What if MJ never retired and the Rockets Played them in 94 and 95?

Extremely stupid question to ask...

 

roydelton's comment comparing pippen to olajuwon (is that even possible) is about the stupidest thing I've heard in while...but I haven't watched an episode of the anna nicole smith show yet.

 

Gotta love this revisionist history.

The East was a powerhouse in the Jordan era? Say WHAT?!?! The one time there was a dominant team in the East while Jordan was playing was Detroit, the team that used to kick the Bulls A$$es until they got old.

The West was loaded with the Rockets, Jazz (Stockton and Malone), Suns w/Barkley, Sonics, and even the Spurs with D Rob and Rodman for a couple of years. The only legit title contender besides Chicago in the East was NY.

And as for the poster who said that NY was taken to 7 by the Pippen led Bulls, that's very true, however NY also used to consistently take Chicago to 6-7 games WITH MJ around. Hell, that one year, they would have won the series if Charles Smith doesn't miss 5 straight point blank layups with a few seconds to play in the game. Teams with great C's (please no more stupid Mutombo or Zo comments, I said GREAT) gave Chicago trouble, that's just a fact.

Discrediting the Rockets because they nearly lost to NY doesn't fly because the Knicks gave Chicago as much hell as they gave Houston.

Also, as for comparing Ewing to Olajuwon based on stats, that's kind of like showing Hakeem's 95 stats vs. D Rob's and saying "see, same player." Anyone who saw Olajuwon completely outclass Ewing in the 94 finals knows who the better player was. It wasn't even close. Swap Hakeem and Ewing and the Knicks of the 90's beat Chicago at least a couple of series IMO.

As for the Pippen vs. Olajuwon "debate" the poster who said that is just a flat out moron. Go back to your idol worship of MJ, the "basketball God"

 

I don't know about the 94 team but the 95 one could have defenatly beat them. The reason I am not sure about the 94 team is because the Knicks took us to 7. And the Bulls with Jordan are better then the Knicks. But the 95 team was a team of destiny. Nothing was going to stop that team. I din't think any team in NBA history could have beaten the 95 Rocket team.

 

Olajuwon made David Robinson his B!tch during the playoffs. And he outplayed both Patrick Ewing and Shaq in the finals. Pat was on his prime and Shaq back then was already a great player. All this centers Olajuwon outplayed were really good defensive players. What makes you think the bulls had a chance. Dream would of destroyed the bulls averaging 45+ points per game.

 

I just wish the Rockets were able to answer this question once an for all in 97. That could have been the best year/season in this franchise's history... they started that season detonating an H-bomb on the league. Later, after cooling off, but still being second best in the league, they slapped the Bulls at home after taking a good beating in Chicago. It was just a whoopass lineup. Injuries were my first excuse, but I never really figured out what kept that team from returning to the way it started later in the season and in the playoffs... I wanted more than ever before or after for them to win it all that season though, as I knew it'd be their last chance for a while, and maybe woulda silenced some of the 94, 95 haters (sure it was a different team, but still, it would command attention). If they at least woulda made the finals, it woulda been a matchup for the ages. I'm a huge Rox fan, and would love to say the Rockets coulda won anyway those years, but I have no idea. But DAMN! Why didn't they finish the job in May 97 they started in Nov. 96!?

I HATE YOU JOHN STOCKTOOONNN!!! (and Malone)

 

I should add something though. The Rockets did have in all those years (94, 95, and 97) the player who many of the sport's analysts and announcers (and me) consider one of the best and hardest-working defenders of the league, most notably on MJ. Mario Elie. No, no one would shut Jordan down, but it coulda maybe made things a little more interesting. If it ever came down to the wire, though, I'm sure the officiating would see the Bulls prevail...

 

I thought Hakeem almost lost to Ewing too once. To bad John Starks missed 8 straight shots.

1996 Obviosly Hakeem hasn't made Ervin Johnson his b****. Luc Longley went over Ewing, Mourning, O'Neal and Erin Johnson that year.
This won't show us f-ckin nothing, but I'm here to point that, and you aren't.

1997 Hakeem went over Ervin Johnson, but couldn't pass by Greg Ostertag. Longley survived Muresan, Mutombo, Mourning and Ostertag battle.

