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The Knicks’ center Patrick Ewing is an intimidator. On the court in pre-game warm-ups before game three he looked mean, aggressive, and anxious to get things going. He was stalking the game like a wounded tiger.

I felt very calm. Even though it was a big game I was extremely relaxed. I had gotten my rest, eaten my pre game pasta, gotten some sleep, and when I came to the floor I found I had a lot of energy. It’s a mystery; some days you have it and some days you don’t. Some days you look for that spark and you can’t find it; you do everything right but it’s not there. But that day in warm-ups I was active and flexible and loose. I felt the power. I knew it was there. That day I felt so confident, and the confidence gave me calmness. I didn’t show it, I didn't do some super slam through the net, I just jumped happily by myself. Only once I took a layup and went way, way above the rim and let the ball fall straight down through the hoop. I felt so light. The more I warmed up, the more I felt charged, on a higher level.

I saw Patrick and I accepted the challenge. This was going to be a battle and I was not about to wait for his attack. I attacked him.

Someone on my team shot the ball and when Patrick went for the rebound it went over his heard and came right into my hand. He turned around. We had an even start.

I squared up on him and began driving right. The key to blocking that move is to cut me off; Patrick has to cut me off or I am going straight to the basket. But that was a set up. I wanted him to cut me off and think he had shut me down. As soon as he moved to his left I spun around him, a reverse pivot before he could react. That’s when I use my quickness and speed. I was by him in a flash. Anyone coming from the weak side had no chance because by the time they could get there I’d already be coming down. I went in untouched and slammed the ball home.
The crowd, even the Madison Square Garden crowd, went absolutely wild.

It was one of my best dunks ever. A highlight-reel dunk. It was spectacular and I felt so good running down the court. You know the feeling, when you’re out there, when you've done something out of the ordinary. I played it down but I felt good! As I ran past the Rocket bench my teammates were up and shouting, “Major-League! Major-League move!”

Spoiler:

This was the dream match-up I had thought about since I first saw Patrick play in college, when he was at Georgetown and I was at the University of Houston. This was going to be the most difficult task and I wanted to enjoy it and be competitive and respond. Whether we were losing or winning I was going to challenge every one of Patrick’s shots. Always challenging, always a battle.

For my entire career the Rockets played New York only two games each year, one in Houston and one in the Garden. Now that we had time to play each other on a consistent basis, we really got to know one another’s games and feel comfortable on the floor.

Patrick and I became familiar with each other’s moves. Every center has a hook shot that’s his trademark. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s hook began in his legs; when he took his giant step he went away from you and when he rose up there was nothing you could do about it. Patrick has a running hook shot. He puts his head down, dribbles to his left, rams his shoulder into you, and shoots. He is so quick and strong that he can go right over or through most centers in the league. It has been effective for him all season long.

But when Patrick takes his hook he takes baby steps, he’s not covering ground. I found Patrick’s move could be taken away if I stayed in his way, stuck my chest out and challenged him. He would bounce off me to one side or the other, and because he was not covering ground I could catch up with him. He could be stopped.

Early in the series I would look for that move. I waited for it, and every time he shot his hook I would challenge it. As the series went on he knew I knew that move and he used it less and less. But when Patrick was frustrated and struggling, when he just wanted a basket, he would go to it.

On Patrick’s turnaround jump shot I played right up in his face. If he jumped low he would get it blocked, so he had to jump high every time and it was a tough shot to make. I didn't mind him taking that because I knew he wouldn't make too many of them.

But Partick is a smart player. He found one weak point in our defense and he milked it. He and Knicks guards John Starks and Derek Harper began really working the pick and roll.

