A beast overshadowed by the four major centers! This tough guy once beat up a shark and dragged his coach into a fight and became a legend

Old fans all know that the NBA interior in the 1990s was a real meat grinder battlefield. Olajuwon's dreamy footsteps, O'Neal's overwhelming pressure, Robinson's mid-range shot, and Ewing's iron-blooded defense. The four major centers vividly interpreted "the one who gets the inside wins the world". But what I’m going to talk about today is Alonzo Mourning, a hidden BOSS that has been obscured by the aura of the times. His toughness gave any opponent a headache at the time.

In the 1992 draft, Mourning was second only to O'Neal. In his rookie season, he scored 21 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks. If he hadn't encountered the "monster" Shark, there would be no suspense about the best rookie. You must know that this is the rookie with the highest scoring average in the history of the Hornets. Don't think that he just has good statistics. Four years of experience at Georgetown University allowed him to bring a mature style of play as soon as he entered the league. The advice from his senior brother Ewing made his style of play a little more ferocious. He wore a beard and roared with bright muscles after dunking, which was more intimidating than Ewing.

After transferring to the Heat in 1995, Mourning completely broke out under Pat Riley. This famous coach who was good at training centers used all his experience in coaching Ewing. The 1998-99 season became Mourning's year of glory. Not only did he win the block title and the Defensive Player of the Year for two consecutive years, he was also elected to the All-NBA first team over four major centers such as O'Neal and Olajuwon. The following year, he was selected to the second team following Shaq. This gold content was a miracle in the era of centers. You must know that among the 30 centers in the best lineup in the 1990s, the four major centers occupied 26. How difficult it was for Mourning to grab two seats.

In terms of toughness, Mourning ranks second in the league and no one dares to rank first. In the 1997 playoff series between the Heat and the Knicks, after falling behind 3-1 in the first four games, he led the team to comeback in three consecutive games. The physical collisions on the court were so intense that they almost caused a group fight. When the two teams met again in 1998, he and his former teammate Larry Johnson had a direct fight in the fourth game. Knicks coach Van Gundy hugged his thigh and started a fight. The furious Mourning dragged the opponent several meters away. This scene became the most classic conflict scene in NBA history. Even though a kidney transplant later destroyed his body, he was still able to contribute 8 points, 6 rebounds and 5 blocks in Game 6 of the Finals at the age of 36, helping the Heat win the championship. The sight of him limping off the court in the end is still moving.

Some people say that his scoring explosiveness is not as good as that of the four major centers. His career-high average is only 23.2 points per game, but no one can ignore his versatility - his career average of 2.8 blocks per game is second only to the top insiders in history. The image of Carter dunking him four times has become a classic, but looking at it from another perspective, there are only a few people in the league who dare to stand on Carter's take-off path again and again. This is precisely proof that he never flinches. In that era when the four major centers monopolized honors, Mourning was able to forcibly earn the title of "Fifth Center", which even made many fans think that he should be called "Five Centers". This in itself is the best recognition of his strength. Compared to the household names of the four major centers, Mourning is more like a beast hiding in the shadows, but as long as he steps on the court, no one dares to really ignore him.