Shaquille O'Neal's wholesome reaction after defeating Michael Jordan in the 1995 playoffs: "He's the real Superman"
Shaquille O'Neal was a star on the rise in 1995, dominating the opposition with the Orlando Magic. He had the privilege of going against Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in the playoffs of the same year. MJ came back from his first retirement in March and everyone wondered if he could win another title even after he missed more than half of a season.
The Bulls and the Magic met in the 1995 Eastern Conference semifinals. Jordan proved he could still score in bunches but was terribly out of basketball shape. Shaq didn't agree, though, as he gave Jordan his flowers.
"I don't think Michael ever gets tired. He is a real Superman and I am a real Superboy," Shaq said after leading the Magic to a 110-101 Game 3 win over the Bulls via NYT.
It was a humbling comment for Shaq, who witnessed Jordan go off for 40 points in that game. But with only Scottie Pippen providing Michael support, the Bulls failed to get over the resurgent Magic.
Jersey reversion hardly helped Jordan and the Bulls
Game 3 was the second game since Jordan reverted to his old jersey, no. 23. Michael initially wore no. 45, explaining that he felt it was a new beginning. It was the same jersey number he wore in high school.
Despite the jersey number change, the only good it did back then was seeing Jordan going back to his heavy-scoring ways. After scoring 19 points in Game 1, the last time he wore the no. 45, Michael went berserk in the games that followed. He scored, 38, 40, 26, 39 and 24 points in the succeeding games respectively.
Despite his efforts, Jordan's heavy scoring was not enough to overcome a gritty Magic team. Orlando knew it was impossible to prevent Michael from scoring. Hence, they did the next best thing, focusing their defense on the rest of the Bulls.
"We knew if we shut everyone else down, we had a chance," O'Neal said.Defeating Bulls was a must for Magic
Throughout that series, the Bulls got all the media attention because of Jordan. It overshadowed the stellar season that O'Neal and Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway had.
But for the Magic, they didn't care as it was all about proving they were the best at the time. The key was to defeat the Bulls, something they accomplished in six games.
Although Shaq was dominant, he gave props to Hardaway in that series. O'Neal pointed out how Hardaway held his own against Jordan, crediting his fearless mentality.
"Penny is the only guy I've seen who didn't really care that he was playing against Michael Jordan. He had that same fearless mentality that I had," O'Neal stated.
This didn't mean Hardaway disrespected Jordan. He held the same level of respect that Shaq had for him but knew that getting over MJ and Chicago was a must if they wanted a chance at the title.
"If you're the greatest of all time, which I respect, then you're going to have to show me. That was my mentality. I wanted to play against Michael Jordan. If we were going to get to a championship, we had to go through him," Hardaway quipped.
The Magic survived the Indiana Pacers in the 1995 Eastern Conference finals after that and the next matchup was against the Houston Rockets in the Finals. Orlando saw its run come to an abrupt end against Houston. Hakeem Olajuwon and company swept them.
They had a better 1995-96 regular season but fell short in the playoffs. Facing the Bulls again, this time in the ECF, Chicago got payback by sweeping Orlando to advance, as MJ was back to his old dominating form after a full offseason.
Things got even worse after that for the Magic with O'Neal leaving the franchise for the Los Angeles Lakers.
When O'Neal moved to L.A., his rise to greatness was cemented. He won three titles in a row with the Lakers and bagged his first and only MVP in 2000. That three-year run was probably the most dominating run by a player in NBA history because nobody could stop O'Neal.This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 21, 2025, where it first appeared.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 minutes ago
- Yahoo
FedEx Cup bubble: Who's up, who's down after the first round of 2025 St. Jude Championship
Elvis has left the building but Rickie Fowler isn't ready to check out of the FedEx Cup Playoffs just yet. In Presley's hometown of Memphis, Fowler posted a bogey-free 4-under 66 at TPC Southwind in the opening round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship. 'I think going around this place whenever you can go around with no bogeys or very few, it's definitely a good sign,' Fowler said. He sits T-7, four back of 18-hole leader Akshay Bhatia, who posted 62. 'This was the kind of start that you want. Not 8-under like Akshay did, but 4-under is a solid start, and like you said, it's just Thursday, so we'll try and build on it from here.' In the tournament within a tournament to finish in the top 50 in the season-long FedEx Cup points race, Fowler entered the week with work to do. He started the week at No. 64 and needs a minimum of a T-17 finish. That sweat on his face? That's from the hot, humid 90-degree weather. Fowler otherwise is trying to remain as cool as a cucumber. 'I know I need a good finish. I don't know exactly where that is. Obviously the higher the finish, the better chance I have. A win would take care of a lot of things,' he said. 'I mean, I know roughly, but I just need to go play some good golf and put myself where I'm in a position and have a chance to go win on Sunday.' Fowler, who is projected to improve to No. 48, is one of two players who is on target to move into the top 50 along with Bud Cauley, who made eight birdied to shoot 6-under 64 and share second after the first round. 'I drove it in the fairway, which is nice,' Cauley said. 'You have to be in the fairway. The rough is impossible.' Cauley has had a resurgent season with four top 10's and eight top 25s. He entered the week at No. 53 in the points race and is projected to leap to No. 22. How much is making the BMW and the perks that come with it – entry into all eight signature events next season – been on his mind? 