It’s December 25, 1995. Merry Christmas! We’re in Orlando for a finals rematch between the title losers and the title winners. (or as they prefer to be called The Magic and the 2-time title-winning Rockets.)
The score is tied with 8 seconds left. The Magic need a win for revenge. The Rockets need a win for respect. Wait, didn't I just say the Rockets are repeat champs? Shouldn't that give them respect..?
Let’s get into it. Let’s rewind.
The score is tied with 8 seconds left. The Magic need a win for revenge. The Rockets need a win for respect. Wait, didn't I just say the Rockets are repeat champs? Shouldn't that give them respect..?
Let’s get into it. Let’s rewind.
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SportsTranscript
00:00 It's December 25th, 1995.
00:03 Merry Christmas.
00:05 We're in Orlando for a finals rematch
00:07 between the title losers,
00:09 or as they prefer to be called, the magic,
00:11 and the title winners,
00:13 or as they prefer to be called,
00:15 the two-time defending champion Houston Rockets.
00:18 The score's tied with eight seconds left.
00:21 These guys need a win for revenge.
00:24 These guys need a win for respect.
00:26 Let's get into it.
00:28 Let's rewind.
00:29 (gentle music)
00:31 The Rockets swept the magic out of the '95 finals,
00:36 and nobody in this arena has forgotten it.
00:39 So, very obvious why tonight matters for Orlando, revenge.
00:44 But why does Houston care so much about a game in December?
00:47 Because the repeat champion Rockets can't get no respect.
00:52 In '94, led by Hakeem Olajuwon
00:55 and a unit of strong role players,
00:57 the Rockets won their first title ever
00:59 to relatively little fanfare.
01:03 The unfurled banners didn't say,
01:04 "Congratulations, best of the best."
01:07 They said, "But Michael Jordan wasn't in the league
01:10 "when he won, so..."
01:13 An asterisk scarred the face
01:15 of their beautiful championship.
01:17 In '95, nobody expected a repeat title.
01:21 This team, nah, they're no dynasty.
01:24 And to be fair, look at the Rockets' record
01:27 by Valentine's Day.
01:28 Houston made moves at this point,
01:30 trading fan favorite power forward Otis Thorpe
01:33 for aging guard Clyde Drexler.
01:36 Huh?
01:36 Drexler had played with Hakeem in college,
01:39 so there'd be quick chemistry there,
01:41 but pretty much everyone else hated the move.
01:45 The players didn't get it or like it
01:47 or hide those feelings from the press.
01:50 And maybe they were right to be upset,
01:52 'cause with Drexler, the Rockets finished
01:54 the season 17 and 18.
01:56 That's not better.
01:57 They were the sixth seed in the West
02:00 and everyone felt smart for doubting them.
02:02 But something happened in the playoffs.
02:07 Round one against Utah, Houston went down two games to one.
02:11 To survive, they had to win the last two games in a row.
02:14 And they did.
02:16 Conference semis against Phoenix,
02:18 they went down three games to one.
02:21 They had to win the last three games in a row.
02:24 And they did.
02:26 Conference finals, they faced the 62-win Spurs
02:29 and the center who beat Hakeem for MVP.
02:32 But Elijah Wan soon turned the MVP award
02:35 into a consolation prize.
02:37 He dominated David Robinson and ended the Spurs season.
02:41 Then, as we've discussed, the Rockets swept the Magic.
02:44 They were the lowest seed to ever win the finals
02:47 and they finally got some respect.
02:49 For a small amount of time.
02:53 Preseason predictions for '96,
02:55 the Rockets were done.
02:57 Hakeem and Drexler were both 33, count 'em out.
03:00 And actually, they still have to prove themselves?
03:04 Meanwhile, the Magic were predicted to be the team to beat.
03:08 What the hell?
03:09 The Rockets just beat them four times in a row
03:12 a few months ago.
03:13 The winners had a fork stuck in them
03:15 and the losers' glory voyage to the stars
03:18 had merely been postponed?
03:19 That's ageism.
03:21 This rematch matters to the Rockets
03:24 because they need to prove they're still relevant,
03:26 no, dominant, and they deserve respect.
03:30 They need to beat the team to beat.
03:32 That will be harder because Clyde Drexler is
03:38 not on the floor.
03:39 He's out tonight with a deep shin bruise,
03:41 but hey, win tonight sands Drexler
03:43 and Houston will prove they can't be counted out.
03:46 Lose and they'll feel the they're done fires.
03:49 Now, of course, the Magic have a lot of motivation
03:53 for winning as well.
03:54 Revenge.
03:57 And some Magic players,
03:58 like perhaps the face of the finals losing team,
04:01 are in need of revenge more than others.
04:04 Hi, Shaq.
04:05 When Shaquille O'Neal was first drafted by the Magic in '92,
04:09 the team was only three years old
04:11 and, accordingly, quite bad.
