Fansided

Every NBA team’s best iteration ever

By Micah Wimmer

PORTLAND, OR - 1987: Head Coach Pat Riley leads Magic Johnson #32, Byron Scott #4, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar #33 during a game played circa 1987 at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1987 NBAE (Photo by Brian Drake/NBAE via Getty Images)
PORTLAND, OR - 1987: Head Coach Pat Riley leads Magic Johnson #32, Byron Scott #4, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar #33 during a game played circa 1987 at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1987 NBAE (Photo by Brian Drake/NBAE via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
22 of 30
Next
ORLANDO, FL – MAY 25: Shaquille O’Neal #32 of the Orlando Magic shoots on Dennis Rodman #91 of the Chicago Bulls in Game Three of the Eastern Conference Finals during the 1996 NBA Playoffs at the Orlando Arena on May 25, 1996 in Orlando, Florida. The Chicago Bulls defeated the Orlando Magic 86-67. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1995 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
ORLANDO, FL – MAY 25: Shaquille O’Neal #32 of the Orlando Magic shoots on Dennis Rodman #91 of the Chicago Bulls in Game Three of the Eastern Conference Finals during the 1996 NBA Playoffs at the Orlando Arena on May 25, 1996 in Orlando, Florida. The Chicago Bulls defeated the Orlando Magic 86-67. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1995 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Orlando Magic: 1994-95

The Orlando Magic hit the jackpot in both the 1992 and 1993 draft lotteries, winning the number one draft picks and ending up with the rights to Shaquille O’Neal and Penny Hardaway in the process. Immediately, they formed one of the best young duos in the league with Shaq proving to be pretty much impossible to stop in the paint with his rare combination of massive size and deft footwork. Meanwhile, Hardaway had an uncanny ability to utilize his athleticism to get to the rim with ease while also showcasing an ability to run an offense that belied his young age. Supporting them were Dennis Scott and Nick Anderson, both great shooters who made over 41 percent of their 3s in the 1994-95 season, along with thre- time champion Horace Grant who had just joined the Magic after spending seven years with the Chicago Bulls. Collectively, they led the best offense in the NBA that season.

In the 1995 Playoffs, Grant was able to get revenge on his former team while the Magic showed themselves as a force to be reckoned with, defeating Jordan and the Bulls in the Eastern Conference Semifinals on their way to a Finals appearance. Unfortunately for Orlando fans, the Magic were swept by the Houston Rockets, and this version of the team had already peaked. O’Neal would leave for the Lakers following the 1996 season, in which the Magic fell to the Bulls in the Conference Finals. Soon after, Hardaway would begin to suffer from injuries that would keep him from regaining the All-NBA form he had displayed early in his career, further ensuring that he would be unable to lead the Magic to glory in the post-Shaq years, leaving the 1995 season as the peak of their time together and of the Magic as a whole.

Home/NBA