Back In The Day NBA, April 18, 1993: Dikembe Mutombo Completely Denies Los Angeles Clippers
Denver Nuggets center Dikembe Mutombo's signature move was wagging his finger after each blocked shots.
He did a lot of that against the Los Angeles Clippers April 18, 1993. Mutombo, one of the best defenders in NBA history, had a career-high 12 blocks in a 94-83 victory.
He also had 16 points and 21 rebounds in 43 minutes, completing a dominant triple-double. He even used the opportunity to talk a little trash to the Clippers after the game.
“I asked Ron, the Clipper guy, and Norman, ‘What’s going on with you guys? Why are you still coming down the middle on me?’ ” Mutombo said of Clippers Ron Harper and Ken Norman. “They said they weren’t going to stop trying to dunk on me. I said, ‘OK, fine.’ They wanted to challenge me.”
The performance is considered one of the greatest in Nuggets history. That year Mutombo helped lead them to a 36-46 record. He averaged 13.8 points, 12 rebounds and 3.5 blocks.
The following year Mutombo led the Nuggets to one of the biggest upsets in NBA history. The No. 8-seeded Nuggets knocked off the top-seeded Seattle Supersonics in the first round. It was the first time a No. 1 lost in the opening round. The Nuggets rallied from a 2-0 deficit to win the series in five games.
In his career, Mutombo was an eight-time All-Star and four-time Defensive Player of the Year. He played a key role in the Philadelphia 76ers making the NBA Finals in 2001 where they lost in five games to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Back In The Day NBA. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com