: http://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=64&t=1406183&p=44631666#p44631666

In short, broke the scale in terms of big man scoring volume + efficiency at the time, was instrumental in the massive turnaround of the Bucks from a cellar-dweller to a ATG-level title contender in two years, nearly impossible to stop on O reliably.

3rd Ballot: 1996 David Robinson

I am a believer thanks to the extensive explanations of Dr. Spaceman, I have '96 DRob as his best version, mainly due to the fact that he had a better playoff showing, even considering context. The Spurs had a similar SRS in '95 vs '96, but one thing noticeable is that the defense noticeably improves, and given that's where the majority of DRob's value lies, along with good roster continuity, I believe he may have been better on D that year. The fact that his WS/48 is at it's highest of his prime ('94 excepted, but I believe that DRob was used in a different, and non optimal way that year) helps quite a bit as well....

[Dr Spaceman]

Spaceman, since you have a great in depth knowledge about Robinson, what's the difference between Robinson in the 95 and 96 seasons, I am thinking of 96 as Robinson 's peak due to his better showing in the playoffs, but I would like your take first.

96 is another good season, and really 94-96 are all pretty close. Generally I side with 95 due to the insane motor he had that year- it seemed like after the deep playoff run he started to take the regular season a bit less seriously starting in 96; and this coincides with a slight decline in team performance and a slight decline in Robinson's impact numbers. He was also a bit bothered by the back injury that would later cost him the 97 season, it was a gradual thing that started during the 96 season (probably from carrying the team so far, heh). He was great in the 96 playoff run, although I think 95 against the Lakers is his best playoff series on the whole and his 95 WCF was definitely better than the Jazz series.

[Dr Spaceman]

What about his playoff performance?

Yes, it is an issue, although how big I’m not sure. When we talk about Robinson in the playoffs really his big flaw was that he didn’t have a back-to-basket game, and thus had really no way to create reliable offense. Teams that sent aggressive help could stifle his dribble attacks, and he didn’t have many counters.

That’s not to say he wasn’t effective in the playoffs; on the contrary, he put up 25/12/3 in his 1995 playoff run. His efficiency wasn’t great, but for a guy who gets murdered for his performance this year there’s really nothing supporting that. Even in the series against Hakeem he put up 24/11/3… where exactly is this reputation coming from?

Look, I’ve brought this up a little bit before, but look at the dude’s usage level on offense. And think about the role he played on defense. And now think about the fact he averaged 42 MPG in the playoffs after averaging 38 in the regular season, and consider that his peers Hakeem and Shaq were notorious for taking regular seasons off.

In 1995, Hakeem played more minutes per game than Robinson. This was true for both the regular season and the postseason.

I got these data from bkref (http://bkref.com/tiny/l5RCO) :

1995 Robinson: 38.0 MPG (RS), 41.5 MPG (PS)

1995 Hakeem: 39.6 MPG (RS), 42.2 MPG (PS)

Right, but that was a note in a larger point about how big a load Robinson had to carry. There's a bigger argument there about how Robinson's overall motor, and his offensive and defensive usage were superior to both Hakeem and Shaq.

Also I hope this isn't your main reservation in comparing these two.

[Dr Spaceman]

I am thinking of 96 as Robinson 's peak due to his better showing in the playoffs, but I would like your take first.

Spaceman will give you his own answer, obviously, and I'm sure it'll be a damn good one, but I just want to say that Robinson didn't really have a better showing in the '96 playoffs compared to '95. His overall numbers for those playoffs are misleading, because he really wasn't consistent with his play - he destroyed the Suns in round one (they were very poor defensively, ranked 23rd of 29 teams), but then had a mediocre series against the Jazz (Utah was #8 in DRtg). Didn't even average 20 ppg or 10 rpg, and shot only 52.6% TS.

In '95, he had a mediocre series in the first round, but he faced Mutombo. Robinson's offensive game wasn't really that well-suited as a #1 offensive option in the postseason, to begin with, and then you factor in that he faced the DPOY at his position...Anyway, the Spurs still swept the Nuggets quite easily.

Then, he had a great series against the Lakers in the second round.

His performance in the WCF against Houston is underrated. He wasn't horrible by any means. I'd say better than he was in the '96 Utah series.

I agree with this. The issue about Robinson being the third peak of all time is putting him above Hakeem on this 95 season, when even Hakeem's peak is more suitable to be 93 or 94. The Spurs had some tough breaks on the WCF 95 against the Rockets, they lost game 1 much because of one of Rodman's antics, not listening to a timeout huddle, for instance. The Spurs had more of a motion offense, therefore Robinson worked a lot as a decoy on their offense, when the Rockets were more pragmatic posting up Hakeem a lot, and Robinson faced the dream with single coverage most of the time, as the Rockets always used as their Modus Operandi to bring double teams against the centers, to preserve Hakeem more, using more rotation and scrambling defenses. Anyway, even if we can attenuate a little for Robinson in this series, and it's true, he had a good series, only Olajuwon was fantastic, and there lies the problem... Is very hard to put Robinson above Hakeem this year.

It is. I admit that. But is it hard because we actually believe Hakeem the better player, or because deep down we have trouble accepting that the better player may have lost in a performance in which it was popularly described as "Hakeem dominates Robinson"? Like, how much of it is just that the narrative stuck from when you watched that series as a kid and now 15 years later you're finding it difficult to go against something you've believed for so long?

ThaRegul8r provided me with some articles he collected during the 95 WCF.

I hadn't forgotten, I'd merely had some other things come up.

Game 1

Spoiler:

Rockets grab series opener
Spurs lose home edge 94–93
By BOB BAUM
AP Sports Writer

SAN ANTONIO—Almost always, the Houston Rockets win the last game of a playoff series.

Now they’ve won the first one, too—on the road against a team that had 62 victories this season, five of them against Houston.

The defending NBA champion Rockets, written off after finishing an unremarkable fifth in the West in the regular season, won Round 1 of the battle of Texas with a 94–93 victory over San Antonio on Monday night.

The Rockets took a 1–0 lead over the Spurs in the best-of-seven Western Conference finals and took away the homecourt advantage San Antonio earned throughout the playoffs by compiling the best record in the NBA.

