Bulls vs. Magic 1995 game 6 (6/...)

[Drillatv]

If Jordan never retired he would had beat rockets back 2 back

[pooh77095]

@keepinitoldschool91 wow i disagree with that u could put kakeem behind jordan and shaq behind hakeem please the bulls would have got smashed by the 93-94 and 94-95 rockets no answer for the dream and maxwell keep jordan workin extra hard to be jordan lol

[hangtime23ful]

@pooh77095 The bulls would of gotten smashed by the 94 & 95 rockets? SMH what is wrong with u? The 94 bulls won 55 games without Jordan & probably should of made it to the finals if it weren't for that BS call against the knicks in game 5. The bulls added new players to keep the bulls contendin, can u imagine Jordan stayin with em? Probably 65+wins & they would of beatin the 94 rockets to win it all.

[hangtime23ful]

@pooh77095 Maxwell on Jordan? U act like Jordan didn't go up against better defenders in the playoffs. Dumars, Rodman, & Starks, etc not mention both the pistons & knicks were great defensively overall as a team & were better defenders yet Jordan still always found a way to be Jordan & beat em in 91, 92, & 93. 94 bulls with Jordan > 94 rockets. Now as far as the 95 rockets is considered i can see ppl thinkin the rockets could win cuz they added Drexler a guy that could go toe to toe with Jordan.

[FuShengAlex]

keepinitoldschool91....Funny I recall Hakeem consoling a teary eyed Shaq at halfcourt after sweeping him outta the NBA Finals when he was the favourite. And Jordan who can't even claim a winning record vs. Hakeem's Rockets said: "We just have no answer for him".

[shaqpopcorn34]

hakeem 3-11* record vs 96 sonics,97 and 98 jazz

[TheLuckytee]

the next year the bulls destroyed the magic in a sweep

[hupcia123]

hahaha nie ma to jak polski komentarz :)

[kimskis]

haha Jordan sucks when his teammates arenot  bailing him out..what an overrated loser

[TheDignam]

@kimskis Jordan stop played during 2 years, and had a new team with him in 1995... It's impossible to create a lot of automatisms in 2 months! In 1996 Jordan and the Bulls worked very hard and they won 3 new Titles.

[FuShengAlex]

kimskis ....."Choke-ago?" LOL

[tigerwtigs]

O ok. Jordan was a great player, awesome, but not THE greatest. Basketball is a team sport.. Magic Johnson is he greatest ever. Jordan would not have won 8 championships because I don't think the bulls had a better TEAM than rockets, magic, or Knicks.

Also note. Sometimes the best team doesn't always win. 97 and 98 Utah had a better team than Chicago but Jordan carried the bulls and oh there was a guy that was pretty decent locking up the jazz on d .. Rodman? Pippen? Come on people get off jord

[hangtime23ful]

@tigerwtigs Well if ur sayin Jordans not THE greatest ever cuz its a team sport then y r u sayin Magic is the greatest? & how do u know if Jordan wouldn't have won 8 in a row had he not leave after 93? SMH the bulls beat the knicks everytime they faced each other in the playoffs (except 94 but Jordan wasn't even there) so what the heck r u talkin about? They swepted the magic the yr after they lost to em.

[hangtime23ful]

@tigerwtigs Btw Magic & other all time greats a number of times have said that Jordans the greatest & he is. Magic is probably the best team player of all time but individual wise Jordans the GOAT. Yeah funny u bring up Rodman (who was well past his prime with the bulls) & Pippen (better in the 1st 3peat) when Magic had guys like Kareem, Worthy, Cooper, Scott, & many other good players, etc.

[tigerwtigs]

The videos David stern pretends don't exist lol... The NBA would like you to believe that Jordan didn't plat at all in 94 or 95, sorry to break it to you Jordan lovers, they would have lost both years 94 to new York and 95 to Orlando.

[joseluisllosa]

you're so ignorant for saying that, how would you feel if someone kidnapped your dad and have his body found 2 weeks later dead. remember he wasn't himself until the following year when he carried the team for an amazing 72 wins and 10 losses. you have to have the mental part as well to win. he should've won 8 rings but someone had to take something that gave him motivation. trust me I know

[joseluisllosa]

the bulls swept them the following year with his basic killer fade away.

[scorpionJB]

@joseluisllosa and when you say the next year, it was the very next year....this series was a mirage...when the bulls got dennis rodman, and w/jordan getting into real basketball shape, it was over.....

[hangtime23ful]

@tigerwtigs Oh wait a min now i know y said what u said about the knicks havin a better team. In 94 it took the knicks 7 games just to the beat the bulls without Jordan & even with Jordan gone the bulls should of won that series cuz of a BS call in game 5, so if Jordan was there in 94 i'm pretty frickin sure the bulls would of won & also the bulls were exactly able to win 55 games without Jordan in 94. The would of won it all in 94. 95 they would of resigned H.Grant.

