The Dream

Alright, Hakeem the Dream Olajuwon has been inducted into the Hall of Fame. I feel like I should be more excited about this, but for me (and anyone who ever wtached him play) the proper response is, "well duh." Dream was one of the most amazing players I have ever seen, and I had the pleasure of living in Houston while he was at the peak of his powers bringing two titles to Clutch City. Here is what I vividly remember:

I am playing little league baseball on the day that the Rockets clinched vs. Pheonix in the West playoffs and instead of coaching us the parents have a radio on blasting the game. Everytime Dream touches the ball we all feel OK about the game, and because he is on the floor we know how much better everyone else around him becomes. So when Mario Elie hits the Kiss of Death Three, everyone simultaneously lets a scream for joy, except for teh kid that struck out right when the shot went in...

Hakeem spotting up for a corner three in playoffs just to show off, and draining it.

Hakeem absolutely abusing David Robinson after Robinson accepted the MVP. Ranks as the second most embarassing MVP showing behind Dirk's no show against the Warriors. Though I think Robinson would argue that getting abused by one of the top three centers of all time isn't anything to be too ashamed of, but still...

Shaquille O'Neal showing humility because he knew Hakeem had throttled him in his first foray into Finals basketball. If anything we might credit Hakeem with making Shaq hungrier and nastier than he already was. I am betting O'Neal has never forgotten what it was like to play against someone better than him in almost every way.

Most of all Hakeem had something that cannot be coached on teh basketball floor. He carried himself with a sense of pride and dignity that made you proud to root for his team. He was devastating on the court, but he was a statesman off of it, and a class act for teh city of Houston. Dusty will tell you that Spurs fans feel the same way about Timmy. It is somehting altogether different to watch a player that not only gets a whole city excited about basketball, but gets a whole city excited about itself.

The Captain signing off for now...