Entering the 1993-94 NBA season, the fate of the upcoming year appeared to be a foregone conclusion, predetermined by the wrath of Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and the Chicago Bulls’. In particular, the number “23” struck terror in the minds of opposing players, teams, and fanbases, creating an ambiance of hopelessness, and embodying the mythic lore of the villain in Candyman: dare say his name, and “23” would emerge to ruthlessly decapitate his victims at the simple utterance of his likeness. Since his debut in 1984, Michael Jordan ravaged through the NBA, bewildering audiences with his logic-defying talent, mercilessly wearing-down the opposition to the point of acceptance, and amassing accolades inconceivable in the span of 10-years. By the end of 1993, the Chicago Bulls’ had won their 3rd straight NBA Championship, Michael Jordan had been rewarded three Most Valuable Player awards, one Defensive player of the Year award, and countless all-NBA appearances. Suffice it to say, had Michael Jordan retired at that very moment after the 1993 championship, his career would still be regarded as one of the greatest ever. And so, he did.
Simply put, the game of basketball had become too easy for a man whose veins coursed with blood cells fused to compete at the highest level. In turn, on October 6th, 1993, Michael Jordan announced his retirement from the NBA, sending a shockwave that reverberated throughout the sports industry, and ultimately relinquishing his control over the basketball kingdom. Furthermore, while the NBA was forced to endure the departure of the most marketable athlete in the history of sports, the franchises across the league rejoiced at the sudden exodus of the alpha-predator, for the entire landscape of the NBA shifted in the manner of nanoseconds. For players such as Hakeem Olajuwon, Patrick Ewing, Karl Malone, Charles Barkley, John Stockton, Gary Payton, Reggie Miller, and Clyde Drexler, time was of the essence, for the previously shuttered championship window was now reopened, instilling optimism in the legends of the game who had hoped to supplant their legacy in the history of basketball with a title they could claim as their own. No more levitating dunks that ridiculed the very laws of nature. No more end-of-game heroics that shattered the dreams of Eastern Conference rivals. No more unrelenting, hypercompetitive vanquisher who monopolized the success of the NBA. The “Black Cat” had vanished and the window was open.
As expected, the 1994 NBA playoffs was a blank canvass for the heavyweights in the NBA. The Hakeem Olajuwon-led Houston Rockets eventually emerged as champions in a decisive Game 7 victory against the Patrick Ewing-led New York Knicks, a team who bore most of the brunt inflicted by Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls’. However, with the open terrain of the NBA, a new team emerged as a foreseeable championship contender, located down south in the “Sunshine State”, and retaining the talents of two of games youngest stars. Included a part of the 1988 NBA expansion, the Orlando Magic spent the first three years of their franchise’s existence as bottom-dwellers, failing to eclipse more than 32 wins, and unable to compile a respectable roster to compete. Yet the Orlando Magic’s luck shifted immensely in 1992, after the team acquired the rights to the 1st pick of the 1992 and 1993 NBA drafts, which allowed the struggling franchise to attain one highly-skilled behemoth out of Louisiana State University and one Magic Johnson-prototype out of the University of Memphis. Shaquille O’Neal and Penny Hardaway were the wave of the future: a dominant pick-and-roll duo that boasted the generational talent to solidify a potential NBA juggernaut. Down low, the Magic had Shaq, the 7-1 and 300 pound man-child, who was a basketball paradox: a player who played with such force and dominance that no defense could contain him in the post, yet possessed the grace and skill of a well-rounded guard, able to utilize his body with an assortment of post-moves, rim-run the length of the floor, and dance around the opposition with footwork that would make a ballerina envious. At the top of the paint, the Magic had Penny Hardaway, who, at 6-7, was a guard in a forwards body, whose talent was a perfect blend of razzle and dazzle, skill and thrill: a man able to break down his opponents with an array of crossovers, shoot from the outside, and make mind-altering passes, a specialty of his that has since been revered through various highlights uploaded on YouTube. With Shaq and Penny as the face of the Magic franchise, rounded out with a quality supporting cast of players, such Horace Grant, Dennis Scott, and Nick Anderson, the Magic seemed poised to secure rank as the new dynasty of the 90’s.