Robert Horry’s wide-open 18-footer with 6.5 seconds to play gave Houston the victory. It was his first basket of the night.

“This is the way we have been winning lately,” the Rockets’ Mario Elie said. “Like Hakeem said, we are a team of destiny.”

After falling behind 2–1 in the first round against Utah and 3–1 in the conference semifinals against Phoenix, then coming back to win, the Rockets had played 11 games in 20 days. But winning has washed away any weariness.

“Our battle cry right now is stay humble and stay hungry,” Houston coach Rudy Tomjanovich said.

The Rockets went more than two minutes without a field goal until Horry, who had missed four straight shots to that point, hit his game-winner.

“We swung it to the open man, just like we have all season,” Horry said. “I was surprised I was so open. At that time, there was no time to doubt yourself. I’ve always had confidence in my ability to hit the big shot.”

He was the latest in a growing list of Houston heroes.

“We have five guys on the floor who can get the job done,” Olajuwon said. “It’s all about team chemistry.”

Sean Elliot, who led the Spurs with 24 points, missed two free throws with 26.6 seconds to go and his shot from the lane with two seconds to go bounced off the rim.

“I don’t have the words to describe that team I have over there,” Tomjanovich said. “They’ve got the biggest hearts in the world. After two very hard-fought series against two very great teams, and now we’re playing the team with the best record in the league, it’s just amazing what this team can do when we hang together.”

The first playoff showdown between Olajuwon and David Robinson was not the epic battle many anticipated. Both were frustrated by fouls, and Robinson had a miserable time through three quarters, making one of 11 shots.

He came back to score 12 in the final quarter, but he missed one of two free throws with 46 seconds to play. Robinson’s 21 points was his lowest total of the playoffs.

Elliot, whose four-point play just before halftime had given San Antonio a 54-53 lead, scored 24 points and carried much of the offensive load for the Spurs. But he, too, faltered down the stretch.

Then there was Dennis Rodman, he of the tequila sunrise-shaded hair. Rodman had an energetic 20 rebounds, but he was one for seven from the field and missed a wide-open rebound shot late in the game.

Avery Johnson was a rare bright spot for the Spurs with 18 points and nine assists.

Olajuwon scored 27 points despite foul trouble. Clyde Drexler made his first seven shots, scored 25 and had 12 rebounds.

Elie was four for five on three-pointers and scored 16. His three-pointer with 2½ minutes to play put Houston ahead 90–88.

San Antonio is supposed to be a much deeper team than Houston, but the Rocket subs outscored the Spurs reserves 28–18. Houston got a strong 23 minutes from backup center Charles Jones.

Now, San Antonio faces the prospect of having to win Wednesday night or going to Houston down 0–2. In this city seeped in Texas history, there’s a historical fact that does not bode well for San Antonio’s hopes for its first trip to the NBA Finals:

The Spurs are 0–13 in playoff series where they’ve lost the first game.

Game 2

Spoiler:

ROCKETS LEAD 2-0
Rockets steal another from Spurs
Associated Press

SAN ANTONIO — David Robinson got the trophy. Hakeem Olajuwon got the game. And Houston is rocketing toward a repeat trip to the NBA Finals.

Olajuwon, the NBA’s most valuable player a year ago, took over Game 2 of the Western Conference finals in the third quarter Wednesday night, then got the help he needed down the stretch as the Rockets completed a Texas two-step over San Antonio 106-96.

Using a dizzying assortment of moves, Olajuwon made 9-of-12 shots in a 19-point third period. He finished with 41 points and 16 rebounds as the Rockets headed back to Houston with a 2-0 lead in the best-of-7 series.

Robert Horry, who hit the game winner in Houston’s 94-93 victory in Game 1, made five 3-pointers, two in a row late in the fourth quarter, as Houston pulled away after the Spurs had rallied from a 13-point third-quarter deficit to take a brief 82-80 lead.

Olajuwon scored 31 in the second half, in what, after a slow start, turned into a classic matchup of the MVPs of the past two seasons.

The defending champion Rockets, written off as a contender after an unimpressive fifth-place finish in the West, won their fifth playoff game in a row, the last three on the road.

Robinson, who received this year’s MVP trophy from commissioner David Stern just before tipoff, started the game 1-for-5 but came back to score 32 and grab 12 rebounds. He scored 14 in the final quarter.

Clyde Drexler scored 23 for Houston, giving him 48 in the two wins over the Spurs. Horry added 21 points.

Doc Rivers added 16 for the Spurs. Sean Elliott scored 12 on 4-for-12 shooting.

San Antonio’s Dennis Rodman, sporting a new hair color that was a combination of goldfish gold and egg yolk yellow, played just three minutes in the second half. After it was over, he sat on the court long after the game ended before walking slowly to the locker room. He finished with four points and eight rebounds, three in the second half.

Now Robinson finds himself the admiral of a sinking ship.

The Spurs, the team with the best record in the NBA at 62-20, lost their third in a row at home for the first time this season. They were 33-8 in the Alamodome in the regular season.

No team has come back from 2-0 to win the Western Conference finals. Only 11 teams have rallied from such a deficit to win any series. The last one to do it was Houston last year against Phoenix in the conference semifinals.

The series moves 200 miles down Interstate 10 for Friday night’s Game 3 at the Summit.

Olajuwon’s third-quarter effort came after he drew his third foul 22 seconds into the period. Coach Rudy Tomjanovich elected not to bring him to the bench, and Olajuwon [scored] the Rockets’ next eight points to put them ahead 57-45.

Game 3

Spoiler:

Robinson Wins One in Battle of Centers

By CLIFTON BROWN
Published: May 28, 1995

HOUSTON, May 27— It could have been pride, or desperation, or simply a great player responding to a challenge.

Whatever it was, David Robinson finally had something to smile about on Friday (29 points, 9 rebounds) after being outdone by Hakeem Olajuwon in two games. The San Antonio Spurs needed it. Robinson needed it. And with their 107-102 victory over the Houston Rockets, the Spurs cut their deficit to 2-1 in the four-of-seven-game Western Conference finals, heading into Game 4 on Sunday afternoon at the Summit.

