The Orlando Magic have been left dreaming about the playoffs for the last decade, unfortunately.
The good times of their last run deep into the postseason are long in the rearview mirror — all of the top players from that team are out of the league. And the Magic have often found themselves pining for the postseason instead of living up to that legacy.
That pining has turned into a yearning and it feels as close as ever — not just as close as ever but that something special is brewing.
The Magic’s 35th anniversary season this coming year is a celebration of the team’s history. But it also feels full of anticipation for the next postseason memory this team is about to make.
Anchored by Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, the team has young star power it has not had since Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson were coming up. And while it is still too early to say whether they have the same championship potential, it is undoubtedly exciting.
There are going to be new postseason memories on the horizon. Some tough lessons for sure. Some heartache too. But also excitement. That is what the playoffs bring.
The Orlando Magic have a long playoff history and plenty of series to celebrate in their long history. It is time to rank the best series in Magic history.
We will get to break down and see whether the 2024 team will make its breakthrough into the Playoffs and whether this will be the start of a long run of postseason appearances. The Magic certainly hope so.
As we celebrate the Magic’s 35th anniversary, we want to look back at the best postseason moments in Magic history.
Even though the Magic have not yet won a championship, they have made plenty of memories in the playoffs. They have been a part of the major storylines in NBA history and made plenty of memories of their own the Magic fans hold onto and treasure.
To celebrate the Magic’s 35th anniversary season, I wanted to rank the best playoff series in Magic history. These rankings are based on the entertainment factor of the series, the Magic and national storylines that came from these series and personal preference.
The one thing that we know for sure, there are plenty of memories from the Magic’s postseason history worth recounting.
Ranking every Orlando Magic Playoff series
Series that went nowhere
Not every playoff series is the beginning of something great. We often like to think of postseason journeys as steps along the path. As Giannis Antetokounmpo put it after the Milwaukee Bucks’ shocking first-round series loss to the Miami Heat during the 2023 Playoffs, a series is only a failure if they do not learn from them.
That is how postseason series are supposed to be, especially for teams on the rise and contending for championships. They are steps in a multi-year journey.
For other teams, some playoff series are fairly regrettable, mere cameos to the larger story, if even that, rather than anything meaningful.
27. 2020 1st Round: Lost to Milwaukee Bucks, 4-1
The 2020 season was a frustrating one for the Orlando Magic. They failed to make good on the breakthrough into the Playoffs as their young veteran group was bumping dangerously close to its ceiling. Injuries did not help matters.
Still, the Magic were in the playoff chase once again. They were in the pole position for another low playoff seed and were starting to build some momentum as the season drew to a close.
Then the pandemic happened and put everything on pause. Orlando faced little danger even with the Play-In Tournament implemented for the bubble. But the Magic were never right when they arrived at Disney.
Several players suffered injuries during the seeding games or never got themselves all the way back into playing shape when the season resumed. The whole team just felt off.
Not as off as the Bucks ended up being throughout their trip to Disney. The Magic were able to steal the first game thanks to a surprising shooting performance from Gary Clark. But the Bucks made quick work of the Magic the rest of the series for a 4-1 series win.
The good news from this was that Nikola Vucevic got a measure of redemption averaging 28.0 points and 11.0 rebounds per game in the quick series.
26. 1996 2nd Round: Defeated Atlanta Hawks, 4-1
Everyone knew what the 1996 Eastern Conference Playoffs was leading to eventually. There was no doubt who the top two teams were and the storylines involved. It was just about getting there to tell that story.
The Orlando Magic had little trouble getting there. And their second-round series against the Atlanta Hawks was a quick walk through the park, for lack of a better term. Shaquille O’Neal averaged 27.8 points per game, 11.4 rebounds per game and even 4.6 assists per game while Anfernee Hardaway had 24.2 points per game and Horace Grant averaged a double-double with 18.0 points and 10.8 rebounds per game.
This was a mismatch and complete domination by the clearly better Magic team. The only thing that helped the Hawks avoid a sweep was Steve Smith’s 35-point effort in Game 4 and a 5-for-17 free-throw shooting performance from Shaquille O’Neal.
