1994–95 Orlando Magic season

The 1994–95 NBA season was the Magic's 6th season in the National Basketball Association.[1] After building through the draft in previous years, the Magic made themselves even stronger by signing free agents Horace Grant and Brian Shaw.[2] 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.[3] They also finished with a 39–2 home record, tied for second best in NBA history. Second-year star Anfernee Hardaway was selected to play in the 1995 NBA All-Star Game along with O'Neal.

1994–95 Orlando Magic season
Conference champions
Division champions
Head coachBrian Hill
General managerPat Williams
PresidentBob Vander Weide
Owner(s)Richard DeVos
ArenaOrlando Arena
Results
Record57–25 (.695)
PlaceDivision: 1st (Atlantic)
Conference: 1st (Eastern)
Playoff finishNBA Finals
(Lost to Rockets 0–4)
Stats @ Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
TelevisionWKCF,
Sunshine Network
RadioWDBO

In the first round of the playoffs, the Magic overwhelmed the Boston Celtics with a 124–77 victory in Game 1. The Magic would eliminate the Celtics at the Boston Garden to win the series 3–1. These matches would be the final 2 basketball games ever played at the Garden.[3]

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 his 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.[4] 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.[5]

The Magic were off to their first ever NBA Finals. The Magic faced off against the 6th-seeded and 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.[3] The Magic would not recover from their Game 1 loss as the Rockets swept the series in 4 straight.[6]

For the season, the Magic had new blue pinstripe road uniforms, while the black pinstripe jerseys became their alternate. Both uniforms lasted until 1998.

Orlando did not make another appearance in the NBA Finals until 2009.

Draft picks
Main article: 1994 NBA Draft
Round Pick Player Position Nationality College / Team
127Brooks ThompsonPG United StatesOklahoma State
231Rodney DentC United StatesKentucky

Roster
Roster listing
Orlando Magic roster
Players Coaches
Pos.No.NameHeightWeightDOB (YYYY-MM-DD)From
G/F 25 Anderson, Nick 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1968–01–20 Illinois
PG 10 Armstrong, Darrell 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1968–06–22 Fayetteville State
PF 00 Avent, Anthony 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1969–10–18 Seton Hall
G/F 14 Bowie, Anthony 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1963–11–09 Oklahoma
C — Dent, Rodney  (IN) 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 245 lb (111 kg) 1970–12–25 Kentucky
PF 54 Grant, Horace 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1965–07–04 Clemson
C 43 Hammink, Geert  7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 262 lb (119 kg) 1969–07–12 LSU
G 1 Hardaway, Anfernee 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1971–07–18 Memphis
C 32 O'Neal, Shaquille 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 325 lb (147 kg) 1972–03–06 LSU
C 30 Rollins, Tree 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1955–06–16 Clemson
F 5 Royal, Donald 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1966–05–22 Notre Dame
SF 3 Scott, Dennis 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 229 lb (104 kg) 1968–09–05 Georgia Tech
G 20 Shaw, Brian 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1966–03–22 UC Santa Barbara
G 22 Thompson, Brooks 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 193 lb (88 kg) 1970–07–19 Oklahoma State
F 31 Turner, Jeff 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1962–04–09 Vanderbilt
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured

Roster

Regular season

Season standings
Atlantic Division W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-Orlando Magic 5725.695—39–218–2318-10
x-New York Knicks 5527.671229–1226–1523-5
x-Boston Celtics 3547.4272220–2115–2614-14
Miami Heat 3250.3902522–1910–319-19
New Jersey Nets 3052.3662720–2110–3113-15
Philadelphia 76ers 2458.2933314–2710–3112-16
Washington Bullets 2161.2563613–288–339-19
# Eastern Conference
Team W L PCT GB
1 c-Orlando Magic5725.695–
2 y-Indiana Pacers5230.6345
3 x-New York Knicks5527.6712
4 x-Charlotte Hornets5032.6107
5 x-Chicago Bulls4735.57310
6 x-Cleveland Cavaliers4339.52414
7 x-Atlanta Hawks4240.51215
8 x-Boston Celtics3547.42722
9 Milwaukee Bucks3448.41523
10 Miami Heat3250.39025
11 New Jersey Nets3052.36627
12 Detroit Pistons2854.34129
13 Philadelphia 76ers2458.29333
14 Washington Bullets2161.25636

