1994–95 Orlando Magic season

The 1994–95 NBA season was the sixth season for the Orlando Magic in the National Basketball Association. After building through the NBA draft in the previous years, the Magic made themselves even stronger by signing free agents Horace Grant, who won three championships with the Chicago Bulls, and Brian Shaw during the off-season.

The Magic got off to a fast start by winning 22 of their first 27 games of the regular season, and then later on holding a 37–10 record at the All-Star break. Despite losing seven of their final eleven games in April, the Magic won the Atlantic Division title with a 57–25 record, earning the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference, and qualifying for their second NBA playoff appearance; they also finished with a 39–2 home record at the Orlando Arena, tied for second best in NBA history.

Shaquille O'Neal continued to dominate the NBA by averaging 29.3 points, 11.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game, and was named to the All-NBA Second Team, while second-year star Penny Hardaway averaged 20.9 points, 7.2 assists and 1.7 steals per game, and was named to the All-NBA First Team, and Grant gave the Magic one of the most dominant starting lineups in the league, averaging 12.8 points and 9.7 rebounds per game, as he was selected to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team. In addition, Nick Anderson provided the team with 15.8 points and 1.6 steals per game, and led them with 179 three-point field goals, while three-point specialist Dennis Scott played a sixth man role off the bench, averaging 12.9 points per game and contributing 150 three-point field goals, Donald Royal contributed 9.1 points and 4.0 rebounds per game as the team's starting small forward, and Shaw contributed 6.4 points and 5.2 assists per game off the bench.

O'Neal and Hardaway were both selected for the 1995 NBA All-Star Game in Phoenix, Arizona, with head coach Brian Hill coaching the Eastern Conference. O'Neal also finished in second place in Most Valuable Player voting, while Hardaway finished in tenth place, and Scott finished in fifth place in Sixth Man of the Year voting.

In the Eastern Conference First Round of the 1995 NBA playoffs, the Magic overwhelmed the Boston Celtics with a 124–77 victory in Game 1. Despite losing Game 2 at home, 99–92, the Magic would eliminate the Celtics at the Boston Garden to win the series, 3–1; these matches would be the final two basketball games ever played at the Garden. Coincidentally, O’Neal played his final game in Boston 16 years later with the 2010–11 Boston Celtics before retiring from the NBA at 39 years old.

In the Eastern Conference Semi-finals, the Magic were matched up against the 5th-seeded Chicago Bulls; the Bulls were on an emotional high as Michael Jordan had just returned from his baseball career to play basketball. Jordan was now wearing number 45 for the Bulls, as his number 23 jersey was retired. The Magic won the first game at home, 94–91. Tensions rose when Anderson indicated that Jordan was no longer the same player when Anderson was quoted by the media saying, "No. 45 doesn't explode like No. 23 used to. No. 23, he could just blow by you. He took off like a space shuttle. No. 45, he revs up, but he really doesn't take off." The comment motivated Jordan to return to number 23 and the Bulls evened the series with a 104–94 road win in Game 2. With the series tied at two games a piece, the Magic won Game 5 at home, 103–95. The Magic would eliminate the Bulls in Game 6 as the Magic won, 108–102 to advance to the conference finals.

In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Magic would defeat Reggie Miller, and the 2nd-seeded and Central Division champion Indiana Pacers in a tough seven-game series that saw the home team win every game. The Magic were off to their first ever NBA Finals appearance.

In the 1995 NBA Finals, the Magic faced off against the 6th-seeded and defending NBA champion Houston Rockets; O'Neal would be up against Hakeem Olajuwon in a battle of All-Star Centers. Game 1 was played in Orlando and the game was lost at the free-throw line; Anderson missed four consecutive free throws with the Magic up by three at the waning seconds of the game, and the Rockets tied the game at the buzzer. The Rockets would then win Game 1 in overtime, 120–118. The Magic would not recover from their Game 1 loss as the Rockets swept the series in four straight. Following the season, Anthony Avent was traded to the newly expansion Vancouver Grizzlies, and Tree Rollins retired.

For the season, the Magic added new blue pinstripe road uniforms, while the black pinstripe jerseys became their alternate. Both uniforms remained in use until 1998.

The Magic did not make another appearance in the NBA Finals until 2009.