[FuShengAlex]

hangtime23ful ...woulda, coulda shoulda.

Isn't this the guy that would've stopped us in the '95 playoffs if he hadn't managed to cough up a huge lead at home?  Looks like someone needed to come to Choke-ago and perform the "Heimlich Maneuver" LOL

[hangtime23ful]

@FuFairy From 91-98 this was the only time Jordan failed to win a playoff series. 91 Hakeem gets swepted, can't even get his team to the playoffs in 92 by chokin in the last few reg. season games to get beatin out by a non Magic lakers team for the 8th seed haha, 93 loses, 96 gets swepted, 97 has 2 superstars by his side that have already led their teams at 1 pt n time to the finals b4 & lost, 98 loses again. I'm sure Jordans ok with losin this series cuz he got 6 rings compared to Hakeem's 2.

[shaqpopcorn34]

@hangtime23ful ...3 straight years after the 95 playoffs,mikes team eliminated the teams that kicked hakeems ass

hakeem= 3-12 playoff record vs 96 sonics,97 and 98 jazz

mike= 12-4 playoff record vs 96 sonics,97 and 98 jazz

how did hakeem lose the the jazz with drexler AND barkley?...hakeem/barkley were both drafted in 84,same yr as mike...drexler in 83...no age excuses

ostertag had 16 pts on 6-6 shooting when jazz ousted rockets in 97 to make finals..is hakeem that pathetic or dodging mike?

[FuShengAlex]

Hakeem vs. Ostertag in '97 26ppg 59% shooting. Shaq vs. Ostertag in '97 22ppg 49% shooting! How does a fat slob like Shaq who can't shoot outside the paint average fewer ppg and shoot a lesser FG% than Hakeem? Hakeem 2 series wins vs. Utah, Shaq 1 playoff game out of 8,LOL.

Shaq/MJ both CHOKED away big leads in the '95 playoffs, I guess that's Hakeems fault. Hakeem to Shaq after being swept: "Don't cry, someday when I'm injury ridden and past it you'll be able to win a title". LOL.

[FuShengAlex]

hankerchief23 ...Yeah at least Hakeem wasn't leading teams by himself to 38 and 40 win seasons thereby playing LOSING basketball like "that other guy" was in his career. 6 rings to 2.

And no rings for your Phoenix "NUNS", still titleless virgins....HAHAHA 

[hangtime23ful]

@FuFairy Hankercrief23? LMAO is that the best u can do? 38 & 40 in his early yrs with no reb help in 85 & no offensive help in 87. Hakeem in 90 in his 6th season only led his team to 41 wins when he had reb & offensive help, likes that any different from Jordan's 85 & 87 season.

[FuShengAlex]

LOL....he had the NBA's leading total rebounder (Oakley) one year and also had a 22+ppg teamate (Woolridge). Hakeem never had ANY of those at any stage of his Houston career. He even had a HOF teamate when you Jockers always slander Dream for not winning with HOFers. This garbage argument has been shut down on my page.

I'm just glad you're watching this video of Jordan and Pippen CHOKING away a big lead in Game 6 at home when they were comfortably ahead instead of looking for cop-outs.

[FuShengAlex]

hangtime23ful ....Look at 3:23 they post the Phoenix-Houston score,LOL. How'd it feel to see both your favourites CHOKING away BIG LEADS in the same week?

[hangtime23ful]

@FuFairy What does that have to do with what i just said?

[shaqpopcorn34]

@FuShengAlex .. hakeem=proven choker..check the facts

hakeem= ousted by 91 lakers,96 sonics,97 and 98 jazz

mike= ousted 91 lakers,96 sonics,97 and 98 jazz..lmao

rockets were 2-time defending champs in 96,and were SWEPT by the sonics,with kemp having more pts,rebs,and blks than hakeem in the series

ostertag had 16 pts 14 rbs 3 blks on 6-6 shooting in game 6 of 1997 WCF to vault jazz into finals vs mike and the bulls..jazz won 103-100 at buzzer,IN HOUSTON...hakeem= a choker?..or dodging mike?

[90sandearly00srule3]

@hangtime23ful maybe, but who knows. who's to say they would've beaten the Indiana Pacers or Houston Rockets both of those years? they were pretty tough teams themselves. it took both the Magic and the Knicks all 7 games just to get past them, before they both blew it against the Rockets. who's to say the Bulls would've beaten them? and even with Grant, but from the looks of how he celebrated, he seemed like he would've left the Bulls after '94 anyways.

[loutcb]

No they didn't .

