How 4 free throws changed NBA history for decades

[@AMHoops]

Kenny Smith. My bad.

[@bballking8220]

Can you pls do playoffs predictions

[@user-bm9cv9vn2k]

@@bballking8220 I guess he'll do it at All Star week

[@alebelakov8129]

Casey what is the name of the documentary at 7:30 min?

[@dobz746]

Don't remind me this game... It gave me sleepless nights when I was 14 :( Was a big fan of the Magic then. Then you just knew in game 2 their body language was really off. It's actually kinda similar to the 2018 Cavaliers when JR Smith made the Game 1 blunder of all-time. But it started with the charge on KD then changed it to a blocking foul on LBJ in the last 40secs that changed the complexion of the entire series.

[@archipiratta]

Aka the Jet

[@NatWhereYouAt]

Those free throws also changes Nick Andersons career. He went on to be scared to drive the ball because he didn't want to get fouled. His FT dropped to as low as 40%!!

[@manonthemoon379]

Pre Ben Simmons mental breakdown. People don’t understand that basketball is also a mental game.

[@shadowx9398]

PTSD set in on Nick Anderson during that crucial moment in the finals. Those four missed FTs ruined Nick beyond the point of ruining his career.

[@ponypower8]

Yeah, tragic for him.

[@AhmetDursun1903]

Really? Looking at hindsight the least on the line was Nick Anderson's career that night. Shaq would have a shot at being a GOAT if he had a successful career at Orlando and Penny probably never gets that big injury if Shaq is on the team, Bulls and Magic play on the east, maybe Nick Anderson is traded for assets along the way. He really was never that good. But this was his only opportunity to make a name for himself in the NBA by MISSING 4 clutch free throws in the finals and he TOOK it lol

[@AxelitoLO]

Damn that’s exactly Ben Simons situation right now.

[@davi4308]

Fun fact, I met Nick Anderson at a ball camp this summer and he’s a great dude. He was teaching the younger kids at the camp free throws at one point, and he bricked a few of them. The past repeats itself…

[@YoCal71]

That's not a "fun fact" cause that's stupid

[@YoCal71]

@Jon yeah?

[@KDLJAER]

@Jon huh

[@dexterrr9163]

Might aswell name him Brick Anderson

[@MrOctober44]

@@dexterrr9163 Clever.

[@strkillr6367]

Without Nick they wouldn't have even been there. Hate it happened to him. The guy was a BIG piece on those Magic teams

[@MrRaiin32]

Same as Starks with the Knicks that 2nd finals against the rockets

[@sanperchannel9560]

Idk he was good but there core group was shaq penny horace grant and also dennis scott was a really good three point shooter… a number of other solid guards coulda filled that role and its the same team essentially

[@jbart4183]

And because of him they lost 😂

[@highdough2712]

I remember this SOOO well. I was a Magic fan at the time and watching him miss those free throws was painful. What isn’t mentioned is that it basically ruined his career because those missed free throws and then Jordan embarrassing him in the playoffs the next season basically destroyed his career.

[@xavier2751]

Sunshine network

[@texasruntz1755]

Facts

[@DonGivani]

Great story highdough!!! I was anti Magic. A real pro Chicago Jordan fan I was!!! Couldn't stand the Magic becoming a topteam overnight. High drafts: Penny Hardaway and Shaq. Nick Anderson , Brian Shaw and Horace Grant. And the Orlando Arena chanting "let's go Magic". I do remember those crucial Nick Anderson's misses vividly.

[@DonGivani]

Oh and the guy who hit three pointers every single game : Dennis Scott

[@mynameisjeff3451]

Lol at the time?

[@pezman305]

Nick Anderson after that finals went from like a 70% free throw shooter to a 56% free throws shooter in his remaining year. It really affected him mentally

[@forexmind3244]

Nick Anderson still played the game unlike Ben Simmons.

[@jbart4183]

you can't come back from that lmao after the 4 straight miss, he was praying to god that Houston would miss their shot, but god has other plans lmao

[@jwalk31]

Orlando at that time was THAT team. Shaq was everywhere. Penny was everywhere. Even as a Rockets fan, I was scared. And yet, you couldn't hate them. They were just too damn likeable as a team. Those 4 fts were like pins and needles. The first time I saw it, I couldn't believe it. And after that game I knew Houston was winning.

