What we learned from Orlando Magic Madness 2020 online poll

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Anfernee Hardaway, Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Clippers

Anfernee Hardaway sported the Orlando Magic’s original pinstripes jersey, a classic that still creates buzz around the league. (Photo by Andrew D Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) /

1995 Team Reigns Supreme

The next question everyone has to ask after looking at the best players is who is the best team. That is a debate we have had on this site too. And it is a statement and list we continue to refine. We are overdue to update both our list of the best players in Magic history and the best teams in Magic history.

The way I seeded the tournament was by franchise era. I split the players by the top 16 players in each era of the franchise’s history. So it turned out all the players from the Dwight Howard/2009 era played against each other. The players from the Shaquille O’Neal and Anfernee Hardaway/1995 era played against each other and so on.

This is how Hardaway did not make the final four. I did that on purpose.

While Jameer Nelson defeated Nick Anderson for his spot in the final four, the 1995 team and how it resonated most with people.

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Dennis Scott defeated Evan Fournier in the second round. Nick Anderson defeated Tobias Harris, who quietly still ranks very highly in many all-time season averages for the Magic (another really underrated and, at least by me, underappreciated player).

And, of course, Shaquille O’Neal won the tournament.

In the comments I received about the votes and how people voted, the 1995 team stood out to most people. That team still resonates so much with people.

We looked back at the 1995 team a lot during Locked On Magic’s live restream of the Orlando Magic’s win over the Chicago Bulls in Game 1. That team still resonates so much with people beyond just the documentary and the stories. Watching them again shows both their flaws and how good they really are.

That team was very much the first love for so many Magic fans. And that still resonates with so many people.

There is a reason SB Nation named the 1995 Magic the second-best team to never win a title (or at least the best among Eastern Conference teams). This is not just a Magic thing. Fans around the work love this team and those players made their names off this historic team.

I imagine if — or when — I do a poll with the best teams in Magic history, the 1995 Magic will win the vote.