Until Friday, the series had produced more embarrassment than excitement for Robinson, winner of the National Basketball Association's most valuable player award this year. Before Game 2, Robinson was handed the m.v.p. trophy before adoring fans at the Alamodome. Olajuwon responded by handing the Spurs a 41-point, 16-rebound performance, stealing the spotlight and the game from Robinson.

While both players play down the significance of their individual battle, the Robinson-Olajuwon duel is compelling. It's this year's m.v.p. against last year's m.v.p. Olajuwon trying to defend the Rockets' championship against Robinson, whose team is still trying to win its first league title.

No matter what happens in this series, the two centers will be the center of attention. And Robinson hopes that the longer it goes, the better he will perform.

"I think I'm more settled now," said Robinson, when asked about the task of defending Olajuwon, who has more spin moves than Michael Jackson. "I've gone from a series playing Elden Campbell and Vlade Divac to playing against Hakeem. He's at his best right now. It was a huge adjustment. Mentally, I think I'm into the rhythm now. I feel like I'm getting a feel for him as a player in this series."

But feeling too comfortable against Olajuwon can be dangerous. Not only is he a great player, but the Rockets go to him again and again and again. Olajuwon has attempted 37 more shots than Robinson in the series, which makes statistical comparisons between the two somewhat unfair. Olajuwon has to produce big numbers for Houston to win. But if Olajuwon gets 43 points, as he did in Game 3, and the Spurs win, Robinson calls that a good day.

"The man is going to score," Robinson said of Olajuwon. "He's going to get 35 shots a night. You just have to play him as tough as you can and make the shots tough."

Which is what Robinson did in the second half of Game 3. San Antonio trailed by a point at halftime, and Houston had already made nine 3-point shots. With the Spurs double-teaming Olajuwon, the Rockets were finding wide-open shots on the perimeter.

So at halftime, Bob Hill made a risky move. San Antonio's coach told Robinson that he would be defending Olajuwon one on one in the second half. For Hill, delivering that message was as pleasant as telling Robinson that his tax return would be audited. Is there anyone who wants to play Olajuwon one on one?

"I don't know if there's a word to describe him," Hill said of Olajuwon. "You got one? I don't know how to explain it. He's writing a book on post play. He's unbelievable. He makes jump shots, he spins, he pump fakes, he shoots hooks. He's got it all going on. It's even more impressive that we were able to beat them when he's playing like that. He's absolutely a great player."

But so is Robinson. And by the fourth quarter, Olajuwon looked tired for the first time in the series. He missed an open 10-footer in the final 2 minutes that could have brought the Rockets within 4 points. And with Robinson defending Olajuwon, the Spurs tightened their perimeter defense, holding the Rockets to just four 3-pointers in the second half. Instead of playing behind Olajuwon all the time, Robinson also fronted Olajuwon in the low post and did a better job of denying him the basketball. Robinson plans to use that strategy throughout the series.

"I tried to mix it up a little bit, tried to keep him guessing," Robinson said. "I've got to get into his head a little bit, try to make him think about what he's doing."

So all the Rockets fans who brought brooms to Game 3 can put them away. The Spurs will not be swept away. Robinson will not be brushed aside so easily. What was billed as a matchup between two terrific centers has taken shape. And because neither team has won a game at home in this series, the Spurs have even more confidence heading into Sunday.

"There's no fear," Robinson said of the Spurs' attitude. "We come in here, there's no fear. They come into our place, there's no fear. It's just going to boil down to basketball. My biggest concern was not being down, 2-0, but that we hadn't played basketball yet. You have no time in a series like this to wait."

Game 4

Spoiler:

The Spurs Get Even By Routing Rockets

By CLIFTON BROWN
Published: May 29, 1995

HOUSTON, May 28— The San Antonio Spurs started the weekend in trouble. They ended the weekend in style.

In the most dominant performance of the Western Conference finals, the Spurs manhandled the Houston Rockets, 103-81, today in Game 4 at the Summit. The victory evened the four-of-seven-game series, 2-2, continuing a stunning turnaround since the Rockets took the first two games of the series in San Antonio.

The Spurs are trying to become only the third team in National Basketball Association history to win a series after losing the first two games at home. And by winning Games 3 and 4 in Houston, the Spurs have recaptured both the home-court advantage -- for what that is worth in this series -- and the momentum heading into Game 5 on Tuesday night in San Antonio.

"I think we figured out what got us here," said David Robinson, who finished with 20 points, 16 rebounds and 5 blocks and was one of many Spurs who turned in an outstanding performance. "In these two games, our backs were against the wall. You can't be world champions if you can't dig down deep."

The Spurs were at their best, which meant Dennis Rodman was on his best behavior. Leading an all-out rebounding assault, Rodman finished with 12 points and 19 rebounds, including 12 offensive rebounds. San Antonio annihilated the Rockets on the backboards, outrebounding them, 64-39. At times, it looked as if the Spurs were playing volleyball and the Rockets were watching. Rodman had little to say after the game, but his performance spoke loudly.

"Rodman killed us," said Kenny Smith, Houston's point guard.

The long playoff grind might finally have taken its toll on the Rockets, who have overcome tremendous obstacles just to get this far. The defending N.B.A. champions erased a 2-1 deficit in their first-round series against Utah. And they erased a 3-1 deficit in the second round against Phoenix, becoming the first N.B.A. team in 13 years to win Game 7 on the road. But they have played every other day since May 3, while the Spurs have picked up several days of rest by sweeping Denver in the first round and beating the Lakers in six games in the second round. The Rockets are also playing with only a 10-man roster, having lost Carlos Herrera and Vernon Maxwell before the playoffs.

Can the Rockets win another game in San Antonio and survive this series? This battle of Texas has taken so many odd twists, who knows what to expect? Considering that neither team has won at home, maybe the Spurs should consider relinquishing the home court for Game 5.

"Obviously, the key to this series is being on the road," said Doc Rivers, San Antonio's point guard. "We're going home. It could be tough."

But the Spurs were the tougher team today. They took a 20-point lead into the fourth quarter and coasted from there, taking the life out of a stunned capacity crowd. The Rockets unraveled during the final 7 minutes 30 seconds of the third quarter when the Spurs went on a 19-5 run to take a 78-58 lead.

