There was something so unbelievably special about weekends when 3-4 nba games would play in a row in NBC. Itd be like knicks vs heat first, bulls vs magic second, rockets vs suns 3rd and then sonics vs lakers 4th. I’d spend my whole day watching nba in bed but there was nothing more special than bulls vs magic….truly entertaining because the magic had a great team and they played the bulls very hard
Damn just took me back to simpler times. Would watch all day, then at halftime run outside to the little backyard to practice crossovers and first steps with little bro. Those were the days......
The Bulls were just a Horace Grant away from going all the way. Grant was the xfactor. But this was the series that motivated MJ to work and work all off season in 95 just to get back to the top of the NBA, which he did the very next year. Great upload!
Ya ok. It’s scripted. They couldn’t have MJ come back and win right away. Needed some uncertainty coming into the next season for maximum entertainment.
That was the turning point for the Bulls for greater things to come. The defeat by the Magic prompted the Bulls to pull off one of the most sensational acquisitions, taking a gamble on the volatile and controversial Dennis Rodman. Rodman not only filled the PF spot vacated by Horace Grant when he left the Bulls for the Magic but he was also what MJ, Pippen and the Bulls were looking for as the missing piece for their dominance in the next 3 years.
Harper was very underrated on those Bulls teams he was a lockdown defensive player but Penny was just too much for any perimeter defender he was just so smooth with it
Penny Hardaway, Grant Hill, Derrick Rose, Antonio McDyess, Brandon Roy, Greg Oden, Tracy McGrady & Yao Ming. That’s a heck of a”dream team right there.
Truth be told, this is the very first time I've watched game highlights of this game or really any game of this series since 95. Never could bring myself to watch because as a kid I just couldn't believe the Bulls lost to the Magic. Big Bulls fan here but since this game popped up on the menu I'll give it a looksy
@@sangbangerz he even played well in this series, and this game. But his teammates played like as*. Especially in the end here, he trusted them and passed them the ball but they couldn't score if their life depended on it. It was always the case for Scottie Pippen the overrated carried bust throughout his playoff career, but this time all the other Bulls also sucked as*
@@randyholliday5626 For sure. Basketball is not a one man game. The Bulls sorely needed the rebounding help and virtually no one would have wanted to take Rodman. When the Bulls took Rodman I was in a bit of disbelief, especially with the animosity with the Pistons. Krause blew it not going for a 7th championship but he deserves much credit for building a team around MJ, in both 3 peats. History has judged him unfairly.
It's amazing how much both teams changed after this series: Bulls: Get Dennis Rodman for rebounding, MJ gets better and they threepeat again Magic: Lose to Houston in the Finals, lose to the Bulls the following year, lose Shaq in the offseason, Brian Hill gets fired in 1997, Penny's knee bothers him and he gets traded two years later
Watching these old games reminds me how athletic these players are and how defensively sound they are. Everyone is making plays on both sides of the court not just the stars.
Shaq lifted up Horace and celebrated excessively -- only to get swept by Houston in the Finals. Then by the same-but-much improved Bulls the next Playoffs (1996). Shaq was so upset and humiliated he didn't stayed and congratulated the Bulls. The exit has turned out his final glimpse donning the Magic uniform. Shaq often says the Lakers offered him bigger money why he left Orlando. But deep inside, it is more of knowing he cannot be back in the Finals knowing (and experienced) the Bulls regained Eastern Conference supremacy.
I highly disagree, that a young player like Shaq left the Eastern Conference to avoid the competition. Shaq would have gone to any team that would have offered him the most money. And then add the fact that it was the Lakers, where he could become an even bigger star, especially because of Los Angeles, it was a done deal
shaq went to LA because that's where he always wanted to go. He had a close relationship with Magic Johnson going into the draft and they stayed in touch. There is all this misdirection and mystery as to why he left thrown about but it was obvious from the get-go.
