1995 NBA Finals Game 1 Houston Rockets vs Orlando Magic

[moboby]

Nick Anderson is still #MoreClutchThanLebron

[destroyyou47]

does dwight howard play in 1995

[gsxrboi1000]

man houston had a good ass team back then.. i still remember this game.

[darockk]

nick anderson missed 4 straight free throws then dwight howard does the same thing in the finals

[PIKELEGEND]

@mattc941 It does say "Houston Rockets highlights" in the description.

[JRDollas732]

how the hell you miss 4 free throws?

[TheDignam]

@JRDollas732 Mental and Experience, te differencer between Magic and Rockets, that's why Anderson missed his free throws.

[agiannastasio]

@JRDollas732

's quite easy if you are Nick Anderson in a clutch situation..

[HTownAg20]

@JRDollas732 Haha I still thank the Lord for Nick Anderson. He gave us a chance!

[loutcb]

simmons blows 95 Rockets are a top 10 team of all time.

[MrHugorocks]

2 Ldale11 UR JUST A HATER WALTON HE USE TO GET DOWN ANNOUNCING FOR NBA ON NBC & ESPN

[fafaffu2]

why only rockets points?

[cooliovasquez]

dayum nick anderson. DAYUM

[woutakasinistra]

Nick the Brick

[klove20w]

Man if only Hakeem didn't get the easy tip in this game would've went to a 2nd overtime and maybe even a third this one was def. one of the best Finals games in history

[navy4181]

I wish the Magic would've kept that repetitive DEFENSE chant at 1:20. It would make a cool ring tone also.

[MrHugorocks]

bring back the nba on nbc will walotn great announcer

[Ldale11]

@MrHugorocks wTF?! Walton SUCKED!!!!

[FerrariSorry]

The NBA has been for a while less competitive than the old days from 1990-2005.

It's pretty shitty how NBA started dying around 2005 once it became a rigged game.

[FerrariSorry]

Hakeem > Shaq

Hakeem = GOAT center, SHAQ = 2nd best all-time.

[Ldale11]

@FerrariSorry Uhhhh NOT!!!!!!!!! I love Hakeem. He was better than Shaq imo. He dominated on both ends and on the boards, was a much better shot blocker, and outplayed him head to head. But Shaq's #'s were amassed almost entirely during an era of pathetic centers in general. Ya gotta put Russell (11 rings!), Wilt, Kareem & Olajuwon over Shaq. I'd put Malone above him, too.

[EST84x]

Career dying on live tv. Tough watch, that.

[TRoN1Ck]

funny how shaq cant one fucking penalty shot and nick got killed just by missing 4 in row -.-

[friedkelp]

houston all had nicknames

kenny the jet smith

hakeem the dream

clyde the glide.

and then you have sam cassell.....

[TheMarkfsanderson]

@friedkelp That was smiling sam! haha!

[catchfree84]

lol kenny smith...i forget sometimes that he actually use to play

[Mattlikestheyankees]

everytime the Magic go to the Finals we get raped... but the Rockets were stacked

[ZhangtheGreat]

To this day, I still wonder how Kenny Smith played so well. There are two things he does that no basketball player should EVER do. First, he shoots the ball from his face instead of from above his head. Second, he fires the ball out in a straight line instead of an arc. And yet somehow, someway, his shots find the basket, which absolutely defies all supposed basketball logic.

[Emil308]

@ZhangtheGreat Kenny Smith's shot was money, and actually quite nice to watch. I always say, if it works for u, shot it whatever way u want. Guys used to make fun of my form back in the day, heck even at times now, until I rain j's and 3s all over em then they shut up. The best shooters in NBA history have horrid ugly ass form, Bird had a ugly sling shot style, Dale Ellis' just looked weird, Paul Pierces shot is fugly, and Reggie Miller, mannnn...but they're money shooters. Whatever works bro

[Ldale11]

@Emil308 You don't know wtf you're talking about.

[Emil308]

@Ldale11 So anyone that doesn't agree with you doesn't know wtf the fuck they're talking about? Cuz after all you're the expert king when it comes to basketball. Go take your meds oldtimer, beat it. 

