For guys that watched the Dream..... how did it feel?

just like there will never be another jordan, there will never be a big man like dream. he moved like a freaking guard, it was freaky. he could cross other centers over, come out of nowhere to block a shot, and stole the ball like chris paul. just type "hakeem olajuwon block shots" in the youtube search bar and you will be amazed.

 

Do you guys remember how many layups guys used to miss because they were worried about Dream blocking them? It was like he actually blocked about four times as many shots as he got credit for, with all the misses on easy ones.

Remember the double jumps? Guys would get Olajuwon in the air with a pump fake, but he was so quick that we would land, take off again, and still block their shot. He could land and jump again before they could even raise the ball and shoot it.

Have you guys seen the video of him working with Yao this spast offseason? Dream at 45 years old was schooling Yao at 27 years old. He was trying to teach Yao to go quicker with his moves, but if you remember from early in the season, Yao was messing it up when he tried to go quickly. He had to go back to what he does - slow, plodding, predictable offensive moves - to be effective. Yao couldn't hold Olajuwon's jock strap, and Yao's a pretty good big man. This isn't a knock against Yao, it's just a testament to the Dream's greatness.

Dream at his peak would easily go up against Kareem, Russell, or Wilt at their peaks. If he had played in LA, New York, or Boston just think what the national media would be saying about him. He dominated the league in an era of centers.

 

How did it feel to watch Dream? A lot different than it does now, I can assure you. I am a die hard Rockets fan and I always will be, but when I watch Houston play a close game today and they need a basket, I get kind of nervous. You're just not sure what's going to happen....someone might make it, or they might end up taking a bad jump shot.
But back in the day, when Houston needed a basket....or a rebound, or a block or a steal, etc.....you just KNEW that Hakeem would come up with the big play. And most of the time, he did. There's just not many players that could do EVERYTHING, but he could. He really could.

I watched him from his second year in the league till the day he retired, and he's the greatest basketball player I've ever seen. Man, I miss watching him play. I really think you don't appreciate him till he's gone.
Whenever he stepped out on the floor, I knew that the Rockets had a great shot at winning whatever game they were playing. He was that good.

 

Wish I'd seen this earlier.

Don't know if this was mentioned yet:

All-Time Stats Leaders:
(Source at NBA.com)

Points
7. Hakeem Olajuwon

Rebounds*
11. Hakeem Olajuwon

Steals
7. Hakeem Olajuwon

Blocks
1. Hakeem Olajuwon

* - Dream was knocked out of the top ten in total rebounds relatively recently.

That means he was in the top ten out of four of the major statistical categories for his career. The #7 all-time in steals is the most amazing....and he was also only recently #6 all-time in that category. That's just amazing. There's no other center anywhere close to him. For a big man to do that, well, that's just insane.

Watching Dream was like watching no one else. While the rest of the world was talking about MJ and the Bulls, everyone in Houston knew we could beat them. And we did. Imagine that confidence that we had back then against one of the all-time greats in MJ. It was truly special....a guy that big chasing down guards full-court and blocking their s**t all over the place. He was just a beast.

Definitely one of the most complete players to ever play the game. It was a thing of beauty.

 

you speak for all of us 1999ers with this statement.

 

I was looking for a team to support rather than the Bulls because everyone in Oz was on Jordan. I started to support the Rockets after seeing highlights of Hakeem on the late news and the weekly highlight shows. I had never seen anyone like him, grace, quickness and just an uncanny sense of timing. Watching him run down and block shots the Rod Strickland lay up still blows my mind. One of a select few of athletes that i wish i had the pleasure of seeing live. I remember reading a basketball magazine with Hakeem and Jordan on the front with the question 'Who's better?' Made me realize what a talent Hakeem truly was. Drafted in front of Michael Jordan and nobody bats an eyelid about the decision.