You shouldnt forget the illegal defence rule made it much easier to isolate as helpside defenders of which their opponent was above the free throw line were not allowed to rotate into the paint...
Wow I thought MJ was going to get the SPECIAL TREATMENT CALLS from the NBA Refs in this game! But it seems like it was officiated FAIRLEY of both teams.
The story of the 96 Bulls can't be told without bringing up the loss to Orlando in the 95 ECSF. I blame Orlando for the 72-10 Bulls historic season. The victory for Orlando led to their demise, while the loss for Chicago ignited a 2nd three-peat for the Bulls.
They say Mike was rusty nah he just was out of sink with teammates it took him a summer to get the chemistry back but Penny took it to him they were actually evenly matched
This Orlando team was talented enough to beat Chicago no matter how many games MJ did or didnt play. They barely beat NY in both 92 & 93 with a weaker Center in Ewing. Shaq was a tier above him.
i remember as a kid being so mad that the bulls lost this game & series..rhe Bulls had the lead and blew it at the end... we will get them back next year
It’s strange seeing that old red and blue NBA Playoff logo on the United Center hardcourt. I don’t know why but it just felt out of place. It’s a logo I associate with old Chicago Stadium
I feel that. I much preferred that logo and style, over the more stylish playoff logo from 1996 onwards. I hated the cartoony Finals logo after 1995 too haha
I still say till this day, the Bulls beat themselves (or gave it away) more than Orlando won this game & series. Bulls shoulda won Gms 1, 3 & 6. Orlando really kicked themselves in the foot with all that stupid celebrating at the end. MJ took that personally and we all know what happened the next season. The Bulls destroyed Orlando in that ECF 🤣🤣
When the Magic was swept by the Rockets in 1995 Finals my classmates poked fun of his name and called him Shaquille Inutil (disabled in Filipino). Even the funnier one some of my classmates called him Shaquilikili (armpit in Filipino).
The one time Jordan passed like LeBron and "Luke Lonely" shot an air ball 🤦🏿♂️ Everyon says Jordan didn't pass but now you see why! If he had played with a Shaq or Kareem, his point stats would have been less but Jordan would have passed the ball for the win just like Bird and Magic.
This season and the two Wizards seasons, Michael showed he's human, all the other seasons - out of this world... it's good to see even the goat is human lol
But this mighty bulls team came back with a vengeance the following year with a 72-10 win loss record and goes on to win their second championship three-peat
18:01 a team biggest fear = for their star player to get injured going to the crowd But imagine being a fan and getting run over by probably the biggest guy in the NBA
No Jordan or Bulls fan denies this happening, that's what made the next season and the 2nd 3-peat in general, so satisfying. There was no "Klutch Sports" around to control the narrative.
@@PhantomDreamer_ yeah right. "He was gone for 2 years" & "he was away playing baseball" has gotten thrown around a awful lot in many instances by his fanbase.
@@FuShengAlex That doesn't make any sense. Reality is reality. You're looking for a reason to gripe when there is none. You use the word fanbase when you're probably talking about a specific person or some minuscule portion of people.
inane argument. the 1994 bulls without jordan should have beaten New York in 6 games and those rockets took 7 (and john starks being trash in game 7) just to win that title. By your logic the 1994 bulls without jordan even there were better.
@@anthonymoore4096 no they wouldn't have "bro". the 1994 bulls with jordan is probably the best Bulls roster of the dynasty aside from maybe the 1997 playoff roster. Jordan, Grant, Kerr, Kukoc, BJ Armstrong, Pippen, Longley, cartwright, scott williams, wennington and more. The Bulls had more than enough big men to hassle Olajuwon, Grant cancels out thorpe and they have the most skilled offensive group the Bulls dynasty ever had. Pippen either locks down smith-cassel tandem or he keeps horry sewn up. 1995 the rockets probably win but only if the Bulls suffer a mass exodus in this alternate universe like they did in real life by losing grant, cartwright, williams, paxson, etc.... basically all their big men depth. The rockets managed to lose to the Bulls twice in 4 games without jordan those two years.