Unfortunately, the Orlando Magic dynasty would never fall in fruition. Following a 3-0 sweep against the Indiana Pacers in the first round of the 1994 NBA playoffs, the Magic emerged the following year as the representatives of the Eastern Conference in the 1995 NBA finals to accept the challenge of dethroning Hakeem Olajuwon and the Houston Rockets. As the final moments of Game 1 waned, Nick Anderson of the Magic was sent to the free-throw line in the final 8 seconds, at which point, the Orlando Magic maintained a lead of 110 to 107 against the Rockets, hoping Anderson would be able to sink at least one free-throw to ice the game. He did not. Not only did he miss two free-throws in a row, but the second miss tipped back to him, at which point he was fouled again with another chance at the free-throw line. Statistically speaking, Anderson, who was a 70% free-throw shooter, had the numbers on his side, and, once again, all he had to do was sink one of the two free-throws. He did not. Four missed free-throws. Any one of which would have sealed the victory for the Magic. Instead, with the clock ticking down, the Houston Rocket’s called a time-out to advance the ball, which allowed the Rocket’s Point Guard, Kenny Smith, enough time to sink a three-pointer and send the game into overtime, where the Magic would fall in epic fashion to the Rocket’s, 120-118. The Magic were never able to recover, as the Houston Rocket’s eventually swept the Orlando Magic to reclaim their title and the Magic were forced to reflect on their missed opportunity. With that in mind, the Magic still had two generational talents on their roster, and a championship campaign remained apart of the foreseeable future. However, the operation would be discombobulated, for a certain number “23” returned to finish what he started, seeking vengeance for his lost time.
Michael Jordan, who had taken a sabbatical to pursue a career in baseball, was struggling at his new sport, for the year he decided to embark on a baseball career was being marked as an utter disaster. Humorously, Jackie McMullan, an ESPN writer who closely followed Jordan, described his baseball skills as an “above-average fielder” but unable to hit a curveball to save his life. In turn, Jordan, a man haunted by an unrelenting competitive drive, hung up the cleats and got back to basics, opting to reappear upon the hardwood to reclaim his rightful heir to the throne. After an 18-month hiatus, Jordan returned for the remaining 17 games of 1994-95 NBA regular season, sporting a new number “45” (since the Bulls’ officially retired the number “23” after Jordan’s departure), reacclimating himself within the Phil Jackson’s triangle offensive, displaying prolific performances, such as his 55 point outburst at Madison Square Garden, and regrouping himself alongside Scottie Pippen, who had steadily elevated his overall game to superstar levels in the absence of Jordan. Now, with the Bulls’ of old restored, the playoff picture added an intriguing variable to the postseason. However, the Bulls’ would be thwarted by, none other than, the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, who won the series 4 games to 2, thereby foreshadowing the hierarchy for the forthcoming seasons with a new reign of dominance. The defeat in the 1995 ECSF would be the Bull’s first lost in the postseason since their blood-soaked battles against the Bad Boy Detroit Pistons in 1990. Ultimately, Jordan returned, but to no avail.
Questions raised if the Magic would retain the top spot in the East were quickly put to rest the following season, where the Chicago Bulls went on an unprecedented run throughout the 1995-96 season. Due to another expansion of the NBA, that further scattered an already diluted talent pool, the Bulls’ wreaked havoc across the league, boasting the top offense and defense, and amassing a total of 72 wins: an historic recorded that has since been passed by the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors. Jordan, haunted by the ousting of the Orlando Magic a year prior, resurrected to his former self, securing the scoring tile with roughly 30 points a game, winning his fourth MVP, and entering the playoffs as the conductor of the NBA’s freight train. The Bull’s would glide through the first two rounds of the NBA playoffs to reach the Eastern Conference Finals, where, as fate would have it, the Orlando Magic would once again stand in the way of Jordan and the Bulls’ path to victory. However, this time around, Jordan would not concede his greatness easily. Through the first three games of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Bulls’ routed the Magic, with exception of Game 2, where Shaq secured 36 points and 16 rebounds, yet still faltered 93-88 to the Bulls’, behind Jordan’s 35 points, 6 assists, and 4 steals. In a last-ditch effort, the Magic, hoping to avoid being swept for their third straight postseason, entered Game 4 with fervor, utilizing the talents of Shaq and Penny to rival Jordan and Pippen. However, Jordan, as only Jordan could do, retaliated with a scoring assault. Whether it was a jumper on the baseline, attacking the rim, or shooting beyond the arc, Jordan was unrelenting, all while his teammates failed to garner any support. By game end, no other player on the Bulls’ roster mustered more than 12 points. No matter, for Jordan, an angel descended from the basketball heavens, took it upon himself to carry his team to victory, securing 45 points on 70% shooting, with an added 10 free-throws and 3 three-pointers, to defeat the Orlando Magic 106-101. With that, Jordan reclaimed his throne atop the basketball mantle top, scorching the Magic franchise to dust and gravel in the process. No team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit to win four games in a row, but that hardly mattered to Jordan. Jordan did not want to simply defeat the Magic, he wanted to obliterate their sense of belonging. In turn, Game 4 would be the last game Penny and Shaq would ever play within the same color scheme, for Shaq’s looming free agency would set the stage for another franchise to emerge as the predecessor of the Bulls’ fortune.
