Sportsfan Picture Thread

[Glacier Freeze]

1984--Stayin' Home

Hopin' to play professionally in his adopted home, Olajuwon elected to leave college a year early upon learnin' Rockets would participate in coin flip for 1st overall pick in 1984 NBA Draft. Houston won toss n' selected Olajuwon ahead of future NBA stars Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley n' John Stockton.  

[Glacier Freeze]

1986--Western Conference Champions

On heels of a promisin' rookie campaign, Olajuwon averaged 23.5 points, 11.5 rebounds n' 3.4 blocked shots durin' his 2nd pro season. Houston won Midwest Division n' advanced to a Western Conference Finals showdown with reignin' league champion Los Angeles. Rockets dominated Lakers, 4 games to 1, but dropped a 6-game NBA Finals to a Boston team frequently mentioned among best teams in history.  

[Glacier Freeze]

1990--Center of Attention

Olajuwon continued to post ridiculous numbers into 1990s though Rockets kept fallin' short of a return trip to NBA Finals. Hakeem became 3rd player after Kareem Abdul-Jabbar n' Bill Walton to lead league in reboundin' (14.0) n' blocked shots (4.6) durin' '89-90 campaign. He also became 3rd of 4 players in NBA history to log a quadruple-double, finishin' with 18 points, 16 boards, 10 assists n' 11 blocked shots against Milwaukee on Mar. 29, 1990.  

[Glacier Freeze]

1992--We Have A Problem

Despite typically strong averages of 21.6 points, 12.1 rebounds n' 4.3 blocked shots, Rockets missed playoffs for 1st time in Olajuwon's career durin' '91-92 season as management struggled to build a championship contender around their prized post man.  

[Glacier Freeze]

1994--1st NBA Championship

Rockets won their 1st 15 games durin' 1993-94 season n' never looked back, stormin' their way to a 58-24 record n' another division crown. Hakeem put together perhaps greatest single season for a big man in league history, averagin' 27.3 points, 11.9 rebounds n' 3.7 blocked shots while becomin' 1st player to win awards for MVP, Defensive Player of Year n' NBA Finals MVP in same season. Rockets edged Knicks in 7 games for Houston's 1st NBA championship.  

[Glacier Freeze]

1995--Defendin' Title n' Honor

Reunited with college teammate Clyde Drexler thanks to a March trade, Houston began defense of their NBA title as a No. 6 seed in Western Conference Playoffs. After modest upsets of Utah n' Phoenix, Rockets drew San Antonio in conference finals: a clash of Texas titans between Olajuwon n' David Robinson, league's Most Valuable Player in 1995. Robinson accepted MVP trophy in a ceremony before Game 2---but Olajuwon abused Admiral for 41 points n' 16 rebounds as Rockets took a commandin' 2-0 series lead. Houston would eventually win series in 6.  

[Glacier Freeze]

1995--2nd NBA Championship

Rockets swept Orlando Magic in NBA Finals to bring home their 2nd consecutive title with Olajuwon repeatin' as Finals MVP. Houston became 1st team in league history to defeat No. 3, No. 2 n' No. 1 seeds in same postseason. Olajuwon's numbers from 1995 playoff averages remain astoundin': 33.0 points on 53.1 percent shootin', 10.3 rebounds, 2.8 blocked shots.  

[Glacier Freeze]

1996--Dream Team III

Olajuwon, havin' become a naturalized American citizen followin' 1993 season, was selected to compete for United States at Summer Olympics in 1996. With another assembly of NBA stars determined to sustain Dream Team legacy, Americans finished 8-0 in tournament as Olajuwon collected his 1st n' only Olympic gold medal.  

[Glacier Freeze]

1997--Rocket Resurgence

After Seattle ended Houston's bid for a 3-peat durin' 1996 NBA Playoffs, Rockets stormed out of gate with a 21-2 start durin' '96-97 season. Olajuwon led way with averages of 23.2 points, 9.2 rebounds n' 2.2 blocks n' Houston finished with 57 wins---but John Stockton's 3-pointer to clinch Western Conference Finals marked end of Clutch City's contendin' years.  

[Glacier Freeze]

2001--Toronto Coda

With Houston in full-blown rebuildin' mode in twilight of Olajuwon's career, Rockets sent their beloved center to Toronto in a trade for draft picks. Hakeem averaged 7.1 points n' 6.0 rebounds for middlin' Raptors---career lows both---n' retired followin' 2001-02 season.  

[Boston Sports Fan]

Phelps doing his thing... talk2hand  

[Boston Sports Fan]

This isn't true anymore crying  

[Boston Sports Fan]

The Mets official drink: =O

 

[Boston Sports Fan]

It's about time someone gets this guy

 

[Boston Sports Fan]

Hope we could add another one this year