Penny was cooking everyone and Longley lost this series for the bulls. It's probably an Australian thing, scared to dunk the ball under the rim just like Ben Simmons against the Hawks in the playoffs
10:03 Michael got furious with himself when he could not guard Penny on that play. If Lebron was in that situation, he probably would complain to the referee instead.
Question ive always had is Krause and Reinsdorf had to know Jordan was coming back so why didnt they get a power foward to strenghen team for playoffs, with a decent power foward they beat Orlando and Indiana and face Hakeem and Rockets in finals.
Man when I watched this back in 95' the game was intense but I kept checking out Mike's shoes and was like that's a black version of the white patent leather kicks he wore earlier in the series.. black concords aka space jams favorite 11 colorway.
I knew the bulls lost this series and the one game when jordan got the ball stolen, but somehow I had never seen this (because I never bothered to research it or look it up, I thought they got beat more handily) but MJ really had some mental lapses at the very end. And they were RIGHT THERE with a fighting chance. Didn't help that Longley freaking misses a layup. But you can see the the emotion after MJ threw the ball away and then they commit the foul to stop the clock, he just has a quick jerk of his arms and shoulders like a "FUCK" moment, he was so mad. And he should be, they were much closer than people think. But we never remember how close you were, only if you WIN OR LOSE.
They pretty much had the lead in the 4th in every single game and lost the lead in most of them. MJ's stamina was not there and the rebounding was bad, but I still believe that if MJ didn't turn it over in game 1 in the final second with a lead, they would have gone on to win the series. They were right there.
95-96 Magic were such a great team, just imagine if they traded Penny, Anderson, Grant, 3D, and Royal for significant minutes Kobe aka 4th year Kobe=Championship.... Shaquille is laughable.
Looking back it’s fascinating to see how much of the ‘modern’ NBA the Magic already had: - Shaq wasn’t a stretch 5 but was dominant inside. - Three efficient 3-point shooters in the perimeter (and a deadly one in Scott). - A (for the time) stretch 4, since Grant was deadly in the mid range all the way up to the three point line, which wasn’t common for all PFs of the era. - And technically 3 stars (Penny, Shaq, and Grant). The biggest weakness of the Magic was the bench. They had a few decent players but they would usually lose the bench minutes and the starting five would need to make it up later. But mid 90’s Magic was an amazing team to follow.
I miss the 90s 😢
me too
This old game reel is much more entertaining than what’s on ESPN right now
90s NBA was the best.
agree
There was something so unbelievably special about weekends when 3-4 nba games would play in a row in NBC. Itd be like knicks vs heat first, bulls vs magic second, rockets vs suns 3rd and then sonics vs lakers 4th. I’d spend my whole day watching nba in bed but there was nothing more special than bulls vs magic….truly entertaining because the magic had a great team and they played the bulls very hard
Damn just took me back to simpler times. Would watch all day, then at halftime run outside to the little backyard to practice crossovers and first steps with little bro. Those were the days......
The doubleheaders were epic
The Bulls were just a Horace Grant away from going all the way. Grant was the xfactor. But this was the series that motivated MJ to work and work all off season in 95 just to get back to the top of the NBA, which he did the very next year. Great upload!
😆😆😆😆
Ya ok. It’s scripted. They couldn’t have MJ come back and win right away. Needed some uncertainty coming into the next season for maximum entertainment.
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Yep and Chicago Bulls in the 1995 off-season added "the worm" Dennis Rodman
@user-qx4vh4me1f After Michael Jordan Got To Wear Number 23 Again
The 80s and 90s were the pinnacle of NBA basketball.
It was really sad to see Jordan's disappointed expression when he lost, but his fighting spirit to win every moment on the court was touching
He didn't have to many of those moments.