It was a frustrating day for all the Rockets, including Hakeem Olajuwon (20 points, 14 rebounds, 9-for-24 shooting). Houston's center had his way with Robinson during the first two games of the series, averaging 34 points, but Robinson's low-post defense was outstanding. With Robinson containing Olajuwon, the other Spurs were free to take away Houston's perimeter game. The Rockets shot just 3 for 16 from 3-point range, and 39 percent over all.

Could it be that Robinson has begun to solve Olajuwon's seemingly endless array of low-post moves?

"Solve Hakeem?" Robinson asked incredulously. "You don't solve Hakeem. I played him tough and he's only human. He can't score 40 points every game.

"One thing I was getting caught up in was trying to match Hakeem bucket for bucket. That's just an ego thing. That's not my game. My game is different from Hakeem's. I have to play my game -- that's playing defense, rebounding and scoring when the opportunity is there."

And while Robinson is only one weapon in San Antonio's attack, Olajuwon is being forced to carry Houston. Six Spurs reached double figures today. Vinny Del Negro (19 points), Avery Johnson (14 points), Rivers (13 points), and Sean Elliott (13 points) took pressure off Robinson. Olajuwon had no such help. No other Rocket scored more than 13 points, including Clyde Drexler (12 points), who shot a frigid 3 for 11. Without Olajuwon scoring at least 30 points a game against the Spurs, it will be tough for Houston to win.

Bob Hill, San Antonio's coach, summed up the Spurs' theory regarding Olajuwon's scoring.

"I said during yesterday's practice, 'I don't care if Hakeem scores 60,' " Hill said. " 'If we win, I don't have a problem with that.' David said, 'I've got a problem with that.' "

But the only problem the Spurs had today was figuring out why they have not been able to win a game at home in this series. The Rockets wondered the same thing.

"We used to be a very good home team," said Rudy Tomjanovich, Houston's coach. "This year, it just hasn't happened. When I find out what it is, I'm going to get some Raid and kill it."

Meanwhile, the Spurs felt much better about their chances than they did when they trailed, 2-0.

"I definitely think one of these teams is going to win at home," Robinson said. "We have to take advantage of the home court in Game 5."

Spoiler:

Robinson does duty on defense
San Antonio’s MVP center plays Olajuwon to a standstill
By Al Carter
Dallas Morning News

HOUSTON — The admiral did his duty Sunday. But in David Robinson’s case, duty did not include going down with the ship.

Robinson once again answered the call to sacrifice life and limb — but most of all, precious limelight — for the cause of refloating the San Antonio Spurs. And if that meant having to baby-sit Houston center Hakeem Olajuwon in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals, so be it.

Robinson’s solo defensive effort on Olajuwon freed teammates to roam a wider perimeter and pin a 103-81 loss on the starved-out Rockets at The Summit.

“I know sometimes you go out and want to match Hakeem bucket for bucket,” Robinson said. “But that’s the ego thing. I want to win games.”

The strange thing was, Robinson got to do both.

Both Robinson and Olajuwon finished with 20 points as the Spurs knotted the series 2-2.

Robinson, however, had five teammates willing to match his double figures. With Olajuwon not drawing defensive fire from anyone other than Robinson, the Rockets withered at all other phases.

Led by Dennis Rodman’s 19 rebounds, the Spurs dominated the boards, 64-39. The Rockets shot only 39 percent.

Spurs coach Bob Hill said the difference was simply a new understanding that Robinson, this year’s NBA most valuable player, had to go solo with Olajuwon, last year’s MVP, to keep the Spurs’ fast-break strategy intact.

Even if that meant Robinson giving up some freedom on offense.

“We have to play teams a certain way,” Hill said. “We can’t worry about how many points David gets versus Hakeem. The MVP award is a regular-season award. Now it’s the playoffs. There are no awards now except for winning.”

Olajuwon, who averaged 37 points in the first three games of the series, connected on only nine of 24 shots.

“He’s got that Superman cape, and all you can do is try to make him take tough shots,” Robinson said of Olajuwon. “If I can do that, I’ve done my job.”

“You have to give them credit,” Olajuwon said of the Spurs. “They came out fighting. They made good decisions. We were not patient. We were not creative. We have to be creative. That’s how we win.”

Robinson said the Spurs won because they were able to stick to their formula.

“I think we’re starting to figure out what got us here,” he said. “If we don’t take advantage of our quickness and the fast break, we’re just hurting ourselves.”

The Rockets took 16 three-pointers. They made only three.

“One thing we wanted to take away was the wide-open threes,” Robinson said. “The last two games, I think we’ve done a pretty good job. That’s made a little bit of difference.”

“Now we’re back to square one,” Olajuwon said. “This series is just starting over again.”

Game 5

Spoiler:

Rockets are true road warriors again
 NBA West: Homecourt means absolutely nothing as Houston blitzes San Antonio, 111-90, in San Antonio

By BOB BAUM
The Associated Press

SAN ANTONIO—The weirdness continues in the West.

The Western Conference finals are a homecourt horror show, where the cheers of a packed arena spell doom for the home team.

Game 5 of this topsy-turvy, Alice In Wonderland series, where being at home is bad and playing on the road is good, followed the path of the previous four. The winners, in a runaway, were the Houston Rockets.

Houston won its fifth in a row on the road to lead the best-of-seven series 3-2, and the home team has yet to win a game.

The same Rockets who were blown out in the Summit by San Antonio on Sunday downed the Spurs 111-90 Tuesday night in the Alamodome to move the defending champions within one victory of a return trip to the NBA Finals.

“This is the strangest playoff series I’ve ever been involved in,” Houston Coach Rudy Tomjanovich said. “How can you figure it out?”

Hakeem Olajuwon had 42 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, his third 40-plus scoring performance in four games.

“I think his performance in some regards broke our spirit,” San Antonio Coach Bob Hill said. “It seemed like he made every shot he took.”

But it wasn’t just Olajuwon. Sam Cassell and Robert Horry had major contributions.

“After two disappointing losses, we had to regroup ourselves,” Olajuwon said. “We were very lucky the series was tied 2-2. We came back here and played with confidence and played team basketball.”

