Olajuwon, Ewing and the O.J. Simpson car chase: The forgotten NBA final

“…Like the 1994 finals.” It is usually a recurring tagline as a metaphor for steel-hard playoff series, ugly games, low scores, and attrition battles that do not usually have the blessing of the majority public. The 1994 NBA Finals were ugly. It was arid, swampy, unbreathable, and damned hard. The blows echoed through the television, and you went to bed sore, with a strange feeling of apprehension after seven battles of barbed wire and trenches that finally made the Houston Rockets champions. It was ugly and brutal, almost a tribute to the working class, a soundtrack of gray skylines and post-industrial hermeticism. Each inch of terrain that was conquered required an effort that left you in the chassis. It was a rude awakening, much more similar to real life than almost everything that had happened in the NBA in the previous three decades. It was hard but (again, like all in life) full of meaning. Damn hard but unforgettable.

A complicated question arose in the NBA after Michael Jordan left basketball to play baseball. The Houston Rockets and New York Knicks have played in the second final since 1979, when neither Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, nor Michael Jordan were present. The absence of these megastars and the two hypermuscled and fearsome defenses led by Pat Riley and Rudy Tomjanovich resulted in a dramatic 30% drop in the TV audience compared to the 1993 final between Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley. The rating was 17.2, which marked a point of depression. However, after Jordan’s return, the rating of the 1998 final reached 29, and the Miami Heat Big Three reunion lifted the dark decade that followed. Unfortunately, the final was hit by another mortar blow, which ended up almost dislocating it.

New York was going through a significant period of change in the world of sports. The Rangers were on the verge of winning the Stanley Cup, while the Knicks were looking for their first championship since 1973. Madison Square Garden was the center of the city’s excitement. However, on June 12, OJ Simpson’s ex-wife was found dead alongside her friend Ronald Goldman. This event caused panic across the city. A few days later, the Knicks and Rockets played the fifth game of a series tied at 2-2. The tension was high, and in the middle of the third quarter, with the Knicks leading 59-53, NBC interrupted the broadcast to show OJ Simpson driving down Interstate 405 in a white Ford Bronco, followed by the entire Los Angeles police department. This was the beginning of what later became known as reality TV. David Stern tried to get some airtime, but it was a lost cause. Only those present at Madison Square Garden witnessed the Knicks win and take a 3-2 lead in the series, giving them a good chance of winning the championship. The rest of America was focused on the white Ford Bronco and the events unfolding in Los Angeles.

After the fifth game, Rockets’ forward Mario Elie was wandering around the hotel, unable to sleep a wink. His team’s 2-1 lead had become 2-3, and they were on their way back to Texas. But, he crossed paths in the hallway with the gigantic figure of Hakeem Olajuwon, who smiled and told him: “Calm down, Mario, we’re going home.” At that moment, he knew they would be champions. Point guard Kenny Smith maintained this perception since Olajuwon received the Regular Season MVP and refused to lift the trophy if all of his teammates did not accompany him. From there arose the spirit that knocked down the Knicks, for whom every training session at that time was “like a rugby match.” The team had one of the most formidable frontcourts in history, featuring Patrick Ewing, Charles Oakley, Charles Smith, Anthony Mason... The Rockets turned the final on their track towards a tremendous 4-3 in a remarkable final. There was no broken game before the last minutes, and the average difference was just over 7 points, with the highest being 9. The Knicks, in fact, averaged 86.9 points compared to the champion’s 86.1. The Rockets were saved in the sixth game thanks to a play that is already a sacred legend of the playoffs. Hakeem Olajuwon came to the line of three to score the final shot by John Starks and left the score at 86-84. Starks had brought the Knicks closer to the title with 16 of his 27 points in a sublime last quarter that was only missing that winning shot that went into limbo and crushed the spirit of the electric point guard until leading him to a nightmare seventh game: 2/18 in shots, 0/11 in threes.

The Houston Rockets won back-to-back championships, first against the Lakers in 1994 and then against the Magic in 1995. Their success vindicated their decision to draft Hakeem Olajuwon ahead of Michael Jordan and Sam Bowie in 1984. In the 1994 finals, Olajuwon avenged his loss against the Celtics in 1986, while Patrick Ewing let another chance at glory slip away. Ewing had previously fallen short against the Pistons, the Pacers, and Jordan’s Bulls. However, he came tantalizingly close to winning a ring in 1994, which would have placed him alongside greats like Barkley, Malone, Stockton, and Reggie Miller. Alas, he remained a victim of Jordan’s dominance.

In 1994, a ring was defined, and a legacy was born. Two of the best centers in basketball history, Olajuwon and Ewing, both number 1 draft picks, were living the American dream. They battled it out in the finals, with Olajuwon dominating most of the time. He scored more than Ewing in the seven games and shattered Ewing’s historic defensive performance, who broke the records for total blocks (30) and in a single match (8) in a final. Olajuwon was the only player to reach 30 points in the entire series, he finished with averages of 26.9 points, 9.1 rebounds, 3.9 blocks, 3.6 assists and 50% shooting from the field. Ewing’s stats were also impressive, with 18.9 points, 12.4 rebounds, 4.3 blocks, and 36% shooting. The final was a tough battle, with every point being a challenge, and the losing team failed to reach 40% in field goals in four of the seven games. In the seventh game, Olajuwon finished with 25 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 blocks. Ewing scored 17 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and blocked two shots but committed 5 turnovers.

In the end, Houston’s advantage of playing at home, which they had earned by winning more direct matches in the season, proved to be the deciding factor. The Rockets had to battle through a tough series against the Suns, losing the first two games on their home court but ultimately winning 4-3. They then crushed the Jazz in the Western final. Meanwhile, the Knicks, coached by Riley, had to play seven games against the Bulls without Jordan and against the Pacers. In the seventh and final game, the Rockets and Knicks were neck and neck until the very end. The NBA world watched in silence as Olajuwon and Ewing hugged each other on the court, both teams completely exhausted from their efforts.

In 2008, Hakeem Olajuwon and Patrick Ewing were both inducted into the Hall of Fame together. During the ceremony, Olajuwon expressed his admiration for Ewing, wondering how he scored over such a towering opponent. It had been 14 years since their memorable showdown in the final and 24 years since they had faced off in the NCAA final, which Ewing’s Georgetown team won with Reggie Williams as the MVP. Previously, Houston, led by Olajuwon, had lost the 1983 final, and Ewing lost the 1985 final. Both players also suffered defeats in 1982 against Michael Jordan’s North Carolina team: Olajuwon in the semi-finals and Ewing in the final. From 1984 to 1994, these two giants helped redefine the ultra-physical and confusing NBA, with Michael Jordan being the only distinct identity in the league after the Magic-Bird era.

In the 1994 game, Cassell’s three-pointer saved the Rockets in the third game, which went eight minutes without scoring. This game was also memorable for Starks’ explosion and implosion in a single quarter, Ewing’s 8 blocks, and especially Hakeem Olajuwon’s performance. Olajuwon, one of the best centers in basketball history, made this game worth remembering. The final embrace between Olajuwon and Patrick Ewing is a perfect example of what basketball and sports should be. It is worth cherishing forever.