Hakeem Olajuwon’s ‘Dream Shake’ is a basketball move that dominated for years. And in the mid-90s, it was the move that led him to back-to-back titles.
Hakeem Olajuwon is one of the greatest players to ever play the game. Heck, he was the greatest center to play on the hardwood in the 90s.
When his opponents went up against him, they had to worry about his defense and scoring. He would deny you on one end, then run down to the other end and make you look like a fool in the post.
David Robinson, sadly, was one of Hakeem’s victims.
Hakeem Olajuwon’s ‘Dream Shake’ in the 1995 Western Conference Finals
Here’s the setting: It is late in May, in 1995 in Texas (Houston and San Antonio).
Here’s the plot: The San Antonio Spurs’ David Robinson (Olajuwon’s rival) had been named that season’s MVP and was seeking to win his first NBA championship.
But Olajuwon, the previous year’s MVP, wanted to win his second NBA title and Robinson was in his way.
The two legends and their teams battled it out.
Both teams were coming off of tough matches in the previous rounds.
The Rockets were coming off of tough battles against the Utah Jazz and Phoenix Suns, whereas the Spurs were coming off a hard match-up against a young Los Angeles Lakers team.
Both Olajuwon and Robinson were tired and had to dig deep for their battle.
This fight was close. The two teams went toe-to-toe in this Western Conference Finals match-up.
In Game 1, the Rockets barely made it out, winning by 1 point. In Game 2, they won by 10 points.
They were leading and had a comfortable cushion. But the Spurs charged back and won Game 3 by 5 points.
The Rockets brushed it off as their opponents only won one game. But the Spurs surprised them again in Game 4, spanking them by 22 points.
Now, Olajuwon and the Rockets felt urgency.
Olajuwon went into the following games looking for blood. He went into Game 5 and absolutely murdered the Spurs.
He scored 42 points on 63 percent shooting, dished out 8 assists, and blocked 5 shots. The Rockets beat the Spurs by 21 points that game.
In Game 6, Olajuwon brought that same ferocity. He scored 39 points on 64 percent shooting, grabbed 17 rebounds, and denied 5 shots.
The Rockets beat the Spurs by 5 points and won that conference finals.
Olajuwon absolutely annihilated Robinson in the two final games of the series. And not just on the offensive end -he also held Robinson to just 20.5 points on 41 percent shooting.
Hakeem The Dream played well the entire series.
The 32-year-old averaged 35 points on 56 percent shooting. But it wasn’t until the series evened out when he upped his efficiency.
The center began to discover weaknesses and was able to expose Robinson and the Spurs’ defense.
He used his quick and masterful footwork down in the post and underrated shooting to make open shots in the mid-range. He unleashed his “Dream Shake” and no one on the Spurs was able to stop it.
In a post-game interview, Robinson said that Hakeem was on another level in that series.
“I thought most of the time, I defended him pretty well. The man just played as well as I’ve seen anybody play in a long time.”
The 1995 NBA Finals
Afterward, Olajuwon and the Rockets headed over to Florida to battle the Orlando Magic in the NBA Finals.
There, Olajuwon opened up another bottle of “Dream Shake” and dominated a young Shaquille O’Neal and Magic team.
The Rockets swept them and won their second NBA Championship.
Final Thoughts
Hakeem’s Dream Shake is a special move that is still talked about today.
Players of every position have gone to the Abbot to learn it. However, nobody has quite mastered it the way Hakeem has.
But who knows, maybe one day soon, someone will. The centers in the NBA are constantly evolving.
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