August 23, 2026
August 23, 2026
How the 1994-95 Orlando Magic Rose to NBA Prominence
The mid-1990s was a unique time in the NBA, as once-dominant teams like the Chicago Bulls became merely good teams following the sudden retirement of Michael Jordan. The Bulls had been a dynasty in the early 1990s, but 1994 and 1995 told a different story. Part of what made basketball history so different in those two years was the emergence of a team in Florida that had developed a talented, well-rounded roster capable of competing with anyone on the floor. That team was the Orlando Magic.
The 1994-95 Orlando Magic went 57-25 on the season, winning the Atlantic Division by two games over the New York Knicks. The Magic went 39-2 on their home court at the Orlando Arena while going only 18-23 on the road, and they finished 18-10 in divisional play.
One of the main reasons for the Magic’s early success was center Shaquille O’Neal, a dominant big man so powerful that he once broke an entire backboard with a slam dunk. O’Neal became the season’s NBA Scoring Champion with 2,315 points, and he added 901 rebounds, 73 steals and 192 blocks while making 930 of 1,594 field goal attempts. O’Neal averaged 29.3 points per game, the best average in the NBA that season.
Point guard Anfernee Hardaway was beloved by Orlando basketball fans, better known as “Penny.” Hardaway scored 1,613 points and added 551 assists and 130 steals, making 87 of 249 three-point shots and 356 of 463 free throws. Shooting guard Nick Anderson had 1,200 points, 314 assists and 125 steals, making 179 of 431 three-point shots and 143 of 203 free throws. Power forward Horace Grant had 948 points, 715 rebounds, 76 steals and 88 blocks, making 146 of 211 free throws.
Small forward Dennis Scott had 802 points, making 150 of 352 three-point shots and 86 of 114 free throws. Small forward Donald Royal had 625 points and made 223 of 299 free throws. Point guard Brian Shaw had 502 points, 406 assists and 73 steals, making 48 of 184 three-point shots and 70 of 95 free throws. Shooting guard Anthony Bowie had 427 points, making 12 of 40 three-point shots and 61 of 73 free throws. Power forward Jeff Turner made 27 of 75 three-point shots. Selected by the Magic with the 27th pick in the first round of the 1994 NBA Draft out of Oklahoma State University, shooting guard Brooks Thompson made 18 of 58 three-point shots in his rookie year.
There was an early sign of how dominant the Orlando Magic could potentially be, as they went on an impressive nine-game winning streak during the regular season. The streak began with a 116-103 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on November 12 and ended with a 125-100 win over the New York Knicks on December 2.
The Magic took care of business in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, eliminating the Boston Celtics three games to one. In Game 1 on April 28, at the Orlando Arena, the Magic crushed the Celtics 124-77. Shaquille O’Neal had 23 points and 11 rebounds. Nick Anderson had 20 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists while making 3 of 6 three-point shots. Horace Grant had 15 points, 14 rebounds and 4 assists.
The Celtics got their only win of the series in Game 2 on April 30, beating the Magic 99-92. The Magic never let go of their control of the series, though. In Game 3 on May 3, at the Boston Garden, the Magic beat the Celtics 82-77. Anderson had 24 points, 4 rebounds and 3 steals while making 2 of 4 three-point shots. O’Neal had 20 points and pulled down 21 rebounds. Penny Hardaway had 16 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 steals and 3 blocks.
In Game 4 on May 5, the Magic officially eliminated the Celtics with a 95-92 victory. O’Neal had 25 points and 13 rebounds. Grant had 23 points and 10 rebounds. Hardaway had only 10 points but also added 5 rebounds and 13 assists.
Emotions were running high in the next series, as the Orlando Magic went up against a Chicago Bulls team that had recently regained its missing piece. Michael Jordan had finally returned to basketball after a brief stint pursuing a baseball career. In the Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Magic eliminated the Bulls four games to two.
In Game 1 on May 7, at the Orlando Arena, the Magic won 94-91. O’Neal had 26 points and 12 rebounds. Anderson had 20 points and made 3 of 6 three-point shots. Hardaway had 16 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 steals. Grant had 16 points, 7 rebounds and 3 steals.
