Orlando Magic Daily Roundtable: Rounding out the offseason

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Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls, Nick Anderson, Orlando Magic

ORLANDO, FL – MAY 10: Michael Jordan #23 of the Chicago Bulls drives to the basket against Nick Anderson #25 of the Orlando Magic in Game two of the Eastern Conference Semifinals during the 1995 NBA Playoffs at the TD Waterhouse Center on May 10, 1995 in Orlando, Florida. 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 Copyright 1995 NBAE (Photo By Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) /

NBATV held their Orlando Magic Day a few weeks ago, airing several classic Magic games. Which classic Magic game would you like to see again?

Henderson: If I had a choice I would want to see the replay of the game between the Orlando Magic and Los Angeles Lakers on November 11, 2001. That was a game the Magic lost but was one where the Magic showed they could potentially contend for a title.

That was a time when there was no answer for Shaquille O’Neal in the NBA and he scored 38 points and grabbed 18 rebounds. The Magic’s two new stars answered. Tracy McGrady scored 22 points and 7 rebounds and Grant Hill recorded 21 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists. Kobe Bryant had 28 points, eight rebounds and five assists. I would like to see this game again just because this was a time where I felt like this could be the NBA Finals matchup in June.

Injuries kept Hill out for most of the season and the Orlando Magic fell to the second-seeded Milwaukee Bucks. I really believed this 2001 Magic team was better than the Allen Iverson-led Philadelphia 76ers who eventually represented the East in the Finals.

Rossman-Reich: My biggest snub remains 1995 Semifinals Game 1 against the Chicago Bulls. But, of course, that game was joined in progress in the middle of the second quarter as the third leg of a triple header. So that game is likely out for any future airings on NBATV.

If I had to pick a game to re-air, I would go 2009 second round Game 6. Facing elimination against the defending champion Boston Celtics, Dwight Howard had 23 points, 22 rebounds and three blocks to help the Magic stave off elimination and stay alive. His performance that night was not as statistically brilliant as his clincher against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the next round. But no game may have been bigger than his game against the Celtics to keep that series alive. Howard dominated the game, especially the fourth quarter.

That game will quietly go down as one of the biggest games in Magic history. But yet it is not quite part of the team’s lore.

Racine: I would like to watch the game when Nick Anderson stole the ball from Michael Jordan in Game 1 of the 1995 Eastern Conference Semifinals. The Magic were down in the game and it led them to victory. It is a pivotal moment in Magic history and it happened against arguably the best basketball player of all time.