How Would the 93-94 Championship Team Fair In Today's NBA

Yes- with the lack of big men in the NBA today, Dream would look even that much better.

 

The magic of last year weren't much more than a "dominate" center and role players.

 

Yes of course. Dream would destroy any big man in today's game. Otis Thorpe would clean up whatever leftover boards that Dream didn't get and Kenny Smith, Vernon Maxwell and Cassell would have field days on the perimeter from teams trying double, triple and quadruple team Hakeem. And just for good measure Robert Horry would be there to bail us out in any close situation.

That 93-94 Rockets team beat some very good teams which also would have a chance to go the distance in todays game.

Knicks- Ewing, Starks, Oakley
Suns- Barkley, KJ, Majerle, Ceballos.
Jazz- Malone, Stockton, Hornacek
Blazers- Drexler, Porter, Robinson

 

Dream, Thorpe and Horry would easily be the best front court both offensively and defensively in the NBA.

 

Nice debate....

Let's see if we can break it down... The best teams to actually compete for the title this year in the NBA right now would have to be LA, Boston, Denver and maybe Orlando... Sorry Lebron fans, I just don't think they're ready yet...

Cavs.. Just for the heck of it... Very easy... 1 Man Ego Show... Mad Max.. 1 Man Ego Killer... Go ask Mike... Only 2 players were able to contain Jordan, Mad Max and Dumars.

Boston is old and wise, but Hakeem would eat Perkins alive and Thorpe, Horry and Elie could hold their own with Pierce and Garnett and the guard play is about even... Advantage Houston...

Orlando.. Basically an European style of play and would not be able to handle the banging of the Rockets team.. If Howard thought he had problems with Yao.. He would be calling Hakeem Daddy... Advantage Houston..

LA.... All I can is thise.. If they think they struggle against this group of Rockets.. The 93 - 94 team would beat the crap out of them.. again.. we have the ego killer.. Advantage Houston.

Denver... Now this is the only team that would actually give Houston a run for their money... The only problem with this team is that all the players are from the Arkham Asylum and you never know which team is going to show up... Houston would beat them down mentally... Advantage Houston..

So yeah, I think the 93-94 team would be able to take it all..

Basically the biggest difference between the current Rockets team and the 93 - 94 team is talent... They both play good defense, play as a team and play with HEART....

T_Man

 

Look at how much effect Mutombo (despite being 50) has on the floor when he played for the Rockets. His defensive presence and his rebounding abilities easily makes him a great asset.

Now, imagine a player that is faster and an even better defensive player than Mutombo, with offense as well. If Mutombo brings so much defensive presence even at his old age, you can only imagine what kind of presence Hakeem will have on today's NBA. Kobe and Lebron will not have an easy time in the paint.

 

That team provided the perfect model for how to build a team of role players around a central star. The only problem is that no one else can follow it in today's NBA because there is no equivalent Hakeem Olajuwon. I can't think of a single player in today's NBA that you could put in place of Hakeem on that 93-94 team and have them be anywhere near as competitive.

Unlike any current player he dominated both ends of the court with NO weaknesses. On offense he could create facing the basket, back to the basket, take anyone one-one, could score against double teams, hit open midrange jumpers, had a variety of hookshots, grab offenisve boards, hit fadewaways, finish in the paint, overpower defenders, slash to the basket for dishes. And when he absolutely couldn't get his shot off he'd just kick the ball out to one of our five quality three point shooters to knock it down. On defense his instincts were better and quicker than a guard's. His help defense around the basket was unparalleled. Easily one of the top five defenders in the history of the league.

So yeah, I don't think in today's NBA a team can win a championship built around a single superstar like the Rockets did simply because there's no current player like him. Many "stars" in today's game can only do one or maybe two things well and there's not a single player that can change the game on both end of the floor to the degree in which he did. In today's game Hakeem is basically the equivalent of two stars AND a solid role player all rolled into one...so yeah I guess you could say I think they could still win a championship in today's league. Sorry if I'm gushing, but talking about Dream tends to have that effect on me. :grin:

I also guarantee if you took this current team and put Hakeem in place of Yao (and with or without McGrady) we'd be a perennial favorite for the championship. Our current role players are very similar to that team but even better. I know this because there's no way in hell that 93-94 team would be winning as many games without Hakeem as the current Rockets are winning without Yao/McGrady/Superstar.

 

I dunno, the Sonics running a illegal zone really seem to affect Dream's game.

 

In fact, Michael Jordan is the only player in league history I would put on that Rockets team and still say they would have a chance at the title. (I'm assuming we'd replace Hakeem with a Maxwell equivalent center.) I really don't even think this is debatable, but I'd like to see someone try.

That's really the most air-tight argument you can make for calling Hakeem at least the second best player to ever play the game.

 

And we almost beat them in 7 games the year before (no Cassell).

 

So long as the refs call the game fairly, Dream and the crew would probably dominate. Especially if they were placed in the Eastern conference, in the west it would be harder but they would still be a playoff team.

 

What if the Rockets had the league's best player (the MVP)
AND
What if the Rockets had the best defensive player in the same year?

What if Kenny Smith, Sam Cassell, and Vernon Maxwell in 93-94 didn't have to deal with hand checking?

What if the Rockets didn't have any drama and played for each other? (he's talking about 93-94 for the Maxwell haters)

 

this should end this debate:

CARL HERRERA!!

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Just keep in mind that illegal defense (as it was defined in Dream's day) is long gone. He would be doubled before he even had the ball.

 

Yeah, they played him pretty well (illegally as you mentioned) and definitely better than anyone else. So my friends, here is Hakeem at his worst as evidenced by the per game stats in the 93 series vs. the Sonics:

22 ppg, 13 rbs, 51%FG, 4.3 blocks, 1.7 steals, 4.75 assists

 

If there was no hand checking and the other team solely concentrated on Dream (Phoenix Suns Game 3), Kenny Smith and Vernon Maxwell would be all stars.

Vernon dropped 35 points in the 2nd half, most of them on layups (I know the highlight reel shows all those 3 pointers).

Don't forget, early 90s Kenny Smith was a very quick player and the best % 3 point shooter in Rocket's history.

We need to keep the education of the CLUTCH CITY TEAM in tact and accurate. We will never forget!

 

Of course now the league seems to be even more quick with the whistles than they were at that time. I'd see Hakeem getting a lot more free throw attempts and/or teams simply not being able to body him up as much. You couldn't employ a foul strategy on him like Shaq or Howard because he shot around 75% from the line.

 

I love Dream as much as anyone.

I'm just saying, he would be doubled team before he got the ball. It would have to hurt his post-up effectiveness. The Zone has really hurt the big man's game, period. Yao should have played last decade.

 

Maxwell wouldn't be able to play defense by today's standards since the NBA neutered perimeter defense. PG's in this particular era are all quicker than the point guards on the great teams of the early 90's, not great news for Kenny Smith. Does Horry still start? The tall 3-man is pretty much a dead breed, Horry was never all that quick. Horry on Roy? I don't know... Elie would have to start. I still take the Rockets to win it all though. Kobe would dice us up though.