[sdcazares1980]

The 1990s was the decade of the dominant centers and Hakeem won it by a mile. Anytime you can drop David Robinson, Patrick Ewing, and Shaq to win 2 consecutive championships is top notch. And I'm a Laker fan.

[chefKevR]

@sdcazares1980 umm and MJ.

[Ldale11]

@sdcazares1980 WHAAAAAATTT!!! The 90's were the decade "of the dominant centers"???!!! No, they were the beginning of the end of dominant centers. It was Olajuwon, Robinson, Shaq, Ewing, & Mourning, but it wasn't what the league was in the 70's & 80's. Then you had Kareem, Chamberlain, Unseld, Reed, Cowens, Malone, Gilmore, Sikma, Lanier, Parish, Webster, Dawkins, Olajuwon, & Ewing, The 90's had great ones, but there weren't as many.

[shaqpopcorn34]

@Ldale11 ..a lotta the guys you named arent even close to being in the class of shaq,hakeem,robinson,ewing,or mourning...dawkins?...yea right..

wilt= overrated...the footage doesnt lie...0-4 vs the celtics in game 7's..and in each of those game 7's he was outscored by sam jones...willis reed didnt play that long....cowens and moses were great ...guys like sikma and lanier were good,but not on the level of the 90's centers....no way...mutombo was damn good,and so was brad daugherty before injury

[skins4life21taylor]

I know Nick Anderson thinks about this everyday of his life. Sad.

[d4seasons]

@skins4life21taylor it's a nightmare that sticks w/ you for life. remember bill buckner of the red sox (1986 world series), larry bird,julius erving, k. jabbar, oscar robertson, isiah thomas,karl malone,michael jordan,patrick ewing,charles smith, etc. ? i bet n. anderson was saying, damn, damn, damn. it happens.

[sattaravy]

There's no doubt those 4 missed free throws haunted Nick Anderson his entire life... He was putting up near all-star numbers in his career up till then, was Magic's first ever draft pick, an icon for the franchise, a fan favorite... and from that moment, he was just a shadow of his sorrows...

[guitarsANDcars39]

this is great footage man!

[fredd10123]

2:14 i didnt know Will Smith played for the rockets

[guitarsANDcars39]

@fredd10123 Robert Horry really does look like Will Smith back in the day!

[LethonFTW]

32 yr old hakeem owning 23 yr old shaq

[englishman56]

@LethonFTW shaq tried his best he dunked on hakeem lots of times but hakeem was just exprienced and to hot to handle for young shaq + smith and horry 3iz

[ucfkid67]

All anderson had to do is hit one of any four of his free throws, missed them all. Houston hits a 3 pointer and then wins it in overtime...Crazy.

[JCuttas]

@ucfkid67 After that his free throw shooting was never above 70%

[lakermark2006]

Hakeem the dream was Shaq's kryptonite, no doubt about it.

[Grillinnap]

Why does the 3 point line seem a lot closer to the basket?

[kevdawg56]

damn kenny smith went off lol

[fffastway]

penny hardaway out played jordan. no exuses.

[ilovefrankandbeans]

hakeem is the GOAT for centers

[blaccmamba24]

I'm am really starting to think Olajuwon is the best center of all time.

[BowendaBeast]

Hah before Shaq won his four titles he got swept in his first Finals. Reminds me of LeBron against the spurs. I'm curious now if LeBron is going to win titles in Miami.

[coffee468]

i can't help but wonder as a jump shooter did those 2 yrs that mj take off save his legs and help him win those 2nd 3 titles. i wonder if he had kept playing through 94-95 if his legs wouldn't have given out at one pt and if he would've kept winning.

[nobodysperfect06]

if only Jordan did not retire in 1993 for Baseball,the Bulls could have beaten the Rockets in 1994 and 1995

[FuShengAlex]

nobodysperfect06 ....yeah the Rockets could have beaten the Bulls as well. :)

[nobodysperfect06]

I think the Bulls would have won in 1994 against the Rockets, but not 1995

[agentnono24]

@shesmylovernow well even when he won the next three championships he shot in the low 40% in the finals the only reason he got points is because the refs put him on the line more than 10 times each game utah should have won at least one of the finals against the bulls...

