More Impressive Hakeem Title Run: 1994 or 1995

[dankok8]

Which one do you find more impressive?

People usually go with 1995 because of big scoring numbers and duels with Robinson and Shaq but there is IMO a good case for 1994 Hakeem because he was better on defense.

[StrongLurk]

Honestly both are insane. Hakeem had the highest peak of any player in the 90's.

[SouBeachTalents]

I honestly think those are 2 of the 5 or so greatest title runs of all time, first in terms of carrying a historically weak (for a title team) roster, then going through the toughest gauntlet in NBA history.

If I was forced to pick, I guess I'd go with 1995. Him knocking off Malone/Stockton, Barkley/KJ, Robinson/Rodman & Shaq/Penny all on the road while outplaying all of them is an incredible accomplishment.

[pandiani17]

I honestly think those are 2 of the 5 or so greatest title runs of all time, first in terms of carrying a historically weak (for a title team) roster, then going through the toughest gauntlet in NBA history.

If I was forced to pick, I guess I'd go with 1995. Him knocking off Malone/Stockton, Barkley/KJ, Robinson/Rodman & Shaq/Penny all on the road while outplaying all of them is an incredible accomplishment.

This. Also, I think people understimate how hard it is to repeat. The players get complacent, you are now the team to beat, tiredness, etc. Just see how the last five champions did the following season.

[ShawkFactory]

This. Also, I think people understimate how hard it is to repeat. The players get complacent, you are now the team to beat, tiredness, etc. Just see how the last five champions did the following season.

I think winning 47 games in the regular helped take a little bit of the target off of their back. The Magic were probably the consensus team to beat that year.

[pandiani17]

I think winning 47 games in the regular helped take a little bit of the target off of their back. The Magic were probably the consensus team to beat that year.

I was too young to follow the league back then. Who were the biggest contenders before the playoffs that year? I see the Spurs had the best regular season record. And the Suns were loaded. I don't know why Barkley doesn't get more heat for coming up short with those rosters.

[iamgine]

'94 was way better. It wasn't even close.

[Kblaze8855]

94. Drexler went crazy a few times in 95 and he was always a luxury as a fall back. He was relying on less consistent options in 94. Drexler didn’t need Hakeem to play off as much as some of the other.

[tpols]

Honestly it seems like Hakeem got an adrenaline rush to win in 1994 with MJ getting kicked out of the league temporarily.

Instead of facing peak Jordan and Scottie Pippen in his best ever season, he got a bed wetting Ewing and Starks in the Finals. Go look up their numbers. They were terrible.

I'm trying to figure out how the Knicks were on the verge of winning that series with their two best players shooting so poorly.

[SouBeachTalents]

Honestly it seems like Hakeem got an adrenaline rush to win in 1994 with MJ getting kicked out of the league temporarily.

Instead of facing peak Jordan and Scottie Pippen in his best ever season, he got a bed wetting Ewing and Starks in the Finals. Go look up their numbers. They were terrible.

I'm trying to figure out how the Knicks were on the verge of winning that series with their two best players shooting so poorly.
I think you can attribute Ewing's struggles to Hakeem. He did have a tendency to drop off in the playoffs, but a center averaging 19 ppg on 37%TS and taking 160 shots to score 132 points is unprecedented, and I think Hakeem should get a good amount of credit for that.

And Starks was actually having a solid series through 6 games, averaging 19 & 7 on 56%TS before his catastrophic Game 7 performance.

[Kblaze8855]

Honestly it seems like Hakeem got an adrenaline rush to win in 1994 with MJ getting kicked out of the league temporarily.

Instead of facing peak Jordan and Scottie Pippen in his best ever season, he got a bed wetting Ewing and Starks in the Finals. Go look up their numbers. They were terrible.

I'm trying to figure out how the Knicks were on the verge of winning that series with their two best players shooting so poorly.

Ewing didn’t wet the bed without help. Hakeem locked him up. And Starks would have won the title with the final shot of game 6….but Hakeem switched and blocked it to save the title.

Those things didn’t happen in a vacuum. Hakeem made them happen.

[3ba11]

.
1994 was more impressive because Hakeem's 3rd option did this in 1995:



FINALS

95' Horry...... 19.0 gamescore... 18/10/4/3/2 on 57 TS

92' Pippen.... 18.1 gamescore.... 21/8/7/2/1 on 56 TS
91' Pippen.... 17.5 gamescore.... 21/9/7/2/1 on 53 TS
93' Pippen.... 15.6 gamescore.... 20/9/8/2/1 on 46 TS
97' Pippen.... 15.1 gamescore.... 20/8/3/2/2 on 54 TS
96' Pippen.... 13.4 gamescore.... 16/7/5/2/1 on 43 TS
98' Pippen.... 13.0 gamescore.... 16/8/5/2/1 on 50 TS


And he had another franchise player in 1995 that made 2 Finals on his own (Drexler)

[ShawkFactory]

Idk I mean the team in 95 was certainly better. But they also went through a far tougher road that year as well, and Hakeem individually might have been even more dominant. Tough to say but probably 94.

[Carbine]

The 94 competition is probably a bit underrated. They beat a Blazers team that was a solid first round opponent, they played the Sun's who were fresh off the finals the previous year, the Malone and Stockton Jazz in the WCF and then the Knicks - the same Knicks that gave the Bulls the previous two years all they wanted.

Im not saying 94 was tougher than 95 but it was not a cakewalk. All those opposing teams had their best players playing in the series, unlike a few of the Warriors runs.

[ShawkFactory]

Honestly it seems like Hakeem got an adrenaline rush to win in 1994 with MJ getting kicked out of the league temporarily.

Instead of facing peak Jordan and Scottie Pippen in his best ever season, he got a bed wetting Ewing and Starks in the Finals. Go look up their numbers. They were terrible.

I'm trying to figure out how the Knicks were on the verge of winning that series with their two best players shooting so poorly.

Complete defensive slugfest of a series. Maxwell and Horry shot even worse.

Knicks were in it because they dominated the offensive glass.

[Phoenix]

I'm leaning 95, if for no other reason than it was all on the road. Plus, look at the names he took out that playoffs, the top two PFs( Malone and Barkley), the 2nd and third best centers( Admiral and Shaq), 3 of the top 5 PGs in Penny, Stockton and KJ.