Going into Game 2 on May 10, Nick Anderson made a statement by claiming that Michael Jordan wasn’t the same iconic player he had proven to be in years past. Anderson claimed that while he had thrived wearing the #45 jersey, Jordan could never explode the way he did in the #23 jersey. Switching back to #23, Jordan helped the Bulls beat the Magic 104-94.
In Game 3 on May 12, at the United Center, the Magic beat the Bulls 110-101. O’Neal had 28 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 blocks. Anderson had 22 points and 6 rebounds and made 3 of 6 three-point shots. Hardaway had 19 points, 6 rebounds and 8 assists, making 1 of 2 three-point shots. Grant had 18 points and 14 rebounds.
The Bulls beat the Magic 106-95 in Game 4 on May 14. In Game 5 on May 16, at the Orlando Arena, the Magic beat the Bulls 103-95. Grant had 24 points and 11 rebounds. O’Neal had 23 points, 4 assists and 5 blocks to go with 22 rebounds. Dennis Scott had 22 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists, making 5 of 9 three-point shots. Hardaway had 19 points, 5 rebounds and 11 assists, making 1 of 3 three-point shots.
The Magic put the Bulls away with a 108-102 victory in Game 6 on May 18. O’Neal had 27 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals. Hardaway had 21 points and 7 rebounds, making 4 of 8 three-point shots. Scott had 21 points and 6 rebounds, making 4 of 9 three-point shots. Anderson had 18 points and 4 rebounds, making 4 of 6 three-point shots.
The Eastern Conference Finals became a long, drawn-out contest between the Orlando Magic and a perimeter-sharpshooting Indiana Pacers team. The series went the full seven-game distance. In Game 1 on May 23, at the Orlando Arena, the Magic beat the Pacers 105-101. O’Neal had 32 points and 11 rebounds. Hardaway had 20 points, 4 rebounds, 14 assists and 3 steals, making 3 of 4 three-point shots. Scott had 19 points and 4 steals, making 5 of 11 three-point shots. Anderson had 16 points and made 3 of 6 three-point shots.
In Game 2 on May 15, the Magic beat the Pacers 119-114. O’Neal had 39 points and 10 rebounds. Scott had 25 points and 4 assists, making 7 of 15 three-point shots. Hardaway had 19 points, 4 rebounds, 15 assists and 3 steals, making 3 of 5 three-point shots. Anderson had 17 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists, making 2 of 6 three-point shots.
The next two games of the series saw the Pacers get back in the thick of things, keeping the otherwise powerful Magic team at bay. In Game 3 on May 27, at Market Square Arena, the Pacers beat the Magic 105-100, and in Game 4 on May 29 the Pacers edged out the Magic 94-93.
In Game 5 on May 31, at the Orlando Arena, the Magic barely won, 108-106. O’Neal had 35 points, 13 rebounds and 3 assists. Anderson had 19 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists, making 2 of 3 three-point shots. Back at Market Square Arena for Game 6 on June 2, the Magic were crushed by the Pacers 123-96.
Returning home to the Orlando Arena, the Magic won the deciding Game 7 on June 4 by a score of 105-81. Shaquille O’Neal had 25 points and 11 rebounds. Dennis Scott had 19 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists, making 5 of 7 three-point shots. Penny Hardaway had 17 points, 4 assists and 3 steals, making 2 of 3 three-point shots.
Unfortunately for the Magic, the Eastern Conference champions would not get their ideal ending to an otherwise great season, as they were swept by the defending NBA champions, the Houston Rockets, four games to none. It has been said that, in a duel of the two teams’ centers, Hakeem Olajuwon bested Shaquille O’Neal in terms of all-around play, and the Rockets went on to repeat as NBA champions.
Even so, the 1994-95 Orlando Magic made a name for themselves in the 1990s for winning by force as long as they had powerhouses like Shaquille O’Neal on the roster, and the team would go on to make the playoffs in each of the next two seasons.
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