Kalpana Kalpana (Editor)

1993–94 Orlando Magic season

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Head coach
  
Brian Hill

Record
  
50–32 (.610)

Arena
  
Orlando Arena

Place
  
Division: 2nd (Atlantic) Conference: 4th (Eastern)

Playoff finish
  
East First Round (eliminated 0–3)

Television
  
SportsChannel Florida, Sunshine Network, WKCF

The 1993–94 NBA season was the Magic's fifth season in the National Basketball Association. The team narrowly missed the playoffs the previous season, but as a result, received unexpected good fortune. Despite having the worst odds, the Magic won the NBA Draft Lottery for the second consecutive season. The Magic drafted Chris Webber out of the University of Michigan with the first pick overall. They would eventually swap Webber to the Golden State Warriors for the rights to guard Anfernee Hardaway. Hardaway was selected 3rd overall by the Warriors, but the Magic acquired 3 future first round picks so the Warriors could have the rights to Chris Webber.

Contents

With the addition of Hardaway, the Magic acquired a guard who could get Shaquille O'Neal the ball more often. O'Neal continued to dominate the league in scoring as he averaged 29.3 points per game, and was selected for the 1994 NBA All-Star Game. Under new head coach Brian Hill, the Magic had qualified for the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. The club finished with a record of 50 wins and 32 losses, which was good enough for 2nd place in the Atlantic Division. In the first round of the playoffs, the Magic would struggle losing their first 2 games at home by a total of 3 points as Shaq's weakness at the free throw line was exposed. In the end, the Magic were swept by the 5th-seeded Indiana Pacers in 3 straight. Following the season, Scott Skiles was traded to the Washington Bullets.

Offseason

  • Chris Webber was selected by the Orlando Magic with the first pick of the 1993 NBA draft, becoming the first sophomore since Magic Johnson to be a #1 overall draft pick. The Magic immediately traded him to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for Anfernee Hardaway and three future first round draft picks.

    • Roster Notes

  • Center Tree Rollins was a player/coach during the season.

    • Regular season

  • Penny Hardaway started out the season at the shooting guard position while he learned the point guard position from veteran Scott Skiles. By mid-season he took over point guard duties from Skiles. He immediately made an impact on the league, winning the MVP award at the inaugural Schick Rookie Game. Hardaway helped the Magic to their first playoff berth and first fifty-win season. He averaged 16 points, 6.6 assists, 5.4 rebounds per game while his 190 steals ranked 6th in the league. He recorded his first career triple double on April 15 when he registered 14 points, 12 assists, and 11 rebounds against the Boston Celtics. For his efforts he was named to the NBA All-Rookie first team and was the runner-up for Rookie of the Year to the aforementioned Webber.
    • z – clinched division title y – clinched division title x – clinched playoff spot

    East First Round

    (4) Orlando Magic vs. (5) Indiana Pacers: Pacers win series 3-0

  • Game 1 @ Orlando Arena, Orlando (April 28): Indiana 89, Orlando 88
  • Game 2 @ Orlando Arena, Orlando (April 30): Indiana 103, Orlando 101
  • Game 3 @ Market Square Arena, Indianapolis (May 2): Indiana 99, Orlando 86

    • Last Playoff Meeting: This is the first meeting between the Pacers and Magic.

    Awards and honors

  • Penny Hardaway, MVP, Schick Rookie Game
  • Penny Hardaway, NBA All-Rookie First Team

    • References

    1993–94 Orlando Magic season Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA