NBA myths: Hakeem "owned" Shaq in the 1995 Finals.

[riseagainst]

Olajuwon averaged 2.75 turnovers per game in that series.

Nice math, moron, and thanks for admitting that it's a legit point.

Edit: How cute, you deleted your post...

TonyMontana getting ethered.

[The Iron Fist]

Soe interesting info there...




Of course, aside from Colts18, whose take was right on...

Here were the REAL facts of that series...

Hakeem's teammates just ANNIHILATED Shaq's. Shaq averaged 6.3 apg in that series, and if his brick-laying teammates could have hit anything remotely close to a normal percentage, it would have been considerably higher.

Hakeem's TEAMMATES outshot Shaq's TEAMMATES from the field by a .467 to .434 margin. And it was even worse from the arc... .402 to .347.

Then, think about this...

Take Shaq and Hakeem's FT's MADE out of the equation (and BTW, Shaq MADE more...(24-18)...and Hakeem's teammates outscored Shaq's by a 78-37 margin in that series...or 41 points.

Now, in game one, Hakeem's Rockets beat Shaq's Magic, 120-118. We all know that Nick Anderson missed four straight FTs in the last 10 secs, but to add to that, take away Shaq's and Hakeem's made FTs, and the Hakeem's teammates outscored Shaq's by a 13-7 margin from the line.

How about game two? First of all, I get a kick out of those that claim that Hakeem outplayed Shaq in the first half, and that Shaq's 23 second half points were meaningless. the FACT was, Hakeem was a beaten dog in the second half. He was physically beaten to a pulp. Furthermore, had Shaq not gotten into some questionable foul trouble in the first half, the game might have been mych different. In any case, the Rockets won by 11 points, and Hakeem's teammates outscored Shaq's from the line, by a 28-9 margin.

Game three. More of the same. Houston wins 106-103...and Hakeem's teammates outscore Shaq's from the line by a 18-13 margin. BTW, Hakeem outscored Shaq, 31-28, but he went 14-30 from the field, while Shaq went 11-17. Pretty much the way of the entire series. Hakeem scored 4.8 ppg more in the seties, but took over 10 more FGAs per game to do so.

Game four. More of the same. Hakeem's teammates outscore Shaq's from the line by an 18-8 margin...in a 12 point win. This is the ONLY game in the series in which Hakeem outplayed Shaq.

And, don't forget that this was a 22 year old Shaq, playing against a Hakeem in his his absolute prime. Oh, and BTW, the Hakeem fans will never mention that a 26 year old Shaq just obliterated a 36 year old Hakeem a couple of years later in yet just another first round exit for Hakeem.

So basically, hakeems teammates carried him. Or does being carried only apply to certain players?

[The Iron Fist]

Hakeem didn't even "outplay" Shaq. I sat through and watched all of their possessions against one another. Hakeem was VERY ineffective when matched up against Shaq. He required TONS of help to defend him, he straight up couldn't handle Shaq at all and this guy is considered the top defensive center ever?

41% FG vs Shaq and 44 TS% vs him. That is Allen Iverson efficiency right there for a CENTER.

Hakeem exploited the matchup when Shaq wasn't on him. Good for him, but it just shows he couldn't handle Shaq straight up on either end of the court.



Good info all around. Surprised not to see bias since it says your from Houston.

Had no idea about that pay per view thing.

you were three years old in pampers with Shaq shoes on. Stfu.

[magic chiongson]

nick anderson & dennis scott happened

[Bigsmoke]

stats dont tell you the whole story

[The Iron Fist]

nick anderson & dennis scott happened

That's shaqs fault. He didn't make them better.

[millwad]

Hakeem's teammates just ANNIHILATED Shaq's. Shaq averaged 6.3 apg in that series, and if his brick-laying teammates could have hit anything remotely close to a normal percentage, it would have been considerably higher.

I've already made you look like a fool when discussing this series, I will do so again if you continue to write posts that are full of nonsense. First of all, Shaq had a great assist average in this series which Hakeem had as well.

The problem for Shaq was that he was extremely turnover prone, he averaged more than 5 turnovers per game which is the highest turnover average for any center in NBA history. Given it's you I am not surprised that you try to hide that fact. And it's funny, when Wilt got outscored with 23 points per game in the '72 playoffs Wilt had teammates that absolutely destroyed Kareem's but some how you never cared to mention that. You only say that Kareem got the worst beating of his life.

Bottom line, you're a clown.

Hakeem's TEAMMATES outshot Shaq's TEAMMATES from the field by a .467 to .434 margin. And it was even worse from the arc... .402 to .347.

Making 43% of the shots compared to 46% is not a big difference at all, laughable that you actually try to use this as an attempt to raise Hakeem's teammates to the sky. And it's not weird that the Rockets made more 3's, the Rockets players had wide open looks through-out the series. The former CBA player and usually called scrub, Mario Elie, averaged 16 points per game in that series because he was wide open all series long, all freaking series long. They focused too much on Olajuwon.

