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We love that game

Sporting News, The, May 20, 2005 by Bob Hille

Ah, 1994-95. Let the words roll off your tongue like a fine wine aged 10 years: Vinnie Del Negro.

You should hope this year's final seven series have half the entertainment value of the conference semifinals and finals from 10 seasons ago, when none went fewer than six games and there were heroes and thrills, last-second upsets and the anointing of a dynasty that never was.

Despite a shocking 4-0 sweep in the NBA Finals, it's as plain as the ears on Reggie Miller's head: The 1995 NBA postseason was the greatest of all time.

CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS

EAST Pacers 4, Knicks 3

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Game 1--Pacers 107, KNICKS 105 Game 2--KNICKS 96, Pacers 77 Game 3--PACERS 97, Knicks 95 (OT) Game 4--PACERS 98, Knicks 84 Game 5--KNICKS 96, Pacers 95 Game 6--Knicks 92, PACERS 82 Game 7--Pacers 97, KNICKS 95

How to seal your rep as a Knick killer (better known as "*$%#&" at the Garden): Get a steal and hit a pair of 3-pointers right under Spike Lee's nose as part of a personal 8-point burst in the final 8.9 seconds. Ladies and gentlemen ... Reggie Miller!

CONFERENCE FINALS

EAST Magic 4, Bulls 2

Game 1--MAGIC 94, Bulls 91 Game 2--Bulls 104, MAGIC 94 Game 3--Magic 110, BULLS 101 Game 4--BULLS 106, Magic 95 Game 5--MAGIC 103, Bulls 95 Game 6--Magic 108, BULLS 102

Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway were the stars of a Magic team christened a dynasty in the making. But the tipping point was the offseason signing of All-Star forward Horace Grant, who was part of three title teams in Chicago. He led Orlando in scoring in two games and rebounding in three against the Bulls, who got 31.5 points per 1995 playoff game from a former baseball player named Jordan, just back from retirement No. 1.

WEST Spurs 4, Lakers 2

Game 1--SPURS 110, Lakers 94 Game 2--SPURS 97, Lakers 90 (OT) Game 3--LAKERS 92, Spurs 85 Game 4--Spurs 80, LAKERS 71 Game 5--Lakers 98, SPURS 96 (OT) Game 6--Spurs 100, LAKERS 88

Quick: Who was the coach that led the Lakers back to the playoffs after they had missed them in 1994 under Randy Pfund and Magic Johnson, their first playoff absence in 18 years? If you guessed Del Harris, then you win two NickVan Exel 3-pointer--one with 10 seconds to play and the winner with 0.5 seconds left in OT to avoid elimination, albeit for only one game.

WEST Rockets 4, Suns 3

Game 1--SUNS 130, Rockets 108 Game 2--SUNS 118, Rockets 94 Game 3--ROCKETS 118, Suns 85 Game 4--Suns 114, ROCKETS 110 Game 5--Rockets 103, SUNS 97 (OT) Game 6--ROCKETS 116, Suns 103 Game 7--Rockets 115, SUNS 114

The Rockets had trailed the Suns, 3-1, in the series, so, hey, what was a 10-point halftime deficit on the road in Game 7? Houston shot 72 percent in the second half, and Mario Elie hit a 3-pointer from the left corner with 7.1 seconds left, blew the stunned home crowd a kiss and rendered Kevin Johnson's 46 points meaningless.

CONFERENCE FINALS

EAST Magic 4, Pacers 3 Game 1--MAGIC 105, Pacers 101 Game 2--MAGIC 119, Pacers 114 Game 3--PACERS 105, Magic 100 Game 4--PACERS 94, Magic 93 Game 5--MAGIC 108, Pacers 106 Game 6--PACERS 123, Magic 96 Game 7--MAGIC 105, Pacers 81

All you need to know is there were four lead changes in the last 13.3 seconds, and Rik Smits hit the 14-foot "Memorial Day Miracle" at the buzzer. (OK, and this, too: Pacers coach Larry Brown told Derrick McKey, inbounding at midcourt with 1.3 seconds to play, to look not for Miller but for Smits because Shaq and Grant had fouled out, forcing into action ancient player/coach Tree Rollins, three weeks shy of 40, who was pump-faked off his feet before Smits' winner.)

WEST Rockets 4, Spurs 2

Game 1--Rockets 94, SPURS 93 Game 2--Rockets 106, SPURS 96 Game 3--Spurs 107, ROCKETS 102 Game 4--Spurs 103, ROCKETS 81 Game 5--Rockets 111, SPURS 90 Game 6--ROCKETS 100, Spurs 95

Hakeem Olajuwon was "held" to 27 points in Game 1, one of his lowest outputs in the 1995 playoffs, which begs the question: Ya think that reunion with former University of Houston teammate Clyde Drexler, acquired in midseason from Portland for Otis Thorpe, worked out OK?

FINALS

Rockets 4, Magic 0

Game 1--Rockets 120, MAGIC 118 (OT) Game 2--Rockets 117, MAGIC 106 Game 3--ROCKETS 106, Magic 103 Game 4--ROCKETS 113, Magic 101

A sweep, yes, but Game 1 set the tone at the O-rena: It went to overtime because the Magic's Nick Anderson missed four free throws in the closing seconds of regulation. Olajuwon's tip-in of Drexler's miss (karmic payback for an NCAA heartbreaker?) gave the Rockets the victory.

We love that game

Sporting News, The, May 20, 2005 by Bob Hille

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