Record vs. opponents
1994–95 NBA records
Team ATL BOS CHA CHI CLE DAL DEN DET GSW HOU IND LAC LAL MIA MIL MIN NJN NYK ORL PHI PHO POR SAC SAS SEA UTA WAS
Atlanta —3–12–21–41–42–02–03–22–00–21–42–00–22–21–32–04–02–21–33–11–11–11–11–10–20–24–0
Boston 1–3—1–30–42–21–11–13–12–01–12–20–21–14–11–32–02–30–52–33–11–10–21–10–21–10–23–1
Charlotte 2–23–1—2–23–20–21–15–02–00–21–42–00–23–14–11–13–13–11–33–10–22–01–11–12–02–03–1
Chicago 4–14–02–2—2–31–11–15–02–01–12–21–11–13–11–42–02–23–11–34–01–11–10–21–10–20–22–2
Cleveland 4–12–22–33–2—0–21–12–22–00–22–31–11–11–34–01–14–02–21–33–11–11–11–10–20–21–13–1
Dallas 0–21–12–01–12–0—1–41–13–12–31–13–11–30–21–14–11–10–20–22–00–43–12–22–30–42–41–1
Denver 0–21–11–11–11–14–1—1–11–31–41–14–02–22–02–06–01–10–20–21–11–33–12–21–41–31–42–0
Detroit 2–31–30–50–52–21–11–1—1–10–22–21–10–21–32–31–12–21–31–34–01–10–21–10–20–20–23–1
Golden State 0–20–20–20–20–21–33–11–1—0–40–23–23–21–10–21–31–11–10–21–13–21–40–51–31–42–22–0
Houston 2–01–12–01–12–03–24–12–04–0—1–13–10–42–01–13–22–00–20–22–03–11–33–11–50–42–32–0
Indiana 4–12–24–12–23–21–11–12–22–01–1—2–01–12–23–22–03–11–32–24–01–11–12–02–01–10–23–1
L.A. Clippers 0–22–00–21–11–11–30–41–12–31–30–2—2–30–21–11–30–20–20–21–11–40–51–40–40–51–30–2
L.A. Lakers 2–01–12–01–11–13–12–22–02–34–01–13–2—1–11–13–12–00–21–11–11–42–33–21–34–12–22–0
Miami 2–21–41–31–33–12–00–23–11–10–22–22–01–1—4–01–11–31–41–31–40–20–20–20–20–20–24–1
Milwaukee 3–13–11–44–10–41–10–23–22–01–12–31–11–10–4—1–12–22–20–43–10–20–21–10–20–20–23–1
Minnesota 0–20–21–10–21–11–40–61–13–12–30–23–11–31–11–1—1–10–21–11–10–40–41–30–50–41–41–1
New Jersey 0–43–21–32–20–41–11–12–21–10–21–32–00–23–12–21–1—1–42–22–30–21–11–10–21–10–22–3
New York 2–25–01–31–32–22–02–03–11–12–03–12–02–04–12–22–04–1—2–34–01–11–12–01–10–20–24–0
Orlando 3–13–23–13–13–12–02–03–12–02–02–22–01–13–14–01–12–23–2—4–11–12–01–11–10–21–13–2
Philadelphia 1–31–31–30–41–30–21–10–41–10–20–41–11–14–11–31–13–20–41–4—0–22–01–10–20–20–23–2
Phoenix 1–11–12–01–11–14–03–11–12–31–31–14–14–12–02–04–02–01–11–12–0—5–04–12–24–12–22–0
Portland 1–12–00–21–11–11–31–32–04–13–11–15–03–22–02–04–01–11–10–20–20–5—3–21–32–31–32–0
Sacramento 1–11–11–12–01–12–22–21–15–01–30–24–12–32–01–13–11–10–21–11–11–42–3—0–43–20–41–1
San Antonio 1–12–01–11–12–03–24–12–03–15–10–24–03–12–02–05–02–01–11–12–02–23–14–0—2–23–22–0
Seattle 2–01–10–22–02–04–03–12–04–14–01–15–01–42–02–04–01–12–02–02–01–43–22–32–2—1–32–0
Utah 2–02–00–22–01–14–24–12–02–23–22–03–12–22–02–04–12–02–01–12–02–23–14–02–33–1—2–0
Washington 0–41–31–32–21–31–10–21–30–20–21–32–00–21–41–31–13–20–42–32–30–20–21–10–20–20–2—

