NBA Playoffs: The 30 most unforgettable individual playoff runs
By Corey Rausch
NBA: The 30 most unforgettable individual playoff runs: 9. Hakeem Olajuwon (1995)
Back on the chase for his championship, Hakeem Olajuwon and the Rockets entered the 1995 playoffs as the sixth seed. As the (spoiler) lowest-seeded team to ever win an NBA Championship, the odds were stacked against them from the start. It took 22 games from Olajuwon for the Rockets to successfully defend their title but he was up for it.
Over the course of the playoffs, the Dream averaged 33.0 points, 10.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists 2.8 blocks and 1.2 steals per game. He got the playoffs started off with a bang, dropping 45 points in a narrow loss to the Utah Jazz before coming back to win the series in five. Then came a seven-game series against Charles Barkley and the Phoenix Suns. Olajuwon exceeded 30 points in four straight games followed by a 29-point Game 7 performance.
In the six-game series against the San Antonio Spurs, Olajuwon truly shined. Against his in-state rival, he posted a line of 35.3 points, 12.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 4.2 blocks and 1.3 steals per game. He scored 40 or more points three times. That was the last true challenge, as the Orlando Magic were not ready for the Rockets in the Finals. Olajuwon was unstoppable against a young Shaquille O’Neal, averaging 32.8 points, 11.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 2.0 steals and 2.0 blocks per game in a sweep.