Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, June 6, 1995 TAG: 9506060146
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: ORLANDO, FLA. LENGTH: Medium
A matchup with the best player in this postseason is the prize the Orlando Magic's center wins for leading his team to the NBA Finals. The matchup between Olajuwon and O'Neal will be the centerpiece of the series between the defending champions and the Magic, which starts Wednesday.
O'Neal is in awe of Olajuwon.
``He can do it all - left side, right side. He can dribble. He has a complete game,'' O'Neal said.
In their two meetings this season, each player had 49 points, with O'Neal holding a 27-19 advantage in rebounds. But the regular season has little to do with the playoffs, where Olajuwon has been all but unstoppable, O'Neal said.
``He's on a roll,'' O'Neal said. ``He's been making moves I've never seen before. Hakeem is a great player, the best. In my eyes, he's the most valuable player this year.''
In the Western Conference finals against San Antonio, Olajuwon averaged 35.3 points in six games against David Robinson, an excellent defensive player and the league's MVP as determined by a vote of sportswriters and broadcasters.
Except for the two games when foul trouble drastically limited his minutes, O'Neal dominated Pacers center Rik Smits, but Smits is a jump-shooter without Olajuwon's seemingly limitless repertoire of low-post moves.
Houston coach Rudy Tomjanovich likes Olajuwon against just about anybody, but points out that Dream vs. Shaq isn't the only story line in the series.
``There are going to be a lot of interesting subplots,'' he said.
One of the most interesting - and potentially troubling for the Rockets - is the matchup at point guard, where 6-foot-3 Kenny Smith or 6-3 Sam Cassell will try to guard 6-7 Anfernee Hardaway. Hardaway has raised his scoring average and shooting percentage in each playoff round, averaging 19.6 points and shooting 53 percent against Indiana.
``I don't see our point guard playing [Nick] Anderson or [Dennis] Scott,'' Tomjanovich said. ``We're going to try some different things.''
Whichever lineup Houston tries, the Magic players realize they will need all the seasoning they've gained in their 20 postseason games - three last year and 17 this year - to beat the Rockets.
``I'm sure they're going to be the favorites,'' Hardaway said, ``because they know how to win in situations like they did last year. We're really facing another challenge. The thing is, we just have to go out and play our game and not really worry about it.''
Keywords:
BASKETBALL
by CNB