[miltonlinds81]

2008sALINAs, I love playing basketball. I'm 5'9 and I am able to dunk! I just took this special jump workout at (50 inch vertical [dot] com) - anyone can do it

[allenwebs4986]

2008sALINAs sweet, reminds me of myself - lol. I'm five'six and I can double pump dunk. I used the famous training plan that that even Kobe and Ray Allen both used. Check out the program at - "50inch vertical [dot] com"

[NirvanaFC]

nick anderson is the definition of a choker

[Hambone9008]

simmons

[Apollo2410]

Phil Simmons

[womkeith]

Simmonz!

[sawyerg13]

Simmons!!!!

[andreasdelcarr]

SIMMONZ

[kdsmokes]

i forgot how on fire the jet was in this game.. barkley must hate him..

[LePlywoodKing]

3:49-3:52: BLATANT travel by Olajuwon. Oh well.

[Emil308]

@LePlywoodKing Travel? And a blatant one at that? Where???

[LePlywoodKing]

@Emil308



3:49-3:52

[Emil308]

@LePlywoodKing No, I know the time frame, i'm saying where was the travel specifically?

[Skullofdoom41]

Bill Simmons !!

[cmoney1014]

Bill Simmons here. All the highlights are of Houston yet at one point late in the game Orlando is up. Wierd.

[coldkid6]

SPorts Guy does it again! Lol how bout Kenny The Jet Smith

[gluserty]

being a Rockets fan, their 1995 playoff run was a joy to watch: the Utah series was tight, Mario Elie clinched the Phoenix series, Hakeem dominated San Antonio, and Orlando never recovered from this game 1 dagger. Rudy T said it best: "we were the team that just wouldn't die".

[MetalSpice]

Ah the series where Clyde finally got his ring <3

[SuperLongJon]

Sports Guy~

[Redsoxfreak1000]

simmons

[billdizzle]

If that Kenny Smith 3 that sent it to overtime had happened today, they would've called a foul on Anderson... It's so easy to draw a foul nowadays.

[ESome1980]

is it just me, or is NBC's coverage 100 times better then ABC's??

[Illmaticism]

Simmons

[Grovenasty]

simmons!

[jdlund]

Simmons

[thajewboy]

simmons

[KillUAll5000]

Simmons!!!

[KnotTheMan]

Simmons.

[Simmsm88]

Why is Will Smith playing for the Rockets? :-)

[Simmsm88]

@Simmsm88 Also SIMMONS

[pher2739]

Simmmons!!!

[palmagranite]

this is one of the worst recaps of a game ever. if one didnt know anyone about this game, you would assume that the score was about 103-2 for HOU until the final moments, when you realize that orlando is winning. no Orlando highlites or mention of the score- just rockets highlights.

[JustChillzz]

simmons

[jclowers5]

Man Hakeem the Dream, Will Smith and that dude from TNT were killing them.

[HymanKaplan]

@jclowers5

LOL, that's a good one

[vaibanez17]

@jclowers5 Don't forget some alien from possibly space jam(Sam Cassell was his human name)

[carlitosmercado]

@jclowers5 will smith? lmao you mean kennie

[jclowers5]

@carlitosmercado Nah its Big Shot Rob aka Robert Horry. He looks just like Will Smith

[krazedant]

Simmons!

[denbroncos27]

Simmons

[parsifal1226]

rofl awful.. i'm 5' 6", extremely athletic, can hit the rim but not dunk. getting 2 hands up there is nearly impossible for someone my height. awful, stupid scam.

[Lurker011]

simmons!

[DerDuke]

Simmons!

[7freddie7]

Poor Nick Anderson.

[PITBULLZ1000]

Stupid video. It should be called Houston Rockets - Game 1 1995 NBA Finals, there's one maybe two Magic highlights and that was a good game. I hate when bias people create sports videos then put both the teams name in the title.