Cassell, who started the game shooting 1-for-7, made seven of his next nine shots and scored 30, one short of his career playoff high. He scored 22 in the second half, 14 in the fourth quarter, and grabbed an offensive rebound that set up two free throws that ended any faint hope of a Spurs’ rally. He also had 12 assists.

Horry had 14 points and 13 rebounds. He even wrestled the ball away from Dennis Rodman under the San Antonio basket during a 7-0 Houston run at the end of the third quarter that spelled the beginning of the end for the Spurs, who have lost four in a row at home.

After being outrebounded 64-39 in Sunday’s 103-81 loss, the Rockets fought the Spurs to a 38-38 standstill on the boards Tuesday night. They also turned 22 San Antonio turnovers into 29 points.

Clyde Drexler added 19 points for Houston. David Robinson had 22 points, 12 rebounds and seven turnovers for San Antonio. Avery Johnson added 20 points for the Spurs.

“Not in a million years would I guess we could lose three home games in this series,” Robinson said. “No way, but it’s happened.”

Houston, 7-3, on the road in the playoffs, can advance to the finals with a breakthrough win at home Thursday night. If this bizarre trend of visiting victories continues, Game 7 would be Saturday in San Antonio.

The sixth-seeded Rockets would tie the 1981 Houston squad as the lowest seed to advance to the finals.

Rodman was in the doghouse again Tuesday. He was held out of the Spurs’ starting lineup for showing up 35 minutes late for a Monday practice. He entered the game with 4:49 left in the first quarter.

Rodman finished with 12 rebounds and five points, but was scoreless with just four rebounds in the second half.

The Spurs spent Monday night in a hotel in an attempt to end the home-court jinx that has plagued both teams. But they started and finished the game as if they were coming off a rough night in Juarez.

San Antonio never led. The Spurs fell behind by 16 in the first quarter, cut it to three in the second and dropped behind by 11 early in the third. But San Antonio finally caught the Rockets, tying it 71-71 on Vinny Del Negro’s 10-footer with 2:33 left in the third quarter.

The Alamodome, packed to its 35,888 capacity, was rocking. Fans felt they were on their way to their first trip to the finals. Then everything fell apart.

Robinson was called for goal tending on Cassell’s drive, then Rodman fouled Cassell, who made two free throws.

Olajuwon, who was hot from the outside all night and finished 19-for-30 from the field, made a 15-footer. Horry made a 3-point play. Cassell drove for a layup and the Rockets led 82-73 at the end of the third quarter.

The run reached 11-0 when Cassell sank a three-pointer that made it 87-73. The Spurs never recovered.

Game 6

Spoiler:

Spurs become road kill at Houston

HOUSTON (AP) — The I-10 series between Houston and San Antonio is over, and the Spurs are road kill.

Perhaps no team has had a more precarious or improbable route to the NBA Finals than the Rockets.

They were defending champions. But after a sixth-place finish in the Western Conference, nobody gave the Rockets much of a chance for a repeat title.

Now, after coming back from the brink of elimination against Utah and Phoenix, Houston has disposed of San Antonio, the team with the league’s best record, and is headed back to the Finals.

“Once again, we proved all the doubters wrong,” Houston’s Sam Cassell said. “This ball club is a playoff team. When the playoffs come, we know what to do.”

The Rockets finished off the Spurs 100-95 Thursday night, putting to rest the homecourt demons that haunted this series. It took six tries, but finally the home team won a game, and Houston won the best-of-7 series 4-2.

“I’m probably the proudest man in the world,” Houston coach Rudy Tomjanovich said. “I don’t want to take anything away from last year. It was special. I don’t want to tarnish that, but right now this was better.”

As usual, Hakeem Olajuwon was magnificent. He had 39 points, 17 rebounds and five blocked shots. In six games against the league’s MVP, David Robinson, Olajuwon averaged 35.3 points and 12.5 rebounds.

The showdown between these two Texas towers was no contest. Olajuwon’s play made his fifth-place finish in this year’s MVP voting seem ridiculous.

“I’ve never seen anyone on this planet play like this guy,” Houston’s Clyde Drexler said. “He is phenomenal, night in and night out. He does it so easily people come to expect it. That’s the ultimate.”

Drexler, the Rocket without a championship ring, had a rough start Thursday night, but he made big plays down the stretch and finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds.

Olajuwon’s biggest help, though, came from Robert Horry. Shifted to power forward much of the time as coach Rudy Tomjanovich went with a smaller lineup, Horry made six of 11 3-pointers and scored 22 points.

His last 3-pointer, with 1:58 to play put Houston ahead 97-93, then he clinched the victory by making the two free throws 13 seconds from the finish.

“I was feeling it the whole game,” Horry said. “When it’s a hot gym, I get into the flow of things.”

Robinson scored 19 for San Antonio, but missed two free throws and committed a fatal turnover in the final 1:06.

Avery Johnson had 19 points and 10 assists, Sean Elliott scored 18 points and Dennis Rodman had 14 points and 17 rebounds for the Spurs.

Someone asked the Rockets’ Kenny Smith if, with all the dramatic comebacks, this was a team of destiny.

“I wouldn’t say destiny,” he said. “I can’t predict the future. But when we put our game together, no one can beat us.”

The clincher didn’t come easily. After Drexler stole Robinson’s pass and found Elie for a layup with 5:56 to play, Houston led 92-83.

But San Antonio’s Doc Rivers scored seven during a 10-0 run. Robinson capped the rally with a free throw, putting the Spurs ahead 93-92 with 2:42 remaining.

Robinson drew his fifth foul with 9:48 left and went to the bench, but came back for what probably was the most miserable 6 minutes, 15 seconds of his career.

Drexler, who came to his hometown of Houston in a Valentine’s Day trade, made two free throws to put the Rockets ahead for good, 94-93 with 2½ minutes to play.

“We were in position to take it,” Spurs coach Bob Hill said. “We just couldn’t finish it.”

Robinson, just 6-for-17 from the field for the game was 0-for-3 in the final quarter. After he missed inside, Horry made his final 3-pointer.

Robinson also missed two free throws with 1:06 remaining. After Cassell made one of two free throws, Rodman’s rebound basket with 28 seconds to go kept San Antonio’s fading hopes alive.

But Horry was fouled by Rodman and made both free throws.