[NOZ88]

Look at that mofo Grant...in the stadium of his old team he celebrates as much as all his teammates together...he lets them lift him up at the end and continues celebrating! No wonder the Bulls fans booed him out in the future...

[BB0ysGam3s]

SHAQ' O NEAL DISLIKE THIS VIDEO! XD

[TheSexymama1021]

Jordan wants to cry.

[WVDave26]

hahahaha.  Nice pass Jordan, loser.

[jimmychuang]

@WVDave26 We all know who is loser here....

[michaelkelvie]

michael jordan late season return cant transform the bulls to the top

[KennethKaniffFromCT]

And what happened next year? The Bulls swept the Magic.

[PakoLocoproductions]

dam 2bad datz the last time magic were to celebrate cuz bulls swept them next season lol

[pauladc22]

i just dont get it they beat chicago and been swept by houston. may be the air in the play0ff is different in the Finals.

[celinetouchedmyhand]

@pauladc22 ROCKETS WERE THE DEFENDING CHAMPS AND HAD AS MUCH EXPERIENCE AS THE BULLS

[cbaldwinjr]

I still don't know how Chicago lost THIS series. Sounds crazy, but I think they lost it more than Orlando won it...just my take

[dabomb2045]

I also wonder what happens if Shaq re-signs in Orlando instead of going to LA. No doubt that Bulls-Magic rivalry remains strong for the next two years...they likely meet again in the East Finals in 97 and 98...and you wonder if a more mature Magic team would have been able to finally knock off an aging Bulls squad one of those years. Then they would have likely dominated the East after 98 when Jordan retired.

[dabomb2045]

The Magic teams in 94-95 and 95-96 was probably one of the best teams to never win a title. If Nick Anderson hits his free throws in Game 1 vs Houston in 95, they win that game and perhaps that series goes differently....instead they blew Game 1 and never recovered. 95-96 they just ran into a Bulls team that was on a mission.

[rmur23]

And this is why MJ decided to eviscerate everyone in the NBA for the next 3 years.

[yoremom]

Damn, I didn't know they had TVs in Poland in 1995..

[lartinajones07]

I honestly believed that if Nick Anderson didnt have one of the great tank jobs in sports history and made 3/4 or even 2/2 of his free throws in game 1 of the 95 Finals that history would read alittle differently now

[RTR9]

well that was weird to see.

[vecman86]

Eliminating a Chicago team with Jordan in the 90's. Takes mad skill. I'm not even a Magic fan.

[melvoin]

lol eat it jordan!

[misterfcat]

Haha! all I have to say is 6:03 = CHOKE!!!

[freorocker]

Jordan absolutely choked in that last minute or so. He kept dishing off to Longley 'cos his confidence was shot. Incredible to believe that was really MJ. Guess he was human after all

[MichaelElam23]

@freorocker That was first time ever that MJ actually appeared(from his body

language and the look on his face, as a man who didnt have any confidence

or maybe just maybe an individual who maybe doubted and questioned

himself. It's very weird to see. It's like seeing Tom Brady or Peyton with one

min left in the game get a face of concern like they KNOW the game is over.

However Jordan found himself that summer and kicked the magic ass in 1996

[Drooblemeister]

This is shocking!! I never would have expected the Bulls to give up 14 unanswered points on their homecourt in the playoffs. Well, we all know how the next 3 seasons turn out!!

[FireGuyX]

Had the Magic actually somehow stayed together from 96-98, I doubt the Bulls would of had a 3 peat, but because of greed that didn't happen.

[brasmussen81]

I wouldn't say it was greed, more like stupidity by Orlando. They did nothing to keep Shaq. What else is he gonna do? LA says you're worth tis much, and Orlando is basically saying you're only worth this much... Come on, now. Who doesn't sign with LA in that situation?

[davidp899]

@FireGuyX you're so full of shit. is that why orlando got swept by the bulls with this exact same team in 96?

[FireGuyX]

@davidp899 well it didn't happen, mainly because the team couldn't stick together. But Jordan always had problems with the Orlando Magic.

[davidp899]

@FireGuyX dude are you drunk? the bulls SWEPT this SAME team next year. this 95 team had a jordan who was still in baseball shape and no dennis rodman... and they STILL almost took them to 7 games. and they annihalated them in 96. shaq or not, the magic were never going to beat the bulls after this series

[FireGuyX]

@davidp899 Like I said it's just a hypothsesis, who knows what would have happened if the team stuck together. Yes I'm aware that the Bulls swept the Magic in 96, but that was Jordan's year. Again, we'll never know.

[DiasXMcKenna]

Too bad Orlando got rolled like dice in the Finals.

