Lordy, I just saw Shaq went for 61 and 23 last night, those numbers are impressive. Hakeem's block on KJ was about the single most incredible defensive play I have seen. But Shaq's on Mobley last year was not only awfully as well but was the deciding play of a playoff game as well. Not that Dream's wasn't meaningful too, if I remember correctly it was in the second half of a close game 6 or 7.
Almu, I agree that Shaq is not the player that Hakeem was. On thinking on your comments, Hakeem might have been the best defensive player to play, ever. I guess Russell has an argument too, but Hakeem would get his fair share of steals as well, rare for a big guy. He was certainly far better in his peak than Mourning or Mutumbo in their peak, though those guys are still outstanding. Defensively (considering blocks and rebounds), Shaq is pretty close to Mourning and Mutumbo though (remember his block of Mobes in last year's series and generally steady performances). Further, even during Hakeem's best years, the single guy who could give him the most trouble was probably Shaq. In the playoff series from 1994-1996, Shaq did light years better against Hakeem than Robinson did, and somewhat better than Ewing did, who were the other best centers during that period. So Hakeem is maybe the best center of all time and definetly the best center to play in the last 15 years, but Shaq is the clear choice as the next most dominant during that period. Peace, SS
The best quote I can remember reading about Hakeem in his prime was from Jordan: "He has the skills of a guard in the body of a forward." I don't know is Jordan was trying to allude to Hakeem's physical size, but he wasn't about muscling opponents, but quickness and finesse. Check out his year-on-year stats to be reminded of how amazing he was. Look at the FG% of a player that was the go-to guy. Steals, blocks, boards, points, decent FTs, great shooting percentage. Jeez, how come Dream wasn't getting like 7 assists a game? Give the ball up!
