Dahil makapunit brief at makapanindig balahibo ang stick-to-itiveness ng kaibigan naming si Don, naghanap din ako ng mga numbers to show that great players can greatly influence the outcome of a series. (To follow na lamang yung article ko.)
Michael Jordan, 1993 NBA Finals (against Phoenix)
41.0 PPG
8.5 RPG
6.3 APG
1.7 SPG
*Scored 55 points in pivotal Game 4 win.
**Suns had the best record in the NBA and held homecourt advantage.
Hakeem Olajuwon, 1995 NBA Finals (against Orlando)
32.8 PPG
11.5 RPG
5.5 APG
2.0 SPG
2.0 BPG
*Raised his scoring average in the finals by more than 5 points.
**Orlando had the best record in the NBA and were the heavy favorites.
Dywane Wade, 2006 NBA Finals (against Dallas)
34.7 PPG
7.8 RPG
3.8 APG
2.7 SPG
16+ FTA PER GAME
*Scored 42, 36, 43, and 36 points in last 4 games.
**Set NBA Finals record for free throw attempts in a series (97).
Hakeem Olajuwon, 1995 WC Finals (against San Antonio)
35.3 PPG
12.5 RPG
5.0 APG
4.2 BPG
*Game 6 statline: 39 points, 17 rebounds, 3 assists, 5 blocks, 2 steals
**Spurs had reigning MVP David Robinson; he was so badly outplayed that he said of Olajuwon: "Nobody solves Hakeem."
This Is Me
- Martin Bolima
- I am a man with big, bold dreams. I am driven by a desire to suceed, a desire to be great. I am a born writer and a budding artist; a perpetual jokester and an endless dreamer; a loyal friend and a hopeless romantic; a loving brother and a responsible son. I have too often been misjudged and misunderstood, but I have learned to accept this fact. Oh, and some day, somehow, I wish to become a renowned and respected sports journalist.
6 comments:
but each of those times, the other team was better, lineup-wise (or record-wise): phoenix was better than chicago; orlando and san antonio were better than houston; and dallas was infinitely better than miami...
yes, it was jordan at his prime, but the point is, he did carry his team six times over.. if he didn't, who will take the heat? jordan himself, right?
as for Hakeem, he carried houston past a better team in orlando.. i'll take your argument of the "drop-off" of talent after the best player..
consider this: after hakeem, houston had drexler (aging), k.smith one-dimensional, cassell and horry (sophomores), and elie (journeyman).. shaq had penny (his best years), n.anderson (in-his-prime two-guard), d.scott (league-best three-point shooter), h.grant (tough, in-his-prime veteran), and b.shaw (shooter and defensive specialist)
as you can see, youth is not an excuse because orlando had proven veterans in anderson, scott, shaw, grant, and even donald royal (that time a respected defender)
as for wade, no question that he got a lot of "help" from the refs, but he did lead his team past the more talented team..besides, wade gave the refs a reason to "help" him by (a) being overly aggressive, (b) working the refs, and (c) selling contact everytime there was
yes, robinson may have been soft, but san antonio was, atleast record-wise, way better than houston then.. it was a #1 vs. #6 match-up; if not for hakeem's transcendent series, there was no way houston would win..
i agree, sometimes, the best efforts of the best players will come up short pa din (at times, it's because the other team was better, but at times, it's because the best player of the other was just better)..but then again, the bulk of the burden will fall on him..that's the burden of being a superstar talaga..
and hey, when jordan infamously choked in 1995 (his return), people then said that he had "lost" it already..here was a guy who had just returned from basketball 3 months prior to the playoffs and people expected him to carry his team..when he failed, they blamed him..
one more thing..sometimes, the "better" team becomes better because it's best player made it better than the other team..
mj was better than sir charles in '93
bird was better than magic in '84
wade was better than dirk in '06
magic was better than isiah in '88
pierce was better than kobe in '08
go celtics!
if the celtics beat up kobe and his "loaded" lakers (sun yue, anyone?) once again in june, maybe i'll change my mind..maybe that would convince me to join the don carreon bandwagon..
on another note, ang tagal nung 25 years. abutin ko kaya yun considering my very extremely healthy and active lifestyle?
nice blog there bro. Mind if we exchange links?=]
How can you leave out Detroit Pistons 2004 championship series against a powerhouse Los Angeles Lakers?
LA fielded a lineup of All-Stars, yet they were gunned down. No, the star player can only do so much. He needs the rest of the gang to accomplish what they need to accomplish.
Nice blog by the way. Very engaging. Wanna exchange links?
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