NBA legend Hakeem Olajuwon is one of the best centers the league has ever seen. Even though he is often overlooked by many, Olajuwon is idolized by a lot of fans and players. In his prime, the Hall of Famer was unstoppable on both ends of the court. Opponent centers struggled to keep up with his Dream Shake as he toyed with them for fun. Because of his incredible footwork, he is still sought after by many superstars. Over the course of his career, Hakeem won two straight titles with the Houston Rockets. However, that iconic team is not given enough credit because of one man: Michael Jordan.

Olajuwon and the Rockets won back-to-back titles in 1994 and 1995. The first title was during Jordan’s first retirement and the second one was when MJ made the comeback during the final stretch of the regular season. Many believe the Rockets would not have won two rings if it was not for Jordan’s absence. But is that really the case?

Michael Jordan announces retirement, and Hakeem Olajuwon wins first title

Michael Jordan was arguably in his prime when he announced his retirement in 1993. It was a huge shock to everyone and fans could not fathom him leaving the game after leading the Chicago Bulls to three straight championships. In the 1993-94 season, the Bulls struggled without their leader. However, they still clinched the 3rd seed (55-27) on the back of Scottie Pippen and other star’s impressive performances. After beating the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round, the New York Knicks defeated the Bulls in the second round.

Hakeem Olajuwon and the Rockets had a slightly better record of 58-24 and were the 2nd seed in the West. Olajuwon was named the MVP for his incredible season. He averaged 27.3 points, 11.9 rebounds, 3.7 blocks, and 3.6 assists per game as per Basketball Reference. He also won his second straight Defensive Player of the Year award to go along with his MVP asserting himself as the best player in the league. Other than the Phoenix Suns, no other team managed to make the Rockets sweat in the playoffs before the Finals.

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Olajuwon and the Rockets faced the Knicks, who notably eliminated the Bulls, in the Finals. Hakeem was at his best and averaged 26.9 points, 9.1 rebounds, 3.9 blocks, and 3.6 assists and led the Rockets to their first-ever title. The Dream clinched the Finals MVP for his unreal performances. It was a perfect season for him with the regular season MVP, DPOY, and Finals MVP.

Michael Jordan comes back, and the Rockets win again

At the tail end of the 1994-95 season, Michael Jordan came back to the NBA. The excitement and anticipation for his return was through the roof. As expected, Jordan required some time to settle into the league and its intensity again. He averaged 26.3 points per game in 17 games. It is good for anyone, especially for someone coming back after a year-long break. However, it was Jordan’s second lowest during his time with the Bulls. The lowest came during his sophomore year when he missed the season due to injury.

This time, the Bulls were really struggling and took the fifth spot in the East with a record 47-35. In the first round, the Bulls comfortably beat the Charlotte Hornets. The Bulls then faced the Orlando Magic led by a young Shaquille O’Neal in the Conference Semi Finals. The young Magic team shocked the world and eliminated Jordan and the Bulls 4-2. An eventual finalist again eliminated Chicago. With this loss, MJ came under a lot of skepticism.

Interestingly, reigning champions Rockets also finished the regular season with a 47-35 record. With a sixth-seeded finish, they met the Utah Jazz in the first round. Similar to the previous year, the Suns were the only team to force a game 7 against the Rockets in the postseason. In the Finals, Olajuwon and the Rockets faced O’Neal and the Magic. It was a great battle between the two centers, one which Hakeem won comfortably.

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Shaq put up unreal numbers during the series. However, he could not help his team win one game in the Finals. The Rockets swept the Magic and clinched their second straight championship. Olajuwon averaged 32.8 points, 11.5 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 5.5 assists per game to win the Finals MVP again.

Bulls vs. Rockets: Head-to-head from 1990 to 1995

The Bulls and the Rockets have never faced each other in the postseason i.e. the Finals. Had Michael Jordan not retired, there was a major chance that the two would have finally locked horns in the Finals. Jordan had previously lost in the playoffs multiple times. So there was still a small chance for the Bulls to not reach the Finals. However, we have to give them the benefit of the doubt because of the Bulls once again winning three straight titles from 1996 to 1998.

So let us assume that the Bulls reached the Finals against the Rockets. Now, how would they have faired? The Bulls were notorious for never requiring a game 7 in the ultimate stage. That was how dominant they were with Jordan on their side. But would it have been that comfortable against Hakeem Olajuwon and the Rockets?

In the 1992-93 season, the Bulls played the Rockets twice in the regular season. Notably, the Rockets won both games. Both teams had one win each in the previous season. In the 1990-91 season, the Rockets once again took both games. So the Rockets had a win record of 5-1 during the Bulls’ three-peat. During the 1993-94 and 1994-95 seasons, the teams won one game each in each season. Jordan missed all four games. So overall the Rockets had a 7-3 record from 1990 to 1995 against the Bulls.

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Interestingly, Olajuwon led his team in points only twice in the 10 games against the Bulls. Other stars like Kenny Smith, Otis Thorpe, Vernon Maxwell, and Robert Horry took care of the scoring in most games. So the Rockets did not always rely on their star center to beat the Bulls.

The verdict

Even though the Rockets had decent players who could average double digits comfortably, they did not have a reliable #2. During their first title run, Hakeem Olajuwon averaged 13 points more than the second-best scorer on the team, Thorpe. That was the case in two prior seasons as well. This haunted them in the playoffs.

During the 1993-94 postseason, the Bulls without Jordan pushed the Knicks to seven games. The Knicks were a good team but not great. Despite Jordan’s unavailability, they barely defeated the Bulls. The same Knicks team then pushed the Rockets to seven games in the Finals. So, with Jordan on the lineup, the Bulls would have had superior matchups against the Rockets. Sure, Olajuwon would have scored 30 points with 12 rebounds every game.

But Jordan would have scored more and the Bulls simply had a better team. Horace Grant-Thrope, Scottie Pippen-Horry, Jordan-Maxwell: advantage Bulls. So the Bulls would have arguably won their fourth straight title and quite possibly without needing a game 7. However, the next year is a bit tricky because of two reasons: the departure of Grant and the arrival of Clyde Drexler.

The addition of Drexler in 1995 strengthened the Rockets. After his arrival, the superstar instantly became a reliable second option behind Olajuwon. He averaged 21.4 points that season and provided much-required help to Hakeem. On the other hand, the Bulls missed the toughness of Grant who came back to bite the Bulls with his new team, Magic. Without Grant, this would have been the toughest Finals for MJ and the Bulls. And the series would have gone to game 7.

Given Jordan’s clutch performances over the years, there is every chance he would have led his team to another title. Furthermore, the Rockets had a poorer regular season. They also struggled against the Suns in the playoffs. However, Hakeem dominated MVP David Robinson in the Conference Finals and a young Shaquille O’Neal in the Finals. Nevertheless, the Rockets would not have won the title in 1994 if Jordan had not retired, and ultimately would not have won two straight rings. However, it has to be noted that the Rockets would have had a better shot against the Bulls in 1995.

Editorial Disclaimer: The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of EssentiallySports.