The Houston Rockets, led by Hakeem Olajuwon, Ralph Sampson, and head coach Bill Fitch, won the Western Conference Championship in five games over the Los Angeles Lakers.
The drug suspensions of Lewis Lloyd and Mitchell Wiggins as well as the injuries to Ralph Sampson destroyed the Rockets. They could have been a dynasty.
Anyone that watched Hakeem throughout his career and saw and knew the things he did on the court and the things he did for his team would easily take him over any of those guys.
Yeah but they had no low post presence to match up with Olajuwon and Sampson. That's why they went and got Mychal Thompson and AC Green and won pretty easily in 1987. Truly the golden age of basketball - the 80s and early to mid 90s
I remember this well, I was a Laker fan who lived in Texas at that time. This was really hard to take. I agree with the man who said that the Lakers probably took the Rockets lightly. No matter, the Lakers came back with a vengeance in 1987, which was their best team ever IMO.
The Lakers' last playoff series loss until the 1989 NBA Finals against the Detroit Pistons. Their last loss to a Western Conference opponent (of the 1980s) until the 1990 NBA Western Conference Semifinals against the Phoenix Suns.
One of the biggest upsets in NBA playoff history when Sampson hit the lucky shot to advance the Houston Rockets to the NBA Finals in the 80's. But they lost twice to the Celtics in 1981 and in 1986. But won two titles in 1994 and 1995 as a redemption of the two Finals losses in the 80's.
Yes Hakeem had LA's number in 86, he was the difference in not being able to stop him that year, but in the end Hector and Landry, Hakeem's Rockets in the playoffs vs the Lakers all time is, 9-11.
At the 4:37 mark, Pat Riley is actually telling the Lakers to settle down in the huddle, in the previous years Conference Finals vs the Nuggets, cause in the background, even though it's blurred, that chair in the background has the Nuggets logo on it, but this Sweet 16 video is making it seem like it's against the Rockets.
@MarkPatriots Just saying Magic had no guts is ridiculous. He CHOKED in 84 vs Boston and came right back the next year and whipped their ass in Boston....so he has no guts?? I HATE the Celtics but Larry Bird was a damn pain in my ass.....A HELLUVA hall of fame player....I could say Bird had no guts when they lost to Philly in 82 when they couldve played LA that year, but I'm not saying something dumb like that.
@dreman1970 Again, you want me to meet you halfway by citing your admiration for Larry Bird. Magic's one of my all-time favorite players.. in 1986.. 1986*** he had no guts..
Kareem was one of the best of all time but Houston was so ferocious on the offensive glass that they took Worthy out of the game and forced Kareem to do all the rebounding and he wasn't able to do it. Outside of Kareem they had no one to match up with Houston's bigs.
Worthy averaged 25ppg in games 3-5 on 60% shooting, so I wouldn't say he was taken out. Sometimes the answer to a riddle is a simple one - in the case of the 1986 WCF, it was just too much Akeem (as he was known then). And rebounding (agree w/ that point).
@dreman1970 Yup, the injured 1987 Celtics showed up and took their defeat to the Lakers like men. Isiah should've not have made that stupid pass then.. it was Magic's fault the 1986 Lakers lost.. it was the entire 1986 Lakers fault. If Magic and Lakers wanted to face the 1986 Celtics.. they would've beat the Rockets.. again they didn't..
4:43 what's the matter Magic? No guts to face the 1986 Celtics? At least the 1987 Celtics, hurt and injured had the guts to face the 1987 Lakers like men and go out with honor in defeat.
@MarkPatriots Because the Rockets didn't choke like the 87 Pistons did....And I remember Magic said that about the 87 Celtics BUT...he did NOT say they WOULDN'T have beaten them had the Celts been healthy...
@dreman1970 Saying Magic had no guts isn't ridiculous.. again sure Magic came back and got Bird back in 1985 but when it came time for Magic's ass to get whipped in 1986 he and the Lakers slunked out as Riley plead with the 1986 Lakers "Stay tough! Stay tough" to their space shot faces. Ultimately the 1986 Lakers bitched out to the 1986 Celtics and didn't even bother to show up.
@dreman1970 Again you display a lack of knowledge about the Larry Bird Celtics.. "ecstatic when the Lakers were upset" The 1986 Celtics were built to avenge the loss in the 1985 Finals.. they were DISAPPOINTED. Yeah well, the 1987 Celtics showed up in the 1987 Finals regardless of injuries to nearly every key player.. what was the 1986 Lakers excuse for missing the 1986 finals?
@dreman1970 Let's just calm down. You're right the year before in 1985 they did beat the Celtics. Just as the Celtics of 1984 beat the Lakers. Or the 1987 Lakers beat the injured 1987 Celtics. I'm talking about the 1986 Lakers. Given your comments you have no knowledge of the 1986 Celtics. We didn't get lucky by playing Houston. Houston BEAT LA.. and we BEAT Houston. We showed up in every Championship from 1984-1987.. where were the Lakers in 1986?
@dreman1970 As I recall it Bird himself scorned the 1983 Celtics for choking to the Bucks including and especially McHale. The result was the Celtics appeared in the 1984, 1985, 1986 and 1987 NBA Finals. Again, we're talking about the 1986 Lakers.. explain to me WHY the Lakers who were in one NBA Championship after another.. failed to appear in the 1986 Finals please..