Starks or Harper would bring the ball to the top of the key or slightly to the side. Ewing would come by and pick off their man and then explode to the basket, and I had to make a decision. Either I stayed with Ewing or I went out and helped with the guard. If I went out and helped, Ewing spotted up in the corner for an open jump shot and when the guard passed him the ball I had not time to get there. If I stayed with Ewing, Starks or Harper went directly for a layup. I’d rather give up a jump shot than a lay-up, so Ewing was always open in the corner and hit it. They were very smart; they used that play over and over again. With me challenging Patrick’s inside game, that jump shot was how he got most of his points. Every once in a while he would power inside and make a tough shot, but he was not going to win this series like that. Reporters criticized him for taking outside shots and not working inside, but that was his best shot in the series and he was smart enough to recognize it and maximize it.

When the game is on the line and the ball is in your hands, you have three choices: You can win it, you can tie it, or you can lose it. John Starks was going to kill us with a three. He had already hit five of eight three pointers that night. He didn't want to tie the series, he was going to end the series. He was going for the most dangerous. He had no conscience.

The biggest mistake the Knicks made was letting Patrick set the pick, trying to free Starks for his jump shot. I was guarding Patrick and that brought me close to the ball. If Knicks power forward Charles Oakley had set the pick, our power forward Otis Thorpe would have been there instead of me. I understood the Knicks’ thinking: they wanted to get Ewing close to the ball for the pick and roll, their most effective play.

We were prepared. In our huddle, Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich had said, “Switch everything! Switch everything!” I was going to take the shooter, and the team would rotate to cover Ewing.
But when Ewing started to set the pick I switched only halfway, I didn't go all the way to Starks. If they gave the ball back to Ewing I wanted to be close by.

The distance I gave Starks looked like it was too much for me to make up. The Knicks’ Pat Riley, an excellent coach, had called the right play and they had executed it perfectly. Starks got separation. He looked wide open.

But he wasn't wide open, he was still within my range as a shot blocker. I knew I could recover. I wanted to be close to Ewing – I didn't want Patrick to beat us – but one step and a leap straight up and I had Starks.

Still, Starks is the kind of player who can adjust. If the ball was still in his hands and I leaned and he saw me coming, he would give it to Ewing. I would be out of the picture and Patrick would have the championship on his fingertips. Also, with the amount of space I had given Starks, I couldn't meet the ball in his hand. I had to hit it at an angle after he released it. I had to meet the ball in flight.

I made sure Starks was taking the shot before I leaped, but as I was flying toward him I slipped. I was out of control. He had me stretched out completely.

I deflected the ball! It took everything – luck, experience as a shot blocker, destiny – for me to make that play. The ball never got to the rim. The game was over. The series was tied 3-3. Houston went wild.

acrossthecourt wrote:

So it's mainly Bird versus Hakeem at this point.

Purch wrote:Karl Malone needs more traction here

Purch wrote:Karl Malone needs more traction here

Chuck Texas wrote:

acrossthecourt wrote:

So it's mainly Bird versus Hakeem at this point.

Hmmmm. In the past year on the board we've discussed Bird v Dirk and it was actually really divided. So that would bring Dirk in which brings in KG which brings in David Robinson and so on. Not to mention Oscar, West, Kobe, Mailman, Doctor J should all start gaining traction.

I think we should stop attempting to define the debate for everyone. It may well come down to Bird v Dream, but we aren't doing the project a service by rushing to that conclusion without considering more players.

Chuck Texas wrote:

acrossthecourt wrote:

So it's mainly Bird versus Hakeem at this point.

Hmmmm. In the past year on the board we've discussed Bird v Dirk and it was actually really divided. So that would bring Dirk in which brings in KG which brings in David Robinson and so on. Not to mention Oscar, West, Kobe, Mailman, Doctor J should all start gaining traction.

I think we should stop attempting to define the debate for everyone. It may well come down to Bird v Dream, but we aren't doing the project a service by rushing to that conclusion without considering more players.

