I never get tired of seeing that, can anyone else think of an MVP being dominated like that in the same series they got their MVP Trophy
"I don't know how I can say this with a straight face, but I thought I defended him pretty well." -- David Robinson on Hakeem's performance in the 1995 WCF
I remember that series so well. I watched the tapes I made over and over and over again for so long. It was unbelievable what Hakeem did to Robinson. What an embarrassing end to an MVP season!
David Robinson had a good year... but man did they make a big mistake by giving Dream's MVP to Robinson... Hakeem was head and shoulders above Robinson it wasn't even funny... in the end Dream got the trophy he wanted all along
One thing that kinda gets lost nowadays is how great Robinson was before that--this guy was a former DPOY & ROY in addition to MVP. He lead the NBA in scoring (scored 71 pts in a game), blocks, rebounds. He's even the US Olympic all-time leader in pts, rebs and blks...and Hakeem reduced him to ashes. I'm no Robinson fan but I admit going into that series was the only time I was ever worried that Hakeem might not get the better of his opponent (who happened to be a little taller/younger/faster/stronger) and Dream turned it into a shining moment to remember always. Robinson was crushed after that but to hear people talk like he was Shawn Bradley or something cheapens the victory!
This is dead on. To the majority of the media and fans Robinson was the better Center quite some time. Even immediately before this series many people outside of Houston still felt he was the better Center. What Dream did to him actually tainted his legacy and erased his name from the minds of many people who were ready to crown this guy one of the top 5 or 6 Centers of all time. Certainly, his back injury killed his chances of being mentioned with Wilt, Russell and Kareem but that beating he received from Dream was just as if not more more significant. I think D. Robinson gets a raw deal when it comes to recognizing how great he was.
I never got to see Dream play since I started following the Roxs after Yao joined. So why is Yao learning from Hakeem? Their game is totally different. Dream is non mechanical and fast which is the total opposite of Yao. Yao should be learning from guys like Shaq. Use his size and strength to his advantage.
I was on a business trip to NYC during that series. I had to find a bar in Tribeca to watch Game 1. I sat quietly in the corner while Dream went to work, By the end of the game, everyone in the bar was cheering for Olajuwon. They were just awestruck by his performance... and this after I heard a lot of disparaging comments at the beginning about how the Rockets should have never beaten the Knicks the year before. It was great.