Then, think about this...

Take Shaq and Hakeem's FT's MADE out of the equation (and BTW, Shaq MADE more...(24-18)...and Hakeem's teammates outscored Shaq's by a 78-37 margin in that series...or 41 points.

Ehm, Shaq made 57% of his FT-attempts compared to Olajuwon's 67% and fouling Shaq is a much better option when he's wide open compared to Olajuwon because unlike Shaq, Olajuwon could make FT's.

And again, why are you so obsessed with the fact that Hakeem's teammates outscored Shaq's? Kareem's teammates got badly outscored by Wilt's in the '72 playoffs, much worse than Shaq's in this series but when it's about Wilt you couldn't give a rats ass.

Now, in game one, Hakeem's Rockets beat Shaq's Magic, 120-118. We all know that Nick Anderson missed four straight FTs in the last 10 secs, but to add to that, take away Shaq's and Hakeem's made FTs, and the Hakeem's teammates outscored Shaq's by a 13-7 margin from the line.

Don't try to break down the games, please. I already made you look like a clown because we know you actually haven't seen the series yet.

And what the hell are you talking about now, this nonsense doesn't make sense. And the Magic lost by 2 points, Shaq only made 4 out of 10 FT's in that game and everyone gives the edge to Shaq in that game.

How about game two? First of all, I get a kick out of those that claim that Hakeem outplayed Shaq in the first half, and that Shaq's 23 second half points were meaningless. the FACT was, Hakeem was a beaten dog in the second half. He was physically beaten to a pulp. Furthermore, had Shaq not gotten into some questionable foul trouble in the first half, the game might have been mych different. In any case, the Rockets won by 11 points, and Hakeem's teammates outscored Shaq's from the line, by a 28-9 margin.

Hakeem wasn't a beaten dog, you clown, your mother is a dog.

You only show that you never saw the series. Olajuwon absolutely destroyed the Magic in the first half and gave the Rockets a huge lead and while Shaq had a bad first half and scored in the second half while his team was down big time and they never even were close to winning it.

Game three. More of the same. Houston wins 106-103...and Hakeem's teammates outscore Shaq's from the line by a 18-13 margin. BTW, Hakeem outscored Shaq, 31-28, but he went 14-30 from the field, while Shaq went 11-17. Pretty much the way of the entire series. Hakeem scored 4.8 ppg more in the seties, but took over 10 more FGAs per game to do so.

What is this nonsense about outscoring a team from the FT-line?

In Game 3:

Shaq had 3 more turnovers compared to Olajuwon
Shaq only made 54% of his FT's
Shaq was outrebounded by 4 rebounds by Olajuwon and Olajuwon outassisted him as well

Game four. More of the same. Hakeem's teammates outscore Shaq's from the line by an 18-8 margin...in a 12 point win. This is the ONLY game in the series in which Hakeem outplayed Shaq.

Oh, buhu.

In game 4:
Olajuwon scored 35 points compared to Shaq's 25
Olajuwon 15 rebounds compared to Shaq's 12
Olajuwon had 6 assists compared to Shaq's 3
Olajuwon had 3 steals compared to Shaq's 0
Olajuwon had 4 turnovers compared to Shaq's massive number of 6 turnovers

And, don't forget that this was a 22 year old Shaq, playing against a Hakeem in his his absolute prime. Oh, and BTW, the Hakeem fans will never mention that a 26 year old Shaq just obliterated a 36 year old Hakeem a couple of years later in yet just another first round exit for Hakeem.

You're not only stupid, you don't know math either. Shaq was 23 years old and age was never an excuse when Olajuwon lost in the finals as a 23 year old against Boston.

And in '95 Shaq was much closer to his prime compared to what the busted up and old Olajuwon was as a 36 year old..

And last but not least, don't try to belittle Shaq by acting like he was some baby. Shaq had one of his best years as a pro that year and ended 2nd in the MVP voting, 1 in scoring, 1 in FG's and 2 in rebounds.

[TonyMontana]

What watching the games tells us and summary of the thread findings

-Hakeem took advantage of secondary defenders like Horace Grant to get his points.
-Hakeem had 41% shooting and 48 TS% when being defended by Shaq. He was INEFFECTIVE vs Shaq.
-Couldnt stop Shaq in the post as Shaq shot 58% shooting against Hakeem while being doubled 67% of the time.

TL/DR: Matched up against one another Shaq is by far the superior player.

People like to talk shit about Shaq on defense because he was overweight later in his career and had a clear weakness to the pick and roll, but Shaq is one of if not the best post defenders in NBA History. 7'1, 7'8 wingspan, and as strong as a herd of ox. You can't back him down. The only way to beat Shaq is to hope he gets in foul trouble so you can exploit the backups.

Cleveland picked him up even when he was 40 years old just to handle Dwight who raped them the year before..