San Antonio had won four straight on the road and liked it chances of sending the series back to the Alamodome for a deciding Game 7, especially since Houston was playing its 16th game in 30 days.

Spoiler:

Olajuwon won matchup battle with Robinson
By Michael Graczyk
Associated Press writer

HOUSTON—David Robinson was crunched by Hakeem Olajuwon in crunch time.

“I don’t think I’ve felt anything like this since I’ve been in sports,” Robinson said after he disappeared in the fourth quarter Thursday night, and his San Antonio Spurs were eliminated from the NBA playoffs by the defending champion Houston Rockets.

“It’s a crummy way to end a good year,” this year’s NBA Most Valuable Player said.

Robinson finished with 19 points in the 100-95 loss, but scored just one point in the final period with the game on the line. He missed his last three shots and three of his last four free throws.

“I feel like I let the guys down,” he said. “That hurts as much as anything.”

For most of the series, Robinson was overshadowed by Olajuwon, the 1994 MVP.

“He was very, very good,” Robinson said of Olajuwon. “He hit the tough shots most of the time. I think I defended him very well. The man played as well as anybody I’ve seen in a long time.”

Olajuwon had three 40-plus point games and had 39 in Thursday’s victory that sent Houston back to the NBA Finals.

“He’s a 7-foot Michael Jordan,” the Spurs’ Avery Johnson said of Olajuwon, who finished fifth to Robinson in this year’s MVP voting.

Robinson said he was so disappointed he wasn’t sure he would even pay attention to what happens in the Finals.

“I’d like to see them win because they played so well to beat us,” he said. “I don’t even know if I’ll watch any more basketball. This is the worst I’ve felt.”

Spurs coach Bob Hill said people who watched the series should take into consideration that the Rockets were double-teaming Robinson, while the Spurs chose to have Robinson go one-on-one against Olajuwon.

“There’s a lot of talk he kicked David’s backside,” Hill said. “If you take a closer look, we didn’t double. David accepted that responsibility.

“He had a wonderful year. The award is given for the regular season. He’s learned a lot because of this experience.”

It may be one Robinson doesn’t want to remember.

In the fourth quarter, with the Spurs trailing 79-77, Robinson missed a 9-foot jumper. A minute later, he picked up his fourth foul on a drive by Sam Cassell and had to go to the bench.

With 2:43 to go, Olajuwon blocked a layup attempt by Robinson, but the Spurs rebounded and Robinson drew a foul. He made the first free throw, but missed the second, putting the Spurs ahead 93-92. It was to be their last lead.

Robinson missed a layup with 2:17 to go and Robert Horry got the rebound for Houston. Then Robinson missed two free throws with 1:06 left, and with 50 seconds to go, he turned the ball over.

“I shoot free throws very well. And then I missed two at the end,” Robinson said. “It’s the little things that hurt most during crunch time. The little things make the difference. That’s what hurts me most.”

“I’ve never seen anybody on this planet play like this guy,” the Rockets’ Clyde Drexler said of Olajuwon.

“I just try to establish my game and play my game,” Olajuwon said. “Our system, our plays, just playing to win.”

Notice how rapidly the perception switches. The one of the first four games is "battle of the titans", "Olajuwon scores a lot but Robinson holds his own defensively", etc. And then, the post- G6 articles all of a sudden posit "Olajuwon dominated Robinson all series", "Robinson was crunched in crunch time". This isn't me spinning narrative, you can literally see this progression in the articles.

Never has perception of a player changed so rapidly over a two game stretch.

And I get it. Houston won in dramatic fashion with their backs against the wall in 3 straight series. Olajuwon's scoring was otherworldly. But Robinson was great too, and he was better than Olajuwon over the 90 previous games of the season. And pay attention to the Bob Hill quotes after G6. The plan was to single cover Olajuwon and stay home on the shooters. The plan was to let Olajuwon get what he wanted and stop the rest of the team.

Oh, and pay attention too to every mention of Dennis Rodman. If you don't believe the catastrophic effect he had on this team, read the articles from G4 and G5 very closely. Game 4, he plays the full game, causes no distractions. Spurs blowout. Game 5, he sits the second half and plays poorly when he does play. Rockets blowout. This is a very common theme in the series.

BTW- the games are all on YouTube, courtesy of Dipper. I encourage everyone to go take a look.

Oh and a bonus:

"Obviously, the key to this series is being on the road," said Doc Rivers, San Antonio's point guard. "We're going home. It could be tough."

Doc being Doc, even as a player

[eminence]

1st Ballot: Lebron James 08-09 Third time voting here.

2nd Ballot: Wilt Chhamberlain 66-67 Individually I think Wilt looks a bit better in 63-64, but being part of an alltime level team in 67 bumps him over the top for me. It also propels him over the next level of big man crop (Duncan/Hakeem), I think his 63-64 is very comparable to their best seasons, slightly better even, but he really put his talent to work in a team setting in '67.

3rd Ballot: Tim Duncan 02-03 Surprised to not see Timmy getting more support yet, one of the best playoff runs of alltime. Hakeem is the closest comparison I think, but Tim comes out a bit ahead in pretty much every advanced stat and did it with just as little help around him. Bringing center level defensive impact from the PF position(KG being the only other player to do that) was massive in allowing the Spurs to build some of the best defenses we've seen around him and Robinson.

[Jim Naismith]

Notice how rapidly the perception switches. The one of the first four games is "battle of the titans", "Olajuwon scores a lot but Robinson holds his own defensively", etc. And then, the post- G6 articles all of a sudden posit "Olajuwon dominated Robinson all series", "Robinson was crunched in crunch time". This isn't me spinning narrative, you can literally see this progression in the articles.

Never has perception of a player changed so rapidly over a two game stretch.

But David Robinson laid an egg against Utah in both 1994 and 1996.

This make his 1995 Houston series look less like an outlier — and more like part of a trend.

[Jim Naismith]

Also, if we're comparing '95 versions of both, I'd note a couple other rs tidbits:

Robinson
29.1 PER, .273 WS/48, +8.4 BPM
RAPM (colts18's data): +7.42

Olajuwon
26.0 PER, .181 WS/48, +5.3 BPM
RAPM: +4.47

'95 Rockets DRtg: -0.9 to league avg (12th of 27 teams)
'95 Spurs DRtg: -2.9 to league avg (5th of 27)

In the playoffs, it's a different story, to say the least.