[frusionnn]

8:36 I can not imagine the dissapointment in Jordan's face

[iliketv23]

frenchna comuto pusto wombat-poop in them pants wombo

[Nebel64]

P. Jackson waits for a 9-0 run to happen in the last 2 minutes and then he calls time out....???

[SugaHack]

Is it just me or does Marv Albert have an accent while commentating this game?

[karma187x3]

Whether you like to admit it or not, Penny outplayed Jordan pound of pound in that series, even while being guarded by Pippen

[michalus]

true.

[Nebel64]

give it a year....

[karma187x3]

Yessiirrr

[FireGuyX]

If Penny was never injured and Shaq never left the Magic, Jordan probably would of never had another 3-peat. That's how much talent that team had.

[karma187x3]

True, Jordan was not only the best player but also the luckiest too :)

[Thutmosis7]

I keep tellin people that. I agree with you 100%. The magic was a fresh and upcoming confident team. Yes they got swept by the bulls, but i think it had more to do with their egos why they went out so fast. I think it's more to do with the disfunctional of the players. Something was distracting that team and the coach brian hill was useless in getting them focus. They should of fire him and got daly. Damn i wish George steinbeiner was the owner of the magic team back then. LOL

[gangsta4lifee]

what are you talking about? jordan and co beat a healthy shaq/penny/magic in '96. they swept them 4-0. they lost in '95 because they had no interior defender or rebounder. they signed rodman later.

[FireGuyX]

That was Jordan's year. But had the Magic stick together or at least Penny was healthy, they could of beaten the Bulls in 97 or 98. Remember Penny gave Jordan and Pippen a lot of trouble.

[gangsta4lifee]

He did. But, if you look at the '96 series, it wasn't really a contest. Bulls dominated every game. Rodman did a decent job on Shaq and a great job on rebounding the ball. Penny did give MJ and Pip fits but Jordan torched whoever guarded him (Andersen, Hardaway). Scott and Andersen were shut down by the great perimeter defense of Chicago.

[cbaldwinjr]

@FireGuyX

Disagree...Orlando's role players just weren't good enough. Shaq didn't win until Kobe came into his own and Kobe>Penny. MJ just wasn't losing

[hec2006]

@cbaldwinjr

Disagree Penny was as good a player as Kobe if not better slightly better in my opinion (Kobe didn't really come into his own until his 3rd year in the league honestly cause he was so young at the time). If not for the freak injuries Penny probably would of been Hall of Fame bound...

[cbaldwinjr]

@hec2006

You could say the same for T-Mac in terms of what the injuries did to their careers. But I don't think Penny was as good as Kobe. Kobe is the only guy since MJ that remotely has that killer instinct on the court. And trust, I remember just how good Penny Hardaway was. But unlike Kobe, I do think a lot of what HE did was enhanced by Shaq. Kobe complimented Shaq, he didn't depend on him. That's why they won rings. Penny's ceiling was just lower IMHO than Kobe's was

[puffykilled2pac]

@FireGuyX

The Sonics were a team the would whoop the Magic's ass on a regular basis and they couldn't stop Jordan so I doubt they would have.

[FireGuyX]

@puffykilled2pac The Sonics whoop the Magic's ass? Maybe during the regular season, but you can't put a lot of merit into that. I think Orlando psychologically were still feeling the effects of losing to the Rockets in the finals, mentally they were not at their best against Jordan and the Bulls in 95-96. In 96-97 Penny got injured and Shaq got traded.

[lionelangemario]

@FireGuyX

are you serious?what happened the following season?with the "real air jordan"?let me remember you 1-2-3-4 zero..this is how talented this team was...and if i want to talk about "if",i would add that if jordan didn't take a break for 2 years...it would have been 8 consecutives titles,12 consecutive scoring champion,7 mvp's etc etc... and beyond that,even if jordan wasn't already himself at that time...still he was the best player in this league outside of olajouwon...check game 2,3,5..

[FireGuyX]

@lionelangemario It was the Bull's year and they won it with a great season. But the Magic was not the same team the year before, they got 60 wins and made it to the ECF on talent alone. But clearly the Magic were demoralized after being swept by the Rockets in the 1995 finals. Keep in mind during the 1995-1996 season the Magic beat the Bulls without Shaq, just by Penny alone. If Penny wasn't injured the Magic could have beaten the Bulls in the 97 and 98 seasons. Of course "what if right"?

[lionelangemario]

@FireGuyX

yes "what if" but honestly,i remember perfectly that series,the one in 1996,and i don't remember that the magic were demoralized,they were the only team that i was afraid of,and they were about to beat the bulls in the second game if jordan had not done what he did in the third quarter(meaning outscored the entire magic team by himself).it would have been 1-1 going to orlando...everything could have been different.

