Hakeem Olajuwon's Historically Dominant 1993-94 Season
The 1993-94 NBA season was Hakeem Olajuwon's tenth year in the league, and he made the most of it, putting together a perfect season. That year, Olajuwon won the NBA Finals for the first time in his career, and this was the first year of the Houston Rockets' back-to-back Championships.
In the regular season, the Rockets went 58-24 under head coach Rudy Tomjanovich. Olajuwon led the charge, playing 80 games, averaging 27.3 points, 11.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.6 steals, and 3.7 blocks per game while shooting 52.8% from the field and 71.6% from the charity stripe.
Olajuwon's Accomplishments
Here's a list of Olajuwon's awards and accolades from 1993-94:
Most Valuable Player
Defensive Player of the Year
All-NBA 1st Team
All-Defensive 1st Team
All-Star
NBA Finals Winner
NBA Finals Most Valuable Player
First Round: Rockets Vs. Trail Blazers (3-1)
In four games, the Rockets defeated a talented Trail Blazers team, including Clyde Drexler, Clifford Robinson, Rod Strickland, Buck Williams, and Terry Porter. Olajuwon showed no mercy, having his way with the Trail Blazers' defense and dominating in every aspect of basketball.
Olajuwon averaged 34.0 Points, 11.0 Rebounds, 4.8 Assists, 2.3 Steals, 3.8 Blocks, 50.0% FG, and 76.7% FT in this series.
Semifinals: Rockets Vs. Suns (4-3)
The Phoenix Suns, led by Charles Barkley and Kevin Johnson, took the Rockets to the limit, but Olajuwon once again proved he was unstoppable, putting up 37 points and 17 rebounds in game seven to seal the deal. Barkley and Johnson both played incredibly well, but Olajuwon showed there are levels to this, putting up another masterful performance to send the Rockets to the Western Conference Finals.
Olajuwon's stat line for the series: 28.7 Points, 13.6 Rebounds, 4.6 Assists, 1.0 Steals, 3.9 Blocks, 56.3% FG, 72.4% FT
Conference Finals: Rockets Vs. Jazz (4-1)
Despite going up against the fantastic duo of John Stockton and Karl Malone, Olajuwon made easy work of the Utah Jazz. Olajuwon against Malone was an unreal back-and-forth battle, but the downfall of the Jazz was the rare struggles of Stockton, who shot just 41.5% from the field and 26.7% from downtown in the series. This lopsided series would send the Houston Rockets to the NBA Finals, giving Olajuwon the chance to secure his first ring.
Olajuwon's stats during the series: 27.8 Points, 10.2 Rebounds, 4.4 Assists, 2.6 Steals, 4.6 Blocks, 50.0% FG, 80.4% FT
NBA Finals: Rockets Vs. Knicks (4-3)
Unsurprisingly, Olajuwon continued his playoff dominance in the Finals as the Rockets won in seven games against the Knicks led by John Starks and Patrick Ewing. Olajuwon wasn't the only one looking for his first ring; Ewing and Starks were in the same boat as Olajuwon and had yet to win a ring themselves.
This was arguably Olajuwon's best defensive series, holding Ewing to 36% shooting from the field as a center. Olajuwon dominated Ewing, plain and simple, and the Knicks were sent home while Olajuwon finally got his first ring and took home the Finals MVP.
Olajuwon's stats in the series: 26.9 Points, 9.1 Rebounds, 3.6 Assists, 1.6 Steals, 3.9 Blocks, 50.0% FG, 86.0% FT
The Big Picture
The bottom line is that Hakeem Olajuwon had arguably the most dominant single season in NBA history, and the accomplishments and tape back that up. He went through a playoff run of incredible opponents, including Clyde Drexler, Charles Barkley, Kevin Johnson, John Stockton, Karl Malone, John Starks, and Patrick Ewing.
Despite these opponents, Olajuwon was the best player on the floor in every series. This season deserves to be talked about so much more than it already is because Olajuwon achieved everything he could in one year. After this, Olajuwon and the Rockets repeated as NBA Finals winners, which solidified Olajuwon as the NBA's best player at the time in a league full of all-time talent.
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