This is What a NBA Center Used to Do

[EaglesPhan36]

Sick. Sick. Sick. F D12.

[InTheDrink]

this thread could have gone either way...this is what a shitty nba center used to do...still left his mark

[jjgold]

Duncan and Gasoli of Memphis all we have

Too much hard play now

[ChalkyDog]

This is what heavy weights used to be able to do:

[EaglesPhan36]

Jusy sayin', Dream was the last Center who had a variety of moves. F-ing Centers today are lucky they can stand upright. Part of the reason the NBA sucks ball sack.

[Sport_Fish]

50% of the people posting in the NBA thread in the off-season claim "NBA sucks now"

[TheMoneyShot]

Sick. Sick. Sick. F D12.

How did this guy not get 25 Million + per year? This guy is unbelievable.

And how did I miss this guy's career?

[TheMoneyShot]

The African Dream!!!!!!!!

[EaglesPhan36]

I lived in Houston during his prime. Haven't been to a NBA game since. Just seriously, NBA big men don't do what Dream did. Dream & David Robinson, those were the last two great NBA centers IMO. Shaq was just a gorilla who wouldn't have done shit if he didn't weigh 350. He did develop a little bit of an actual game later in his career, but he was mostly just bang and dunk.

The moves above are guard moves in a center's body.

[harlee71]

Dream was the best player I ever watched.

[BennyBigNuts]

Olojuwon was a hog. Let's not forget Ewing and D-Rob either though.
Centers were nasty at that time.

[Wrigley]

Greatest NBA center ever

[Sledge187]

Dream was the greatest player of all time. Drugs robbed the Rockets of a dynasty in the 80s. Look up Lewis Lloyd, Mitchell Wiggins and John Lucas. They were all banned for drugs.

[Sledge187]

Greatest NBA center ever

there were only 4 teams back then. Him and Russell both are overrated.

[EaglesPhan36]

Dream was the greatest player of all time. Drugs robbed the Rockets of a dynasty in the 80s. Look up Lewis Lloyd, Mitchell Wiggins and John Lucas. They were all banned for drugs.

Don't forget Ralph Sampson's knees. Still one of the greatest buzzer beaters as an old school Rockets fan ... dude never even saw the basket when he let it go.

[texhooper]

I lived in Houston during his prime. Haven't been to a NBA game since. Just seriously, NBA big men don't do what Dream did. Dream & David Robinson, those were the last two great NBA centers IMO. Shaq was just a gorilla who wouldn't have done shit if he didn't weigh 350. He did develop a little bit of an actual game later in his career, but he was mostly just bang and dunk.

The moves above are guard moves in a center's body.

that's not really fair. there are a lot of gorilla types who suck ass and can't do anything. throughout his career shaq was unstoppable in ways no other big man ever was.

[Sledge187]

Don't forget Ralph Sampson's knees. Still one of the greatest buzzer beaters as an old school Rockets fan ... dude never even saw the basket when he let it go.

I was 7 when this happened. This was my intro into basketball. The game was actually broadcast on tape delay back then.

[EaglesPhan36]

that's not really fair. there are a lot of gorilla types who suck ass and can't do anything. throughout his career shaq was unstoppable in ways no other big man ever was.

True to an extent. Plenty of fat boys who could never use their power, but Shaq to me was 85% big goon who no one could match up with size wise and that's how he did damage. Will give him credit though as a younger player, he could run the floor exceptionally well.

Guys like Olajuwon, Robinson and to a lesser extent - Ewing though had skill sets that a lot of guards/forwards didn't have and that's what made that ERA great to me. Now, you can't hardly find a big man who is worth a shit.

[alta]

The Dream Shake

If I had to pick a center [for an all-time best team], I would take Olajuwon. That leaves out Shaq, Patrick Ewing. It leaves out Wilt Chamberlain. It leaves out a lot of people. And the reason I would take Olajuwon is very simple: he is so versatile because of what he can give you from that position. It's not just his scoring, not just his rebounding or not just his blocked shots. People don't realize he was in the top seven in steals. He always made great decisions on the court. For all facets of the game, I have to give it to him.
—Michael Jordan^ Shanken, Marvin. One-on-One with Michael Jordan, Cigar Aficionado, September 1, 2005, accessed July 13, 2010.

The Rockets won the 1994 NBA Finals in a seven-game series against the New York Knicks, the team of one of Olajuwon's perennial rivals since his collegiate days, Patrick Ewing. Olajuwon dominated Ewing in their head–to–head match-up, outscoring him in every game of the series and averaging 26.9 points per game on 50% shooting, compared to Ewing's 18.9 and 36.3%. For his efforts Olajuwon was named NBA Finals Most Valuable Player.
In 1994 he became the only player in NBA history to win the MVP, Finals MVP and Defensive Player of the Year awards in the same season.

