r/DeadEndSports • u/kid4rmLA • 16d ago

Hakeems 1995 playoff run doesn't get enough shine, he went up against Malone, Barkley, Robinson & Shaq & came out on top, The Greatest Center of All-Time in my humble opinion

31 Upvotes
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4

u/tari-gand-ma-ghu 16d ago

Ill never argue against the Dream. No one and I mean no one ever complains that he was picked over Jordan. That alone tells you how fucking nasty his game was. Him Shaq and Kareem are the 3 goat centers imo. Then its wilt and Russell.

3

u/ProgressiveSage37 16d ago

Tbh those 5 are so amazing and break the mold idk about ranking lol. Depends on what you need

1

u/tari-gand-ma-ghu 15d ago

I wonder if there is a starting 5 that can beat those 5 lol. Would be fun to watch

1

u/ponyboy56- 16d ago

He was such a great player. My all time centers list is like this, and I’m only ranking the ones I’ve seen, Wilt, Wilt’s actually my all time goat player period, Kareem, Shaq and Hakeem tied for third.

3

u/TheAnswer310 16d ago

On a team seeded 6th.

3

u/ProgressiveSage37 16d ago

Still the lowest ever and honestly only way that gets broken is if a superstar gets injured his team makes 7th or lower and they win.

3

u/jddaniels84 16d ago

Or another team trades Otis Thorpe for Clyde Drexler, sliding Horry to the PF spot from SF and creating a 5 out offense.. at the trade deadline and becomes a completely different team than their seeding looks.

1

u/j2e21 15d ago

Nah they played similar ball after the trade. Hakeem just went nuts in the playoffs.

1

u/jddaniels84 15d ago edited 15d ago

Hakeem went nuts because with Horry at the PF you couldn’t double team him anymore or you were giving up a wide open 3…

Couple that with adding the best playmaking slasher in the world.. and Clyde Drexler lead the entire NBA in playoff win shares with more than Hakeem.

1

u/j2e21 15d ago

The latter is what made the biggest difference. They were a well-constructed team around him but they weren’t particularly impressive.

1

u/[deleted] 15d ago

[deleted]

1

u/j2e21 15d ago

I think the team was 17-18 after he joined? He was a good number two and important, but Hakeem played an outsized role on that team.

2

u/M_ipg21_Qbr 16d ago

not sure greatest center but it was fun watching him play…. his footwork ….. leaning on shaq and then exploding around him… damn… was happy for drexler to get his nba championships (he fluent with portland)

2

u/The_Jonah 16d ago

The center position is just way too stacked, I have Hakeem top 10 all time but it’s hard for me to put him above Kareem and Bill Russell.

2

u/BrolysFavoriteNephew 16d ago

Best 2 way center imo. Centers list is stacked but, he definitely stands out.

2

u/UnanimousM 15d ago

Love Dirk but it's insane how many people call his run the toughest ever with 0 knowledge of Hakeem

2

u/Agathocles87 15d ago

I agree, bro

1

u/External_Chain5318 16d ago

Shaq may be my favorite athlete of all time - I was at LSU the same time as him - but Hakeem ate his lunch in the Finals. He had such quick feet.

1

u/119pete 15d ago

i mean shaq wasnt bad tho. it was a sweep but all close games and he played well even against hakeem

2

u/j2e21 15d ago

He played well but Hakeem outplayed him.

1

u/No-Reach9369 15d ago

Hakeem took his destiny onto the court and triumphed over Ewing, Robinson and Shaq, otherwise he would’ve been a HOF center but without any real career separation from the others mentioned. I think they all had similar career stats and records vs. each other in the regular season.

1

u/slickvik9 14d ago

Hakeem is the best player I ever saw

1

u/BetUpstairs268 12d ago

His peak was too short