Mark Eaton blocked 10 shots but his Utah Jazz fell at home to the Houston Rockets 96-94. The loss tied their first-round series at two games apiece.
Eaton did an excellent job defending the future Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon. He held Olajuwon to 7-18 on field goals in the game.
The following game Olajuwon dominated Eaton, finishing 12-19 on field goals, with 32 points and 14 rebounds. Eaton didn’t score but did have four blocks and 10 rebounds and his Jazz won 104-97 to advance to the second round.
Eaton’s Jazz fell to the Denver Nuggets in five games in the second round of the playoffs.
Despite the loss, Eaton is still tied for the most blocks in a playoff game in NBA history. Olajuwon and Andrew Bynum are the only other two players to accomplish the feat.
Expectations were low when Eaton was drafted 72nd in the 1982 NBA Draft but he went on to have a very good NBA career. He played 11 seasons, all with the Jazz. He was an all-star during the 1988-89 season and led the league in blocks four times.