[williambailey6974]

2008sALINAs awesome vid, reminds me of me in college - lol. I'm 5 7 and I am able to dunk. I used the famous training that pro players including Kobe Ray Allen and Areans used. For more info about the training program, go to - (vert jump training [dot] com)

1995 NBA Finals Game 1 Houston Rockets vs Orlando Magic

[Mokasin82]

Nick Anderson, was never the same after he missed those 4 straight free throws

[MetaversalSouljah]

BTW, I have Sports Illustrated Collector's Edition magazines commemorating both of the Rockets championships for sale at an affordable price. Message me on here if you're interested. Peace.

[MetaversalSouljah]

I recall that the Rockets matched up better with the Jordan-era Bulls better than ANY other team in the NBA. The Bulls had no answer for the Rockets frontcourt AND Vernon Maxwell was the most effective in the league at contatining Jordan.

Had Jordan been in the league those 2 years he was out, I feel that the Bulls and the Rockets would've split championships. Bulls might've won in '94, but I feel that Hakeem and the cohesive Rockets squad was unstoppable in '95.

[doggiepineda]

NICK ANDERSON = EPIC FAIL

[mjmck88]

OLAJUWON! OLAJUWON! OLAJUWON! thats all i hear in this video. i miss those days.

[Rodzilla97]

this magic team would beat the 09 magic, pretty easily

[blacktopaz8]

olijauan yes!

[blacktopaz8]

ooooooooo kenny smith!

[sevren777]

2:52-3:15 history repeats itself. orlando shoots poorly from the charity stripe and superman misses clutch freethrows that would have sealed the win, thus losing in overtime.....

[jthizz2006]

i finally saw those missed free throws by anderson. and now, howard does the same. haha a little deja vu 14 years later lol

[nickstarks]

did you see dream posting up in the corner for a possible 3 at the end of regulation?,,,,

[abanese]

nick anderson missed 4 consecutive free throw, think might be different if 1 went in

[jobot842003]

Yeah, well, they are free throws and he's a professional basketball player, so if he can't make 'em, they deserve to lose.

[tony2crunk]

Rockets just wouldve won in 5 games instead of 4

[WuBrother971]

he was smiling while he was doing one, like its not serious, smh

[levinecuneta]

He would've been in the original "Dream Team" but he was still Nigerian at the time.

[glusnipher09]

yup

[levinecuneta]

Hakeem Olajuwon has so many moves for a big guy. Probably the best center to date.

[tony2crunk]

100% accurate

[JuelzGately]

@levinecuneta Not saying Hakeem is greater than Kareem or Wilt,but no center ever had more skill and moves than Hakeem. None

[wdgcguy]

that was a awesome game 1, and each team had a bigtime talent. jordan and the bulls should of been in there 94 and 95

[liweiwu007]

how could he be in there in 94 if he was playing baseball?

[tony2crunk]

Jordan lost to this Orlando Magic team that year

[megaladon1926]

Thats because Jordan was rusty that year. He took like 2 years off and was playing baseball. He did come back and beat that Magic team the following year. Tha man has 6 rings lest we forget.

[2008sALINAs]

The Jordan was "rusty" excuse is a myth. Jordan returned to the Bulls with like 18 games left in the season, and the Bulls finished off the regular season as one of the hottest teams in the league going into the playoffs.

I think the acquisition of Dennis Rodman helped greatly. It allowed the Bulls to have serious firepower off the bench. Kukoc became the 6th man of the year in 96.

Longley, Kerr, and Harper were all fitting into their roles better having had an entire season to play with MJ.

[megaladon1926]

Yea.

[Amir883]

@2008sALINAs While I completely agree with the second part of your post regarding Rodman, Kukoc, etc. I do think you're dramatically overlooking MJ's play in 1995. 18 Games to shave off 18 months of rust is not possible. He had a few games where he shined, but MJ shot a poor fg% compared to the rest of his career, and made a lot of mental errors that he rarely to never made prior or after 1995. It's not a myth, but it certainly (as you stated) isn't the only reason the Bulls didn't win that year

[dadankness]

@2008sALINAs The bulls were just the shit.. and they played in a more physical time in the NBA so everything that Lberon is doing Jordan did in a tougher league(i imagine someone feels strongly about the lame MJ-LBJ comparisions.. Kobe ios way more Jordan than lebron will ever be.. lebron is like a combined monster of magic and olujawon)

[RequiemForABuckeye]

@2008sALINAs

You're an idiot if you think it only takes 18 games to be back at peak condition.

