Responding to a challenge
When the Spurs’ Robinson earned MVP in 1995, the Rockets’ Olajuwon responded
When David Robinson earned MVP in ’95, Hakeem Olajuwon “put on a clinic.”
Kenny Smith was fuming and made sure Hakeem Olajuwon heard all about it. Clyde Drexler feigned anger for his friend’s benefit. Mario Elie barely said a word but saw — and felt — what was coming.
Olajuwon denied that the scene heading into Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals 25 years ago Sunday had upset him. Decades later he still acknowledged that Spurs star David Robinson was a deserving Most Valuable Player.
But that night in San Antonio, the night then-NBA commissioner David Stern put the award in Robinson’s hands with the Rockets watching from the other end of the Alamodome court, Olajuwon was at the peak of his powers. Whether offended or inspired, he rose to spectacular heights. He found levels of greatness beyond even his championship ascent the year before.
“We were just supportive teammates, that’s all,” Drexler said, intentionally downplaying their role in fueling Olajuwon’s fire. But they were more than that. By then, they knew that for all Olajuwon’s physical gifts and well-honed skills, he was equally loaded with pride and competitiveness.
“David Robinson had a great year,” Drexler said. “He deserved what he got. He’s a super player as well. But in a series, you use anything as motivation.
“I said something to him. I’m sure everybody said something. ‘Dream, you had another great year. You probably should be MVP. Let’s win this series and show them.’ ”
Olajuwon grabbed Drexler’s arm and said, “Drex, do not worry. We will get the big trophy.”
Olajuwon always maintained he was in no way offended and understood the choice of Robinson. Olajuwon that regular season had averaged 27.8 points, Robinson 27.6; Olajuwon averaged 3.4 blocked shots, Robinson 3.2 and both averaged 10.8 rebounds. But the Spurs went 62-20 and beat the Rockets (47-35) five times in six regular-season meetings.
In the Rockets’ Game 1 win, Olajuwon scored 27 points while holding Robinson to 21. In Game 2, after Robinson had been given the trophy, Olajuwon took off in the Rockets’ 106-96 win.
“He put on a clinic,” Drexler said.
Olajuwon went for 41 points
with 16 rebounds, practically inventing moves until, as Rockets television play-by-play announcer Bill Worrell put it, Robinson was “just bamboozled.”
“I don’t even know how I can say it with a straight face, but I thought most of the time I defended him pretty well,” Robinson said that night. “The man just played as well as I’ve seen anybody play in a long time.”
Robinson was right, as Olajuwon would point out. He had defended Olajuwon well. But so much of Olajuwon’s game, as he would teach players for years after he retired, was based on counter moves. When Robinson defended well, Olajuwon answered with another move and another, building on each until he was unstoppable in the series on the way to the Rockets’ second-consecutive championship.
Part of the legend was that Olajuwon’s demolition of Robinson began with that MVP ceremony.
“I’m sitting literally next to him,” Smith said. “David is getting the award right before they’re going to introduce the starting lineups. He gets the award and I said, ‘Doesn’t that bother you?’ He said, ‘What?’ I said, ‘He didn’t say your name.’ He goes, ‘No Kenny, no, no, no. He deserves it. He is the best player this year. No problem.’
“I’m like, ‘Damn, OK.’ But it bothered me. When Hakeem won the award, he told us he felt uncomfortable going to get the award if we didn’t come with him. If you look at that trophy presentation of the (1994) MVP, Otis Thorpe is holding that award more than he is. We thought it was our MVP. We knew what we did for him to help him get that award and he knew what we did for him.
“Fast forward, it was David Robinson getting our award. So, when I asked him that, I felt slighted by him not recognizing Hakeem, too. Mario felt slighted. Everyone who was involved felt slighted for him not recognizing Hakeem, not recognizing us.”
Robinson had been characteristically gracious and humble, crediting teammates and fans and citing other candidates for the award. But he did not mention Olajuwon.
“He wasn’t a happy man,” Elie said. “That was a man with a lot of pride who won it before. He was injured a lot of that year that we made the trade for Clyde. Dream probably could have been a backto-back MVP but he got hurt that second run.
“I just remembered when the starting five was being called, he smacked my hand so hard, he was a very focused and driven man at the time. It was one of the most focused times I’ve ever seen Dream. That was a time when Dream asked for the ball, I was giving it to him because if I didn’t give it to him, I might have felt his wrath. You saw something in his eyes you hadn’t seen in a while. We all said, ‘Somebody is in trouble.’ ”
Olajuwon scored 43 in Game 3, but the Rockets lost both games in Houston. By Game 5, however, he had everything working. He outscored Robinson, 42-22, in the Rockets’ 21-point win in San Antonio. He had 39 with 17 rebounds and five blocked shots in the Game 6 series clincher back at home. Robinson had 19.
“He was unstoppable,” Drexler said. “Best player in the league. That’s the reason the Rockets got two championships.”
The Rockets would sweep the Shaquille O’Neal and the Orlando Magic in the NBA Finals. Olajuwon was right. The Rockets would keep “the big trophy.”
His own play had climbed to its pinnacle when he watched as someone else was celebrated with the Rockets that were around forever convinced that Olajuwon’s fire had been stoked that night 25 years ago in San Antonio.
“At the end of the game, Hakeem has ridiculous numbers,” Smith said. “I’m already on the bench. And he looks over and goes, ‘Kenny, I’m going to his house to get my award.’ I said, “I knew it bothered you.’ And we started laughing. He does his cackle laugh as he comes out of the game.
“That was Michael Jordan. What Michael did, those two years, that’s what Hakeem did. And that series, what he did, he showed he was the best player on the planet and there was no one even close. No one. Charles Barkley, you’re not even close. David Robinson. Karl Malone. You’re not even close to what I am. He let the world see that when he does that to the player considered the best player in basketball that year.”