Also, the prevailing view is that 1993/94 Hakeem > 1995 Hakeem > 1995 Robinson.

To overturn this hierarchy and to convince people peak Robinson > peak Hakeem requires than a whole lot more than showing 1995 RS Robinson > 1995 RS Hakeem.

[Jim Naismith]

In 1995, Hakeem played more minutes per game than Robinson. This was true for both the regular season and the postseason.

I got these data from bkref (http://bkref.com/tiny/l5RCO) :

1995 Robinson: 38.0 MPG (RS), 41.5 MPG (PS)

1995 Hakeem: 39.6 MPG (RS), 42.2 MPG (PS)

Right, but that was a note in a larger point about how big a load Robinson had to carry. There's a bigger argument there about how Robinson's overall motor, and his offensive and defensive usage were superior to both Hakeem and Shaq.

Also I hope this isn't your main reservation in comparing these two.

By "superior" usage, do you mean less usage or more usage?

From the bkref link I posted above:

1995 Robinson USG%: 29.9% (RS), 29.8% (PS)

1995 Hakeem USG%: 31.7% (RS), 35.9% (PS)

[Quotatious]

Ballot #1 - LeBron James '09

Ballot #2 - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar '77

Ballot #3 - Wilt Chamberlain '64

LeBron will remain my top pick until he gets voted in. I have a lot of faith in him and feel pretty comfortable evaluating him. Arguably the GOAT statistical regular season AND playoffs, even despite the fact that he didn't win a championship that year.

It's not the case with Kareem and Wilt. I mean - I don't feel nearly as comfortable evaluating them (especially Wilt), but based on the knowledge that I do have, the are my #2 and 3 candidates here.

1977 Kareem is pretty similar to 2009 LeBron, in the sense that both guys led mediocre teams to a great record, and got eliminated in the playoffs despite a GOAT level individual performance. LeBron was just better based on boxscore, and it also seems likely that his non-boxscore impact was higher. Even in the playoffs - LeBron at least led the Cavs to two wins against the Magic, while Kareem's team got swept in the WCF against the Blazers. It's certainly not his fault, but all those games (except for game 1, which Portland won by 12) were very close, decided by less than 5 points, so KAJ could've done a bit better job closing out those games.

I'm going with '64 Wilt instead of '67, because that year is really more representative of what Chamberlain really was as a player. Terrific defensive season, too. I think that's the best he ever was as a two-way player, and already had more balance as an offensive player in '64, compared to '62 or '63. His team was still below average offensively, but I don't think you can always blame a superstar for that. Just like Dwyane Wade led below average offenses at his peak in '09 and '10, but every other measure indicates that he was an absolutely elite offensive force.

Also, Chamberlain didn't decline in the playoffs in '64. Even when faced Russell in the playoffs, he still averaged 29.2 on above average (at that time) 51% TS (Russell was obviously going to affect Wilt's offensive numbers, he's the best defender of all-time by a solid margin, but Chamberlain's numbers were still very good). His overall playoff numbers that year are about the same as his regular season numbers.

I think that Wilt's supporting cast in '67 was FAR superior to the team he had in '64. That gap is even bigger than the gap between LeBron's '09 and '13 teams. Even just having a star offensive player like Hal Greer is a big difference. Not to mention Luke Jackson, Chet Walker, Billy Cunningham and Wali Jones.
Offensively, Wilt had even worse teammates than Kareem had in '77. It's not much of a surprise that they were below average offensively as a team.

That being said, contrary to what stats like WS would tell you, I think there's a bigger gap between Wilt and Kareem on offense (in Kareem's favor) than on defense (in Wilt's favor). Trying to measure defense based on DWS is IMO wrong. It's not a great defensive stat. Wilt had two seasons with 10+ DWS, while players like Olajuwon, Robinson, Mutombo, Ben Wallace, Duncan, Garnett, never even had 9.0 DWS in a single season (well, Wallace had, once, in 2004, when he had 9.1), and I'd take all of them over Wilt as defenders.
Abdul-Jabbar was clearly more efficient, both in absolute and relative terms, and their scoring average per 100 possessions was pretty much the same (both averaged about 33 ppg per 100 poss., but Kareem shot 60.8% TS in the regular season, and 64.6% in the playoffs, not to mention that he raised his scoring average from 26.2 to 34.6 in the playoffs - that's a huge improvement considering that his efficiency went up quite a bit, too). Kareem was at +9.7 over league average in the RS (and +13-15% in the playoffs), Wilt was at +5.2. That's a clear difference in KAJ's favor.

[E-Balla]

Hakeem is another interesting one, and I’m not sure how to contextualize his offense. I don’t think his defense was on the level of David, and as I’ve explained David was a ridiculous offensive player in his own right. hakeem’s offensive impact looks terrible in his later years, and I don’t think it’s a stretch to say it wasn’t all THAT in his peak years.

I'm afraid I need more evidence to be convinced that 1995 Robinson > 1995 Hakeem.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hW4uXlRGAF0[/youtube]

This is video with cherry-picked clips and narrative designed to put a particular spin on the story.

I think Dr Spaceman addressed a lot of this series pretty well already (I'll highlight the portions I find particularly relevant):

What about his playoff performance?

Yes, it is an issue, although how big I’m not sure. When we talk about Robinson in the playoffs really his big flaw was that he didn’t have a back-to-basket game, and thus had really no way to create reliable offense. Teams that sent aggressive help could stifle his dribble attacks, and he didn’t have many counters.

That’s not to say he wasn’t effective in the playoffs; on the contrary, he put up 25/12/3 in his 1995 playoff run. His efficiency wasn’t great, but for a guy who gets murdered for his performance this year there’s really nothing supporting that. Even in the series against Hakeem he put up 24/11/3… where exactly is this reputation coming from?

Look, I’ve brought this up a little bit before, but look at the dude’s usage level on offense. And think about the role he played on defense. And now think about the fact he averaged 42 MPG in the playoffs after averaging 38 in the regular season, and consider that his peers Hakeem and Shaq were notorious for taking regular seasons off. Is his playoff run starting to make a bit more sense now?

