Shaq doesn't believe Hakeem had 'fair edge' in '95 Finals
The 1995 NBA Finals pitted two of the league's greatest big men against one another in Shaquille O'Neal of the Orlando Magic and Hakeem Olajuwon of the Houston Rockets.
While "The Dream" was the superior scorer in Houston's four-game sweep of Orlando, Shaq believes it's a bit misleading to hand Olajuwon the advantage based on points alone.
"He kind of edged me out in The Finals, but it wasn't a really fair edge out because when I got the ball, they doubled me and we didn't double him," Shaq told NBC Sports' Tom Haberstroh. "I wanted to show people that I'm unstoppable. Nobody can guard me on one-on-one."
As the numbers show, both players had an equally productive NBA Finals and showcased an all-around two-way game.
| Player | PPG | FG% | RPG | APG | BPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| O'Neal | 28.0 | 59.5% | 12.5 | 6.3 | 2.5 |
| Olajuwon | 32.8 | 48.3% | 11.5 | 5.5 | 2.0 |
However, Shaq wanted to show off his guard-like ball-handling skills and felt he never got the chance to expose Olajuwon off the bounce because he was constantly double teamed.
"My NBA game was nothing like my one-on-one game," Shaq said. "My one-on-one game was similar to Grant Hill. I could handle it, put it between the legs, do a lot of tricks, and all that stuff.
"(Olajuwon) wouldn't have been expecting that. He wouldn't have been ready for that. I wanted to be able to showcase a different game."
Olajuwon earned his second straight NBA Finals MVP that year as the Rockets claimed back-to-back NBA titles. Meanwhile, O'Neal would claim his first of four championship rings five years later with the Los Angeles Lakers.