“Olajuwon They Had No Answer”: Former NBA Champion Explains How His 1994–95 Rockets Would Beat Michael Jordan and the Bulls

Published 06/02/2022, 8:15 AM EDT

The Houston Rockets’ back-to-back championship wins in 1994 and 95 often come with an asterisk. Many fans believe that the Rockets wouldn’t have managed to win the two chips if Michael Jordan didn’t leave the NBA to play baseball.

A 7-time NBA champion and member of the 94-95 Rockets roster, Robert Horry vehemently rejects the idea. In fact, he ardently believes that their team would’ve easily gone past MJ and the Chicago Bulls.

Horry laid down a detailed plan to demonstrate how the Rockets would implement such a feat.

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Horry’s plan to stop Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls

Robert Horry highlights the fact that the Chicago Bulls lost to the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference semifinals in 1995 despite having Michael Jordan on the roster. Moreover, Jordan had three games with more than 35 points, including a 40-point performance in a losing effort.

Therefore, the theory that Michael Jordan was struggling to find his form doesn’t hold. “The problem is people think MJ can carry four guys who can’t play. He could not“, added Horry.

The 51-year-old also pointed out that Jordan started winning only after he got good pieces around him. The Bulls acquired Dennis Rodman. And Tony Kukoc learned to play in tandem with the team.

Hence, Horry shared his plan to stop the Bulls. Firstly, the Rockets would use Vernon Maxwell to neutralize Michael Jordan. According to Horry, Maxwell gave Jordan more trouble than most defenders in the league.

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Secondly, Rudy Tomjanovich would outcoach Phil Jackson. Horry explains that Jackson was pretty steadfast in his ways. Therefore, Tomjanovich would outcoach him by reacting to the situation more efficiently and making bold changes accordingly.

The ‘Dream’ Situation

Lastly, Horry brings out his nuclear weapon, “Hakeem Olajuwon-they had no answer for him“. Horry points out that Phil Jackson was always adamant about not enforcing double-team on a single player. Olajuwon would have wreaked havoc on the Bulls’ defense under such conditions.

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The ‘Dream’ introduced crafty soccer moves to the NBA for the first time, including the “Dream Shake”. The Bulls’ defense would perish against his creativity and innovation. Horry added that the others on the Rockets roster would take care of Scottie Pippen and the rest of the team.

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Do you agree that the 94-95 Rockets would have defeated Michael Jordan and his Bulls? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by:

Satagni Sikder is an NBA writer for EssentiallySports. He has a Master's degree in English from Jadavpur University, Kolkata, and has been following the NBA since 2017. Moreover, he supports the Dallas Mavericks, and unsurprisingly, Luka Doncic is his favorite player.

Edited by:

Veer Badani

“Olajuwon They Had No Answer”: Former NBA Champion Explains How His 1994–95 Rockets Would Beat Michael Jordan and the Bulls

Horry’s plan to stop Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls

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The ‘Dream’ Situation