25. 1999 1st Round: Lost to Philadelphia 76ers, 3-1
The Orlando Magic have lost five series in franchise history when they had homecourt advantage. Only two could probably be accurately considered upsets (although one certainly was surprising what the final series result was).
The first of those pure upsets was the first-round series loss to the Philadelphia 76ers in the forgettable 1999 lockout-shortened season.
The Orlando Magic actually tied for the best record in the Eastern Conference, falling to third on a tiebreaker with the Miami Heat for the Atlantic Division title (do not worry, they also lost in a first-round upset).
This series is probably known best for Allen Iverson’s postseason coming out party — 28.3 points per game and 6.0 assists per game.
This series — like the season as a whole for everyone not named the San Antonio Spurs — was a complete mess for the Magic. Coach Chuck Daly and Anfernee Hardaway were pretty publicly fighting at this point and the Magic reached the conclusion it was time to hit a hard reset, setting the table for the Heart and Hustle team.
24. 2002 1st Round: Lost to Charlotte Hornets, 3-1
Tracy McGrady was brilliant and he was always brilliant in the playoffs. That was always a given. And the 2002 season was the best season for his teams. The Magic were the fifth seed this time around.
McGrady did his work once again, averaging 30.8 points per game. We can never talk enough about McGrady’s individual brilliance.
We can also never talk enough about how poorly the Magic surrounded him with any measure of help to support him for these playoff series. Grant Hill was out with an injury (as usual). Mike Miller was also dealing with an injury in the series, playing in only 72 minutes across the four-game series.
But the most famous moment of the series came in Game 3. With the series tied at 1-1, Baron Davis hit a three at the buzzer. The officials waved it off and without video review it stood as called. But the shot inspired the NBA to institute video review for buzzer-beating shots after replays clearly showed Davis’ shot should have counted.
Charlotte won in overtime anyway. Another disappointing early-2000s first-round exit.
Ranking every Orlando Magic Playoff series
The Pistons
The Orlando Magic have faced no other team more times in the playoffs than the Detroit Pistons. It is not much of a rivalry though. The Magic have mostly had to overcome the Pistons. It was a hurdle for them to climb over to get where they need to go.
Still, the Magic’s series with the Pistons (save for one that we will get to later) have been largely unremarkable. More a part of bigger journeys for the Magic rather than classic matchups.
23. 1996 1st Round: Defeated Detroit Pistons, 3-0
Did you remember the Orlando Magic swept the Grant Hill-led Detroit Pistons in his first playoff series back in 1996? No? Nobody would really expect you to remember this ho-hum, dominant series.
The 1996 Eastern Conference Playoffs was all about the eventual showdown and rematch between the Chicago Bulls and the Orlando Magic. Everything else was a formality.
As was this series. The Magic won the first two games in Orlando by 20 and 15 points respectively before holding off the Pistons at the Palace of Auburn Hills by three points (Allan Houston scored 33 points!) to complete the franchise’s first-ever playoff series sweep and their only playoff series win over the Pistons.
22. 2007 1st Round: Lost to Detroit Pistons, 4-0
It made some sense that the Orlando Magic’s triumphant return to the playoffs after a three-year absence would come against the team that seemingly embarrassed them in their previous playoff trip (more on that later).
Dwight Howard made his playoff debut in 2007 as the Magic earned the 8-seed. But this was clearly a championship-level team putting a playoff debutante in their place. The Pistons ran through the Magic like a 1 seed should over the 8 seed (that did not happen in 2003, which we will get to later again).
The closest margin in this series was the Magic’s four-point Game 4 loss that ended the series. Orlando got blown out in Game 3 at the TD Waterhouse Centre by 16 points. This was just a bad matchup with a team that was not ready for this level of brutal defensive efficiency.
Dwight Howard had a solid playoff debut averaging 15.3 points and 14.8 rebounds per game. But Orlando’s defense under coach Brian Hill could not generate enough offense to break Detroit’s defense down. It was a bad matchup.
