'We got swept by a team that we thought we were much better than' – Penny Hardaway remains in disbelief of their 1995 NBA Finals loss

The 1994-1995 season was one long breakout party for the young and talented Orlando Magic. In just their sixth season in the NBA since debuting in 1989 as an expansion team, the Magic took great strides forward after drafting the massive Shaquille O'Neal and the versatile Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway in consecutive drafts.

During that season the Magic finished the regular season with a 57-25 win-loss record to win the Atlantic Division. They then powered through the Eastern Conference playoffs, which included a monumental win over Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in the semis. After dispatching the Indiana Pacers in the East finals, the Magic advanced to the finals against the Houston Rockets, a team they defeated twice in the regular season.

Superiority over Houston

Despite their youth and exuberance, the Magic showed they could take down teams like the Rockets, which they defeated 117-94 and 107-96 in their matchups in the regular season. With their confidence at its peak, Penny believed they would handily conquer Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler, Kenny Smith, and the rest of the Rockets.

For a fleeting moment, the Magic's belief seemed justified as they raced off to a double-digit advantage in Game 1. However, the battle-tested Rockets weren't fazed and crawled back to force overtime after an improbable three-pointer by "The Jet." Then, in overtime, "The Dream" secured the 120-118 victory for Houston with a tip-in with only 0.3 of a second remaining.

It was all downhill from there, as no matter how much effort the Magic put in, they couldn't shake off the Rockets. Houston won the next three games to complete a 4-0 sweep, an outcome that Penny found hard to swallow.

"It's hard to say, [but] we got swept by a team that we thought we were much better than and it was just an empty feeling. It just works that way," Hardaway, an All-Star and an All-NBA First Team member, said during that season.

On the surface, the sweep made it seem like the Rockets dominated the Magic. However, Houston head coach Rudy Tomjanovich gave Orlando credit, saying he was surprised with the result.

"I was surprised. I told Brian Hill at the end of the series that we knew how close that was. It wasn't a dominating sweep," Rudy shared.

It wasn't meant to be

Consistent success in the Association isn't a done deal. There are far too many variables to consider, from injuries to player movements to matchups. Despite all that, Penny believed they had all the ingredients of a championship-winning team.

"I was thinking we've just got to regroup and see what happens. I didn't think we were going to get back to the Finals every year, but I figured we would win a ring eventually," Hardaway quipped.

The Magic returned with a vengeance the following campaign, winning 60 games in the regular season and losing only one game in the first two rounds of the playoffs. However, they soon encountered a revenge-seeking Jordan and the Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals. Chicago eventually booted out the Magic via sweep.

"Losing to the Rockets and getting swept, it was just a bad taste in my mouth, and I knew the Bulls were going to come back the following year," the 6'7" guard stated.

Many years have passed since that loss in the finals, but remembering that still leaves players from that roster with a sour taste.

"You remember when LeBron left Cleveland and he went to Miami, he said, 'We're going to win not just one championship, but two and three.' That was how I felt with that team, that we were going to have great success for years and years, and it didn't happen," former Magic guard Brian Shaw added.

Orlando's run as an elite squad ended that summer when Shaq left for the Los Angeles Lakers. The Magic wouldn't return to the NBA Finals again until 2009 under the leadership of super-athletic big man Dwight Howard.