Nick Anderson on facing Michael Jordan in the 1996 Eastern Conference Finals

Nick Anderson talked about MJ’s redemption tour in 1996.

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Nick Anderson knew that stopping Michael Jordan was hard, although not impossible. Anderson's steal against Jordan in the final seconds of Game 1 between the Magic and Chicago Bulls in the second round of the 1995 NBA Playoffs showed that MJ was not invincible and gave Orlando a boost of confidence. The Bulls had a 91-90 lead before Jordan's turnover and the play changed the outcome of the entire series.

The Magic won that series in six games and Jordan spent the entire summer getting in the best shape of his life. MJ bounced back and had an MVP season, helping the Bulls go 72-10 while leading the league in scoring for a record eighth time.

Anderson talked about Jordan's redemption tour in 1996 with NBC Sports' Peter Vecsey before Game 1 of the 1996 Eastern Conference Finals against the Bulls.

"I've anticipated that all season, he's back to the whole MJ, you know your Airness, take off from anywhere, creative, exciting, you know all that, he's back to that form," Anderson explained.

"Sometimes you find yourself watching him more than playing him, what he does, how creative he is, flying through the air, his tongue is hanging out everywhere. He has the most anything if you ask me."

What losing in the 1995 NBA Playoffs against the Magic did to Jordan

Jordan was away from the NBA for 21 months and it showed in the second round of the 1995 NBA Playoffs against the young and talented Magic. The lack of conditioning caught up with MJ. The Bulls were outmatched against Orlando, and Jordan knew he had to work harder than ever to recover what he lost.

"I think what it did for me was make me go back into the gym, play more basketball in the summer, I hadn't played in almost two years, mostly just baseball and swinging a bat, so physically I had to get myself back to playing basketball."

"So I think, the whole summer I give myself to get myself back to this level of basketball, and hopefully get back in the situation where I can redeem myself for what happened last year," Jordan said on NBC Sports before Game 1 of the 1996 Eastern Conference Finals against the Magic. His longtime personal trainer Tim Grover also commented on the situation.

"When that happened I don't remember the day that they lost that game to Orlando I think it was a home game, we were the last ones in the arena, we're getting ready to leave out and I said Michael I'll see you he goes I'll see you tomorrow so that training process started right away," Tim Grover told GQ Sports.

The strategy

Anderson shared his strategy against Jordan in the 1996 Eastern Conference Finals: "Just make him work, you know you're not going to stop him, contain him, put a hand up on every shot that he takes and pray to God that things goes your way."

Anderson's plan didn't work. The Bulls swept the Magic in four games, getting payback from what happened the year before. Jordan averaged 29.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 2.3 steals in 40.8 minutes in the 1996 Eastern Conference Finals. The Bulls then reached the NBA Finals and beat the SuperSonics in six games.