Orlando Magic Daily
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5 games NBATV is missing from Sunday’s Orlando Magic Day

By Philip Rossman-Reich

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - 1993: Shaquille O'Neal #32 of the Orlando Magic goes up for a slam dunk against the New Jersey Nets during an NBA game at the Brendan Byrne Arena circa 1993 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1993 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - 1993: Shaquille O'Neal #32 of the Orlando Magic goes up for a slam dunk against the New Jersey Nets during an NBA game at the Brendan Byrne Arena circa 1993 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1993 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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1997 NBA Playoffs First Round Games 3 and 4: vs. Miami Heat

There are not two more quintessential Anfernee Hardaway games than his series-saving games at the Orlando Arena in the 1997 Playoffs.

This was the first time he was playing without Shaquille O’Neal in the Playoffs. The team had already undergone massive changes, firing Brian Hill midseason in a controversial manner. The team was seeking an identity.

For now, Hardaway was that identity.

He averaged only 20.5 points per game that year and 5.6 assists per game. Both were down from his final year with O’Neal. That is what having a higher usage rate and different teammates can do. And Hardaway was beginning to show signs of wear and tear carrying this new load.

But Hardaway stepped up to the plate with his team down 2-0 and facing elimination twice on the Orlando Arena court. He may lay claim to the two greatest Playoff performances in Magic history.

In Game 3, Hardaway scored 42 points and dished out eight assists. He followed it up with 41 points in Game 4 as the Magic forced a decisive Game 5 in the series. Hardaway was sublime, putting the team on his back to push the second-seeded Miami Heat to the brink.

This was back in a time when Hardaway was still an All-NBA player. He transitioned to become more of a scorer, ceding some of the point guard duties to the growing and pesky Darrell Armstrong.

Neither of these games was particularly close. The Magic won them easily. But these games were about Hardaway’s individual mastery.

Looking back at his seemingly incomplete career, these games were a reminder of just how good he can be. These are the games you point to as the quintessential Penny Hardaway games. The two games that came to define a lot of his career.