The 1995 Finals between the Rockets and the Magic are very often reduced to their first game. It may be unfair, but it is undoubtedly revealing because this Game 1 was both magnificent and decisive.
On June 7, 1995, defending champion Houston and Hakeem Olajuwon faced rising Magic stars Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway. Orlando has home field advantage, and has just eliminated Michael Jordan's Bulls, back since March 1995, in the second round and Shaq finished as the league's top scorer in the regular season.
The Rockets can therefore expect to suffer. It's the case. The Magic is in front (110-107) while the clock shows eleven seconds to play. Nick Anderson finds himself on the free throw line. First match point.
Without being a killer, the guard is statistically solid enough in the exercise to seal the deal. The first free throw is too short, as is the second. But Nick Anderson manages to grab his rebound and get a foul. He is therefore entitled to two new attempts. Second match point.
It's still a failure at first, then in the second, it's not better… A 0/4 at the worst time.
A defeat in the form of trauma
Houston can therefore still have hope. There are 5.6 seconds left to snatch an extension. Lethal behind the line with seven successes (NBA record for a Finals match at the time) out of eleven attempts, Kenny Smith scores a 3-point shot to send the two teams into overtime (110-110).
In the final seconds, after a winning basket from Dennis Scott, Orlando and Houston found themselves tied again (118-118). The decision is in the hands of Clyde Drexler, who flies away. His shot rebounds on the circle and Hakeem Olajuwon wins the rebound to score on a tap. 120-118, three tenths to play. It's over for this memorable Game 1 and, in a way, for the series as well.
Orlando will not recover and will lose in four short matches against the Rockets. For Nick Anderson, long years of regrets begin and a nickname “Nick The Brick” sticks to him. This 0/4 will remain a trauma for him, and for the Magic who will not be able to overcome this initial defeat.
“After that series, I started to believe that I no longer knew how to shoot shots,” will he declare later. “That I no longer knew how to shoot at all. I lost all my aggression. It took me ten years to get over it. It's a shame that this action has become the summary of my career. I would like us to remember other things. »
