February 9-11, 1996: NBA All-Star Weekend, San Antonio
O’Neal and Hardaway start yet again for the East in what would be their final pairing together in the league’s showcase event — this one in the Alamodome in San Antonio. Hardaway scored 18 points to go with seven assists and O’Neal has 25 points to go with 10 rebounds. Michael Jordan wins the MVP despite scoring five fewer points than O’Neal.
Shaq was not a very nice guest to David Robinson in San Antonio.
Of course, Jordan got the last/first laugh when he ripped off Hardaway’s pants in introductions. It was a game for Jordan to re-assert his dominance.
Dennis Scott came the closest a Magic player has ever come to winning the 3-point shootout. The veteran sharpshooter, competing in his second 3-point shootout, finished secnod, losing by a single basket to Tim Legler. I remember being very distraught about this at the time.
This All-Star Game also featured Darrell Armstrong showing off all his spunkiness in the Slam Dunk Contest. It was not a performance to remember, unfortunately. Although, that was a thunderous reverse layup.