04:14 But maybe the gigantic yet agile rookie
04:17 could turn it all around?
04:19 Shaq was expected to be the next superstar,
04:21 capable of having an immediate impact
04:23 akin to the game's greatest players.
04:26 And Shaq's rookie year was filled with accomplishments,
04:29 some greater than others.
04:31 But the overall effect had the Orlando press declaring
04:34 that the Shaq man had lived up to the hype.
04:36 The Magic almost made the playoffs that year,
04:40 but they didn't,
04:42 which brought some critiques Shaq's way
04:45 from the non-Floridian press.
04:48 Shaq fouled too much.
04:49 He had no range.
04:50 He shouldn't have been rookie of the year.
04:51 It's not a popularity contest.
04:53 Did anyone take it back the following season
04:57 when Shaq got the Magic to the playoffs?
04:59 Well, no, 'cause the Magic were swept
05:03 and that fell on Shaq.
05:05 The big man put in work over the summer
05:07 to increase his range,
05:08 and the '95 season was different.
05:11 See?
05:12 And, oh yeah, he took his six-year-old team
05:16 to the NBA Finals.
05:18 The 1995 Finals were billed as Shaq versus Hakim,
05:22 Power versus Finesse, Youth versus Experience.
05:26 So when the Rockets swept, Shaq was the failure.
05:30 Some headlines said Magic lost, Rockets won, sure,
05:33 but the headlines that sold more papers said Shaq lost
05:37 and Hakim won.
05:38 General consensus?
05:40 Shaq wasn't a superstar yet.
05:42 But it's not like Shaq played that badly.
05:46 And hold on.
05:49 If Shaq scored so much
05:51 and Anthony "Penny" Hardaway scored so much,
05:55 why'd the Magic lose so swiftly?
05:57 Well, that brings us to another Magic player
06:00 who, perhaps more than others, needs revenge tonight,
06:04 because he totally blew it in the Finals.
06:07 Where is he, where is he?
06:09 Oh, shying away from the ball over by the bench.
06:11 Hi, Nick Anderson.
06:13 Back in their very first year of existence,
06:15 the Magic drafted Anderson 11th overall,
06:18 and the home crowd cheered,
06:19 and kept cheering for some time.
06:22 In the Magic's very first preseason home game,
06:24 Anderson said the fans made it feel
06:26 like Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
06:28 In those early years before Shaq,
06:30 Anderson was the beloved face of the franchise.
06:34 After his first season,
06:35 the press declared Orlando had hit the jackpot.
06:37 He was elevated to starter his sophomore year,
06:41 and by his third season,
06:42 he was leading the team in scoring.
06:44 When Shaq hit the scene in the '93 season,
06:46 or when Penny took over the backcourt in '94,
06:50 you might think Anderson would be resentful
06:52 of the spotlight jerking away from him
06:54 with an audible screech, but he wasn't.
06:57 Sure, by the '95 postseason,
07:00 he was bumped down to the fourth highest scorer,
07:02 but seems he understood to be part
07:04 of a Finals-caliber team,
07:06 you gotta be selfless and find your role.
07:10 Anderson stayed a fan favorite, shot well,
07:12 and made himself into a defensive stopper,
07:15 which was on display in the '95 postseason.
07:18 In the Eastern Conference semis,
07:20 he made Michael Jordan look mortal.
07:22 He stripped the superstar in the waning seconds
07:25 of Game 1, which set up the winning bucket for Orlando.
07:27 (crowd cheering)
07:30 And Anderson wasn't done yet.
07:32 Eastern Conference Finals against the Pacers
07:34 went to seven games, and in that do-or-die situation,
07:38 Anderson killed Reggie Miller,
07:41 held him to just 12 points for the whole game.
07:45 I imagine Anderson was very happy at this point in time.
07:49 The only team he'd ever known with fans
07:51 that accepted him win or lose from the start
07:53 was in the Finals, in large part thanks to him.
07:58 And I'm sure that happiness carried over to Game 1
08:00 at home when the Magic went up 20 points in the first half.
08:04 And I'd like to stop talking now,
08:07 so Nick Anderson can just live in happiness,
08:10 but the show must go on.
08:13 The Rockets came back, had a monster third quarter,
08:16 and with just 10 and a half seconds left in the game,
08:18 Orlando's lead was down to three points.
08:21 Houston fouled and sent Anderson to the line.
08:24 Great, even one make should seal up this game,
08:27 and Anderson was good at free throws.
08:29 He missed one, then another,
08:33 but got his own rebound and was fouled again.
08:36 Great, get back up there and redeem...
08:39 Oh no, Nick.
08:43 No.
08:44 Then the Rockets won in overtime.
08:46 With those missed foul shots went the series.
08:50 I know it's just one loss,
08:52 but losing Game 1 at home sets a tone.
