April 1994 was the start of a championship journey for Hakeem Olajuwon and the Houston Rockets in the 1993-94 NBA playoffs. Before getting there, though, they needed to take care of regular-season business.
Reserve guard Mario Elie referred to Phoenix as Houston’s most difficult playoff opponent, and the Suns pushed the Rockets to the brink in the second round. Fortunately, that Game 7 was in Houston, because the Rockets (58-24) narrowly held off the Suns (56-26) in the standings.
The Suns won their final seven regular-season games, which kept the heat on Houston to keep pace in the battle for the Western Conference’s No. 2 playoff seed. One game they couldn’t let slip away was on April 3, 1994, on the road versus the lottery-bound Los Angeles Clippers.
It was a tougher game than it appeared, judging by the records. Though the Clippers weren’t going to the playoffs, they made a trade at the February 1994 deadline for future Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins — who averaged 29 points and seven rebounds per game in Los Angeles.
Against the Rockets, Wilkins was even better. “The Human Highlight Film” scored 36 points on 46.7% shooting and grabbed 11 rebounds.
But Olajuwon had all the answers. In a 106-98 win (box score), “The Dream” posted game-high totals of 39 points (60.7% FG), 11 rebounds, and six blocks as Houston maintained its lead for the No. 2 seed.
Besides holding off Phoenix in the West, the Rockets also finished the 1993-94 regular season just one game ahead of New York (57-25) in the East. That advantage proved significant when the Rockets and Knicks met in the 1994 NBA Finals, with Olajuwon’s Rockets winning the decisive Game 7 at home to claim the franchise’s first championship.
Olajuwon’s duel with Wilkins in early April wasn’t nearly as historic as ones that came in the weeks ahead versus the likes of Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, and Patrick Ewing. But taking care of business in the regular season is what put those Rockets on the optimal path for playoff success.
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