Don't freak out, this isn't a 'who is better' thread because that's just a given. I just want to ask anyone out there how Dream faired against Deke. Outside Hakeem, Mutombo was the best defending center in the L, but i've never seen them play each other. Did Hakeem struggle against him at all offensively? Was Deke his toughest matchup?
Nope. The only person who gave Dream any trouble was Shaq. And even then, Dream won the battles. In Shaq's own words, he was the second-best center in the NBA (behind Dream). Dream ate Mutombo up and spat out the bones.
I'd say Mark Eaton was Hakeem's toughest matchup, simply because, Eaton was so damn slow, he couldn't react to Hakeem's jukes and jives so he just stood there. Hakeem would dream shake himself, left right up and down and Eaton would still be standing in the same place. Jame Donaldson could play Hakeem tough too, although not as much as Eaton. I think Hakeem had some of his career lowest scoring games against Eaton.
Yea... I remember that. That makes me wonder how the younger Hakeem would fair against Yao. We all know that Yao plays very well against Amare, and doesn't fall for all his fakes and can just stand there and block the shot when needed (and Amare is the closest thing to a young Hakeem that I can think of... although he's still light-years away in development from where Olajuwon was heading). I know the older Hakeem had a jump shot that was just too good to stop, but the younger one (while he still had a decent shot... better than Amare's is now), relied more on just raw athleticism and getting to the basket at will.
Dream did struggle in Denver but it wasn't because of Mt. Mutumbo it was because of the Rocky Mountains. He always had trouble breathing in Denver.
the toughest player i can remember on hakeem was adam eaton. however, the team i thought played dream the toughest overall was seatle with all their triple and quadruple teams coming from the weakside, which led to matt maloney having a huge playoff series, which led to his huge contract
I just talked to Hakeem and in his exact words he said, "Mutombo was never on my level, that fool couldn't hold me, you know who I am?!"
I remember Mark Eaton being the toughest (at 7'4" and 280 lbs, with long arms), but Dream figured him out later in his career and then abused him just like everyone else.
Hakeem also had problems with Shaun Bradley for the same reason. Hakeem's dismanteling of David Roberson in the playoffs was due to David's being almost as quick as Hakeem. 2 moves would give Hakeem enough of an opening to get the shot off.
I also remember Hakeem struggling against Eaton. Eaton was like a huge (and very long) immovable nose tackle who completely clogged up the middle. I was glad when he left the Jazz because of that knee injury (Wasn't it a knee injury that ended his career?). The fact he was a starting center for so many years shows you just how well he defended the paint since he was a zero on offense and didn't even rebound all that well. With today's defensive 3 second call he would be a scrub at best.
I don't see that as the reason. They didn't have zone defenses back then, so he must have been guarding somebody in which case defensive 3 seconds wouldn't be an issue. But the speed of the game today would give him a lot more trouble.
I also remember Sabonis giving Dream some problems too. Like Mark Eaton, Sabonis was too slow and just never went for Dreams fakes because his lack of quicks. Also strong as an ox..not as strong as Shaq, but not far behind.
Good point, but in reality, the zone defense existed in the NBA several years before it was made legal. Teams got away with "cheating" all the time. Eaton played in the early 80s to early 90s. Wasn't the NBA more of a speed game back then?
David Robinson was good and gave dream some difficulty. But we all knew what happened in the WC finals when the admiral was dubbed MVP. hahahahaha that was so sweet.
Mark Eaton was one of the reasons Hakeem began developing a jumpshot and an outside game. He couldn't overpower Eaton and Eaton was so tall at 7'4" and so wide at nearly 300 lbs. that Hakeem couldn't easily go around him because Eaton basically covered the paint. Hence, take it outside... and make him guard you out there where you can shoot a jumper over him before he got there or blow by him if he tried to get in your face.
The speed of the NBA back then was on the perimeter with guards like Fat Lever, Walter Davis, Johnny Moore, Magic running the break, John Stockton, etc. The centers were pretty much lumbering oafs like Artis Gilmore in his twilight years, Kareem towards the end of his career, Eaton, James Donaldson, etc., or just flat out not very skilled. The primary purpose of any non-star center back then was just to play defense and take the head off anyone that dared come inside. Mychal Thompson, Lasalle Thompson, etc. were more Hakeem's size, but didn't have the speed Hakeem did.
To be a Rocket fan in the 90s was like having the best poker hand at the table while everyone thinks you're bluffing. Hakeem is the best defensive force I've ever seen. He didn't only shut a player down, he shut a whole team down. Those who followed the Rockets know what I'm talking about. He had the best combination of speed, timing, strength, length, and endurance. Dikembe is pretty good but he doesn't have Hakeem's >>>RADIUS<<< of dominance...what I mean by that is that because of his feet he could cover more area to get the block. He was also the most prepared Big Man for that skill because he played soccer and handball as a kid. Also what is left out of the equation is that Hakeem didn't rest on offense and played in an era where zone defense was illegal. And don't forget the steals...and one more thing...the PRIDE...Hakeem is a very proud man...he never had a bad game on defense in his prime save for fouls...
