During his prime, Orlando Magic guard Anfernee Hardaway seemed to thrive with the ball in his hands in crunch time. The Houston Rockets learned that firsthand more than once.
Houston got the better of the Magic in the 1995 NBA Finals, but on Christmas Day in 1995, Hardaway was the hero at Orlando Arena in the first matchup between the teams since the Finals. On this day 25 years ago, he did it again – this time in Houston.
Under interim head coach Richie Adubato, the Magic were playing well as they arrived at The Summit on March 12, 1997.