That was the turning point for the Bulls for greater things to come. The defeat by the Magic prompted the Bulls to pull off one of the most sensational acquisitions, taking a gamble on the volatile and controversial Dennis Rodman. Rodman not only filled the PF spot vacated by Horace Grant when he left the Bulls for the Magic but he was also what MJ, Pippen and the Bulls were looking for as the missing piece for their dominance in the next 3 years.
Thank you so much for uploading all those great 90s games … especially the bulls games from 95-98 … 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
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Harper was very underrated on those Bulls teams he was a lockdown defensive player but Penny was just too much for any perimeter defender he was just so smooth with it
Man penny was that dude so sad the injuries got him
Penny Hardaway, Grant Hill, Derrick Rose, Antonio McDyess, Brandon Roy, Greg Oden, Tracy McGrady & Yao Ming. That’s a heck of a”dream team right there.
Truth be told, this is the very first time I've watched game highlights of this game or really any game of this series since 95. Never could bring myself to watch because as a kid I just couldn't believe the Bulls lost to the Magic. Big Bulls fan here but since this game popped up on the menu I'll give it a looksy
Penny could be better than Kobe if he didnt get injured. He had MJ's creativity and he had Magic's court vision and passing ability.
Hardaway was that dude!
Penny game was so smooth
MJ's only playoff elimination after 1990.
Only time it happened in the NBC era (remember in 1990 the NBA was still on CBS)
not bad for someone who peaced out to baseball and suddenly came back stone cold towards the end of the regular season
@@sangbangerz he even played well in this series, and this game. But his teammates played like as*. Especially in the end here, he trusted them and passed them the ball but they couldn't score if their life depended on it. It was always the case for Scottie Pippen the overrated carried bust throughout his playoff career, but this time all the other Bulls also sucked as*
Anything else 🎤
@@zimbowel4354the most glaring was Luc Longley airballed a point blank lay in attempt.
Dude had a statue while he was still playing that crazy.
He had retired in 1993.
@@fabricealluma7236 everybody knows that. It's just crazy no matter how it happened
MJ took the loss personally; and then went on to win 3 more championships.
He really did took it personally 😆 what a savage!
With Pippen of course
@@FrankFernandez-wi4sq they were a great duo both offensively AND defensively
He went out and got Rodman then won 3 more he didn't run it back with the same squad!!
@@randyholliday5626 For sure. Basketball is not a one man game. The Bulls sorely needed the rebounding help and virtually no one would have wanted to take Rodman. When the Bulls took Rodman I was in a bit of disbelief, especially with the animosity with the Pistons. Krause blew it not going for a 7th championship but he deserves much credit for building a team around MJ, in both 3 peats. History has judged him unfairly.
Nick Anderson was clutch in this series as well in the playoffs. Til he got to the ft line in crucial minutes in game 1 of the finals
Là classe pure magnifique de très bon joueur
excelente juego, grandes jugadores, saludos desde Venezuela
It's amazing how much both teams changed after this series:
Bulls: Get Dennis Rodman for rebounding, MJ gets better and they threepeat again
Magic: Lose to Houston in the Finals, lose to the Bulls the following year, lose Shaq in the offseason, Brian Hill gets fired in 1997, Penny's knee bothers him and he gets traded two years later
ikr, crazy how life twists around. I thought Orlando was the team of the future after this series
that 1996 sweep at the hands of the Bulls drove Shaq out of the East too.
That shaq behind the back pass was 🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨
Shaquille should have not dunked that ball”
Bro got emotional damage 😂😂😂
9o's NBA WAS THE BEST NBC THANKS FOR THE UPLOAD 📹 📽 🎥 🏀🏀🏀🏀🏆🏆🏆👍👍👍💪💪🦾💯💯💯💥💥💥
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Watching these old games reminds me how athletic these players are and how defensively sound they are. Everyone is making plays on both sides of the court not just the stars.