It was also a loss that inspired a lot of change. The Magic fired Brian Hill after the season and hired Stan Van Gundy (ignore the Billy Donovan week). They also decided to hand the leadership reigns over to Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson, letting Grant Hill depart after seven frustrating years. They used that cap space to sign Rashard Lewis.
Things indeed were starting to click into place.
21. 2008 2nd Round: Lost to Detroit Pistons, 4-1
Hey, at least the Orlando Magic were able to get one win off the Ben Wallace/Chauncey Billups/Richard Hamilton Detroit Pistons team in their second matchup.
The young Magic team won its first playoff series — and the franchise’s first series win in 12 years — and ran headlong back into the bruising Pistons yet again. This was just a bad matchup with Rasheed Wallace still capable of locking up Dwight Howard and Rashard Lewis all in one. This young Magic team just was not ready.
After his breakout showing in the first round against the Toronto Raptors (stay tuned), Howard struggled against the Pistons averaging 15.2 points and 13.4 rebounds per game with 3.0 blocks per game for good measure.
It was a frustrating series, to say the least, with the Magic scoring a win in Game 3 behind 33 points from Rashard Lewis.
This series was a preview of what the Magic would become. They needed to take this lump to understand what level they still needed to reach.
It is just too bad the Magic never got their shot to beat this Pistons group again.
Ranking every Orlando Magic Playoff series
Mixed Bag
20. 2010 1st Round: Defeated Charlotte Bobcats, 4-0
My favorite locker room story in my time covering the Orlando Magic was when I was running quotes for the AP and I was in the Boston Celtics’ locker room. Jameer Nelson and Gerald Wallace were razzing each other in the locker room with Nelson talking about how the 2010 Orlando Magic swept Wallace’s Charlotte Bobcats.
Wallace’s only remark to blunt the criticism was that it was a close series. That was not going to quiet the always talkative Nelson (at least in the locker room) as he espoused how much the Magic ran the Bobcats out of the gym four times.
In some respects, they were both right.
The Magic won this really ugly and defensive-minded series by an average margin of 9.3 points per game with only one double-digit victory in the mix — a 92-77 win in Game 2. But none of those games ever felt particularly close.
Nelson was the hero in this series, averaging 23.8 points per game as the Bobcats could send size and defensive chops at every other position with Stephen Jackson, Gerald Wallace and Tyson Chandler.
Not at Nelson though, he effectively ended Raymond Felton’s career as a starter in this series.
19. 2012 1st Round: Lost to Indiana Pacers, 4-1
By the time the Orlando Magic got to the end of the lockout-shortened 2012 season, everyone was exhausted. The Dwight Howard drama had consumed the team. And it was of some relief when he left the team to deal with his back injury rather than stay with the team.
Orlando reshaped itself after that injury into the “We all we got” bunch headlined by Jameer Nelson, Glen Davis and Jason Richardson. They played hard and with some defiance that they were going to hold their spot despite not having their superstar.
That can only take you so far. But the Magic’s 81-77 win in Game 1, powered by a trademark late-game 3-point surge from Jason Richardson (17 points, 5-for-8 shooting from three including a go-ahead three with 1:07 left) spawned the Chris Duhon travel dance. So that is a good thing.
This though was clearly the end. By the time the series was over, everyone knew Stan Van Gundy and Otis Smith would be moving on. And that the Magic would have to conclude the Dwight-mare at some point soon.
18. 2011 1st Round: Lost to Atlanta Hawks, 4-2
The Orlando Magic did not have the kind of season they hoped for after their 2010 run to the Eastern Conference Finals. Their title window seemingly quickly closed under the pressures of the problem of more and in-fighting within the roster (and apparently the grating style of Stan Van Gundy).
Howard had his best individual season and probably should have won MVP in 2011. But the trades in December that sent out Vince Carter, Marcin Gortat, Rashard Lewis and Mickael Pietrus and brought in Jason Richardson, Hedo Turkoglu and Gilbert Arenas just plainly did not gel.