[lionelangemario]

@FireGuyX

i want to add,yes they beat the bulls once in the begining of the season(and penny was surprisingly and shockingly better than mj that day) but that was the first and last time,the bulls still won the others games of the season.also penny is one of my favorite but,c'mon...even the" out shape mj" the previous year was better than him during this series,the problem with jordan is that he is not measured with the same criteria as others,people want perfection from him all the time.

[mcg55252]

@karma187x3 Good point, to bad he got hurt, he could have been one of the best PG of all time, at his best he was up there with Magic, he could have been Magic vol. 2, Penny Vol. 1

[1billion1deaths1]

@karma187x3 jordan still won the series the finals

[lionelangemario]

@karma187x3

c'mon..here are the stats of both in that series:

penny:18,5 pts;3,6 rbds;7,5 assts;1,83 stls;0,6 blk;2,8 TO;41 min;44,1%

jordan:31 pts; 6,5 rbds;3,6 assts;2,66 stls;1,8 blk;4 TO; 42 min; 47,6 %

now how can you say penny outplayed jordan in that series? this is the thing with M.J.,he is not judged with the same standards than the others...that tells you how great he was.

jordan was the shadow of himself that time,but still he was the best player outside of olajouwon.

[scorpionJB]

@lionelangemario this is coming from a laker fan, when the bulls lost this game, Michael Jordan had a look of shot when he went to congratulate the magic, when horace grant was hoisted up in the air, I was like "don't do it, don't do it, don't do it"..the league was ready to anoint Penny Hardaway the Heir apparent, all the bulls needed was for jordan and pippen to get their chemistry back, Jordan undergo a full summer of conditioning, and I say if they got Dennis Rodman, they would win 70 games

[scorpionJB]

@lionelangemario Rodman was the key to winning that level of games, he filled the rebounding void, as well as his great anticipation on defense and mental games he targeted towards elite centers such as Shaq and Zo, when the rematch happened, game 1, 1996 ECF, the bulls destroyed the magic by 40 out the gate, and when they came back from 20 plus down in game 2, that series was over, that victory by the magic in 95 was nothing but an aberration and millions bought into the hype

[lionelangemario]

@scorpionJB

i agree,thanks for sharing your opinion.

[kpheu]

Mike was RUSTY.......What a champ to win 3 straight after this terrible loss......LeBron needs to learn to be a gracious loser like MJ was here.....

[misterfcat]

It's gonna be a repeat this year against the Cavs for Orlando! Only this time we'll win the championship!

[conace21]

Wow, I had forgotten about this game; Shaq and the Magic end the game with a 14-0 run to send Orlando to the ECF. If the Magic had won the title that year, this game would be remembered with the Lakers comebacks against Portland (00)and Sacramento (02) when looking at Shaq's career.

[neoellinas]

As for the Magic in 1996, since we're in the habit of making excuses here...Nick Anderson's four missed free throws and their subsequent sweep in the Finals in 1995 pretty much doomed that team. They were not the same in 1996 and looked lifeless in the playoffs against the Bulls. Perhaps if the Bulls had a real opponent that year, they would not have begun their second three-peat. Also have to laugh when I read about the Bulls fans "bitterness." They won six titles, what are they bitter about?

[FireGuyX]

I think the Magic would of been strong contender against the Bulls if they never broken up in 96-97. If Penny was never injured I think the Magic could of possibly beaten the Bulls in 96-98. They were such a good team and Penny was such a good player.

[JZ2001JC]

If the Bulls had a real opponent in 1995-96???????? You are not very bright man. ALl four series the Bulls played against teams that would have won or at least been main competitors for an NBA Title in todays game. The Heat (rd one) had Zo and Tim Hardaway at their peak. They were only seeded as low as 8th because that team was put together at the trade deadline. ANd Knicks in Rd 2--same Knick team that was one shot away from the 1994 Title. Magic in 96 were actually beter than 95 Magic.

[JZ2001JC]

ANd of course in the NBA Finals that Sonics team wins the title at 64-18 in any ordinary NBA yr. 1995-96 was not an ordinary yr when one team goes 72-10. The 1995-96 Bulls are the greatest NBA Team Ever as the record speaks for itself. Save your time replying back with some fairytale BS because you have no case here.

[adaonetube]

I'll bet Horace wishes he would have stuck around for the 2nd 3-peat. Actually, if Michael hadn't retired the first time around, I'll bet you Horace stays and we would have never seen the Worm in a Bulls uniform...

[adaonetube]

BJ Armstrong's last game as a Bull.

[passerby23]

There's a lot of bitterness from Bulls' fans over this loss for a team that won 6 titles. Orlando was the better team that year. Of course, Jordan not being in peak form had a lot to do with that, but they deserved to win.

