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Hardwood Paroxysm presents: The 5 NBA games you could watch for the rest of your life

By HP Basketball Network

Oct 17, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; General view of a Spalding basketball with the signature of NBA commissioner Adam Silver (not pictured) at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 17, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; General view of a Spalding basketball with the signature of NBA commissioner Adam Silver (not pictured) at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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4. 1995 NBA Finals, Game 1

by Ian Levy (@HickoryHigh) — Hardwood Paroxysm

This is the first non-Indiana Pacers game I can remember watching from start to finish, and it was a doozy. This was the narrow window of Michael Jordan’s first retirement, when the league suddenly felt wide open. The Houston Rockets, having added Clyde Drexler mid-season, were looking for a repeat of their 1994 Finals win. They had an up-and-down regular season but had blasted through Utah, Phoenix and San Antonio on their way to this matchup. The Conference Finals, in particular, were important because of the way Hakeem Olajuwon had toyed with and finally obliterated David Robinson. Next up was Shaquille O’Neal.

This was the ascension of the Orlando Magic. O’Neal was an athletic force, as was Penny Hardaway. Nick Anderson, Dennis Scott and Horace Grant rounded out one of the best starting fives in the league. The Magic were girded in an air of inevitability, about to place the rest of the league in a dynastic stranglehold. Instead, they ended up getting swept by the Rockets and, for all intents and purposes, the series was decided in Game 1.

Houston eked out a 120-118 overtime win. After losing this game, you could just see the air go out of Orlando and they never regained their footing. It’s fascinating how many alternate histories could be traced back to the closing minutes of this game. After the Magic secured two consecutive offensive rebounds, the Rockets were forced to foul Nick Anderson and send him to the line with just 10 seconds left in regulation. With a three-point lead, making either free throw should have been enough to seal the game for the Magic. Anderson missed both but, amazingly, got his own offensive rebound on the second miss and was fouled, earning two more opportunities to put the game away. He missed both, again, the Rockets grabbed the rebound and Kenny Smith tied the game with his seventh three-pointer–a Finals record at that point.

The back-and-forth continued through overtime and the Rockets ultimately won on an Olajuwon tip-in of a missed layup by Drexler. The incredible flow of the game was only emphasized by the incredible individual performances–31 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, 4 blocks, 2 steals for Olajuwon; 23 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists for Drexler; 26 points, 16 rebounds, 9 assists for O’Neal.

This game sticks out for me, because of that memory of watching it live, falling out of my seat with each new twist. But it stands the test of time–two incredible teams, filled with incredible players, working at the height of their powers. I could live with that as the only basketball to watch for the rest of my life.

Next: 3. 2012 NBA Finals, Game 5