Ils jouent très bien des pros du basket magnifique
Another great video and another great job of condensing the game
👍
Shaq lifted up Horace and celebrated excessively
-- only to get swept by Houston in the Finals.
Then by the same-but-much improved Bulls the next Playoffs (1996).
Shaq was so upset and humiliated he didn't stayed and congratulated the Bulls.
The exit has turned out his final glimpse donning the Magic uniform.
Shaq often says the Lakers offered him bigger money why he left Orlando. But deep inside, it is more of knowing he cannot be back in the Finals knowing (and experienced) the Bulls regained Eastern Conference supremacy.
I highly disagree, that a young player like Shaq left the Eastern Conference to avoid the competition.
Shaq would have gone to any team that would have offered him the most money. And then add the fact that it was the Lakers, where he could become an even bigger star, especially because of Los Angeles, it was a done deal
shaq went to LA because that's where he always wanted to go. He had a close relationship with Magic Johnson going into the draft and they stayed in touch.
There is all this misdirection and mystery as to why he left thrown about but it was obvious from the get-go.
he got Olajuwoned in the Finals!
If Penny Hardaway would Stayed healthy we would be talking about him, almost like Jordan.
Big facts because Penny was that special 💪🏾
Oh my god this is fun. NOBODY PLAYS LIKE THIS ANYMORE.
You shouldnt forget the illegal defence rule made it much easier to isolate as helpside defenders of which their opponent was above the free throw line were not allowed to rotate into the paint...
Wow I thought MJ was going to get the SPECIAL TREATMENT CALLS from the NBA Refs in this game! But it seems like it was officiated FAIRLEY of both teams.
The story of the 96 Bulls can't be told without bringing up the loss to Orlando in the 95 ECSF. I blame Orlando for the 72-10 Bulls historic season. The victory for Orlando led to their demise, while the loss for Chicago ignited a 2nd three-peat for the Bulls.
At the very least, it made the Bulls want to sign Rodman and deal with everything he brings, both positive and negative.
And then the SWEEP 😂😂
They say Mike was rusty nah he just was out of sink with teammates it took him a summer to get the chemistry back but Penny took it to him they were actually evenly matched
This Orlando team was talented enough to beat Chicago no matter how many games MJ did or didnt play.
They barely beat NY in both 92 & 93 with a weaker Center in Ewing. Shaq was a tier above him.
i remember as a kid being so mad that the bulls lost this game & series..rhe Bulls had the lead and blew it at the end... we will get them back next year
Pippen was criminally underrated as a player
100% Fact.
Pippen was my favorite player back then!
Shame we never got a Magic-Bulls game 7 in 1995 or even in 1996
This game may have been on my 6th Birthday, but I’d much rather watch that era of the NBA than today’s
8:31 wow, im surprised ive never seen that moment anywhere on RUclips, of Shaq attacking the basket against the incoming of Jordan-Pippen
It’s strange seeing that old red and blue NBA Playoff logo on the United Center hardcourt.
I don’t know why but it just felt out of place. It’s a logo I associate with old Chicago Stadium
I feel that. I much preferred that logo and style, over the more stylish playoff logo from 1996 onwards. I hated the cartoony Finals logo after 1995 too haha
Orlando was a hell of a team. And anyone saying Shaq was only dunks, look at his soft touch.
Shaq had great footwork for a big man very agile and fast Shaq was so dominant
I still say till this day, the Bulls beat themselves (or gave it away) more than Orlando won this game & series. Bulls shoulda won Gms 1, 3 & 6. Orlando really kicked themselves in the foot with all that stupid celebrating at the end. MJ took that personally and we all know what happened the next season. The Bulls destroyed Orlando in that ECF 🤣🤣
It had just tasted the sweetness for Orlando that motivated Chicago sweep them on next year! 😂😂😂
This is a GAME!
Back when you can actually defend and not get a ref call. Todays NBA is weak
When the Magic was swept by the Rockets in 1995 Finals my classmates poked fun of his name and called him Shaquille Inutil (disabled in Filipino).
