Back In The Day NBA, May 18, 1995: Michael Jordan's Comeback Ends The Final Playoff Loss Of His Career Against Orlando Magic

Michael Jordan returned from baseball but the Chicago Bulls were eliminated by Shaquille O'Neal-led Orlando Magic

Shandel Richardson | May 18, 2023

Back In The Day NBA, May 18, 1995: Michael Jordan's Comeback Ends The Final Playoff Loss Of His Career Against Orlando Magic /

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NBA legend Michael Jordan showed signs of rust during him comeback from his first retirement in 1995.

They were glaring as ever in the Chicago Bulls' matchup against the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference semifinals. A rusty Jordan was no match for budding stars Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway, with the Magic eliminating the Bulls in six games. Jordan finished with 24 points on 8 of 19 shooting.

"That was so big for us as a young team and a franchise and I think we are still the last team to beat the Bulls in a playoff series,’’ Magic guard Anderson told Orlando Magic.com in 2020. "That gave us a lot of credibility and respect, beating Michael and the Bulls like that. I know M.J. was coming out of retirement, but as they say, the game must be played, and we won it."

The game was indeed the last playoff series Jordan lost. In a way, it was sort of an awakening. The following year Jordan led the Bulls to a then-NBA record 72 wins. They swept the Magic in the conference finals and defeated the Seattle SuperSonics in the NBA Finals.

The Bulls won two more titles, completing their second three-peat.

All we did was piss him off," Hardaway told ESPN in 2020. "Once he got that year under his belt, and he got his feet back wet, he went right back into pitbull mode, and it was over."

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Published May 18, 2023

SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star. TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com