Orlando Magic Rewatchables: Orlando Magic dethrones Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls

Apex Mountain

The way Apex Mountain is described in the world of the Rewatchables means the person who is at the peak of their powers during the movie or the game. Who is this a defining moment for?

There are two possible candidates. But one, I think is probably the winner of “Who wins the series.” We will handle that as well as the “Unanswerable questions” in a future post.

The other I think likely fits the bill for Apex Mountain because of what was in store for him in future rounds of the playoffs. Life was not going to be better for this guy.

When we think about Nick Anderson, the 1995 Playoffs consume his entire legacy for both good and bad.

As much as watching games from the time before Anfernee Hardaway arrived has tried to save Nick Anderson’s playing legacy to some extent. He averaged 19.9 points per game in 1992 and 1993 before the Magic started winning the Lottery.

He turned himself into a solid role player, developing a 3-point shot and becoming a strong wing defender with the toughness to help out in the paint. Anderson’s career took some wild swings.

And that is not even the half of it.

For Magic fans, the memories of this series are ultimately Anderson’s legacy.

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House That Hank Built

“The Steal” in Game 1 is the defining (positive) moment of his career. It is the most important moment in Magic history and something everyone holds onto. It was a statement the Magic could compete and defeat the Bulls. That Jordan’s mastery over the league has not returned.

But it was not just that. Anderson hit the series-clinching basket in scoring 18 points in Game 6. That made up for a pretty pedestrian series as he had to put his energy into defending Michael Jordan and helping with Scottie Pippen.

Anderson rose to the big moments in this series.

It must have been extra sweet for him to win in his hometown in Chicago. Anderson said he still gets some grief from people back home for being the guy who beat Jordan in the 1990s. There is really only one team that can say that and it is Anderson and the Magic.

Putting him on Apex Mountain for this series makes sense too because there was literally only the way down for Anderson in the rest of these Playoffs.

It is impossible to talk about Anderson and his legacy without discussing his missed free throws in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. He went form perhaps his highest moment to his lowest moment. A moment that really cratered a good part of his career and even he admitted affected him mentally.

Magic fans try to remember him at his best. And when they do, they usually look to the 1995 series against the Bulls. The snapshot of Anderson we all want to remember is him stealing the ball from Michael Jordan and defeating his hometown team.

We will be back later on with the unanswerable questions from the series and who won the series. Stay tuned on Orlando Magic Daily!