[deaconx22]

i remember a old friend telling me orlando eliminated chicago that year, i was mad, then i told her that they'll get their revenge. the next year i was right BULLS 4 EVER!!!!!!!!

[yandyman15]

@deaconx22 AWESOME!

[TheRatedIX7]

They hoisted Horace Grant up in the air at the United Center. A year later the Magic got swept and he got taunted by the fans in Chicago. Lolz

[etherodromos]

Go home Jordan! Yea!

[hoopsrgreat23]

yeah um jordan kind of shut the magic up the next year. killed them so badly that their one of their cornerstone players requested out (shaq) and the other (penny) was never the same again. go home magic.

[etherodromos]

go home jordan, HE was humiiated, they weren't

he got stealed, blocked, dunked on everything...

and all he could do is come from behind for the blocks

[hoopsrgreat23]

obviously you forget what happened the year after...jordan dealt the magic a blow they haven't recovered from until they got dwight howard. so go home magic, come back when you win a title, cuz jordan went on to win 3!

[etherodromos]

I'm not an Orlando fan, in fact I was against them during this era, but I have to admit that the way Penny schooled Jordan and Pippen in that series, and the way Shaq dominated over every Bull was so embarassing for them that it can't be wiped out of our memories just like that. Many players have embarassed others, but this was too much...

[neoellinas]

I find it hilarious that the excuse is always used that Jordan was not in form. He scored 55 in his fifth game back. I guess he just had form some days and not others?

I didn't like the Magic either (I was a Knicks fan and the Magic were always battling the Knicks for #1 in the Atlantic those years) but the Magic were the better team that year, fair and square. The Bulls did not perform under pressure, and that has nothing to do with what happened in 1996 and after.

[JZ2001JC]

Hey Hoopsrgreat23, I am with you. But Jordan did not win 3 he won 6 (I know what you meant though). And this etherodromos guy is a Knicks fan---How many titles have they won in the last 20 yrs??????? Oh how many times did the Bulls knock them out of the playoffs?

[JayT98]

That call against pip was a bad call. That was an offensive foul by shaw.

[jaa0702]

I am always amazed by MJ's and Scottie's determination. I mean after this.. other players retire or switch teams running away trying to forget. Not 23 and 33. They came back to kick ass. The Magic won this series so what did they acomplish? the finals? The bulls won the next three championships setting and breaking records left and right.

[hungurr]

The reason Orlando never won a title is because Nick Anderson and Dennis Scott were mentally weak. They didn't do S@!t in the Finals. The games of those two depended too much on the three-point shot. They should've started Brian Shaw, but Nick was Penny's boy so... You live by the three, and you die by the three.

[shaqpopcorn1]

wow...you are dead on about that and not many people realize it...nick anderson and dennis scott were not winners....b.shaw is a winner....too many people might look at stats and think anderson or scott are better,but thats far from the truth...nick anderson missing 4 clutch free throws in a row may be the biggest choking performance i have ever seen,and i have seen a lot

[Blackwwoolff]

Yeah, Shaw was the man.

Shaw-Shaq Redemption, rofl.

[fgoulart21]

Orlando deserved the tittle specially penny :/ feel bad for them

[locdog387]

As an Orlando Magic fan this is one of my favorite moments in NBA history.

[LuigiLaker]

This would be the last playoffs loss for Michael Jordan...

[FireGuyX]

I'll admit I was a Orlando bandwagoner from 93-98. They were such a talented team back then, I just can't believe they fell apart. When you have a roster such as Penny Hardaway, Shaquille O'neal, Nick Anderson, Dennis Scott, Horace Grant, it's very hard to believe they would be swept by Houston in the 1995 NBA Finals. Orlando certainly had better players then Houston.

[cbaldwinjr]

@FireGuyX

But Houston had THE BEST PLAYER in basketball in Olajuwon...and a team that knew what being a champion entailed. Talent doesn't always equate to titles.

[celinetouchedmyhand]

@FireGuyX HOUSTON GOT MORE FINALS EXPERIENCE BECAUSE THEY THE DEFENDING CHAMPS. IT WAS THE MAGIC'S FIRST EVER TRIP TO THE FINALS, SO CAN'T EXPECT TOO MUCH

[FireGuyX]

@celinetouchedmyhand But Orlando had a really talented team. I think they were the favored to win it.

[TheDignam]

They were unexperienced, too much confident in themselves, and they take the Rockets by high.. Like Rudy T. said "Never underestimate the Heart of a Champion"

[brettfred7]

How was the hack on Longley that didnt get called??!!

[JCBizkit87]

since when is knocking it out of his hand, while hitting all ball a foul?

[JayT98]

I can't believe all the Jordan haters on here. FACT,..Only Jordan could win 6 championships while attaining all MVP finals and scoring titles. No other player in history has ever been able to do that. Jordan GOAT.

