What is Your Memory of Hakeem in 1986 Lakers Series

I couldn't find any stats from back then sorry hp.

I was only 7 when the Rocks played in the 86 Lak series so they only three things I remember. Sampson's shot, the fact we won the seires (and my hatred for the Celtics began) and the fact Hakeem looked like he wanted to fight everybody all the time.

 

when he fought Maurice Lucas and got tossed

 

I don't know about the whole series, but I saw the last game on ESPN Classic and Dream had 30 points (not sure how many boards). He looked OK at the beginning but dominated in the 3rd quarter (I think he had 17 points and 5 rebounds in the 3rd) and would have had an even bigger game, but he got thrown out midway through the 4th when he got into a huge fight.

 

I believe it was Mitch Kupcheck that he fought in Game 5 and got tossed.

 

I sure hope I don't remember anything since I don't even think I was born, yet. From watching clips, and classic games, I see a very skilled but young Hakeem. Suprised at how much he got angry. This just shows that people can change. GO HAKEEM!

Also, it was pretty cool watching Sampson,Magic, and Jabbar.

 

Didn't he have those dorky goggles?

 

Hakeem didn't wear the dork-goggles until after he got his eye busted up by Bill "Flying Elbows" Cartwright. I want to say that was in the late 80's/early 90's.

I seem to remember that interview with Magic. I also remember Riley after the series saying how he thought Houston had the makings of a dynasty. If only Ralph hadn't gotten injured and alcohol and cocaine didn't exist...

 

Was it in that series when he got the ball in the middle of the lane with Kareem on his back and he pivoted, ducked under Kareem's right armpit and made an off-balance fingerroll shot?

That was awesome. Better than MJ's acrobatic dunks.

 

The quote I remember was from Pat Riley after the Rockets won the series on Sampson's pretzel shot:

"Sometimes it takes luck to beat the world champions."

That quote pissed me off something good! Sure, Ralph's shot was lucky, but if he misses it the worst case scenario was that we go into overtime. Clearly it was much more than luck that had us up 3 games to 1 against one of the best teams of all time.

But yeah, I remember (H)akeem. I remember that he was so good that they sent Kupchak in to goad him in to a fight to get tossed. As SI wrote of the game when both Akeem and Mitch got tossed, "The Lakers got Manhattan, Houston got beads." And we still won.

But Akeem was unstoppable as I recall. It became his team during that series, and that was saying something since Ralph didn't suck yet.

 

They moved Ralph to center for that series to play against Kareem and Hakeem just ate up the Laker pf's. Both of those guys were awesome in that series and what most don't remember was Reid and Mcray were awesome on defense. Wiggins also became a player in that series. Lewis Lloyd in a perfect world would have been worried about his job the next year.
They missed Lucas in the Celtic series (no-one to right the ship) but Reid did a great job on Magic in the Laker series.

 

I remember that series I was so excited. Hakeem was mostly just raw talent out there, working and winning. He later refined his game to a science, but this was just him doing at all on mostly raw talent. I'm sorry he had that temper. Of course I would have wanted to fight Mitch, Lucas, Rambis et al. a few times myself.

 

Hakeem had a few post ups, but he played PF the entire series and he was a MONSTER on the offensive glass.

I remember Riley wrote on the blackboard before the games only one edict..

KEEP AKEEM OFF THE GLASS

It did not work, he was a monster on putbacks and rebound dunks.

DD

 

Dream sure whooped Mitch Kupcheck's butt :-D. Dream nailed him with a punch and Kupcheck fell :-D. Then the benches were going at it. I didn't seem it live because i was just turning 2 at the time, but I saw it on NBA TV. That was one of the best NBA fights ever.

 

yeah he decked him with that 1 puch he did, it was great...i hope griffin will be like that.

 

Go and rent that Hakeem Olajuwon highlight video "Hakeem the Dream" (most Blockbusters in Houston have it). You'll see in that video that he did have a lot of raw, nasty dunks in his early years, but you'll also see the beginnings of the dream shake. It was a very un-fluid baseline jumper that you first started seeing him use as early as his days at U of H. I remember him using it quite a bit in the Lakers series, too, but I could be wrong. I think I'm going to go rent that video again, too...

 

You don't know when you were born? Now, that explains a lot...