The Bulls’ would end up defeating the Seattle Supersonics in the 1996 NBA championship 4 games to 2, marking the fourth championship in six years for the franchise. The Bulls’ would win the following year and the next after that. Rinse and repeat. In 8 years, the Jordan-led Bulls’ collected six NBA titles and two separate three-peat championship runs, a statistical achievement that has yet to be challenged since. Michael Jordan, in turn, returned to the upper echelon of basketball success, unwilling to relinquish his control as he had previously done when he departed to pursue his baseball career. In the end, Jordan would display one of the most storied careers in basketball history: 10x scoring champion, 14x all-star, 11x all-NBA, 5x MVP, 6x Finals MVP, 1 DPOY, 1984-85 ROY, etc. The list is endless. In time, a new reign of dominance would emerge, but the 90’s belonged to Jordan, and Jordan alone. Whereas Jordan and the Bulls’ celebrated their victory against the Sonics following the 1996 championship, the Magic were met with a consequential blunder, one that would alter the future of the franchise until the present. Shaquille O’Neal, who had risen amongst the ranks as one of the most dominant big men of the 90’s, had played out the last year of his rookie contract, thereby allowing the “Big Aristotle” to dabble in free agency. O’Neal, although a monster human specimen, has always retained a semblance of sensitive, a personality trait that was challenged by the mismanagement of his future by the Orlando Magic front office. During negotiations, the Magic insulted the talent of Shaq with an offer well-below compensation to his overall ability. While players, such as Alonzo Mourning and Juwan Howard had signed contracts for $105 million over 7-years, the Magic presented Shaq an unforgivable offer of $54 million over 4-years, reasoning Shaq was limited with his rebounding and defense, while also suggesting the money would be better used to secure a contract with Penny years later. The nail in the coffin, so to speak, was when the Orlando Sentinel, the Orlando-based newspaper, ran a poll for readers, questioning if Shaq was worth a $105 million dollar contract, where the ungrateful residents of Orlando responded with a walloping “no.” Ultimately, the slight at Shaq’s dominance would sway the big man to the glitz and glamour of Los Angeles, where Shaq signed a 7-year, $120 million contract with the Lakers, pairing him with a recently drafted teenager from Philadelphia, and laying the foundation for the next dynasty of the NBA.
In the end, the tale of the Orlando Magic, Chicago Bulls, and the Los Angeles Lakers encapsulates the birth, revival, and death of three separate franchises. Shortly after Michael Jordan’s 2nd retirement, the dynamic tandem of Shaq and Kobe Bryant would blossom into the elite franchise of the early 2000’s, where the Lakers would win three consecutive NBA championships, Shaq would earn his first MVP honors in 2000, and the Lakers would leave a lasting legacy as one of the premier dynasties’ in NBA history. In turn, the Orlando Magic failed to recover from the departure of Shaq, as Penny Hardaway’s career was continually ravaged by lingering injuries, leaving the once promising franchise back into the abyss of NBA mediocrity. Since Shaq left in 1996, the Magic have yet to produce a championship season for the city of Orlando, coming close in 2009 with Dwight Howard at the helm, only to be squandered, ironically, by Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers. Although Shaq was absent from the 2009 Los Angeles Lakers roster, it seems almost fitting that the team that financially rewarded him would years later defeat the team that failed to compensate the “Big Aristotle.” The Magic have failed to make an NBA final since, and the future does not look promising. Overall, the 12-year span of the death of the Orlando Magic dynasty, the revival of the Chicago Bulls dynsaty, and the birth of the Los Angeles Lakers dynasty epitomize the paradoxical complexity and simplicity of constructing an NBA dynasty. In some ways, its as simple as drafting an all-NBA caliber player, such as Michael Jordan or Shaquille O’Neal, yet it can be simply be taken away, whether for financial missteps or by a player retiring in his prime. In some cases, a team can make a free-agent acquisition that alters the future of a franchise, as is the case with Shaq’s arrival in Los Angeles. Simply put, the construction of a dynasty is captured in the quote “opportunity is when luck meets preparation”, and the quote unfolds in the tale of the three separate dynasties that transcended one another.
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