On June 7th, 1995, the Houston Rockets made one of the most improbable comebacks in NBA Finals history, overcoming a 20-point deficit to dismantle the Orlando Magic in Game 1 of the 1995 NBA Finals.
After scoring just 19 points in the first quarter, the Magic took an 11-point lead into halftime. After the intermission, the Rockets stormed back in the third, outscoring the Magic 37-19. A late spark from the Magic nearly won Orlando the game in regulation, but guard Nick Anderson missed four consecutive free throws in the final 10.5 seconds of play to send the game into overtime.
Anderson was Orlando’s third-leading scorer (22 points) right behind the duo of Shaquille O’Neal and Anfernee Hardaway, who had 26 each. For Houston, it was the trio of Hakeem “The Dream” Olajuwon, Clyde “The Glide” Drexler and Kenny “The Jet” Smith who did the damage, combining for 77 of the team’s 120 points.
Olajuwon finished the night with 31 points, six rebounds, seven assists, four blocks and two steals. Drexler turned in a double-double with 23 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists, one block and one steal. Smith finished with 23 points as well, to go along with nine assists and three rebounds.
After taking Game 1 on the road, Houston would go on to sweep the series, earning their second consecutive NBA title.
This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: This day in Rockets history, Houston makes 20-point NBA Finals comeback
Reporting by Mack Baltes, Rockets Wire / Rockets Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Mack Baltes, Rockets Wire | USA TODAY Network
