1986 - NBA Western Finals

[ChuckyTheGoat]

I've written on here b4. The one game-result that I wish I could flip (if I could go back in time) = 1985 AFC Final.
...Dolphins get upset by the Patriots. I swear the Dolphins had the right personnel to beat the Bears in the Super Bowl.

*My second choice might be the 1986 NBA Western Finals. Lakers get upset by the Rockets.
...1986 Celts were surely the best of the Bird Celtic editions. They had a healthy Walton coming off the bench.
...Had the Lakers won the West, that Laker-Celtic final would have been epic. If Lakers win in '86, they could say they beat the best Celtic team.
...Lakers dominated the West in the decade of the 80s. But HOU upset them in 1981...and again in 1986.

[ChuckyTheGoat]

I've been watching these games and observing:

*Gm 1: Rockets hung around, didn't play badly. Lakers showed their playoff experience, pulled away late. Lakers lead, 1-0.

*Gm2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuQb..._channel=f9ish
...I used to think about this as an upset series. Lakers had come out of the West four straight times. Have to go back to 1981, when the Rockets beat the Lakers in the mini-series.
...A few things jump out to me. First one is a 39-year old Kareem. He was well-conditioned and he defied his age. In this series, however, he was going against two big-men. On many plays he was going up for a shot, only to run into the double-team.
...Olajuwon is immense. He's still a young player in 1986. This is his coming-out party.
...If Kareem is the GOAT center, then Akeem is announcing his arrival in a big way. He makes some plays that boggle the mind. Running the court, blocking the shots, sending back the offensive rebounds.
...Sampson is sometimes viewed as a guy who should have been ever better. At 7'4" he's not just a 7-footer, he's 7-foot PLUS. In this series, Ralph was very effective.

[Ian]

Olajuwon was awesome. IMO the Rockets ran bad to only win two championships with him & any series they won as a dog was only a slight upset.

From what I remember Sampson was a great player who was always hampered by injuries.

[ChuckyTheGoat]

Olajuwon was awesome. IMO the Rockets ran bad to only win two championships with him & any series they won as a dog was only a slight upset.

From what I remember Sampson was a great player who was always hampered by injuries.

Salud, IAN:

1) Of course, I knew Olajuwon was a great player. Saw it again on the 1986 tape. Lakers were Defending champs, were a great litmus test.
...The Olajuwon athleticism jumps off the tape. Running the court. The explosive quick leaping.
...Watch the series that Akeem had against David Robinson in 1995. Amazing.
2) Sampson was tall. One of the few times that Kareem faced a BIGGER center. He was skilled and had a surprisingly good mid-range jumper. He had a reputation of not always being the hardest-working player. And to your point, he had too many knee injuries.