Who Won the 1995 NBA Finals?

It’s a question that has been debated for years: who really won the 1995 NBA Finals? Some say the Houston Rockets, led by Hakeem Olajuwon, were the rightful champions. Others believe the Golden State Warriors, with a young Michael Jordan, deserved the title.

The teams

The Finals were played between the Houston Rockets and the Orlando Magic. The Rockets were the defending champions, having beaten the New York Knicks in seven games in the 1994 NBA Finals. The Magic were in their first Finals appearance.

The Houston Rockets

The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Western Conference Southwest Division, along with the Memphis Grizzlies, Dallas Mavericks, New Orleans Pelicans, and San Antonio Spurs. The Rockets play their home games at the Toyota Center, located in downtown Houston. The team was established as the San Diego Rockets, an expansion team originally based in San Diego, in 1967. In 1971, the Rockets moved to Houston.

The teams that won the 1995 NBA Finals were the Houston Rockets and the Orlando Magic.

The Orlando Magic

The Orlando Magic won the 1995 NBA Finals, defeating the Shaquille O’Neal- and Penny Hardaway-led Shaq and Penny team that had reached the NBA Finals in just their third season together. The Magic took the series in four games, becoming the first team in NBA history to sweep an NBA Finals series.

The players

Michael Jordan was the MVP of the Finals and scored a total of 31 points in the final game. Other key players include Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman.

Hakeem Olajuwon

Hakeem Olajuwon, nicknamed “The Dream”, is a retired Nigerian-American professional basketball player. He was the first overall pick of the 1984 NBA draft, a two-time NBA MVP, a two-time NBA Finals MVP, a four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, and a 12-time All-Star. He led the Houston Rockets to back-to-back NBA championships in 1994 and 1995. In 2008, he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. Listed at 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m), Olajuwon is considered one of the greatest centers ever to play the game. He was known for his trademark “Dream Shake”, a spinning move combining footwork and quickness that became his trademark and one of the most difficult moves to stop in basketball.

Born to Nigerian parents in Houston, Texas, Olajuwon demonstrated his athleticism early onjoinng his school’s football and track teams. However, he did not begin playing basketball until the age of 15. It did not take long for Olajuwon’s gridiron skills to translate to roundball success as he quickly became one of the top high school players in America. After being courted by several colleges Olajuwon chose to play close to home at the University of Houston under legendary coach Guy V. Lewis.

In his three seasons with the Cougars Olajuwon established himself as one of NCAA’s elite players winning back-to-backPlayer of the Year Awards in 1983 and 1984 as well as being named college basketball’s all time shot blocker . He also led Houston to three straight NCAA Final Fours including an appearance in the iconic 1983 “Phi Slama Jama” championship game against North Carolina State featuring future pros Dereck Whittenburgand Lorenzo Charles . Though Olajuwon’s Cougars came up short that night 54-52 he still walks away with fond memoriesof that contest telling reporters “It was a great gamecollege basketball hasn’t seen since”

During his stellar collegiate career Hakeemthe “Dream” recorded 393 blocks which remains an NCAA all time record despite changes in how blocks are recorded overthe years . He also holds single season blocked shot records for both Houston 1416 (1983) and NCAA Division I(1985) with 424 stuffs . When it was time for him to make the jump to pro ball there was little doubt he would be selected firstoverallin then 1984 NBA Draft by his hometown Rockets

Shaquille O’Neal

Shaquille Rashaun O’Neal (/ʃəˈkiːl/ shə-KEEL; born March 6, 1972), nicknamed Shaq, is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program Inside the NBA. Standing 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) tall and weighing 325 pounds (147 kg), he was one of the heaviest players ever to play in the NBA. O’Neal played for six teams throughout his 19-year NBA career.

O’Neal’s individual accolades include the 1999–2000 MVP award, the 1992–93 NBA Rookie of the Year award, 15 All-Star game selections, three All-Star Game MVP awards, three Finals MVP awards, two Shaqtin’ a Fool MVP awards, and is one of only two players to win NBA MVP, All-Star game MVP and Finals MVP awards in the same year (the other being Willis Reed). He holds numerous NBA records. He is widely considered one of the greatest players in NBA history. At the conclusion of his career, Shaq ranks 5th all-time in points scored (28,596), 7th all-time in field goals made (11,330), and 12th all-time in assists (3,026).

The coaches

Rudy Tomjanovich

Rudy Tomjanovich was the head coach of the Houston Rockets from 1992 to 2003, winning back-to-back NBA championships in 1994 and 1995. He is one of only four coaches in NBA history to win consecutive titles. Tomjanovich was also the head coach of the USA Basketball team that won the gold medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics.

Brian Hill

Brian Hill coached the Orlando Magic from 1993 to 1997. He guided the team to its first ever NBA Finals appearance in 1995, where they ultimately lost to the Houston Rockets in four games.

The series

Game 1

The series began on June 7, with the Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls hosting the Western Conference champion Houston Rockets at the United Center. The defending NBA champions, the Rockets won Games 1 and 2 at home to take a 2–0 lead in the series. The Bulls then won three straight games at Chicago Stadium to take a 3–2 lead. Houston won Game 6 at home to force a Game 7 in Chicago, but the Bulls won 105–99 to win their fourth NBA title in six seasons. Michael Jordan was named Finals MVP for a record fifth time.

Game 2

The Houston Rockets evened the series at 1–1 with a 98–83 victory at home in Game 2. Hakeem Olajuwon scored 28 points and had 11 rebounds, while Clyde Drexler added 16 points. Shaquille O’Neal was held to 14 points on 3-of-16 shooting.

Game 3

The third game of the 1995 NBA Finals was played on June 8, 1995, at Gund Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cavaliers, led by head coach Mike Fratello, won the game 87–80 to take a 2–1 lead in the series.

Game 4

The Chicago Bulls won the 1995 NBA Finals, beating the Orlando Magic 4-2. Michael Jordan was named Finals MVP for the fourth time in his career.

In Game 4, the Bulls put up a fight but ultimately lost 101-103. Jordan scored 33 points and Scottie Pippen had 17 points, 10 assists and 8 rebounds. Shaquille O’Neal had 28 points and 16 rebounds for the Magic.

The aftermath

After the Houston Rockets won the 1995 NBA Finals, the league saw a dramatic increase in popularity. Television ratings for the Finals were up 20 percent from the previous year and total attendance for the playoffs was up 10 percent. The Rockets’ victory was seen as a great moment for the league and helped to legitimize the NBA as a major sports league.

The legacy of the 1995 NBA Finals

The 1995 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1994–95 NBA season, and the finale of the season’s playoffs. The Western Conference champion Houston Rockets played the Eastern Conference champion Orlando Magic, with the Rockets winning the series 4 games to 0. The series was played under a best-of-seven format, with the first 2 games played in Orlando, Florida, next 2 games played in Houston, Texas, and finally the last 3 games in Orlando.

This was only the second time that two expansion teams met in the Finals (after 1980), as well as being only the second Finals where neither team had previously won an NBA championship. This series was also notable for being one of only four NBA Finals where neither team scored 100 points in any game during the series (the others being 1950, 1957 and 1958).

The legacy of this Finals has been greatly overshadowed by subsequent events. Magic Johnson’s announcement that he had contracted HIV just before Game 4 led to much speculation about how much longer he would be able to play basketball, and indeed he would retire before playing another game. The retirement of Michael Jordan following his father’s murder led many to believe that this could have been his last season anyway. However, Jordan would return late in the 1995–96 season and lead the Chicago Bulls to yet another title.