This series was immensely frustrating because the Atlanta Hawks decided to single-cover Dwight Howard and dare someone else to beat them. Nobody on the roster could. And the bet paid off with Jamal Crawford hitting clutch shots in a four-point Game 3 win and a three-point Game 4 win. Those changed the series.
J.J. Redick’s missed wide-open three in the three-point Game 6 loss in Atlanta still haunts the team. But as the Magic walked off the floor this game, it started the whispers of Howard wanting to leave (not helped by the lockout that locked the team away from him all offseason) and signaled the end of the Magic’s championship window.
17. 1994 1st Round: Lost to Indiana Pacers, 3-0
The Orlando Magic’s first trip to the Playoffs was a really special one for sure. The Magic rode second-year big man Shaquille O’Neal and rookie guard Anfernee Hardaway right into the 4th seed and home-court advantage.
The first playoff series though was a come-to-Earth moment. The Magic as plucky and youthful as they were quickly learned that the Playoffs are different. Byron Scott’s 3-pointer gave the Indiana Pacers a shocking Game 1 win at the Orlando Arena. The Pacers doubled down with another tight victory in Game 2 to put the Magic on the brink of elimination in the best-of-five series.
Reggie Miller scored 29.0 points per game as the Pacers used their experience to advance to the second round and leave the young Magic thinking about their future.
Ranking every Orlando Magic Playoff series
Rivalry Row
Who are the Orlando Magic’s rivals? That is a fair question. Probably one we should answer later on this month as we celebrate the team’s 35th anniversary.
But a lot of the Magic’s biggest rivals have been born through multiple playoff battles. Or the lingering feelings that come from postseason battles. That is how rivalries are supposed to be made. And the Magic have made a few in their time in the league.
16. 2010 Eastern Conference Finals: Lost to Boston Celtics, 4-2
The vibes were very good when the Orlando Magic took on the Boston Celtics in the 2010 Eastern Conference Finals. The team was its free-spirited and jovial self as they ran through the first two rounds of the Playoffs with back-to-back sweeps. The Magic were also feeling good from their series victory over the undermanned Celtics in 2009 and their good season series record.
The Playoffs are different. Maybe Paul Pierce was right in questioning the Magic’s overall toughness in the 2009 Finals. But that team had to learn. And they took a hard lesson that they never quite followed through with.
The Celtics knocked the smile off the Magic’s faces with two upset wins in Orlando to open the series. They blew out the Magic in Game 3. Only Jameer Nelson’s heroic overtime effort in Game 4 helped the team avoid the sweep.
The only silver lining of this series was that Orlando closed the Amway Arena with a blowout victory. But the Magic did not have enough to beat the Celtics and the seeds of discontent were laid.
15. 2019 1st Round: Lost to Toronto Raptors, 4-1
The Orlando Magic spent a long time in the wilderness after trading Dwight Howard before the 2013 season. They struggled to land the right draft picks or put together the right team to rebuild.
The breakthrough into the 2019 Playoffs behind a 22-9 closing kick to the regular season was just downright cathartic. Everyone in the organization felt how needed the arrival in the postseason was. The fans certainly greeted the team back home for a raucous Games 3 and 4 at the Amway Center.
The highlight though came in a stunning Game 1, capped off with D.J. Augustin’s game-winning three with less than five seconds to play. The Magic were probably not going to beat the eventual champion Raptors, they just had too many flaws and too tight a margin for error.
But they got one and it felt like they belonged.
14. 2010 2nd Round: Defeated Atlanta Hawks, 4-0
The Orlando Magic found some relief after a rough and tumble series with the Charlotte Bobcats in round one by absolutely dominating the Atlanta Hawks. At the time, it was the most lopsided sweep in league history. Orlando won by an average margin of 25.8 points per game. The closest game was 14 points in Games 2 and 4.
But those games were not even that close. The Magic were just too dominant with four players averaging 17.0 points per game for the series.
It was frankly almost too easy for the Magic. And made the 2011 playoff defeat all the more stunning.