Despite a slow start by the team, and Olajuwon missing eight games toward the end of the season with anemia,the Rockets repeated as champions in 1995. Olajuwon displayed perhaps the most impressive moments of his career during the playoffs. San Antonio Spurs center David Robinson, recently crowned league MVP, was outplayed by Olajuwon in the Conference Finals: Olajuwon averaged 35.3 points on .560 shooting (Robinson's numbers were 23.8 and .449) and outscored Robinson 81-41 in the final two games. The Rockets won every road game that series. In the NBA Finals, the Rockets swept the Orlando Magic, who were led by a young Shaquille O'Neal. Olajuwon outscored O'Neal in every game, scoring more than 30 points in each and raising his regular-season rate by five while O'Neal's production dropped by one. Olajuwon was again named Finals MVP. He averaged 33.0 points on .531 shooting, 10.3 rebounds, and 2.81 blocks in the 1995 Playoffs.

[hotelis]

there wont be classic big men any more. Howard is nex gen center. its all about SGs an PGs now. fadeaways, emphatic dunks, 1 on 1 isos, 3 point attempts, fast tempo game is what NBA is about today.

[Goat Milk]

Dude you're talking about probably the best center in nba history... obviously there's no dream in the league today. that type of player comes around once every 50 years.

still the things that Bryant does -- the level of difficulty -- is by the highest in nba history. Higher than Dream, Jordan, Lebron. Anyone. Just in terms of difficulty of shots.

[Goat Milk]

there wont be classic big men any more. Howard is nex gen center. its all about SGs an PGs now. fadeaways, emphatic dunks, 1 on 1 isos, 3 point attempts, fast tempo game is what NBA is about today.

Defense is a lot better in the nba today. You don't get as many cheap buckets as you used to. The wing players in the league today are a lot bigger, longer and blacker. You're starting to see that 6'10 6'11 guy play the SG and SF position...

Scoring 130 points in an nba game today without overtime is almost impossible.

There will be more classic big men. You just have to wait for them.

50 years ago no one ever thought you'd see a 7'0 player (Durant) bringing the ball up the court and handling it like a PG. At least I didn't.

[Delicious]

Nice find. I had forgotten how quick he was. I really enjoyed the NBA back then.

[CarpeDime]

****a had a SICK first step fake out, made ****as look STUPID on the court, and smooth as fukin silk on the finish






aKEEM!........the DREAM!........ooooooOOOOOOOO-LAJUWON!!!!!

[InTheDrink]

Defense is a lot better in the nba today. You don't get as many cheap buckets as you used to. The wing players in the league today are a lot bigger, longer and blacker. You're starting to see that 6'10 6'11 guy play the SG and SF position...

Scoring 130 points in an nba game today without overtime is almost impossible.

There will be more classic big men. You just have to wait for them.

50 years ago no one ever thought you'd see a 7'0 player (Durant) bringing the ball up the court and handling it like a PG. At least I didn't.

bigger

longer

blacker

first of all kevin durant is 6'9"....maybe 6'10" but not really

you could have picked out dirk who is arguably 7' but why start being accurate now? just another white geuye

if you dont agree that 7 foot centers (who happened to play with their backs to the basket) were better 15-20 years ago then you dont watch much basketball

fyi the game isnt better because every 6'11" guye thinks he can shoot 3's and handle the basketball like a PG

[Flagrant1]

This thread brings a tear of joy to my eye.

[Goat Milk]

bigger

longer

blacker

first of all kevin durant is 6'9"....maybe 6'10" but not really

you could have picked out dirk who is arguably 7' but why start being accurate now? just another white geuye

if you dont agree that 7 foot centers (who happened to play with their backs to the basket) were better 15-20 years ago then you dont watch much basketball

fyi the game isnt better because every 6'11" guye thinks he can shoot 3's and handle the basketball like a PG

big men back then were way better than big men today.

Durant 6'9? Is that what NBA.com says yeah it also says Lebron is 240 pounds. lol. They came in the league as teenagers. You don't stop growing when you're 19 years old.

Dirk is 7 feet but can't dribble like Durant.

I would say this is the most entertaining and second was the bird magic era. Jordan was guarded by white scrubs and undersized guards like Gary Payton and Joe Dumars. Bryant would destroy any of those two or any of those white guys like jeff horneseck that used to guard Jordan.

[Goat Milk]

yup

[Louisvillekid1]

When I clicked on this thread, I was hoping it was Dream, well done...

[Louisvillekid1]

[oldscho0led]

This is what heavy weights used to be able to do:

Goat's right. Olajuwon is probably is the best center of all time. Even MJ said that. But damn, look at how Iron Mike' defense and how he enters his bigger, longer opponents!

[Pick'nParlays]

Hakeem w/ Drexler was awesome