1998 Hakeem went over nobody that year, being stoped once again by Ostertag makes me laugh. Longley again won his championship against Jayson Williams, Divac, Smits and Ostertag.

Before 1994, the name Kevin Duckworth must make Olajuwon knees shaking.

1995 Hakeem became champion with total of 42 loses that season. He won it also in 1994 with 32 loses.

Jordan and Pippen
1994 - lost 31, before losing to Knicks (4-3) in eastern semi's.
1995 - 40, before falling to Magic (4-2) also in esatern semi's
1996 - 13, won their 4-th. Rockets had 39.
1997 - 17, won their 5th. Rockets had 32.
1998 - 26, won their 6th. Rockets had 43.

Yeah, Olajuwon IS more dominant player than Jordan. He won his titles by winning 55% of his games. What a player.

Pippen blocked 4 Elli's shots in a regular season game in 1996. He had 5 that game I think. He might have held Jordan 5 points less than anybody else, but still he would probably surrender 40+.
The question is how much he would have against Jordan, 5?

It's true that Longley never had more than 6 rpg, but it's also true that he never played more than a half game or 24 mpg.
Nevermind, Olajuwon having 10 and Barkley 13, cause the Rockets as a team were always among teams with smallest rebounding average.

 

I don't know if you can technically still count as a virgin since you have been doing sheep.

 

1. Yes, they both went 7 games with Ewing. You have yet to suggest how this fact has any significance or probative value one way or the other. Oh, John Starks missed some shots. Wow, so did Charles Smith.

2. 1996-98? Hey, if you read the title of the thread it says 94 and 95. Notice it does NOT say 96-98. The Rockets 96-98 teams were not championship teams. Oh, and by the way, if you think Hakeem was outplayed by Ervin Johnson or any of those other stiffs you mentioned, go back and look at the statistics and see who scored more points and got more rebounds. Something tells me that Gary Payton, Karl Malone, Stockton, etc. were the main reasons why the Rockets lost. So now Jordan is an inferior player to Nick Anderson because he lost to him in 1995?

3.

This is the single funniest thing I have ever read on this BBS. Nothing like a good old fashioned Muresan battle.

4. Nobody here ever said Olajuwon was a greater player than Jordan. I don't have to look at their regular season records to see that. You idiotically said Pippen was as good as Olajuwon.

Go ahead and voice your opinion but saying stupid **** like how Longley is/was better than Olajuwon is just being a jackass and asking for trouble.

 

Yeah, Greg Ostertag is the reason we lost to the Jazz...

There is no denying that Luc Longley would have been absolutely destroyed by Hakeem. I'm talking at least 33, 14, and 4(Blocks) every night.

 

roy, there's a homer and then theres you. it's reasonable to say that the bulls would have beaten the rockets. it's an opinion which i think is wrong but they were led by the greatest player ever. however the excuses that you come up with sure are assinine.

1. to say that hakeem was anything but one of the greatest centers to ever play is ridiculous. same goes for asking what has he done, or putting him in the same category as pippen. i'm not a bulls fan, but i can give mj his props. show some respect to the big guy.

2. so if you win the championship but have an average regular season you're no good? interesting, so i guess seattle was the real world champions last year in baseball. they did by far have the best record. does going through the 3 toughest teams in the league while being a road underdog say anything to you? well probably not, because the bulls didn't do it.

3. implying that longley is the reason why the bulls went through any of those teams or that ostertag is the man who stopped dream is, and i'm sorry for this, r****dED.

 

Dear Friends the answer to the Post is very simple. During these years Houston Rockets were the MASTERS OF THE BULLS, no arguements, no debates! I have all the tapes and I saw the games. Please dont waste space trying to show otherwise!

 

good thing that never happened cause then stockton and MAHLONE(dumb*ss) world be champs on technicallity

 

Damn, that would have been incredible. I don't think Vernon could have shut Michael down, but in his day, Max was an incredible athlete......he would have kept MJ under 25 avg for the series is my guess. And the Dream was absolutely unstoppable those few years.....I really think the Rockets would have prevailed.....no answer for Hakeem, contain MJ and the Rockets win the majority of the remaining match-ups...(especially coaching)

If We Couldn't Laugh, We Would All Go Insane....JB