Ranking every Orlando Magic Playoff series
Disappointing Defeats
The Orlando Magic have of course had their share of disappointing defeats. Series that never lived up to their billing and teams that fell short. These were still memorable series but for the wrong reasons. They were missed opportunities and chances that the team would not ever get back.
13. 1996 Eastern Conference Finals: Lost to Chicago Bulls, 4-0
The entire 1996 Eastern Conference playoffs were leading up to one moment. Everybody knew the Orlando Magic and Chicago Bulls were on a collision course. Michael Jordan needed vengeance for his playoff defeat in 1995 and the Magic needed to prove themselves as the team of the future. . . and perhaps the team of the now.
The Bulls’ legendary 72-10 tour de force would not have mattered if the Magic upended them in the playoffs. They had the physicality to frustrate Shaquille O’Neal. But this was still a strong Magic team, perhaps the best in franchise history.
Still, this series was not everything it could be. The Bulls blew out the Magic in Game 1 and slowly injuries ate away at the Magic. By Game 4, Nick Anderson, Brian Shaw and Horace Grant were all out. And the Magic simply did not have enough firepower to stand up to the Bulls.
The discontent that characterized much of the 1996 season boiled over. And the Magic-Bulls rivalry never truly materialized.
12. 2003 1st Round: Lost to Detroit Pistons, 4-3
The most infamous playoff loss in Orlando Magic history.
Tracy McGrady was Sisyphus rolling the boulder up the hill. He was doing all he could and was stunning in the process, averaging 31.7 points per game in this series with the Detroit Pistons.
After back-to-back wins at the TD Waterhouse Centre, McGrady felt like he could exhale. He said the worst thing you can say in any series. A year before, he would have been able to celebrate with the league changing the first round from best-of-five to best-of-seven for the 2003 season.
The Magic though did not have the firepower to handle the Pistons in the end. They stuck rookie Tayshaun Prince on Tracy McGrady for the rest of the series and frustrated him to no end. In the process, the Pistons unlocked the door that led to their championship window.
This was also the one that felt like it closed the door for the Magic. After three straight lower-seeded flameouts in the first round, patience for Grant Hill’s health was growing thin and the roster roulette the Magic played around McGrady finally did not work.
Orlando never had a better chance to get to the second round and it was one that too easily slipped past the team.
11. 2001 1st Round: Lost to Milwaukee Bucks, 3-1
The Orlando Magic were never expected to defeat the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2/7 matchup of the 2001 first round. Not to mention the win streak the Bucks had put together over the Magic and the resentment that existed between coach George Karl and coach Doc Rivers (mostly created by Karl).
But this was the starring debut of Playoff Tracy McGrady. And what a debut it was.
McGrady averaged 33.8 points per game in the four-game series including 42 points in an overtime victory to stave off elimination in Game 3. That was one of the classic McGrady games and so this series at least gave the team an all-timer.
Orlando did use this as a bit of a springboard, finishing with the same record in 2002 only to lose again in the first round as a 5-seed instead of a 7-seed. But the raw enjoyment of McGrady figuring his own stardom out will always be a major highlight.
Ranking every Orlando Magic Playoff series
All-Time Classics
The Orlando Magic have had some very classic series and some classic series victories in their history (we only have two more series losses remaining, I promise). The Magic have had some bangers though that continue to ring true throughout Magic history.
And each one provides a moment or set the table for something greater in the Magic’s history.
10. 2008 1st Round: Defeated Toronto Raptors, 4-1
Everyone needs a first. The first time the Orlando Magic probably realized they had the basis of a long-lasting, perhaps championship-level team came in the 2008 first round.
The Magic were coming off their first playoff series and were the surprise Southeast Division champions. Dwight Howard earned an All-Star start. Rashard Lewis proved to be a critical free agent signing. And Stan Van Gundy raised the standard for the team.
They still needed to prove it in the playoffs. The Magic had not won a playoff series since Shaquille O’Neal’s final year in 1996. It was a long dozen years.