[shaqpopcorn1]

its shaq who is the greatest of alltime.....shaq and shaq alone

[victorjulio15]

bulls blew this game. the 96 bulls would have killed this team. oh...that's right, they did.

[Flowerofchaos]

why is grant so passionate.. he can be happy of course but he celebrates more than anyone of his teammates.. no respevt for chicago at all? well i m sure in the end he would like to have stayed in chicago

[jumpnam]

Grant felt throughout his time in chicago that he wasnt gettin paid enough, that he wasnt gettin enough involvement in the offense and that neither phil jackson or jordan respected him. By the end of his contract in '94, he'd had enough of the contract disputes with management and being the whipping boy for jackson. So he wanted to go to a team that wud offer him good money, shots, respect and the chance to win a title. After how he'd been treated, he was happy to beat the bulls on their court.

[jplaya2023]

it was a fluke, mike was rusty

[suaved]

But that "rust" didn't stop him from scoring 55 points against the Knicks and averaging 30+ ppg in the 1995 playoffs.

In 1986, Jordan missed roughly the same amount of games, yet that didn't stop him from averaging 40+ ppg in the playoffs. How come he shook off the rust then, but not in 1995?

[jumpnam]

I think personally it was a different situation in 95. Its harder to come back and regain your form at age 32 than it is at age 23. Plus in '86 he had 3-4mnths of rehab and conditioning work to prepare him for his return; whereas in '95 he came from playin baseball, to about 2weeks of practice with the Bulls and then straight back to playing. He had a 'baseball' body; he had added around 15lbs to his lower body which affected his conditioning, and he had added power to his forearms, which

[jumpnam]

affected the touch on his jumpshot. NBA teams have a 2 month training camp before the start of each season; thats how long players need to train for to be in game shape. 2weeks of practice and 17 games wasn't enough to get Mike back to where he was before. And that big game against the knicks showed he still had the raw talent, but he couldnt consistently perform like that-due to the lack of conditioning.

[jumpnam]

The rust was evident in him shooting 41% from the floor in those 17 regular season games, and making so many costly mistakes late in games. But after an offseason spent getting back into game shape and refining his game, he came back and won regular season, all-star and Finals MVP, shot 49%, won his 8th scoring title and got another ring. Proving he was stil the best (with some help from Pip, Rodman and Phil of course).

[2008sALINAs]

I don't know if that argument holds any water because in the 1995 playoffs Jordan was shooting 49% from the floor anyway.

Just watchin this game alone.. How about Longley missing layup after a beautiful pass from Jordan? That could have given the Bulls the lead with under 30 seconds to go. As for Jordan going for the tie, it looked like good D on the part of the Magic as they forced MJ to make a bad pass.

[suaved]

Good post.

Let's also mention that Grant made his first, and only, all-star appearance when Jordan left the team. Grant specifically called out Jordan because he felt that Jordan cared more about his scoring titles than getting his teammates more involved.

If I were Grant, then I would be happy as hell too.

[jumpnam]

Plus he felt he was beating jordan too, after the years of abuse mike had given him. I think he always respected the city of chicago and the fans, just not management. He felt after they'd stifled him in chicago and didnt seem keen to keep him once his contract was up, what better way to get revenge than eliminating the bulls in their building, and being one of the main factors in their defeat? Unfortunately for horace, jordan came back possessed the next year and handed orlando's ass to them.

[PGFNJ79]

True - but at least Horace got a chance to stick it to the Bulls that year - it made Chicago realize how important he was to them when they made their first three-peat run from 1991 to 1993. That's the reason the Bulls went out & got Dennis Rodman after that season. Even Jordan said after this series, "We're just a Horace Grant away from winning another title" and he was right.

[jumpnam]

Yeah man. I sometimes wonder if they had kept the old three-peat team together, and Jordan hadnt retired...would they have won 8 straight titles? Cud discuss that for hours!

[jumpnam]

Yeah man. I sometimes wonder if they had kept the old three-peat team together, and Jordan hadnt retired...would they have won 8 straight titles? Cud discuss that for hours!

[suaved]

Thank you VERY much. That quote is what Jordan fans DON'T want to hear because it shows that the mere presence of Jordan doesn't guarantee titles regardless of what Jordan's cock-sucking friends in the media say. If he was the sole reason, then the Bulls would have won titles in 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, and 95.

[popeyeisgood]

it is definitely unusual. and yes quite saddening to see. but clearly the bulls was in a chaos. mj was quite out of bball shape. and yes longley did suck really bad, not that i had a lot of expectation from the chicago centers...

[Emanuelknicks]

An unusual clip from 4:50-4:54; you don't see Michael Jordan shoot airballs very often.