'I'd love to be there and love to play, but I have to take care of this week first,' he said. Two players moving in, of course, means two players had to move out. Jake Knapp, who entered the week at No. 47, had a rollercoaster day. His five birdies were canceled out by five bogeys. He also made a double bogey en route to 2-over 72. He's projected to drop to No. 54. Australian Min Woo Lee wasn't cooking on Thursday. He shot 6-over 76 and was dead last in the field of 69. He entered the week as the 'Bubble Boy' at No. 50. A triple at 13 did the most damage. The new Bubble Boy? It's projected to be Jordan Spieth. FedEx Cup Playoffs projected standings from Nos. 46-55 46. Wyndham Clark (up 3) 47. Tom Hoge (down 7) 48. Rickie Fowler (up 16) 49. Aldrich Potgieter (down 6) 50. Jordan Spieth (down 2) 51. Kurt Kitayama (up 1) 52. Joe Highsmith (up 2) 53. J.T. Poston (down 2) 54. Jake Knapp (down 7) 55. Chris Kirk (down 3) This article originally appeared on Golfweek: FedEx Cup watch: Who's up, who's down after first round at St. Jude
Yahoo
4 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Ke'Bryan Hayes returns to Pittsburgh after being traded to the playoff-chasing Reds
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Ke'Bryan Hayes said he thought he might be in Pittsburgh to stay before the Pirates traded him July 30 to NL Central rival Cincinnati. He returned to Pittsburgh on Thursday for the first time since he was dealt, with the Pirates opening a four-game series against the Reds. Hayes' future with the Pirates looked secure after he signed a $70 million, eight-year contract in 2022. 'The reason I signed the contract here in Pittsburgh, I wanted to be here and maybe play here my whole career,' Hayes said. 'But baseball's a business at the end of the day.' The Gold Glove third baseman went from an organization that was well outside the playoffs race to a Reds team competing for a wild-card spot. Pittsburgh was 49-66 heading into Thursday's game and last in the division; Cincinnati was 60-55 and three games out of a playoff spot. 'It's been great over here," Hayes said. 'They've welcomed me with big arms. We're in playoff contention.' Hayes, the son of former major leaguer Charlie Hayes and a first-round draft pick by the Pirates in 2015, struggled to find consistency at the plate following his splashy debut during the final month of the COVID-19-shortened season in 2020. He hit .376 with five homers in 24 games immediately after being called up, numbers that he didn't come close to matching while playing a full 162-game schedule. Hayes hit .236 with two home runs and 36 RBIs this season for the Pirates. Through six games with the Reds, he was batting .211 with a homer and three RBIs. ___ AP MLB:
Yahoo
4 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Will the Vikings' season ride on JJ McCarthy?
Yahoo Sports senior NFL writer Frank Schwab and senior NFL reporter Charles Robinson discuss how Minnesota's chances of contending in 2025 will depend on how well their young quarterback fares this season. Hear the full conversation on 'Inside Coverage' - and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen. View more Video Transcript So much of the Vikings' season is riding on how quickly JJ McCarthy plays well. What did you see out of their young quarterback this camp and what amounts to what's going to be his rookie year? Well, I'll tell you what, you know, Justin Jefferson wasn't on the field when I was there, right? He was sitting out, obviously nursing, you know, an injury that he's been going through, and you know, Jordan Addison was the guy that, you know, JJ McCarthy was dialed in on in practice. Now we know that Jordan Addison's going to be suspended the first 3 games of the season. Not perfect in training camp in terms of having your best player out there for McCarthy to continue to work on chemistry with, knowing that you're going to take away a high-level #2 receiver the first 3 games, you know, of your season. So much of this though, just like it was last season with Sam Darnold, so much of this is going to be focused through JJ McCarthy. And I'll say this, like, I think they have not spared throwing a lot at him defensively with Brian Flores. I don't think they've pulled back the dogs in practice, OK? I think they have gone after him, and at times, I think, you know, people have looked at it and said, man, JJ looks like he's struggling a little bit. Man, he's a little bit of a roller coaster right now, in his preseason. We forget, it was at the beginning of his preseason last year, and then he went out in a couple of exhibition games that looked really, really good. And all of a sudden we're like, hmm, when I talked to Kevin O'Connell. He said, look, we're not, we're not trying to give him easy days. We're not trying to throw him softballs out there. We're not worried about his confidence. He's a very confident guy, confident kid. They feel like he's got natural leadership capabilities, and they haven't seen him break in practice. What are the expectations in their building really? Because I look at that team and I say, this roster is loaded, and if JJ McCarthy hits his ceiling and, fairly quickly, he's got to do that right away. I don't see why the Vikings can't be a Super Bowl contender. They really were last year. They went 14 and 3. I look at that roster, I'm like, this is one of the best rosters in the NFL. Am I wrong about that? Like, and how do they feel within the building about their expectations this year? No, I, I think you're, you're absolutely right. It's still one of the best rosters in the NFL, um, particularly, look, if it's healthy, it's clearly one of the best, um, offenses in the NFL from the skill position standpoint, um, but I don't want to say they have tempered expectations. I think they know we have a young quarterback, right? And, and there can be some growing pains as we go through turning JJ McCarthy into what we ultimately believe he can be. Close
