The Nuggets have honored their all-time leader in points and assists on several occasions over the past few years, weaving an integral thread into the franchise’s somewhat unheralded past. Their efforts, particularly that of vice president of basketball administration Lisa Johnson, now in her 39th season, have re-established a bond with English, the NBA’s leading scorer throughout the 1980s and a Hall of Famer.
Tag: Alex English
“If you go back, it’s like looking at …
“If you go back, it’s like looking at the Boston Celtics without thinking about Larry Bird and Bill Russell and Kevin McHale and Robert Parish and looking at the Lakers without Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic (Johnson),” English told The Denver Post by phone. “Those players become, they’re iconic players that become a part of the brand. … It took the Nuggets a long time to recognize and follow through with that.”
Today in 1986: Rockets top Denver as Olajuwon goes for 38 and 16
In Game 1 of a second-round series, Rockets star Hakeem Olajuwon had a monster game with 38 points (67% FG), 16 rebounds, and 5 blocks.
Led by a massive game from second-year center Hakeem Olajuwon, the Houston Rockets began their second-round playoff series versus Denver with a 126-119 victory (box score) on April 26, 1986.
The eventual Hall of Famer led the Rockets in Game 1 with 38 points (66.7% shooting), 16 rebounds, six steals, and five blocked shots. All of those figures were game-highs that day at The Summit in Houston.
Fellow big man Ralph Sampson backed Olajuwon’s effort with 20 points and 11 rebounds, while future Hall of Famer Alex English led the Nuggets with 34 points (52.2% FG) and nine assists.
The Nuggets (47-35) were the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, while the Rockets (51-31) had home-court advantage as the No. 2 seed. Houston went on to win the best-of-seven series in six games.
After defeating Denver, the Rockets went on to shock the top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals — which they won in just five games. The 1985-86 Rockets advanced to the NBA Finals (where they lost to Boston in six games) for just the second time in team history.
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How much did Michael Jordan outscore fellow NBA legends in their matchups?
Even if not the top scorer in NBA history, Michael Jordan is probably the best scorer we’ve seen on a basketball court. It was not very often that an opponent (or a teammate) put more points on the board than him. Actually, only one player outscored …
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Even if not the top scorer in NBA history, Michael Jordan is probably the best scorer we’ve seen on a basketball court. It was not very often that an opponent (or a teammate) put more points on the board than him.
Actually, only one player outscored MJ in their matchups during his Chicago years. And then he did it again when His Airness was a member of the Wizards…
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Today in Rockets history: Hakeem Olajuwon, Alex English do battle
In an epic duel on March 21, 1989, Olajuwon and English combined for 73 points as the playoff-bound Rockets and Nuggets battled for seeding.
On March 21, 1989, future Hall of Famers Hakeem Olajuwon and Alex English engaged in an epic duel at The Summit in Houston.
In his fifth NBA season, the 25-year-old Olajuwon led the Rockets (36-29) with 36 points on 16-of-31 (51.6%) shooting, and he also added a game-high 23 rebounds, three steals, and two blocks.
But it wasn’t enough that day in a 112-110 loss (box score) to the Denver Nuggets (36-30), who were led by 37 points from English on 15-of-29 shooting (51.7%). An eight-time All-Star, English averaged 26.5 points per game in the 1988-89 season, which ranked fifth in the NBA.
Olajuwon averaged 24.8 points (50.8% FG), 13.5 rebounds, and 3.4 blocks per game that season, and he finished fifth in 1988-89 MVP voting. English and Olajuwon started at small forward and center, respectively, for the Western Conference in the 1989 NBA All-Star Game (box score).
Though the Nuggets beat the Rockets on March 21, Houston (45-37) still held off Denver (44-38) for the No. 5 spot in the 1988-89 West standings. Both teams lost in the first round of the 1989 playoffs.
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Denver Nuggets’ great Alex English had …
Denver Nuggets’ great Alex English had a celebratory weekend as his jersey was retired at Dreher High School in South Carolina. English attended Dreher High School from 1968-1972 where he was an All-Region and All-State star athlete, while the retirement of his No. 22 jersey will be the first of its kind for the school. “We are very excited to honor Dreher alum and basketball legend Alex English,” said Dreher athletics director Jeff DiBattisto. “His accomplishments in the game of basketball at all levels are world-class. He continues to be an ambassador for the game of basketball around the world and we are proud he is a Dreher Blue Devil.
It goes without saying that James is a …
It goes without saying that James is a physical anomaly. This is far from breaking news. But assuming that Father Time will come for James at some point, you might think the Lakers would be taking precautions with him. He has played in every one of the Lakers’ 27 games, but he is playing under 35 minutes a night for the first time in his career — barely, at 34.6. His 25.9 points per game are the second most by a player in a season he turns 35 — second only to Alex English’s 26.5 for the Nuggets in 1988-89.
Damian Lillard had 13 points and 12 …
Damian Lillard had 13 points and 12 assists as Portland snapped a four-game losing streak. Anthony was 10-for-20 from the field, including 4-of-7 on 3-pointers. He now has 25,615 career points to move ahead of Alex English (26,613) into 18th place on the NBA’s career scoring list.