RSCD3_ wrote:Can someone voting for bird help quantify why his offense was so good that it bridged the gap between Hakeem's impact on defense and his above average offensive game as well


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RSCD3_ wrote:Can someone voting for bird help quantify why his offense was so good that it bridged the gap between Hakeem's impact on defense and his above average offensive game as well


Sent from my iPhone using RealGM Forums

Doctor MJ wrote:I think that overall, Garnett was used more wisely in his career,

Case for Hakeem from previous thread. Hasn't got the respect he deserves so far imo. Better all-around player than both Shaq/Duncan (Shaq/Duncan without their flaws = Hakeem), peaked higher than Duncan and arguably in the same tier as Shaq, better playoff performer individually than both of them to me. Didn't have the advantage of having great coaches like them (when he did, he delivered), didn't have half the talent Shaq played with (W-L record of their teams without them is very telling, much less the roster personnel), faced stiffer competition than them at not only his position but in the teams he beat/faced (that's one area where I lose respect for Duncan).

Re: Hakeem

His 80s career is a bit underrated. He didn't have the team game down like he did in the 90s, possibly because of how late he learned the game, but still, he was a monster.

'85 - improves lottery team to the playoffs, Rockets go from one of the worst defenses in the league to 4th best (though he was a lousy post defender early on in his career imo).

'86 - improves Rockets to 51 wins (would have been more if he didn't miss 14 games). The only time anyone took down the 80s Lakers in a 7 game series before they got to the finals. Averaged 31 ppg on 52 FG%, 58 TS% in that series, and lots of blocks and rebounds (missing some boxscores). Played well against what was probably the greatest team ever in the '86 Celtics while most of his team shrank particularly Sampson. The guy showed by just his second year he could take down all-time great teams, lead his team to the finals when given a proper cast.

'87 - The promising team around him begins to fall apart. Mitchell Wiggins and Lewis Lloyd got suspended for doing coke, Sampson played only half the season and was limited even when he was on the court. Sampson and him played for the first time in almost 3 months when the playoffs started. What he did in these playoffs was very underrated IMO, 29/11/3/4 on 66 TS% (!) over 10 games (in under 39 mpg). Upset the Blazers in the first round, only game they lost in that series was the one where he got in foul trouble and the Rockets got outscored 27-12 in the quarter. Then came the Sonics (who came off beating the 55 win Mavs team), he played/shot well in every game. His ONLY bad game was game 4 where he was limited to 27 minutes due to foul trouble. Ellis was on fire and then Chambers came on late, Rockets were outgunned. In the elimination game he had 49/26/5/6 on 19/33 shooting, including scoring 17 of the last 25 points for the Rockets.

'88 - He put up the highest PER ever in the playoffs albeit only over 4 games. I've only seen two games from the series, and can't begin to comment on how poorly the guards shot (Sleepy played well in game 2, that's it, his other three games were horrific). Hakeem put up 34/14, 41/26, 35/12 and in the elimination game 40/15 @ 57 FG% (64 TS%) for the series. These numbers are nuts. Lost to the same team that took LA to 7 games in the next round.

His career did hit bit of lull under Don Chaney, which IMO is the biggest reason his career didn't turn out even greater than it was. The chuckers on the team got too much control of the offense, ball ran through Hakeem way less until Rudy T came in and then we saw Hakeem's talent truly shine from '93-'97. His prime stretch from '93-'95 is one of the five greatest primes for me, comparable to just about anyone. Any time the playoffs rolled around, he almost always brought his A game.

In his prime he was literally the perfect player to build around. Monster defender who guaranteed you a top defense in the league, 30 points a night, great decision making and passing ability that the ENTIRE offense was built around (no one on Houston was good at creating their own shot, they depended so much Hakeem's presence), unstoppable one on one scoring against any one (most double teamed big I've seen after Shaq), high bball IQ and quick decision making (this is what made him go to the next level in '93, his decision making became amazing, most centers don't act quick enough), not a liability in crunch time like many other centers, ability to outplay anyone put in front of him and an absolute ASSASSIN in big games (MJ like nerves and killer instinct, the man would just not go away).

The reason why many people think so highly of him because at his peak, he left you nothing to criticize because he did everything, won every big game, performed HUGE on the biggest stage, faced stiff competition and outplayed everyone. Did it like MJ did from ’91-’93, played in a way that left no doubt in anyone's mind. Now people are acting like putting Hakeem in the highest of highest leagues is revisionist history or overrating him, but take a closer look, the man played THAT well.


