1995 NBA Houston Rockets at Orlando Magic, December 25, 1995, Finals Rematch

HOU 90 ORL 92 - Christmas Day Special delivered by Penny Hardaway. The main audio of this game features the dynamic arena sounds & the vibrant floor audio of Orlando Arena's. Get ready to experience the rim-rattling dunks of Shaq and Penny like never before. Be warned, it's loud! The Shaq Attack at 6:10 and 35:17, Diesel's Shimmy Shake n' Bake 37:06, Penny's Aaaaah! Dunk at 9:05 . You got to love the Orlando Arena's looney sounds to get under the skin of opposing players after failed plays! In a rematch of the 1995 NBA Finals, the Orlando Magic exacted a measure of revenge with a dramatic 92-90 victory over the Houston Rockets, thanks to Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway's last-second heroics. Players of the game: Penny Hardaway, 22 PTS, 7 REB, 10 AST, 2 STL, 1 BLK, Game-winning shot Shaquille O’Neal, 22 PTS, 18 REB, 5 AST, 1 BLK On December 25, 1995, the Rockets returned to Orlando Arena for the first time since sweeping the Magic in the Finals. Despite a strong third quarter that put Houston ahead, Hardaway ensured Orlando fans left the arena happy on Christmas Day. In just his fifth game back from injury, center Shaquille O’Neal led the Magic's comeback despite playing with five fouls. O’Neal scored a team-high 22 points and grabbed a game-high 18 rebounds, but it was the supporting cast that made the difference in the final moments. Dennis Scott's three-pointer tied the game at 90 with less than 90 seconds remaining. With time winding down, Hardaway, who had already hit two buzzer-beaters earlier in the season, was forced to his right by Mario Elie. Pulling up from 12 feet, his shot rimmed out, hit the backboard, and fell through the hoop, giving the Magic a 92-90 lead with 3.1 seconds left. This victory sparked a streak of nine consecutive wins for Orlando over Houston, marking a turning point after their Finals defeat. 1995 NBA Finals: Houston Rockets vs. Orlando Magic (4-0) 1995-1996 to 1996-1997 Season: Orlando Magic vs. Houston Rockets (9-1) O'Neal's head-to-head record against Hakeem after the 1995 Finals was 13-4 in his favor. Overall, their match-up was 17-11, with O'Neal leading. During the regular season, O'Neal had a 14-6 advantage, while in the Playoffs, Hakeem led 5-3. Despite the popular belief that Hakeem dominated Shaq, the records tell a different story. It’s important to note that O'Neal was only 22 years old, in his third year, and weighed 305 pounds, lacking a polished inside game at the time. In 2000, Shaquille O'Neal improved his inside game by adding a variety of moves to his repertoire. He also became stronger and heavier, reaching 340 pounds, yet he maintained his extraordinary athleticism for his size. The Houston Rockets clinched victory when it mattered most, but Penny Hardaway emerged as a top-three MVP contender following the defeat, showcasing elite basketball skills despite playing with an undiagnosed knee injury. SIDENOTE: Reflecting on Shaquille O'Neal's match-ups against a prime Hakeem Olajuwon, it is evident that O'Neal's game was still developing at the time. He later refined his skills by incorporating a soft touch hook shot and a hop step into his repertoire. Following their Finals sweep, O'Neal went on to win 13 out of 17 subsequent match-ups against Olajuwon. If Olajuwon had faced a more polished and 340-pound O'Neal, the outcome might have been different. In this game, O'Neal has put on weight, adding 10 pounds to his 305-pound frame. It's evident that Hakeem is already struggling to push him back. By 1997, O'Neal's weight increased to 325 pounds, and by 2000, he weighed in at 340 pounds. In the match-up against the revitalized 72-10 Bulls, with Michael Jordan back in peak form and Dennis Rodman added to the lineup, faced the Orlando Magic. A common myth suggests that Dennis Rodman was able to shut down Shaquille O'Neal throughout the series, but this was not the case. Phil Jackson's strategy against Orlando did not focus on stopping Shaq; instead, it aimed to limit Penny Hardaway's playmaking abilities and prevent him from involving his teammates and getting Shaq the ball. Orlando's coach, Brian Hill, fell for the tactic, moving Penny to small forward and assigning playmaking duties to Brian Shaw. While Shaq and Penny continued to score and dominate, the other Magic players struggled to score efficiently. Debunking the myth that the Bulls needed Rodman to stop O'Neal: In reality, Shaq performed better against the Bulls lineup that included Rodman and Longley compared to the lineup with Kukoc and Longley. As Shaq improved, gained mass, and added new moves to his offensive arsenal, he averaged more points with better shooting. This improvement in Shaq's performance does not reflect Rodman's defensive ability to stop O'Neal, as he shot better than his regular season FG%. 1995 Shaquille O’Neal: 24.3 PPG on 48% shooting, 13.2 RPG, 4 APG, 1.0 SPG, 2.0 BPG, GmSc 20.4 1996 Shaquille O'Neal: 27.0 PPG on 64% shooting, 10.8 RPG, 4 APG, 1.5 SPG, 1.5 BPG, GmSc 21.0