Retrospective: Ranking the Orlando Magic’s Top “Big 3s”
1) Penny Hardaway / Shaquille O’Neal / Nick Anderson (1994-96)
Ah, the dynasty that never was.
The Orlando Magic became global darlings with one of the best pairings in NBA history — or at least we think it was. Anfernee Hardaway and Shaquille O’Neal were billed to be the next great guard-and-big-man tandem, but things went sour and it never happened. It ranks as the single greatest “What if” in Orlando Magic history, and in NBA history at that.
Hardaway of course remained after Shaquille O’Neal bolted for the bright lights of NBA, and he nearly single-handedly helped keep the Magic relevant. There was too much excitement and too much quality to blow the team up after O’Neal left, and the Magic opted to plug the hole with Rony Seikaly.
The Magic were still good, but had no chance whatsoever of attaining that elusive greatness the team was seemingly on the brink of when it defeated Michael Jordan and the Bulls to advance to the 1995 NBA Finals (where the team was unceremoniously swept, as it was).
People still rave over the excitement Hardaway and O’Neal drummed up, and it is shown in video games like NBA 2K where the historic rosters feature that Magic team (and it is either use that team or the 1992-93 Hornets, for me at least).
We will never know how good this pairing could have been.
Of Anderson? Well, he was the third option who helped round out a great starting lineup. His numbers declined and his role lessened, but his size and rebounding gave Orlando one of the toughest backcourts to deal with in the NBA, both bringing size and great post-up capabilities.
Since that era, guards have posted up less and less, but Anderson made a name for himself abusing weaker 2-guards.
There is an argument to be made that Horace Grant could be the third part of this big 3, and really no objection to that on the part of this writer. It is basically acknowledging Anderson at one time was Orlando’s premier talent and even in becoming a role player the potential was still there for efficient games, if not big ones.
We may have to wait a really long time before the Magic pair two potential Hall of Fame talents, and of course even as it was only one of those went on to become an actual Hall of Famer. The Magic inducted Shaq into the team Hall of Fame, much to the dismay of many fans still bitter over his departure. Hardaway is sure to follow soon and Anderson was part of the inaugural class.
For however cold the ending may have been, there are bittersweet memories both of what the team was — and of what it could have become.
We will never know.
But reflecting on that Finals run and the excitement that team generates still can give chills. And there are still legions of Magic fans globally, entirely due to that squad. It was the greatest PR pitch imaginable for a new franchise to luck out and land back-to-back No. 1 picks in what were both pretty loaded drafts.
It was as though the stars aligned, and then simply fizzled out, faded to antiquity. But this team will never be forgotten, by Magic fans and by NBA fans.
And it is certainly their greatest trio.