1995 nba finals

But the fateful sequence that still haunts Anderson to this day, happened like this: I felt like we were set up to win two or three rings, but it just never happened for us.’’ If we had won Game 1 our team would have had a whole different mindset. The following year I thought we would be a legitimate contender and we were, but unfortunately we had to beat Chicago which had just had the best season in NBA history with 72 wins,’’ said Brian Hill, whose 1996 squad won 60 games despite O’Neal missing a third of the season with a thumb injury. All rights reserved. No portion of NBA.com may be duplicated, redistributed or manipulated in any form. Next week, NBA TV Originals is unveiling a documentary called Clutch City that celebrates the 20-year anniversary of Houston winning back-to-back titles. This was the first playoff meeting between the Rockets and the Magic. ``Every where you turned, it was Magic here and Magic there,’’ Magic co-founder and Senior Vice President Pat Williams remembered. After all, the Knicks and Pacers had far more experience and Jordan had returned from baseball to make the Bulls a contender again in the stacked Eastern Conference. Privacy Act, please use the links below to visit each company’s privacy center. Our crowd was just loving it and it was one of the highlights of the 26 years of this franchise. That was just part of being in the NBA.’’ ``For years I had nightmares, honestly, about Game 1,’’ Anderson told Fox Sports Florida. ORLANDO – Even now, 20 years later for the Orlando Magic, the 1995 NBA Finals serve as both a giddy, unforgettable memory and a … It wasn’t a fluke and they had won the year before, so they were battle-tested and for real.’’ ``I actually felt that we went to the NBA Finals a year early (in 1995), to be honest with you. League Champion: Houston Rockets. This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Spurs winning two of the first three meetings. ``I don’t struggle with (not winning a title),’’ Hill continued. It was such a great time for our community.’’ However, both grow noticeably frustrated when the talk turns to the title that got away from them 20 years ago in 1995. (1) Orlando Magic vs. (6) Houston Rockets: Rockets win series 4-0 Games 3 and 4 in Texas were close, but the Rockets still found a way to win as Olajuwon rolled to the NBA Finals MVP award. Even with that return to the Finals, it did little to take away the sting of what happened 20 years ago in 1995. We couldn’t figure out any way to stop him. With Orlando up three and Houston forced to foul, they hacked Anderson and sent him to the stripe. It seems like Game 1 took so much out of our guys. ``I got fouled and I missed the first and second free throws and I was beating myself on the chest because that’s so unlike me.’’ 1995 NBA Playoffs; Standings; Why not now?’’ in reference to the Magic being good enough to defy the odds and get to the NBA Finals. ``But let’s not minimize Houston because they were awfully good and Olajuwon was at the peak of his career. To have such a talented team like we had with the Magic and to lose in the manner that we did, that’s something that I’ll never forget. First free throw: Well short, causing Anderson to angrily spin away in frustration. In some ways that 1995 NBA Finals announced the Magic to the rest of the sports world, but fans around the globe were already very familiar with the franchise because of the enormity of O’Neal’s game and persona. it will apply to data controlled jointly by the NBA and WarnerMedia as well as other data controlled by WarnerMedia. Making the Finals in just their sixth season – something only eclipsed in NBA history by the 1971 Milwaukee Bucks of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (three seasons). 1995 NBA Playoffs Summary 1994 Playoffs Summary 1996 Playoffs Summary. This was the fifth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning the first four meetings. Houston, of course, went on wipe out another big deficit in Game 2 and totally crush the Magic’s spirits. ``It was a beautiful thing – and then the series started.’’ And Magic fans that filled Orlando Arena with enthusiasm and noise were a big part of the team’s impressive run to its first NBA Finals. ``Michael Jordan, after losing to us the year before, there’s no way he was going to allow that (1996) Bulls team to not win a NBA championship. Everybody wanted to see Shaq.’’ But the championship dreams – as the case was with many NBA teams’ aspirations – died at the hands of Michael Jordan, who led the Bulls to 72 wins in 2006 and an Eastern Conference sweep of the Magic.

Seeing a sure-fire victory slip through their fingers was devastating to all associated with the Magic. ``The town was giddy. Michael Jordan kept a lot of players and coaches from winning NBA titles. This was the first playoff meeting between the Celtics and the Magic.This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with each team winning one series apiece. But we let one get away.’’ This site is operated jointly by NBA and WarnerMedia. ``I remember vividly standing in my little corner (of the O-rena concourse) and we were taking it to Houston and it felt like we were picking up where we had left off in Game 7 against Indiana,’’ Williams said. ``I still believe that to this minute. At one point in the lopsided third quarter of Game 1, as the Magic seemed to be pulling away, Pat Williams remembers being struck by one distinct thought. The Rockets championships were also part of a run that saw 4 teams win consecutive titles (The Lakers 1987–88, Pistons 1989–90, Bulls 1991–93 and 1996–98, Rockets 1994–95). Every business in town had a sign in their window or up on their billboard. Sadly, the horrifying sequence didn’t end there for the Magic and Anderson. ``Shaq put the Orlando Magic on the map – not just in the state of Florida or in the United States; he was this global phenomenon,’’ said Fox Sports Florida play-by-play commentator David Steele, one of just three Magic employees to work for the franchise all 26 years of its existence. But I let that get to me. And with a loaded roster that included Shaquille O’Neal, Penny Hardaway, Horace Grant, Dennis Scott and Nick Anderson, the 1995 Finals seemed to be the launching point of one of the NBA’s truly dynastic runs for the decade ahead. ``It was more about trying to win a title for the DeVos family and the organization. ``When we traveled, it was like a traveling rock show.