Was Ewing and Olajuwon rivalry Larry and Magic lite?

[Caltex2]

http://www.snsportsbeat.net/2008/09/hall-of-famers-olajuwon-ewing-forever.html

It's amazing how much they went back and forth and how similar their careers were.

[Sissiborgo]

2 good players and played just the same....:toast

[JamStone]

No.

[baseline bum]

Olajuwon-Ewing was more like Magic-Walter Davis than Magic-Bird.

[pauls931]

Boring vs Exciting. The NBA almost went under because the Houston/Knicks finals.

[jacobdrj]

I thought exciting was winning and boring was loosing.

If scoring was the only aspect to people watching a game, than football and baseball wouldn't be as popular as they are...

Basketball's place on the totem pole has nothing to do with scoring and everything to do with the the dynamics of how well the game works for television...

[angelbelow]

nah.

[alamo50]

There was only one rivalry amongst centers during the 90's and that all took place in Texas.

[sook]

There was only one rivalry amongst centers during the 90's and that all took place in Texas.

yea i'll never 4get that :king

[Caltex2]

I personally think it was the fact that they played each other in college for the title (like Bird and Magic) and then in the NBA for it. They really didn't transcend the game like Bird-Magic so it's not close like the article states if it's looked at that way.

But publicity aside, I think it was kinda Magic-Bird lite.

[ShoogarBear]

In the context of two players who met in the NCAA Finals and then again in the NBA Finals, yeah. There aren't too many of those.

[m33p0]

Boring vs Exciting. The NBA almost went under because the Houston/Knicks finals.
enjoying your ratings championship trophies?

[Indazone]

If the Pacers had made in to the ECF's instead of JVG's boring Knicks, the finals would have been much more exciting.

[I Love Me Some Me]

Ewing = way overrated.

[JMarkJohns]

Boring vs Exciting. The NBA almost went under because the Houston/Knicks finals.

There was nothing boring about Hakeem. However, I can't really argue with the latter statement. It was a terribly boring series.

However, I'd take a boring Hakeem over an exciting Amare.

[sook]

Ewing = way overrated.

seconded.

[dbreiden83080]

Ewing = way overrated.

How the hell is he overrated?? If anything he is underrated because he did not win a title. Playing in the east, during the Jordan era was not much fun for players in his day.

[JMarkJohns]

How the hell is he overrated?? If anything he is underrated because he did not win a title. Playing in the east, during the Jordan era was not much fun for players in his day.

An example...

When this Hall of Fame class was mentioned, one headline stated, "Riley, Ewing Headline 2008 Class..."

Sorry, Olajuwon won two titles and an MVP, two things Ewing never achieved. He's the All-Time blocked-shots leader. Olajuwon's career averages are better - albeit, not by much - across the board.

Yet Ewing gets top player billing?

He was a great player that played in New York. The media attention caused his star to rise to heights only all-time greats should be lifted to and while great, He's in the bottom-5 of the top-10 centers of all-time. Hakeem is top-5, maybe top-3.

[pauls931]

enjoying your ratings championship trophies?

Yuppers.:downspin:

[dbreiden83080]

An example...

When this Hall of Fame class was mentioned, one headline stated, "Riley, Ewing Headline 2008 Class..."

Sorry, Olajuwon won two titles and an MVP, two things Ewing never achieved. He's the All-Time blocked-shots leader. Olajuwon's career averages are better - albeit, not by much - across the board.

Yet Ewing gets top player billing?

He was a great player that played in New York. The media attention caused his star to rise to heights only all-time greats should be lifted to and while great, He's in the bottom-5 of the top-10 centers of all-time. Hakeem is top-5, maybe top-3.


There is a difference between saying someone is popular or enjoyed heights of popularity and saying they are overrated. Ewing was not as great as Hakeem, anyone with half a brain in their head understands that. The Knicks/Bulls rivalry was friggin HUGE. I live in NY, grew up during that heyday and it was insane when the Knicks played the Bulls. That kept Ewing perhaps even more in the spotlight, as the Knicks were close a number of years to getting by the Bulls. But Ewing's career is viewed pretty fairly, or i would say he is a little underrated. Those Knick teams easily could have won 2 titles had MJ and the Bulls not been there. Ewing gets a lot of shit to this day for having never won a ring, when a lot of those Knick teams, especially the Riley Knick teams were damn good.

[m33p0]

Yuppers.:downspin:
:lol

[m33p0]

How the hell is he overrated?? If anything he is underrated because he did not win a title. Playing in the east, during the Jordan era was not much fun for players in his day.
one of the perceived weaknesses of the Jordan era Bulls was their inability to control a primetime lowpost bigman. And despite Ewing's greatness, the Knicks were never able to take advantage of it because Ewing was a jumpshooting center. Replace Ewing with Hakeem... i don't see Cartwright and/or Grant surviving all 4 quarters.

[dbreiden83080]

one of the perceived weaknesses of the Jordan era Bulls was their inability to control a primetime lowpost bigman. And despite Ewing's greatness, the Knicks were never able to take advantage of it because Ewing was a jumpshooting center. Replace Ewing with Hakeem... i don't see Cartwright and/or Grant surviving all 4 quarters.

Hakeem would dominate, he is Hakeem but the Rockets would not beat the Bulls. Knicks went 7 games with them in 94 and even had a 3-2 series lead.

[Rainman]

We'll never know how the Rockets stacked up against that Bulls team for sure thanks to a Karl Malone bear hug and a 3pt shot by Stockton. That would have been a great series to watch Barkley, The Dream, and Drexler vs MJ, and Pippen.

The Knicks series vs the Rockets was a scratch and claw defensive battle and that's not as appealing to the highlight reel finals the Lakers played vs the Celtics but it was still a great series between two evenly matched teams.

[Allanon]

I can see the next new thread now...who was better... Ewing or the Admiral?

[m33p0]

We'll never know how the Rockets stacked up against that Bulls team for sure thanks to a Karl Malone bear hug and a 3pt shot by Stockton. That would have been a great series to watch Barkley, The Dream, and Drexler vs MJ, and Pippen.

The Knicks series vs the Rockets was a scratch and claw defensive battle and that's not as appealing to the highlight reel finals the Lakers played vs the Celtics but it was still a great series between two evenly matched teams.
Barkley would lose the series for the Rockets somehow.

[remingtonbo2001]

I can see the next new thread now...who was better... Ewing or the Admiral?

:lol My thoughts exactly.

[alamo50]

I can see the next new thread now...who was better... Ewing or the Admiral?

Luckily you have such a banner in your posts, that I know not to take you seriously.

[jacobdrj]

I would say Shaq-Wallace was even bigger than Ewing Olijuwon simply because they faced each other in the post season 4 times in a row, determining the championship twice.