http://www.nytimes.com/1997/01/20/sp...the-bulls.html
Olajuwon Slakes His Thirst By Dominating the Bulls
Published: Monday, January 20, 1997
A depleted Hakeem Olajuwon was still enough to lead the Houston Rockets over the Chicago Bulls.
Olajuwon, who didn't drink liquids during the game because of his religious fast, had 32 points and 16 rebounds as the Houston Rockets finished with a 19-2 run to defeat the Bulls by 102-86 today.
The victory snapped Chicago's nine-game winning streak, as well as Houston's four-game losing streak against the Bulls, dating to 1994.
Olajuwon, a Muslim, is observing Ramadan, a period of fasting that includes no liquids between sunrise and sundown.
''I had some rice and also chicken and hoped that would stay with me,'' Olajuwon said. ''The hunger was not there, it was the thirst. I tried not to think about it. The thing is to control your desire.''
Olajuwon's fast didn't slow him down against the Bulls. Olajuwon played the entire third quarter and after taking a brief rest, returned to help put down Chicago's final charge. He played 39 minutes.
''We have a team that can beat them, but you have to pay the price,'' Olajuwon said. ''This is just one game but this is satisfying. We knew we could play with them. This is character-building for this team.''
Clyde Drexler had 17 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds for his 23d career triple-double.
Michael Jordan, who had 26 points, gave the Bulls their first lead since early in the first quarter when he drove for the basket with 7 minutes 12 seconds to play and drew a foul from Sam Mack. Jordan sank both free throws and a technical foul called on Rockets Coach Rudy Tomjanovich, who thought Jordan should have received the foul.
That gave Chicago an 84-83 lead, but Olajuwon made four straight free throws to start the Rockets' charge in the last six minutes.
''That technical really fired us up,'' Drexler said. ''That happens in games sometimes. You never know what's going to set a team off. That certainly did for us.''
Kevin Willis, starting for the injured Charles Barkley, followed with a basket, and Mario Elie hit a 3-pointer for a 92-84 lead, while the Bulls faded. Both Elie and Olajuwon had 8 points during the final run.
''They played well down the stretch,'' Jordan said. ''We just didn't execute and they did. Mario Elie made a big 3 that put them into a rhythm that we could not find. We just couldn't get into position to control the ball game.''
Bill Wennington scored 14 points for the Bulls, but Scottie Pippen was only 2 of 14 from the field and finished with 5 points.