The game is remembered most for the four missed free throws late in regulation by Orlando’s Nick Anderson. But if not for a historic night from Kenny Smith, history would likely tell a very different story.
On June 7, 1995, Smith set an NBA Finals record (at the time) with seven made 3-pointers, leading the way as the Rockets overcame a 20-point deficit to win a dramatic Game 1 in Orlando, 120-118 (box score).
Those seven treys by the current NBA on TNT analyst came on just 11 attempts, which made for an incredible 63.6% clip from behind the arc.
By the 1994-95 season, Smith was beginning to enter the journeyman phase of his career. Then 30 years old, he averaged 10.4 points and 4.0 assists in 25.1 minutes per game. Emerging second-year talent Sam Cassell often closed games at point guard, with Smith left on the bench.
But “The Jet” did connect on a blistering 42.9% of his 3-pointers that season, and he lifted that figure to 44.2% in the playoffs. That long-range accuracy proved critical in Houston’s comeback bid in Game 1, which set the table for their second consecutive NBA championship.
Smith’s final 3-pointer was most important. Even though Anderson had missed four straight free throws in the final 10.6 seconds with a chance to extend the Magic lead to multiple possessions, the Rockets still trailed by three points with only seconds left to play.
But Smith created separation from Orlando’s Penny Hardaway with a pump fake, and he buried the tying 3-pointer with just over a second left in regulation. From there, Houston went on to win in overtime.
Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler also carried a heavy load, of course. “The Dream” scored 31 points and dished out seven assists, while Drexler had 23 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists. But those types of contributions from a pair of future Hall of Famers were largely expected. On the other hand, seven treys from someone viewed as a journeyman role player? That’s what the Magic were unable to overcome.
After that game, Orlando was never the same. They trailed by 22 points at halftime in a home Game 2, and they lost two of the next three games by double digits in what became a sweep by the Rockets.
The effects of Orlando’s Game 1 collapse lingered well after that series, too. Anderson’s free-throw percentage, which was at 69.6% over the first six seasons of his NBA career (through 1994-95), plunged to 60.5% in his final seven seasons — including a career-low 40.4% in 1996-97.
Just over a year after the 1995 Finals, All-Star center and future MVP Shaquille O’Neal left the Magic to join the Lakers in free agency.
In hindsight, the four missed free throws by Anderson stand out as the most memorable turning point. But without a career performance from Smith, those misses probably wouldn’t have mattered.
[lawrence-related id=28510]