But Howard learned from his first playoff stint and made his presence known. In the five-game series against the Toronto Raptors, he averaged 22.6 points, 18.2 rebounds and 3.8 blocks per game. He just dominated the interior and made this series a cakewalk for Orlando into the second round.
9. 2009 NBA Finals: Lost to Los Angeles Lakers, 4-1
The end of the 2009 Playoffs run for the Orlando Magic ended in something of a disappointment. The team was flying high after defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals and getting the chance to stand up to Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers.
In a lot of ways, the team held its own against the Lakers. They forced overtime in a Game 2 loss thanks to Hedo Turkoglu’s block on Kobe Bryant’s game-winning shot (a play that deserves a lot more recognition than the Pau Gasol goaltend that was not called).
Orlando even earned its first Finals win with an incredible shooting performance in Game 3 of the series — 62.5 percent shooting set a Finals record for a single game.
Alas, free throws undid the Magic yet again. With the lead in Game 4, Dwight Howard missed four free throws (not all in one sitting) down the stretch. And the Magic made two critical errors — going too fast and allowing a fast-break to cut into a five-point lead and pressing when up three allowing Derek Fisher to hit a game-tying three. The Lakers got another late three from Fisher and took a commanding 3-1 series lead.
This series was closer than a lot of people probably remember — two overtime games means it could have been 3-1 Orlando just as easily as 3-1 Los Angeles. But the Lakers were probably always the better team.
8. 2009 1st Round: Defeated Philadelphia 76ers, 4-2
When the Orlando Magic entered the 2009 Playoffs, there were definitely heightened expectations. There were also still a lot of doubts that this team that relied so heavily on their 3-point shooting could succeed in the playoffs. Somehow the Magic got tested immediately on every one of their philosophies.
The Philadelphia 76ers capped off a 20-point comeback at the Amway Arena with an Andre Iguodala jumper to steal Game 1. Then Thaddeus Young hit a putback late in Game 3 to send the Magic down 2-1. Orlando was really on the ropes in the fourth quarter of Game 4, trailing by one point.
Then Hedo Turkoglu saved the day and added to his lore. The game-winning shot in Game 4 might really have calmed the team down and defined who they are and the confidence they would need to make their run to the Finals.
If that did not do it, winning Game 6 on the road with Dwight Howard suspended for a flagrant foul in Game 5 certainly did. It was not a clean series win, but it started something and showed the Magic would match up with anyone.
7. 1995 1st Round: Defeated Boston Celtics, 3-1
The Orlando Magic’s first playoff series win is kind of forgotten in many ways, unfortunately. The Magic had to deal with the ghosts of the past in the Boston Garden and the exuberance of their own youth. But it ended in a win — and Shaquille O’Neal officially closing the Boston Garden.
The Magic were the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference and the Celtics made the playoffs with just 36 wins (a true rarity). They looked like it with a truly celebratory 47-point win in Game 1 at the Orlando Arena.
But there was adversity and even Game 4 was not a sure thing, requiring a late putback from O’Neal to officially close the Garden with a 95-92 victory.
This 1/8 matchup was anything but routine for a team and a group that had never won a playoff series. But they got that first one under their belt and it was a historic victory at that.
6. 1995 NBA Finals: Lost to Houston Rockets, 4-0
Perhaps the greatest What If in Orlando Magic history.
What if Nick Anderson had made one of those final four free throws to clinch a victory in Game 1?
Would the Magic have been able to win a championship? How much of Magic history would have changed if the franchise had a ring in hand and did not have to carry the disappointment of that loss with them.
Magic fans have never truly blamed Anderson the way the national media has. Orlando lost a 20-point lead from the first half and still had to defend a 3-pointer (Kenny Smith hit the three to send the game to overtime after those free throws) and had the chance to win it in overtime — a putback from Hakeem Olajuwon won the game.
Then again, the loss took the Magic completely out of themselves. It pierced their veil of youthful confidence. The Magic have admitted that in interviews since — including in This Magic Moment.
And perhaps the ultimate lesson was never to question the heart of a champion.
