Final Four: 2017-18 James Harden vs. 1993-94 Hakeem Olajuwon

No. 3 seed: 2017-18 James Harden: 30.4 points (44.9% FG, 36.7% 3-pointers), 8.8 assists, 5.4 rebounds, 1.8 steals per game

This was Harden’s lone MVP season as voted on by media, and it was also the most successful Rockets season by record (65-17) in franchise history. His new partnership with Chris Paul paid immediate dividends, and the Rockets cruised to the West’s No. 1 seed in the regular season.

While Harden’s win shares for the season are below his 2014-15 campaign, that’s primarily because he missed 10 games with minor injuries in 2017-18. Adjusted for minutes played (WS/48), 2017-18 remains the top individual season of Harden’s NBA career, and his 61.9% true shooting percentage is the best of his eight seasons in Houston.

In the playoffs, the 2017-18 Rockets appeared poised to knock off defending champion Golden State and secure the franchise’s first NBA crown in over 20 years… right up until Paul’s hamstring went out late in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals, with Houston up 3-2 in the series. The Warriors rallied to win the series after Paul’s exit, but that season clearly showed that the Harden-led Rockets could win a title.

No. 7 seed: 1993-94 Hakeem Olajuwon: 27.3 points (52.8% FG), 11.9 rebounds, 3.7 blocks, 3.6 assists, 1.6 steals per game

After losing a hard-fought road Game 7 in overtime in the 1992 NBA playoffs to Seattle, the Rockets knew they were capable of winning a title. Led by Olajuwon, they made a big statement as to their readiness with a 15-0 start to 1993-94, which was tied at the time for the longest unbeaten streak in NBA history to begin a season. They finished at 58-24, representing what was then the most wins in one season in team history.

Olajuwon’s 27.3 points per game average was the second-most of his Hall of Fame career, and he did it with strong durability at 80 games played. Most important, of course, is that the big man’s production fully carried over into the playoffs. “The Dream” led the NBA in playoff scoring at 28.9 points per game, and his Rockets went on to win the franchise’s first NBA championship in June 1994.

Olajuwon was awarded the NBA’s regular-season MVP in 1994 for the first and only time of his 18-year career, and he also won the NBA Finals MVP award — which he did again in 1995, as Houston took its second title.

[crowdsignal poll=10546925]

Final Four: ’15 Harden vs. ’19 Harden / ’18 Harden vs. ’94 Olajuwon

[lawrence-related id=28549,29158]