[milkmanv1]

@2008sALINAs MJ was worn down by the end of the comeback, to the point where even he admitted that. If you ever get a chance, read Sam Smith's "Second Coming" that chronicles MJ's comeback, it's a really great look at that Bulls team during his retirement and comeback, and shows that despite the aura of his comeback, MJ had some issues like the rust and the pressure to perform that ultimately hurt his performance against the Magic (remember Nick Anderson's steal?)

[wolfpacklaw2012]

@2008sALINAs

And 18 games is enough to shake off 2 years of rust? That is idiotic.

[hardinpants]

@2008sALINAs So in other words, you're insinuating that you can come back from training from an ENTIRELY different sport (baseball players use fundamentally different workout methods than basketball players) and be as good as before, with effectiveness that makes it appear as though you never left? I think you need to reconsider.

[maulman100]

@2008sALINAs A "myth" ??? you have to be kidding me...did you actually watch that season? how old are you?

[cyrus0007]

@megaladon1926 It was a combination of Jordan's rust and a lack of a big man that doomed the Bulls that year. Jordan wasn't himself clearly, he was dominating games like usual. However the Bulls also lacked a quality big. Remember that Horace Grant was their brute rebounder/defender for the first three championships. Rodman fit that role perfectly for the second three titles.

[tharock220]

@megaladon1926 Didn't Jordan drop 55 on the Knicks in like his 5th game back???

[Ldale11]

@tharock220 Yep, so the Bulls fans who wanna whine that he was out "two year (waagghh!), and wasn't in shape mentally or physically can stuff it! They got beat, deal w/ it!

[ChiGuy251]

@Ldale11 what are you talking about? he really wasn't in basketball shape (as evidence by how well he played the next year) and yeah they got beaten by a better team THAT year but it really didn't matter in the grand scheme of things Bulls went on to win three more titles the Magic went on to get swept...twice!

[2008sALINAs]

@ChiGuy251 I never understood the "out of shape" excuse either. Jordan averaged 31.5pts, 6.5rebs, & 4.5ast in 95 playoffs. That's basically what he averaged in the playoffs from 96'-98'. Jordan was the same the Bulls were just in a transition to the team they would be in 96' when they added Rodman.

[mrmacross]

@2008sALINAs Jordan's turnover rate in the 1995 playoffs was by far the worst under Phil Jackson. Also, his 110 offensive rating that playoffs was easily the worst in his career, and his 107 defensive rating was the worst since 1987.

Anyway, the real story is don't underestimate the value of having a full training camp. The NBA's talent is too good for anyone to come back after a 1.5 years and expect to dominate after a few weeks of practice and 2 months of games.

[clearwind]

that's prolly the most valuable tip in the NBA history

[liweiwu007]

second most valuable. the block he had on john starks a year ago in the finals was probably the biggest.

[tony2crunk]

yea defensive tip but as far as offensive tips this takes it home

[cbaldwinjr]

Olajuwon...YESSSSS! Marv Albert said that a lot in the 1995 NBA Playoffs. Jordan or no Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon was a MAN those two years.

[larryhughes322008]

where can i find that defense song on 1:42 dat shit raw i need it they used to play it at our cavs game in cleveland but they stop

[mjh654321]

Nick Anderson had to be the sickest man in America. Felt bad for the guy. The 95 Rockets are under appreciated. Truly great champions.

[HoustonRocket101]

Clutch city 3 is just a matter of time.

[clutchcity25]

Hey can you post something from Game 2??

[crs2344]

Clutch City baby!!

[HafDoc]

Nice man, great memories! When will the Rockets go back to the finals?! Jesus!

[rullakeppi]

WOW! Great defense by the Magic on the Jet!

[FrogGuy25]

Nick the Brick!

[brian99tooby]

The free throws could've won the game.

[gunmenow]

classical game!