Ranking every Orlando Magic Playoff series
5. 1997 1st Round: Lost to Miami Heat, 3-2
The Orlando Magic were a team in turmoil their first season without Shaquille O’Neal. There was a literal hole to fill at center that nobody could possibly fill. The Magic quickly discovered how difficult things would be and how much easier O’Neal made everything.
It did not help that Hardaway also suffered the first of his series of ankle and foot injuries, appearing in only 59 games. It did not further help the player vote of no confidence that eventually drove Brian Hill out of a job.
Still, the Magic rallied under Richie Adubato to make the Playoffs and earn the 7-seed in the only Playoff series to date against the hated Miami Heat. The season saw Darrell Armstrong emerge as a key rotation player and energy booster.
This Magic team was not going to die.
But all indeed felt lost after Orlando lost Games 1 and 2 in Miami by 35 and 17 points respectively. This looked like a fourth straight postseason the Magic would bow out in a sweep.
As Adubato tells it after Game 2 and knowing center Rony Seikaly was done with a sprained ankle, he turned to Hardaway and asked him to deliver the team back to Miami and keep the season alive.
All Hardaway did from there was to deliver two of the greatest individual games in Magic history, scoring 42 and 41 points in Games 3 and 4 to help the Magic force a Game 5 and put all the pressure back on Miami. This was Hardaway at the peak of his powers. The Magic had lost O’Neal but still had a player with true star power.
That is what Hardaway put on display in these two games. And he did it again in Game 5 with 33 points. Orlando nearly pulled off the epic comeback. But the Heat held on for a 91-83 win to advance.
This will always be Hardaway’s magnum opus. And the defining series of a career cut too short.
Ranking every Orlando Magic Playoff series
4. 1995 Eastern Conference Finals: Defeated Indiana Pacers, 4-3
The Orlando Magic were the No. 1 seed in the 1995 Eastern Conference Playoffs, but everyone was still going to count them out. Even after defeating Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, everyone was waiting for their inexperience to catch up to them. They were waiting for the veteran teams to put them to bed.
The Indiana Pacers had paid their dues. They lost to the New York Knicks in the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals after scoring an upset themselves in taking down the top-seeded Atlanta Hawks. They climbed the ladder and paid their dues.
This Magic team had not. As Reggie Miller succinctly puts it at the end of the Winning Time documentary about the Pacers climbing over the Knicks in the 1995 Playoffs, “It would have been better if it were the conference finals.”
The Magic were their own challenge for sure. And Orlando had to go through its own adversity — technology was not advanced at us to ever truly know for sure if Rik Smits’ Memorial Day game-winner in Game 4 was really good or not.
But this was a series where everyone held serve. And facing their first-ever Game 7, the Magic dominated.
Orlando punched its ticket to its first NBA Finals with a 105-81 victory at the Orlando Arena that started the party for the young franchise. There was no denying the Magic anymore despite their age. Shaquille O’Neal (27.3 points per game and 9.6 rebounds per game in the series) and Anfernee Hardaway (19.6 points per game and 7.3 assists per game) were no longer deniable.
It really felt like anything was possible for this young team. And indeed it felt so.
There were very few moments in Magic history that felt this high.
But even more than this was how the Magic withstood the Pacers. Every game in this series until the Pacers’ Game 6 win in Indianapolis was close. The Magic had to battle back and grind out a victory in the series. This was veteran stuff and a moment and series Magic fans will never forget.
Ranking every Orlando Magic Playoff series
3. 2009 2nd Round: Defeated Boston Celtics, 4-3
The Orlando Magic closed the Boston Garden in 1995. They proved then and there, this franchise was not scared to make its own history and usher the NBA into a new generation.
Stepping into the TD Garden, that replaced the Boston Garden after the 1995 season, for Game 7 is still a daunting task, especially after the back-and-forth series the Orlando Magic had with the Boston Celtics in 2009.
Blowing out the Celtics in that game? That was an all-time fun game for the Magic as Hedo Turkoglu scored 25 points in a 101-82 blowout that ended the Celtics’ championship defense. It was a journey to get there.