[anointedvictor]

i mean wow Orlando had a 14-0 run to end the game...Chicago collapsed!

[alaskanmarine1]

I guarantee you, MJ was in the gym the very next day.

[anointedvictor]

make sure you read my comments from the bottom page, then go up....

[anointedvictor]

12. You know "3-peat" means 3 straight championship seasons, right...

13. Big ups to the lone lady going for the Magic in Chicago's arena. Big time fan!! haha

14. "The Greatest fade-away shooter in history" came after this game!

15. Also, the "Most successful sports movie ever" came after this game...Space Jam!

16. BIG THANKS TO MICHALUS FOR SHOWING THIS GAME!!

17. Last thing I leave here is that "Before You Succeed, You Must First Fail."

Kobe knows that now....

[suaved]

"The Greatest fade-away shooter in history" came after this game!

- Wilt Chamberlain and Oscar Robertson might have something to say about this.

"Last thing I leave here is that "Before You Succeed, You Must First Fail."

-- Bill Russell succeeded before he failed. I guess that shows he could succeed better than Jordan; do you care to disagree?

[suaved]

Wilt's dead, but he still made the fadeaway jumpshot an artform long before Jordan was thought of.

[dv122]

i really didnt want to relive this, i dont know why i watched it, but i remembered it differently, i knew it went 6 but for some reason i thought game 5 was game 6, my memory some how switched those two games around, game 5 was when jordan got the ball stripped by anderson right? ooh i just dont want remember this

[LuigiLaker]

No..that was Game 1..then he proceded to throw the ball away when the Bulls still had a chance to win it..all in all..he just wasn't the MJ that retired after the '93 season..

[anointedvictor]

9. The Bulls lost an 8 point lead down the stretch at home?? Saddening to see...

10. How sweet it is for Horace Grant to beat his old team (and former TERRIBLE MANAGEMENT)!

11. But the other big similarity between the '90 ECF game vs Detroit and this game is that they a) ended up setting the team record for wins the season after (61-21 in '91...team record then and 72-10 in '96...still the best NBA record EVER) and b) preceeding each of these losses with 3-peats!

[dv122]

also the bulls sweep the pistons in 91 and sweep the magic in 96, add that to the similarities,

[anointedvictor]

haha true, true!

[dannytmx]

good point and interesting observation.

[anointedvictor]

5. I don't know if it was MJ's fatigue, but he seemed SCARED at times to take over this game.

6. Nick Anderson OWNED Toni Kukoc down the stretch...too bad Anderson never recovered his game after missing 4 STRAIGHT FREE THROWS during game 1 of the '95 Finals against the Houston Rockets...haha.

7. Come on Luc Longley!! How u miss a easy layup that could of given your team the lead??

8. And speaking of that its funny how MJ's boy

BJ Armstrong and Will Perdue left the team after this game...

[FireGuyX]

I know MJ hated Will Perdue, but what was MJ's relationship with BJ Armstrong?

[shaqpopcorn1]

mj didnt hate will perdue at all...at first he hated bill cartwright,but not will perdue

[anointedvictor]

5. I don't know if it was MJ's fatigue, but he seemed SCARED at times to take over this game.

6. Nick Anderson OWNED Toni Kukoc down the stretch...too bad Anderson never recovered his game after missing 4 STRAIGHT FREE THROWS during game 1 of the '95 Finals against the Houston Rockets...haha.

7. Come on Luc Longley!! How u miss a easy layup that could of given your team the lead??

8. Speaking of that its funny how after that they let BJ Armstrong and Will Perdue go after that season...

[anointedvictor]

(cont. #2)....to a teammate not expecting the pass (Game 1 to Pippen and Game 6 to Luc Longley TWICE!), but resulting in losses.

3. Look at the fadeaway Jordan airballs at 3:58. The man was fatigued! This results in the passes he threw to Longley at the end of the game.

4. MICHALUS also has game 7 of the ECF (Detroit vs. Bulls). Watch the game. Now watch this game here. The biggest similarity between the two games is that the Bulls AS A TEAM WERE NOT READY to take the NBA crown.

[anointedvictor]

wow...truly a HISTORIC game here! Never seen this game or ending before (and i've watched over 700 MJ and basketball videos in the last 3 yrs!

Just a couple of notes from "anointedvictor" detailing my view of the game, and the after-effect it would have on both teams and the NBA (this will be pretty long)...

1. MJ is truly my idol...but damn was he out of bball shape!

2. Notice in game 1 and game 6 of this series when MJ has a chance to make a big shot down the stretch he passes the ball

[anointedvictor]

the only time the bulls lost a playoff series AT HOME in the '90's.

[dv122]

luc longely u suck,