If you ask any savvy defender the best way to shut down a prolific player, don't expect an answer that involves moving their feet or having quick hands. Instead, their answer would likely be to test that player's mental toughness. That meant trying to get under their skin by any means necessary.
In the 1980s, when the rules regarding violence and roughhousing weren't as strictly enforced as they are nowadays, that meant literally scratching and clawing at an opponent or even sneaking a jab or two in, hoping the refs wouldn't catch it.
This was the case in a do-or-die playoff game between the Houston Rockets and Utah Jazz in 1985. The first-round series was tied at 2-2, and tensions ran high. Jazz center Billy Paultz, aptly nicknamed "The Whopper," was tasked with guarding one of the league's most dominant big men at the time, Hakeem Olajuwon .
Even though he was only 22, "The Dream" was already a nightmare for opposing defenders, averaging 20.6 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks to finish runner-up in the Rookie of the Year race to Michael Jordan. The Nigerian center was even better in the playoffs, averaging 21.2 points, 13.0 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game.
Safe to say, the battle at the center position was a mismatch in favor of the Rockets. However, Paultz had one thing going for him: experience. He knew he had no shot at defending Olajuwon if he stayed within the bounds of traditional post-defense. Instead, he decided to pester and annoy Hakeem to test where the young star's mental fortitude was at.
Agitate Keem to no end
Paultz was by no means chopped liver. A 6-foot-11 big man from New Jersey, he was a skilled inside operator who earned four All-Star berths in the ABA. But against Olajuwon, he knew he had little chance of slowing down the lithe center.
"You couldn't stop his quickness. It was just tremendous… Really unparalleled," Paultz said in the recently-released book, "Dream: The Life and Legacy of Hakeem Olajuwon" by Mirin Fader.
With Jazz center Mark Eaton on the sidelines with a knee injury, Utah coach Frank Layden had no choice but to put Paultz on Olajuwon and tell him to do whatever he could to slow him down.
"I figured if I'd just start jabbing him in the ribs a little bit, just to catch him off his game a little bit. I was doing it where nobody could see it," Billy revealed, remembering how Hakeem grew more agitated with every discreet punch he threw until the latter couldn't take it anymore. "He finally broke."
With under seven minutes left in the fourth quarter and the Rockets up by only two, 83-81, Olajuwon finally stood up to Paultz and cleaned his clock with a right hook. Surprisingly, play continued after that incident. No fouls were called, which was unsurprising considering how games were officiated back then. Hakeem was later on fined $1,500 for his punch.
Although Paultz was shaken up by Olajuwon's punch, he knew he had already done his job. Hakeem got off his game, the Jazz got fired up, and they used the momentum to win Game 5, 104-97.
Related: "He did one dunk, and everybody quit" - Grant Hill recalls seeing Vince Carter shut down a high school dunk contest against Kevin Garnett and Stephon Marbury
Hakeem was a hothead early in his career
The legendary center was a player with little weakness. Olajuwon had nifty handles for a player of his size, and while he had a wiry physique, he was deceptively strong and could hold his own against bigger opponents. The Nigerian was also incredibly athletic and had a quick first step that allowed him to blow by defenders with ease. His agility and footwork were unmatched, making it nearly impossible for any foe to stop on the offensive end.
However, this fiery temperament often got the best of him on the court. Former Seattle Supersonics center Michael Cage knew all about this and exploited it to his and his team's advantage. Undersized at only 6-foot-9, Cage made up for it with tenacity and grit, often sacrificing his body for the good of the Sonics. If his ejection meant Olajuwon's as well, so be it.
"I got in fights with him—on purpose. And he took swings at me when I kept pushing him. But I'd have to damn near get thrown out of the game just to get under his skin," Cage admitted.
Now 62 and working as an analyst for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Michael knew that was all he could do against Hakeem.
"You can't let Olajuwon be Olajuwon. He'll score 40 on you. Maybe even 50," he added.
Curiously, another incident of Hakeem blowing his top came against Cage during a March 3, 1989 game. Olajuwon had grabbed an offensive board and was on his way up for a putback when Michael used all his might to keep him from getting off the floor.
"I was hitting him. Kept hitting him," he shared.
Like his outburst against Paultz, the incident happened in the blink of an eye. Olajuwon unleashed a quick left straight that hit Cage in the mouth and left him with a gaping wound that needed four stitches to close.
"He just turned around and took a swing on me," Cage recalled.
And like Paultz before him, Michael knew he had done his job well. He had rattled Hakeem, and the Sonics later won the game 118-108.
The Rockets knew Hakeem had a problem when he got ticked off. His ferocious, competitive fire fueled him on the court, but it was also his Achilles' heel. It would later take a deep dive into spirituality to get Olajuwon to a place of inner peace and control.
Related: "If you're going to flop, I might as well hit you for real" - When Hakeem Olajuwon got irritated by Utah Jazz defender's antics
Local News
Comments / 0