Even the funnier one some of my classmates called him Shaquilikili (armpit in Filipino).
Forgot BJ was still on this team
The face of revenge by mj
Penny Hardaway was cooking
21:40분 피펜 조던 덩크하라고 스크린 무심한듯 걸어주는거 간지
Upload More And More Chicago Bulls Basketball Games From NBA On NBC
6:34 love seeing Pippen aggressive!
The one time Jordan passed like LeBron and "Luke Lonely" shot an air ball 🤦🏿♂️ Everyon says Jordan didn't pass but now you see why! If he had played with a Shaq or Kareem, his point stats would have been less but Jordan would have passed the ball for the win just like Bird and Magic.
I like how everyone is sprinting back to get on defense
Funny how when the deify Jordan this series rarely comes up and when it does the excuses pour in left and right. LOL
much more excited, enthusiastic, passionate than recent games
The magic definitely had some magic. Unfortunately they couldn't get it done in the finals.
Pippen was such an underrated and underappreciated star for the Bulls. He doesn't get the credit he deserves.
Yes but he should give praise to MJ because he taught Pippen everything he knew
@@Nathan-qz3mgOne of the most ridiculous statements ever 😂😂😂
@eyebrowstj some people just can't handle the truth
Doug Collins tripping talking about "Shaq shouldn't have dunked the ball". Against MJ? Shhhiiiddd!
MJ could have blocked Shaq too. So your comment is a bunch of shiiiiiiiiddddd!!
Nah bro he break mj arm
15:01 that would have been one of the greatest alley-oop of all time if Shaq made it
This season and the two Wizards seasons, Michael showed he's human, all the other seasons - out of this world... it's good to see even the goat is human lol
But this mighty bulls team came back with a vengeance the following year with a 72-10 win loss record and goes on to win their second championship three-peat
Penny was that dude💪🏾
MJ's final playoff series loss of his career.
I have never seen such a passive Jordan. It's like he's not there.
This will be the most watched video on your channel for obvious reasons smh.
90s always the best
18:01 a team biggest fear = for their star player to get injured going to the crowd
But imagine being a fan and getting run over by probably the biggest guy in the NBA
But wait? I thought Jordan jockers and David Stern confiscated footage of this happening?
No Jordan or Bulls fan denies this happening, that's what made the next season and the 2nd 3-peat in general, so satisfying. There was no "Klutch Sports" around to control the narrative.
@@PhantomDreamer_ yeah right.
"He was gone for 2 years" & "he was away playing baseball" has gotten thrown around a awful lot in many instances by his fanbase.
@@FuShengAlex That doesn't make any sense. Reality is reality. You're looking for a reason to gripe when there is none. You use the word fanbase when you're probably talking about a specific person or some minuscule portion of people.
@@PhantomDreamer_ yeah....you believe that
@@PhantomDreamer_spot on
we know what happened the next year in 1996
When fans had heart 18:28
People always say the Rockets got 2 championships because Jordan was absent. Here he is and out they went. Rockets then swept O
The argument is that Jordan was rusty in this 1994-1995 season
inane argument. the 1994 bulls without jordan should have beaten New York in 6 games and those rockets took 7 (and john starks being trash in game 7) just to win that title.
By your logic the 1994 bulls without jordan even there were better.
@@scottb3034 and they would have lost. So would 95. Sorry bro
@@anthonymoore4096 no they wouldn't have "bro". the 1994 bulls with jordan is probably the best Bulls roster of the dynasty aside from maybe the 1997 playoff roster.
Jordan, Grant, Kerr, Kukoc, BJ Armstrong, Pippen, Longley, cartwright, scott williams, wennington and more.
The Bulls had more than enough big men to hassle Olajuwon, Grant cancels out thorpe and they have the most skilled offensive group the Bulls dynasty ever had. Pippen either locks down smith-cassel tandem or he keeps horry sewn up.