[LAZERUSS]

Hakeem's TEAMMATES, collectively, had a considerably higher TS% in that series, than Hakeem, himself. So, those that favor this stat, had better prepared to explain that. Looks to me like Houston won that series despite Hakeem.

Meanwhile, Shaq's TS% in that Finals was far greater than what his teammates gave him.

Hakeem shot 55-115 from the field, 1-1 from the arc, and 18-26 from the line.
His teammates shot 70-136 from 2pt range, 36-91 from the arc, and 77-97 from the line.

Shaq shot 44-74 from the field, and 24-42 from the line.
His teammates shot 78-156 from 2 pt range, 41-118 from the arc, and 37-47 from the line.

Using a TRUE TS%, Hakeem shot .508. His teammates collectively shot .589.

Shaq shot a TRUE TS% of .589. His teammates shot a collective .533.

[Stringer Bell]

Shaq did better in the postseason against Hakeem than Ewing did in the 94' Finals, and Robinson in the 95' WC Finals. Ewing had a lot of blocks but shot horribly.

Shaq's team fared the worst although he personally performed the best of the elite centers that faced Hakeem in the postseason during the repeat.

[Stringer Bell]

I was reading an old SI article and back then, they were on point. Over time, the myth of Hakeem dominating Shaq was grown. Hakeem badly outplayed Ewing in the 94' Finals, and took D-Rob to school in the 95 WCF, but not Shaq.

http://www.si.com/vault/1995/06/19/2...ther-nba-title

Olajuwon didn't put up those kinds of numbers, but given his teammates' contributions, he didn't have to. His much-anticipated confrontation with O'Neal lived up to its billing, with both centers playing so well -- Olajuwon had the scoring edge,averaging 32.0 points over the first three games to O'Neal's 29.0,while Shaq had the rebounding advantage, 12.7 to 10.3 -- that they canceled each other out. O'Neal, with the help of his teammates,kept Olajuwon from repeating the kind of transcendent performances he had delivered earlier in the playoffs. Instead of allowing him the long series of fakes and spins that leave defenders looking foolish, the Magic limited Olajuwon to one or two moves before he either shot or passed the ball. The problem was that sometimes one or two moves were all he needed.

While O'Neal was dealing with Olajuwon's grace, the Dream was combating Shaq's power. O'Neal was often able to bull his way so close to the basket that he was impossible to stop once he received the ball. ``Playing Shaq is a serious workout,'' Olajuwon said after Game 2. ``I'm going home and going to bed.''

But as intriguing as the battle of centers was, it was the other matchups that swung the series in Houston's favor. O'Neal and Hardaway had to carry the Magic offensively because forward Dennis Scott's jumper deserted him (he shot .258, including 5 for 23 from three-point range, through the first three games) and guard Nick Anderson's confidence seemed to do the same. Anderson became the series' tragic figure when, with Orlando ahead 110-107 in the closing seconds of regulation in Game 1, he missed four straight free throws, any one of which would have surely sealed the win for the Magic.

Anderson vowed that he would not be affected by the misses --``I've seen tragedies,'' he said, alluding to his youth in inner-city Chicago, ``and missing free throws is not a tragedy.''But in the next two games he looked nothing like the player who had gotten the better of two superstars, the Chicago Bulls'Michael Jordan and the Indiana Pacers' Reggie Miller, in earlier series. In Games 2 and 3 Anderson shot a combined 8 for 27.

``The difference is, we're getting different people helping out Hakeem and Clyde every game,'' Cassell said after Game 3. ``Shaq and Penny are carrying it all alone.''

[stalkerforlife]

OP must be a Branvestite...relies on box scores to form his opinion.

[chocolatethunder]

I'm 44, a Hakeem fan and always hated Shaq. Loved Houston and wanted them to win and was very glad that they did win. That being said, it is a myth that Hakeem owned Shaq in this series. I felt like they played pretty even and that Shaq showed up big time, especially for being so young. His team lost but I mean damn, Nick Anderson really kinda made it difficult for them to be able to win. Both Hakeem and Shaq played great and I feel lucky to have been able to see the series.

[StephHamann]

Just watch the games bra:

game 1:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdXDO_xsZi4

game 2:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Xl26XTrf6k

game 3:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHgO71_X16E

game 4:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWCh_gCziSs

[Euroleague]

Hakeem:
32.8 PPG
11.5 RPG
6.5 APG
48.3 FG%
2.0 BPG

Shaq
28.0 PPG
12.5 RPG
6.3 APG
59.5 FG%
2.5 BPG

How is this owned? Hakeem put up some great numbers, but so did Shaq. Neither could stop the other. Hakeem put up more points, but he took 116 shots compared to Shaqs 74 in the series. 48% for a center, let alone the guy with the "best low post moves in NBA History" reputation is not very ****ing good.

While Shaq nearly shot 60% from the field almost equaling his scoring. I'd take Shaqs numbers over Olajuwon any day.

Cool note: Very high assist numbers for centers. I'm going to have to try and look these games up on youtube sometime this week.