08:55 As Magic coach Brian Hill explained,
08:57 a win would have changed everything.
08:59 The lead-blown loss stole the Magic's confidence
09:02 and inflated the Rockets larger than life.
09:05 I should note Hill's not blaming Anderson,
09:09 but even if the coach and his team supported the guy,
09:12 those missed free throws ruined Anderson.
09:15 In the final three games,
09:16 his shooting percentage plummeted,
09:18 and he was no defensive stopper.
09:20 This year, Anderson's seen his loyal fans turn on him.
09:26 When he missed a free throw in the first home game,
09:28 he heard about it,
09:30 and the press speculated
09:31 that maybe Anderson was ruined forever.
09:34 So I imagine he wouldn't mind revenge here,
09:38 a nice buzzer beater to prove he's not permanently ruined,
09:41 but thing is, he might be permanently ruined.
09:45 He doesn't look eager to get the ball right now.
09:49 Maybe someone else should take the last shot.
09:52 Maybe a young all-star who's been blossoming this year.
09:56 Hi, Penny.
09:57 In 1993, Anthony "Penny" Hardaway
10:00 was a highly anticipated draft pick,
10:02 thought to be the next Magic Johnson.
10:04 He went third overall to the Golden State Warriors.
10:07 But the Magic, who with the first pick
10:09 had chosen Chris Webber,
10:10 immediately traded Webber for Hardaway,
10:13 and the Orlando crowd booed.
10:16 A lot.
10:17 Florida didn't want Penny.
10:21 They already had a point guard, and they liked him.
10:25 Plus, the Magic were already over the salary cap.
10:27 How were they gonna afford Penny?
10:29 His contract negotiation was long, contentious, public,
10:33 and didn't do Hardaway's likability any favors.
10:38 In spite of his P warm reception,
10:39 Penny had a solid rookie year.
10:41 Solid enough to kinda win over fans.
10:45 I mean, he did win them over, but then lost them again.
10:48 That summer, he renegotiated his contract,
10:52 and it was worse than last year.
10:55 In terms of his image and perception,
10:57 in terms of money, it was much better.
10:59 But yeah, his image was in the garbage can.
11:05 The stinky one.
11:07 The outdoor one.
11:09 He faced boos at home early in that '95 season,
11:12 but that didn't keep up, 'cause, you know,
11:16 Penny Hardaway is really good at basketball.
11:19 And while he again won people over,
11:22 he was left feeling unwelcome.
11:24 So far this season, Penny has given fans nothing to boo,
11:29 leading the way on a team that was living up
11:31 to their team-to-beat prediction.
11:33 The Magic's record is second only to the Bulls,
11:36 and that's with Shaq sitting out the first 22 games
11:39 with a broken thumb.
11:40 Guess who kept the Magic floating blissfully on top
11:43 in Shaq's absence?
11:44 That's right, the guy Orlando didn't wanna replace
11:48 Scott Skiles.
11:50 Sorry, sorry, low blow.
11:51 Hardaway played so well, people were ready to call him
11:55 the next Michael Jordan.
11:57 He's already had two buzzer beaters this season,
11:59 one against Miami, one against Vancouver.
12:02 So seems like he'd be a great candidate
12:04 to take this last shot tonight,
12:06 except that he's had a very chilly Christmas.
12:10 Despite Penny, Orlando still managed a 13-point lead
12:14 at halftime, thanks to a Shaq-led 17-2 run
12:19 in the second quarter.
12:20 Pretty impressive for just a sixth game back from injury,
12:24 but it would be more impressive if his defense were better.
12:28 The Rockets roared back because Olajuwon did as he pleased
12:32 in the third quarter.
12:34 In the fourth, Horace Grant switched onto Olajuwon,
12:36 which worked well, but then Shaq's new man
12:40 did as he pleased.
12:41 The game was tied with 40 seconds remaining.
12:44 Orlando called time, Hill said,
12:46 "I don't care if Penny's cold."
12:47 But maybe he should've cared.
12:51 Next possession, Olajuwon guarded by Grant, air balls.
12:55 Merry Christmas, Orlando.
12:56 And here we are, tie game, Orlando ball, eight seconds to go.
13:03 Are the Rockets gonna get a stop, beat the team to beat,
13:06 rip out the fork stuck into them
13:08 before the season even began?
13:10 Or are the Magic gonna get an ounce of revenge
13:13 for a final sweep that left critics doubting
13:16 and insulting their superstar,
13:18 friends turning on their homegrown favorite son,
13:21 and their up-and-coming superstar still searching for love
13:24 from the home crowd?
13:25 Welcome to a moment in history.
13:28 - [Announcer] Hard away off the dribble,
13:30 goes wide at Ellie.
13:32 (crowd cheering)
13:34 (logo thudding)
13:37 (electronic music)