Shaquille O’Neal and the Orlando Magic defeated Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, but what they did then cost them the championship.
The Chicago Bulls’ advantage in the 1990s is not understated. The red, black and white men were perhaps the greatest dynasty the NBA has ever seen.
Throughout the decade, the Bulls tore the NBA and won six NBA championships, including two three peats.
They were so dominant that there were only two teams to beat them in the 10th seven-game playoff series. The first was the 1990 Detroit Pistons, winning the NBA Championship.
The other team was Orlando Magic, led by young Shaquille O’Neal. But unfortunately for magic, they didn’t win the championship after victory due to the big mistake they made.
Shaquille O’Neal recently spoke about Dax Shepard’s “Armchair Expert” podcast. When discussing the Orlando Magic’s 1995 victory over the Chicago Bulls, O’Neill lamented the aftermath.
The victory over the Bulls was sensational, but Shack believes the magic is too satisfying afterwards. Magic is going to party and celebrate too much, and it will cost them a lot.
“It was a great moment, but it was also an education moment. I think you’re done with work when you defeat ‘God’. And we find that in Greek mythology there are other gods.
“After we beat the microphone, we were neutral, parties, gentlemen’s clubs, parades.
Orlando’s magic lost to the Houston Rockets in the 1995 NBA Finals. And if it’s not bad enough, the NBA injured king will accurately make their vengeance next season.
The self-satisfaction that Shaquille O’Neill, referenced above, was carried over into the 1995-96 NBA season. And things were dramatically different when Magic faced the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the playoffs.
The Bulls ruled the magic and wiped them out in the first round. Michael Jordan spent a year working on his body and returned to peak basketball shape and conditioning.
And after a disappointing loss the previous year, Jordan revenges in his mind. That’s exactly what he and the Bulls got, doing magical quick work on their way to the NBA Championship.
To be fair to the magic, they lost to what many consider to be the greatest NBA team of all time. The 1995-96 Bulls won the then NBA record 72-10 in the regular season, with Jordan winning the MVP award.
However, the loss proved to be catastrophic as it would be Shaquille O’Neill’s final appearance as a magical star. He joined La Lakers the following summer, where he formed his own dynasty.