@dreman1970 And the Lakers failing to win in 1986 doesn't take away from the fact that they were indeed team of the decade in the 1980s.. it doesn't explain why they failed to contest the 1986 Celtics.. the definitive Celtics team of the 1980s.
@@rumarspencer7302still were in a hole even if they had won Game 5. Had to win Game 6 in Houston and then win Game 7. Odds weren’t in their favor then.
@KWCline91 That's what I mean, 15 seconds to make something happen came up empty, both games were eliminated, I know I didn't say that in the previous post, but coming up empty is what I meant, part of being eliminated.
@MarkPatriots The 87 Celts showed up?? They made it there because the Pistons (Isiah Thomas in particular) choked in game 5 at Boston.....If Isiah doesn't throw that stupid pass under the basket that Bird intercepted (and it was a great play), the Celts lose in 6 and it's the Pistons playing LA...And it was MAGIC'S fault they lost to Houston?? Oh yeah, Magic lost on purpose to Houston because he didn't wanna face the Celtics.....That's ridiculous......
@MarkPatriots Ru serious?? No guts??? I guess you forgot they kicked Boston's ass in BOSTON to win the title the year before...Yeah, Magic had no guts...That's utterly ridiculous....It's more like the Celtics were RELIEVED they didn't have to play LA again....Playing Houston was a cakewalk like it was in 81.....
@MarkPatriots I know about the 86 Celtics...they were a great team no doubt...but cmon....do you REALLY think the Celts were not ecstatic when the Lakers were upset??? And I don't want to hear about how injured the 87 Celtics were. Injuries are part of the game.....The 80 Lakers were without Jabbar for game 6 vs Philly and they still won. The 99 Knicks were without Ewing and got to the finals.....ANd in 87 they may have been injured but they still IN THE LINEUP. They had no bench
@MarkPatriots I look at this way...Saying Magic had no guts when they lost to Houston is like saying Bird had no guts in 83 when they had a chance to play the eventual world champion sixers in the ECF for the 4th straight year and was BITCH SLAPPED by the BUCKS in FOUR STRAIGHT in the ECSF. And THAT was really a whipping....But you and I BOTH know that isn't the case...
@MarkPatriots Say what you want about Philly choking.. but even Bird and Dr. J once joked right to Magic Johnson's face about how he never had to play anybody until the Finals. The East in the 80s always had the Celtics, Sixers, Pistons and Bulls.
@@zt1053 Fair argument but I was specifically mentioning teams that won the Eastern Conference Finals and beat the Lakers in the NBA Finals. Wow! This post is 9 years old but I feel like I wrote this last week lol!
@MarkPatriots And I look at this way..taking nothing from Boston but....The three titles they won in the 80s....Philly CHOKED in the ECF in 81 and then they played a 40-42 Rocket team.....In 84 the Lakers HANDED them the title....That series should have ended in 4 straight....And in 86 they got EXTREMELY lucky and played Houston instead of the defending champs....
@@zt1053But the following season, Lakers evened them up, on 12-12-86, Lakers won in the Garden by 7, Kareem scored 8 pts in the 4th quarter to end Boston's 48 game Boston Garden winning streak, in the second meeting, on February 15, 1987, Lakers came from 17 down to win by 3 at the Forum, to complete the 2 game sweep.
Olajuwon was always the center but Sampson guarded Kareem so Olajuwon could stay out of foul trouble and to get the block from the weak side. Olajuwon never played PF in his career.
I was too young for this series, but have seen alot of it here on youtube. It looks like HOU had Sampson as the primary defender on Kareem - IMO for two reasons: 1) Sampson at 7-4 has more length than Hakeem, and 2) Olajuwon's superior (and perhaps unmatched) agility at the center position allows him to challenge Abdul Jabbar's skyhooks from the weakside, while still being able to get back to his man (usually Rambis) when needed. Offensively, Hakeem was definitely the one playing center when both were on the floor. Fitch would either have Sampson on the opposite block, or at the elbow for some high/low action.
@@ryanevans8566 main reason was because Kareem was busting Olajuwons ass those years h2h. And I say this as a Dream fan but Kareem was just roasting the Rockets before this series meeting. He didnt play too badly on offense this series either.....but could no longer rebound much, especially vs these 2 younger beasts.
@dreman1970 Well, it is documented that the Bird Celtics from 1987 onward were an injured team and Magic himself said on the NBA at 50 that the Lakers knew they had them in 1987 due to their injury. Again.. you haven't explained why Magic just so happen to miss the NBA Finals the year Bird had his greatest Celtics team ever??
@MarkPatriots And since you brought up Bird scorning everyone and then went to the finals 4 straight years...After 86, the Lakers then became the first team in 19 years to go back to back....so what the point here?? Bottom line...LA-5 titles Boston 3 titles..LA won 2 of 3 Finals head to head...LA---team of the 80s....PERIOD...No debate....number don't lie.
It should’ve been two two but the Lakers were too chicken to play the Celtics in 86. 87 really doesn’t count because of how decimated Boston was. The Lakers made it to the finals more times because the Eastern conference was more competitive. In 82 and 87 the Lakers benefited from teams in the east duking it out and have a nothing left by the finals