1995 the rockets probably win but only if the Bulls suffer a mass exodus in this alternate universe like they did in real life by losing grant, cartwright, williams, paxson, etc.... basically all their big men depth.
The rockets managed to lose to the Bulls twice in 4 games without jordan those two years.
@@anthonymoore4096 Yeah the Rockets would have lost, sorry bro.
Penny: a what could have been story. He was the MJ in this game.
Put This Game On NBA TV Hardwood Classic On TV
Penny was cooking everyone and Longley lost this series for the bulls. It's probably an Australian thing, scared to dunk the ball under the rim just like Ben Simmons against the Hawks in the playoffs
Looks like real basketball not that 2024 garbage
That was a foul on longley layup
It was still a weak attempt by Longley, he went up with zero power.
And the Houston Rockets swept this Orlando team in the NBA final series in 1995.
20:47 im surprised they called a flagrant on Penny. Penny barely tapped him; its not like he pushed him
Pippen deserve more credit
10:03 Michael got furious with himself when he could not guard Penny on that play. If Lebron was in that situation, he probably would complain to the referee instead.
player's every move has real hoop sprits at that time
Two missed layups away from a Game 7. Not surprised the Bulls swept the Magic the following year.
Jordan is just lucky
Hardaway was treating Mike Jordan thank goodness for Scottie Pippin the shut down corner
Question ive always had is Krause and Reinsdorf had to know Jordan was coming back so why didnt they get a power foward to strenghen team for playoffs, with a decent power foward they beat Orlando and Indiana and face Hakeem and Rockets in finals.
Longley clearly got fouled by Penny in that final minute
Longley's airball from 6 inches didn't help... now he's on tour with Pippen and Horace, telling how MJ couldn't have won without them!
Man when I watched this back in 95' the game was intense but I kept checking out Mike's shoes and was like that's a black version of the white patent leather kicks he wore earlier in the series.. black concords aka space jams favorite 11 colorway.
A shame injuries ruined pennys career
26:20 crazy they playing That’s Life by Frank Sinatra in the background…
Jordan: I took in personal…
Watched a recent playoff game and realized very few of todays players have
I knew the bulls lost this series and the one game when jordan got the ball stolen, but somehow I had never seen this (because I never bothered to research it or look it up, I thought they got beat more handily) but MJ really had some mental lapses at the very end. And they were RIGHT THERE with a fighting chance. Didn't help that Longley freaking misses a layup. But you can see the the emotion after MJ threw the ball away and then they commit the foul to stop the clock, he just has a quick jerk of his arms and shoulders like a "FUCK" moment, he was so mad. And he should be, they were much closer than people think. But we never remember how close you were, only if you WIN OR LOSE.
They pretty much had the lead in the 4th in every single game and lost the lead in most of them. MJ's stamina was not there and the rebounding was bad, but I still believe that if MJ didn't turn it over in game 1 in the final second with a lead, they would have gone on to win the series. They were right there.
95-96 Magic were such a great team, just imagine if they traded Penny, Anderson, Grant, 3D, and Royal for significant minutes Kobe aka 4th year Kobe=Championship.... Shaquille is laughable.
Jordan is surprisingly not high. 😮
They all great players , everyone on the team developed their game skills
As Paul denials once said….. that’s magic….Jordan had better games for sure
Looking back it’s fascinating to see how much of the ‘modern’ NBA the Magic already had:
- Shaq wasn’t a stretch 5 but was dominant inside.
- Three efficient 3-point shooters in the perimeter (and a deadly one in Scott).
- A (for the time) stretch 4, since Grant was deadly in the mid range all the way up to the three point line, which wasn’t common for all PFs of the era.
- And technically 3 stars (Penny, Shaq, and Grant).
The biggest weakness of the Magic was the bench. They had a few decent players but they would usually lose the bench minutes and the starting five would need to make it up later.
But mid 90’s Magic was an amazing team to follow.