Game log

Regular season
1994–95 game log
Total: 57–25 (Home: 39–2; Road: 18–23)
November: 10–2 (Home: 6–0; Road: 4–2)
December: 13–4 (Home: 7–0; Road: 6–4)
January: 12–2 (Home: 8–0; Road: 4–2)
February: 8–5 (Home: 7–1; Road: 1–4)
March: 10–5 (Home: 7–1; Road: 3–4)
April: 4–7 (Home: 4–0; Road: 0–7)
1994–95 schedule

Playoffs
1995 playoff game log
Eastern Conference First Round: 3–1 (Home: 1–1; Road: 2–0)
Eastern Conference Semifinals: 4–2 (Home: 2–1; Road: 2–1)
Eastern Conference Finals: 4–3 (Home: 4–0; Road: 0–3)
NBA Finals: 0–4 (Home: 0–2; Road: 0–2)
1995 schedule

Playoffs

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

  • Game 1 @ Orlando Arena, Orlando (May 7): Orlando 94, Chicago 91
  • Game 2 @ Orlando Arena, Orlando (May 10): Chicago 104, Orlando 94
  • Game 3 @ United Center, Chicago (May 12): Orlando 110, Chicago 101
  • Game 4 @ United Center, Chicago (May 14): Chicago 106, Orlando 95
  • Game 5 @ Orlando Arena, Orlando (May 16): Orlando 103, Chicago 95
  • Game 6 @ United Center, Chicago (May 18): Orlando 108, Chicago 102

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)

NBA Finals

(E1) Orlando Magic vs. (W6) Houston Rockets: Rockets win series 4-0

  • Game 1 @ Orlando Arena, Orlando (June 7): Houston 120, Orlando 118 (OT)
  • Game 2 @ Orlando Arena, Orlando (June 9): Houston 117, Orlando 106
  • Game 3 @ The Summit, Houston (June 11): Houston 106, Orlando 103
  • Game 4 @ The Summit, Houston (June 14): Houston 113, Orlando 101

Last Playoff Meeting: Not available (first playoff series)

Player statistics
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game

Season
Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Mike Brown
Pat Durham
Howard Eisley
Greg Foster
Winston Garland
Tom Gugliotta
Andres Guibert
Askia Jones
Stacey King
Christian Laettner
Donyell Marshall
Darrick Martin
Isaiah Rider
Sean Rooks
Charles Shackleford
Chris Smith
Doug West
Micheal Williams

Playoffs
Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Mike Brown
Pat Durham
Howard Eisley
Greg Foster
Winston Garland
Tom Gugliotta
Andres Guibert
Askia Jones
Stacey King
Christian Laettner
Donyell Marshall
Darrick Martin
Isaiah Rider
Sean Rooks
Charles Shackleford
Chris Smith
Doug West
Micheal Williams

Awards and honors
  • Shaquille O'Neal, NBA Scoring Champion (2315 pts)
  • Shaquille O'Neal, NBA Leader Points per Game (29.3)

Transactions

Trades
July 29, 1994 To Orlando Magic
1996 second-round pick
1998 first-round pick		 To Washington Bullets
Scott Skiles
1996 first-round pick
1998 first-round pick

Free agents
Additions
Player Date signed Former team
Horace Grant September 19 Chicago Bulls
Brian Shaw September 22 Miami Heat
Greg Grant October 7 Pittsburgh Piranhas (CBA)
Tree Rollins October 31 Houston Rockets
Darrell Armstrong April 8 Ourense (Spain)
Subtractions
Player Date signed New Team
Litterial Green July 1 Quad City Thunder (CBA)
Greg Kite November 3 New York Knicks
Keith Tower November 17 Atenas Córdoba (Argentina)
Greg Grant November 28 Mexico Aztecas (CBA)

References
  1. 1994-95 Orlando Magic
  2. "Magic Sign Grant Skiles Traded". Orlando Sentinel. July 30, 1994. Retrieved March 15, 2017.
  3. Orlando Magic (1989-Present)
  4. "1995 N.B.A PLAYOFFS; Bulls Change the Numbers That Matter". New York Times. May 11, 1995. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  5. "1995 N.B.A. PLAYOFFS; Do You Believe in the Magic? The Indiana Pacers Do". New York Times. June 5, 1995. Retrieved October 13, 2017.
  6. "1995 N.B.A. PLAYOFFS; Rockets Sweep to 2d Straight Championship". New York Times. June 15, 1995. Retrieved October 13, 2017.
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