Record 57–25 (.695) Arena Amway Arena Radio WDBO | Head coach Brian Hill Period 1994 – 1995 | |
Place Division: 1st (Atlantic)
Conference: 1st (Eastern) Playoff finish NBA Finals
(Lost to Rockets 0–4) Televisions Fox Sports Florida, Fox Sports Sun, WKCF Similar 1994–95 Houston Rockets s, 1995–96 Chicago Bulls sea, 1988–89 Chicago Bulls sea, 1971–72 Los Angeles, 1985–86 Chicago Bulls sea | ||
The 1994–95 NBA season was the Magic's 6th season in the National Basketball Association. After building through the draft in previous years, the Magic made themselves even stronger by signing free agents Horace Grant and Brian Shaw. Grant gave the Magic one of the most dominant starting lineups in the NBA. Shaquille O'Neal continued to dominate the NBA with 29.3 points per game. The Magic easily won the Atlantic Division with a 57–25 record. They also finished with a 39–2 home record, tied for second best in NBA history. Anfernee Hardaway was selected to play in the 1995 NBA All-Star Game along with O'Neal.
Contents
- Roster Notes
- East First Round
- East Conference Semifinals
- East Conference Finals
- Olajuwon vs ONeal
- Series Summary
- Player statistics
- Awards and honors
- References
In the playoffs, the Magic overwhelmed the Boston Celtics with a 124–77 victory in Game 1. The Magic would eliminate the Celtics in the Boston Garden. These matches would be the final 2 basketball games ever played at the Garden.
In the second round, the Magic were matched up against the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls were on an emotional high as Michael Jordan had just returned from baseball career to play basketball. Jordan was now wearing the number 45 for the Bulls. The Magic won the first game 94–91. Tensions rose when Nick Anderson indicated that Jordan was no longer the same player when Anderson was quoted by the media saying, "Number 23, he could just blow right by you! Number 45, he revs up, but doesn't really take off." The comment motivated Jordan to return to number 23 and the Bulls evened the series. In Game 5, the Magic won the game 103–95. The Magic would eliminate the Bulls in Game 6 as the Magic won 108–102 to advance to the Conference Finals.
In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Magic would beat the Indiana Pacers in a tough 7-game series that saw the home team win every game.
The Magic were off to their first ever NBA Finals. The Magic faced off against the defending NBA Champion Houston Rockets. Shaq would be up against Hakeem Olajuwon in a battle of All-Star Centers. Game 1 was played in Orlando and the game was lost at the free throw line. Anderson missed four consecutive free throws with the Magic up by three at waning seconds of the game and the Rockets tied the game at the buzzer. The Rockets would then win Game 1 in overtime. The Magic would not recover from their Game 1 loss as the Rockets swept the series in 4 straight.
For the season, the Magic had new blue pinstripe road uniforms, while the black pinstripe jerseys became their alternate. Both uniforms lasted until 1998.
The team's season roster is featured in the video games NBA 2K16 and NBA 2K17.
Roster Notes
East First Round
(1) Orlando Magic vs. (8) Boston Celtics: Magic win series 3-1
Last Playoff Meeting: Not available (first playoff series)
East Conference Semifinals
(1) Orlando Magic vs. (5) Chicago Bulls: Magic win series 4-2
Last Playoff Meeting: Not available (first playoff series)
East Conference Finals
(1) Orlando Magic vs. (2) Indiana Pacers: Magic win series 4-3
Last Playoff Meeting: 1994 Eastern Conference First Round (Indiana won 3-0)
Olajuwon vs. O'Neal
Although both centers played well, Olajuwon is generally considered to have outplayed O'Neal. Olajuwon outscored O'Neal in every game of the series and became one of the few players in NBA history to score at least 30 points in every game of an NBA Finals series:
Series Summary
Rockets win series 4-0
Player statistics
Note: GP= Games played; REB= Rebounds; AST= Assists; STL = Steals; BLK = Blocks; PTS = Points; AVG = Average