1993–94 Orlando Magic season

1993–94 Orlando Magic season
Anfernee Hardaway's rookie season First postseason appearance
Head coach	Brian Hill
Arena	Orlando Arena
Results
Record	50–32 (.610)
Place	Division: 2nd (Atlantic) Conference: 4th (Eastern)
Playoff finish	East First Round (eliminated 0–3)
Stats @ Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
Television	SportsChannel Florida, Sunshine Network, WKCF
Radio	WDBO

The 1993-94 season was the Magic's fifth season in the NBA.^[1] The team narrowly missed the playoffs the previous season, but as a result, received unexpected good fortune. Despite having the worst odds, the Magic won the NBA Draft Lottery for the second consecutive season. The Magic drafted Chris Webber with the first pick overall. They would eventually swap Webber to the Golden State Warriors for the rights to guard Anfernee Hardaway. Hardaway was selected 3rd overall by the Warriors, but the Magic acquired 3 future first round picks so the Warriors could have the rights to Chris Webber.^[2]

With the addition of Anfernee Hardaway, the Magic acquired a guard who could get Shaquille O’Neal the ball more often. O'Neal continued to dominate the league in scoring as he averaged 29.3 points per game. The Magic had qualified for the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. The club finished with a record of 50 wins and 32 losses, which was good enough for 2nd place in the Atlantic Division.^[2] In the playoffs, the Magic would struggle. The Magic lost their first 2 games at home by a total of 3 points as Shaq's weakness at the free throw line was exposed. In the end, the Magic were swept by the Indiana Pacers in 3 straight.^[2]

Offseason

• Chris Webber was selected by the Orlando Magic with the first pick of the 1993 NBA Draft, becoming the first sophomore since Magic Johnson to be a #1 overall draft pick. The Magic immediately traded him to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for Anfernee Hardaway and three future first round draft picks.

Draft picks

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	School/Club Team
1	1	Chris Webber	PF/C	United States	Michigan
1	26	Geert Hammink	C	Netherlands	LSU

Roster

Orlando Magic roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB (YYYY–MM–DD) From SG 25 Anderson, Nick 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Illinois PF 00 Avent, Anthony 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Seton Hall SG 14 Bowie, Anthony 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Oklahoma PG 11 Green, Litterial 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Georgia C 43 Hammink, Geert 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 262 lb (119 kg) LSU PG 1 Hardaway, Anfernee 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Memphis C 34 Kite, Greg 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 250 lb (113 kg) Brigham Young PF 42 Krystkowiak, Larry 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Montana C 32 O'Neal, Shaquille 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 325 lb (147 kg) LSU C 30 Rollins, Tree 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Clemson SF 5 Royal, Donald 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Notre Dame SF 3 Scott, Dennis 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 229 lb (104 kg) Georgia Tech PG 4 Skiles, Scott 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Michigan State C 55 Tower, Keith 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 250 lb (113 kg) Notre Dame PF 31 Turner, Jeff 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Vanderbilt	Head coach Brian Hill (JFK College) Assistant coach(es) Bob Hill (Bowling Green) Tree Rollins (Clemson) Legend (C) Team captain (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured Roster

Roster Notes

• Center Tree Rollins was a player/coach during the season.

Regular season

• Penny Hardaway started out the season at the shooting guard position while he learned the point guard position from veteran Scott Skiles. By mid-season he took over point guard duties from Skiles. He immediately made an impact on the league, winning the MVP award at the inaugural Schick Rookie Game. Hardaway helped the Magic to their first playoff berth and first fifty-win season. He averaged 16 points, 6.6 assists, 5.4 rebounds per game while his 190 steals ranked 6th in the league. He recorded his first career triple double on April 15 when he registered 14 points, 12 assists, and 11 rebounds against the Boston Celtics. For his efforts he was named to the NBA All-Rookie first team and was the runner-up for Rookie of the Year to the aforementioned Webber.

Season standings

Atlantic Division	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
y-New York Knicks	57	25	.695	—	32–9	25–16	18–10
x-Orlando Magic	50	32	.610	7	31–10	19–22	20–8
x-New Jersey Nets	45	37	.549	12	29–12	16–25	17–11
x-Miami Heat	42	40	.512	15	22–19	20–21	16–12
Boston Celtics	32	50	.390	25	18–23	14–27	12–16
Philadelphia 76ers	25	57	.305	32	15–26	10–31	7–21
Washington Bullets	24	58	.293	33	17–24	7–34	8–20

^[3]

#	Eastern Conference
	Team	W	L	PCT	GB
1	c-Atlanta Hawks	57	25	.695	–
2	y-New York Knicks	57	25	.695	–
3	x-Chicago Bulls	55	27	.671	2
4	x-Orlando Magic	50	32	.610	7
5	x-Indiana Pacers	47	35	.573	10
6	x-Cleveland Cavaliers	47	35	.573	10
7	x-New Jersey Nets	45	37	.549	12
8	x-Miami Heat	42	40	.512	15
9	Charlotte Hornets	41	41	.500	16
10	Boston Celtics	32	50	.390	25
11	Philadelphia 76ers	25	57	.305	32
12	Washington Bullets	24	58	.293	33
13t	Milwaukee Bucks	20	62	.244	37
13t	Detroit Pistons	20	62	.244	37

z - clinched division title

y - clinched division title

x - clinched playoff spot

Playoffs

East First Round

(4) Orlando Magic vs. (5) Indiana Pacers: Pacers win series 3-0

• Game 1 @ Orlando Arena, Orlando (April 28): Indiana 89, Orlando 88
• Game 2 @ Orlando Arena, Orlando (April 30): Indiana 103, Orlando 101
• Game 3 @ Market Square Arena, Indianapolis (May 2): Indiana 99, Orlando 86

Last Playoff Meeting: This is the first meeting between the Pacers and Magic.

Player stats

Note: GP= Games played; REB= Rebounds; AST= Assists; STL = Steals; BLK = Blocks; PTS = Points; AVG = Average

Season

Player	GP	REB	AST	STL	BLK	PTS	AVG

Awards and honors

• Penny Hardaway, MVP, Schick Rookie Game
• Penny Hardaway, NBA All-Rookie First Team

References

1. 1993-94 Orlando Magic
2. Orlando Magic (1989-Present)
3. 1993-94 NBA Season Summary - Basketball-Reference.com

• Orlando Magic on Database Basketball
• Orlando Magic on Basketball Reference