From the first game — a 95-90 win for Orlando — this game was really a battle. Rafer Alston made that official when he slapped the headband off Eddie House. From there it was just a back-and-forth affair.
But this series also included perhaps Dwight Howard’s best game. He scored 23 points and grabbed 22 rebounds in an 83-75 Game 6 win to force the trip back to Boston.
The Magic had shown their resilience throughout the playoffs to this point. But this series was a true test for them. It was also clearly playing with some house money after the Magic got the win. They played with the freedom and carefree attitude of a team that believed in itself when nobody else really did.
The Celtics may have been without Kevin Garnett, which obviously helped the Magic, but the Magic were still heavy underdogs. Nobody quite believed this style of play could win at the NBA level.
This series lasts forever in the memory of that 2009 run because of the back-and-forth battle it was in seven games. But it stands out because it was the moment when you could truly begin believing the Magic were a championship team. Something was different about this team and this group.
And they used that to propel them forward.
Ranking every Orlando Magic Playoff series
2. 2009 Eastern Conference Finals: Defeated Cleveland Cavaliers, 4-2
The NBA had its story set. Nike had brought out the puppets. Michael Jordan’s spiritual heir going up against the King of the next generation. The story wrote itself. The ads wrote themselves. And with the defending champions out of the way and a plucky team in their way, it seemed like a formality that the NBA would get its ratings bonanza.
Nobody bothered to tell the Orlando Magic about this plan. Or maybe they told them too much about it. And the Magic, as they always seem to do, played spoiler. They pushed their way into the spotlight.
They earned their way into the spotlight.
This series was something different. The Magic really looked like they were battling the world from the very start. They were trying to prove they deserved a place at the top of the mountain.
From Game 1 — a 20-point comeback capped off by a Rashard Lewis game-winning jumper in the dying moments — to Game 2 (featuring the only moment that gets replayed nationally from the series, because it was still never about the winner) to Game 4 and its killer overtime shot by Lewis on that curl along the baseline to Dwight Howard putting the exclamation mark with a 40-point, 14-rebound effort in the closing Game 6.
LeBron James was individually brilliant. And he carried the team past the Magic in Game 5 to send the series back to Orlando. But the weight was too much for him.
This was the defining series of the Magic’s 2009 Finals run. The biggest defiant mark of a team that was unknowingly changing the league with their success.
In so many ways, this was the kind of series that defines all of Magic history. They were not supposed to be there and they ruined league narratives along the way. That is the kind of series Magic fans simply love.
Ranking every Orlando Magic Playoff series
1. 1995 2nd Round: Defeated Chicago Bulls, 4-2
The Orlando Magic were the top seed in the Eastern Conference but they were not the favorites. Not with Michael Jordan on the other side of the court. This was Michael Jordan and even after a year and a half playing baseball, nobody beat him. He scored 55 in Madison Square Garden and this young Magic team was not ready to stand up to a title-winning team.
It certainly looked that way in Game 1 at the Orlando Arena. The Magic were trailing and Jordan had the ball. The game was certainly over. The Chicago Bulls had reclaimed their place atop the mountain like they had never left. The Magic would have to wait their turn, if they ever got it.
Jordan though was human after all. This version of him at least.
He had to look over his shoulder as the seconds ticked down in Game 1. He just happened to look over the wrong one. And that is where Chicago-native Nick Anderson stepped in and made perhaps the greatest single moment in Magic history.
Nick Anderson stole the ball. He stole the ball from Michael Jordan. Anfernee Hardaway picked it up, fed it to Horace Grant and gave the Magic the lead and eventually the Game 1 victory. The series was on.
The two teams were indeed evenly matched. But the Game 6 series clincher was just as thrilling. The Magic trailed by 12 in the fourth quarter before rallying to steal the victory. All with veteran Horace Grant on the bench.
He still got lifted on his team’s shoulders to celebrate the victory over the club he left. Maybe that part ended up being a mistake.
The win was not. The Magic were the better team that year and that series. And they will forever be the last team to defeat Jordan in a playoff series. That is something to remember.