What If? Series: 1995 Orlando Magic vs. San Antonio Spurs

Conclusion

The 1995 Orlando Magic still resonates deeply in the NBA psyche. It is not just the jerseys or young Shaquille O’Neal. This is a team that had verve and youthful bravado. They rose so fast and they were so young and exciting.

The Magic were far ahead of their time in 1995 with the way they spread the floor and used the 3-point shot. And they were a matchup nightmare with a big point guard in Anfernee Hardaway and the unstoppable force in Shaquille O’Neal.

Even though their window was only two years long and their star burned bright and fast, they still hold a lot of appreciation in basketball circles. They took the loss in 1995 to a proven champion. They were not mature enough to stand up to that challenge.

Perhaps if they had faced another team without championship pedigree in the 1995 Finals they would have come out winners. Perhaps if Nick Anderson had not missed the free throws in Game 1, that series would have turned out drastically different.

The only conclusion we can all make from watching the 1995 team is that is probably the closest the Magic ever came to winning a championship — all due respect to the 2009 team that won the Magic’s first Finals game and the 2010 team that put together the most dominant playoff run in the team’s history.

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Let this analysis serve as some further proof the Magic were really close and could have won with the right opponent.

This is not to take anything away from the San Antonio Spurs at all. I do not think the series would go a quick five games or play out the way it was simulated — a second, quicker simulation came out with the Magic in five once again.

But the Magic, even with their historical trouble with the Spurs, have an edge over the team. They simply had more weapons on the perimeter and better players top to bottom to win. It would just come down to whether they made their shots — something that did not happen in the 1995 Finals.

Yes, it is true the Magic were one year away from facing Dennis Rodman and Rodman being the difference in a four-game sweep in the 1996 Eastern Conference Finals. A healthy Horace Grant goes a long way — that injury forced Dennis Rodman onto Shaquille O’Neal which was a big switch.

The Magic were just not a good matchup for the Spurs. Especially for a playoff series. The size with Anfernee Hardaway on Avery Johnson would have been tough for the Spurs to account for. Where do they hide Johnson?

San Antonio was tough. The David Robinson-Shaquille O’Neal matchup would have been the marquee matchup that Hakeem Olajuwon-Shaquille O’Neal was. This was a good team.

But there is a reason the Magic last. This was their year to win the title.

It is unfortunate and frustrating that it slipped through. But perhaps the franchise was too young to realize how rare this chance truly was.