And let’s not sugar coat this: Robinson’s cast was BAD. His best teammte in 1995 was Sean Elliot. Ive pulled up a comparison to give you an idea of who exactly Elliot was as a player:

http://bkref.com/tiny/sLYXM

Again, this is Robinson’s best teammate. What about Rodman, you say? Dennis Rodman played 49 games total this season, and started ony 26. During the offseason,he was arrested twice: once for carrying a loaded shotgun with an “introverted note” (he denies it was a suicide attempt) and again after he drove a motorcycle while intoxicated and sustained serious injuries.

Hell, Rodman can tell his story of the 1995 season far better than I can:

It started to fall apart in the Western Conference Semifinals against the Lakers. In Game 3 of the series, which we lost, I came out of the game in the second half and took my shoes off on the sideline. This was no different than most other games. I didn't see a place for me to sit, so I lay down to the press table that ran behind the baseline. So there I was, shoes off, towel over my head, kicking back watching the game.
Then, during a time-out, I didn't get up. I didn't join the huddle. I sat where I was, watching.
I didn't play any more in that game. Nothing was said to me; I guess it was just supposed to be understood that I wasn't going back in. After we lost that game, we still led in the series, two games to one, and the Spurs decided to suspend me for Game 4. They said the suspension was for "insubordination". Then, after we won that game, they decided I wasn't going to start Game 5.

Players started deciding I wasn't worth the trouble, that the team would be better off without me.

The Rockets went seven games to beat the PHoenix Suns, and the last game of that series was May 20, two days after we finished off the Lakers. I wanted to go to Las Vegas during that time off, so I did. I went with my friend Dwight Manley and Mike Silver, an reporter from Sports Illustrated. This, of course, drove everyone crazy. They didn't know where I was, and they were worried that I'd just bailed on the team.
Jack Haley called me in Las Vegas and told me everyone was panicking. He told me I had to get back to San Antonio that Saturday Night, May 20, to attend a team dinner with everybody and their wives. Then Bob Hill called and told me I better be there - or else.

They asked me to guard Olajuwon, and I refused. Bob Hill came up to me and asked if I would take Hakeem in the first half, and I said no

.

David asked me for help, and I told him right to his **** face, "I am not going down there." I was not going to help him.
They asked me to double-team Olajuwon, and I refused.

so they'd throw it out to the shooter - Horry - and he killed us on three-pointers. We made Horry a star in that series.

Guess who was guarding Robert freaking Horry?

look, I’m not going to say Robinson doesn’t deserve some criticism for that series. But that’s become the series that defined his entire career, and that’s entirely unfair, considering he didn’t play badly, and he was simply one of many, many problems for that team, which frankly far overachieved for its talent level. Olajuwon was brilliant, of course, but not so much so that it should be the end-all be-all.

Let’s take a step back for a second and evaluate Robinson’s role again: he was carrying a devastatingly heavy role. he was rocking Michael Jordan levels of offensive usage in addition to performing his duties as one of the greatest defensive anchors we’ve ever seen. The Spurs had no perimeter players save Elliot who could create a shot from the perimeter, and Elliot wasn’t even good. Rodman was a soul-destroying monster who openly sabotaged the coach and team. And Robinson found himself right in the middle.
I don’t think you’ll find another example of a player carrying that kind of load, and I don’t think it’s close. So when we talk about Robinson’s offense and his playoff struggles, we should be boiling this down to one key point: he simply wasn’t good enough to drag a team to a title playing the role of Michael Jordan on offense and Bill Russell on defense.
How do you feel about criticising him now?

Also, if we're comparing '95 versions of both, I'd note a couple other rs tidbits:

Robinson
29.1 PER, .273 WS/48, +8.4 BPM
RAPM (colts18's data): +7.42

Olajuwon
26.0 PER, .181 WS/48, +5.3 BPM
RAPM: +4.47

'95 Rockets DRtg: -0.9 to league avg (12th of 27 teams)
'95 Spurs DRtg: -2.9 to league avg (5th of 27)

Here's some postseason (aka the season that matters) tidbits:
Olajuwon
43.5 mpg, 35.3ppg, 12.5rpg, 5.0apg, 59 TS%, 111 ORTG

Robinson
41.7mpg, 23.8ppg, 11.3rpg, 2.7apg, 55 TS%, 106 ORTG

Rockets numbers without Hakeem
131/318 (41.2%), 43/125 from deep (34.4%), 52.3 TS%, 46 TOVs, 63.7 ppg, Hakeem contributed at least 10 ppg of that from assists.

Spurs numbers without DR
171/379 (45.1%), 23/70 from deep (32.9%), 51.8 TS%, 52 TOVs, 73.5 ppg, David contributed at least 5.3 ppg of that from assists.

Outside of Horry most of the Rockets played at a lower level than usual and Elliot, Avery, and Doc all played greater than usual.

[Jim Naismith]

I think there's a bigger gap between Wilt and Kareem on offense (in Kareem's favor) than on defense (in Wilt's favor).

I've heard that old Wilt held young Kareem to .460 FG% while shooting .520 FG% himself.

Anyway, comparing Wilt to Kareem is like comparing LeBron to Durant.

Kareem/Durant is "longer" and thinner in build and the better shooter (definitely) and scorer (arguably).

Wilt/LeBron is stronger, bulkier, and the better all-around player: better rebounder, better defender, better passer (arguably).

The LeBron-Durant gap is sizeable. The Wilt-Kareem gap is smaller, but I believe still in favor of Wilt.

[E-Balla]

Hakeem is another interesting one, and I’m not sure how to contextualize his offense. I don’t think his defense was on the level of David, and as I’ve explained David was a ridiculous offensive player in his own right. hakeem’s offensive impact looks terrible in his later years, and I don’t think it’s a stretch to say it wasn’t all THAT in his peak years.

What makes you say this? Hakeem + Kenny + Thorpe led a top 6 offense in 93 (while having a defensive team overall). The 95 Rockets were 7th in offense. Hakeem led some pretty good regular season offenses in his career and better postseason offenses than David Robinson even with a similar lack of talent. That 94 Rockets team was not very special but Hakeem was.