- '93, is when he took his game to another level. Improves his passing game and decision making tremendously as the ball begins to run through him more and more (new coach). Averaged 26/13/4/4 on 53% in regular season. In the playoffs, after killing the Clippers (check out what he did against them in the do or die game 5, he was EVERYWHERE, put up 31/21/7/3/3). Averaged an amazing 26/14/5/5 in the playoffs. Was on course of taking down the much more talented Sonics team in game 7 (made many crucial clutch plays) before his team kind of got screwed at the end of the game (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ax9n6JJgq-E) with bad calls. He was second in MVP, above MJ, should have been MVP. Here's Hubie Brown talking about how MJ and Hakeem were playing above everyone else that season: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9-Y1fo-jJs (this is for people who think Hakeem wasn’t in the conversation as the best player in the league before ’94).

- '94 Hakeem averaged 27/12/4/4 on 53%, won MVP, DPOY, Finals MVP and led a pretty average (though built well around him) roster to 58 wins and a ring. Team was down 0-2 to the Suns, and the Rockets needed to win the next two on the road against them to even stay in the series, Hakeem goes out and averaged 27/14/7/6 on 60+% in those games. Ended his playoff run by outplaying Ewing by a large margin and willing Rockets to win the title with a great finals series (after they were down 3-2 as well).

- '95 Hakeem had the most impressive playoff run ever to me, yes, even more impressive than any of Jordan's runs because I don't know if even MJ could have pulled off what Hakeem did. He saved the Rockets over and over again (with assist from the role players of course). His team slipped in the seeding because they dropped a lot of games when he was injured which only made his competition in the playoffs that much tougher.

- First round, they had to beat a 60 win Malone/Stockton Jazz team (FIRST round). Hakeem averaged 35 ppg on 57% in that series, had a 40 point game to save the team from elimination, then in the do or die game he went on the road, began hitting impossible baseline fadeaways and willed them past the Jazz.

- Second round, he had to beat the 59 win KJ/Barkley Suns. Rockets went down 3-1, didn’t have HCA but Hakeem comes back and drops 30/12/6 in the final three games (two of them on the road), to lead them to the next round. And with the season on the line in game 5, it was him who made the clutch shot to send the game to OT.

- Next up, 62 win Spur team, with the MVP and Hakeem’s position rival, D-Rob. Needless to say, we all know what he did to D-Rob in that series, "bamboozled him", dropped three 40+ point games against the league MVP and DPOY, and a 39/17/5 game to eliminate the Spurs.

- In the finals, it was Shaq/Penny’s Magic team. Came up big when the games were on the line, I thought he outplayed Shaq in the crucial stretches of the games and led the sweep of the Magic.

That’s the highest combined W-L record any player has had to face on route to a championship and Hakeem took them down one after the other. He beat the four best teams in the league in the same playoff run. The margin of error was so low, he HAD to deliver in every series, could absolutely not have a bad game and he came through...every...single...time. Factoring in competition, the fact he put up 33/10/4.5/3/2 on 53%, clutchness, stepping up in key games, outplaying opponents, this to me is the greatest individual playoff run by a player ever. Not MJ, not KAJ, not Shaq, not Bird no one had to deliver like that to win a championship.

Those three years he faced elimination 10 times, and led the Rockets to a 9-1 record (Russell-esque) in those games and here is a sample of what he did in those games:

31/21/7/3/3
23/17/7/3
37/17/5/3
25/10/7/3
40/8/3
33/10/4
31/16/3
30/8/10/5
29/11/4

If you value primes and playoff performance highly (two most important things for me personally), he has a very good case for top 5. You need to watch him play, need to see the situations he confronted, how he played on a game by game basis, how immensely valuable he was to his teams (from '92-'96, Rockets were 7-27 without Hakeem, lottery status without him and perennial contenders with him...Shaq's teams were never this bad without him).

colts18 wrote:I'm voting Hakeem. This graph is a big reason why.