[@petr79]

them and Charlotte Hornets

[@sofiafly1887]

"If Orlando wins the Finals....Shaq probably doesn't leave for LA". You would think so wouldn't ya...as a Raptors fan tho I have to point out that LA is special to some of these players. XD

[@reimixo]

Shaq left because of money and respect not rings... Everyone talks today actin like they know anything...

[@chilout2496]

@@reimixo maybe they would have pay him had he won the ring

[@reimixo]

@@chilout2496 mourning got paid and didn't reach the finals

[@cheeseoh]

What did you really expect kawhi to stay in Toronto or something, cause if so you was tripping

[@reimixo]

@@cheeseoh why wouldnt he Stay? They Gave him everything, he had just won a ring... Kawhi is just looking ungrateful... Left San Antonio left Toronto... Is always injured....

[@FootballScope]

I've started following the NBA properly for like 3 years now, and love watching this channel to further improve my understanding ❤ Keep up the good work 👍

[@jamorant8426]

Same man

[@omkareswaryadav3204]

Same here

[@inteligentidiot7233]

That Magic team is my biggest what if in NBA history. Even as a Laker fan, I never want to Shaq to leave because they could have been truly amazing.

[@nicholjohnguerrero]

This dude made a lot of research!! Appreciate this Casey!! This is far the most fun entertaining video you made in a while. For me the last one is when you told us about your story how you get to be an sports reporter :) keep it up man Happy New Year and God bless this 2022

[@GameTime-yj6qv]

As a big NBA fan I lived through those times and he's right. A lot of things would have gone differently if Nick makes one free throw

[@ponypower8]

This game broke my heart. To this day, I still believe the Magic would've won the championship IF Nick made those FT's. That would have been a huge confidence booster and momentum builder! I was a huge Penny and Magic fan during this time. I even bought the shoes and a Penny jersey.

[@beebeats8194]

I was in middle school living in Orlando during this era. The Magic had the red carpet laid out for them. When they beat the Bulls I just knew they would win the chip. But Nick Anderson ruined thos dreams. I remember those free throws like it was yesterday. It still hurts to watch....

[@Broearlyoung]

Simply an amazing "What if"!! More so for me as I'm born Chicago and with Nick being from here I hurt when he missed these shots. Now I will say I am a big Horace Grant fan so I was happy for his play that year but knew it was a one off and MJ will always be the GOAT.

[@ValorX0ne]

Man I remember being 8 years old at the game when Nick stole the ball from MIke. It was like we’d already won the championship. Took a long time to get over Shaq leaving.

[@kozmeetorez]

He had 100 million reason why.

[@jaybee5315]

Imagine having an all-timer 50 point game only to have Shaq bring the hoop down as the highlight of the game

[@rosselliswilkinson]

I remember watching Rockets/Magic finals. The Magic never recovered and Nick Anderson never was the same.

[@MP2408Philly]

Penny and Shaq were an awesome Duo on the Orlando Magic, your right it's sad that they didn't get to play together longer, but I didn't know the whole story behind it. Thanks Casey for the knowledge and the Great Video! Damn that sucks for Nick Anderson missing those free throws. That's why they are called free throws lol, but the pressure really gets to the player at the line it blows my mind how a great NBA free throw shooter misses free throws at the end of the game in front of all those fans I couldn't imagine the pressure. Example Paul George last season with the other LA team the Clippers. I liked how you showed that video clip of PG13 in the beginning of the video, same situation happen to PG13, no one thought Paul George was going to miss the FT's he missed but he did the pressure had to get to him. Another Solid Video Casey... A.M.HOOPS Nothing but the best 👌!!!

[@stevecox7462]

I like how he bypassed Reggie Miller and his 1995 Indiana Pacers like they never existed or played Orlando in the ECF that year 😁

[@GameTime-yj6qv]

Exactly lol

[@sevendst19]

It was a crazy competitive series too. Game 4 had like 3 or 4 consecutive shots that were potential game winners before Smits hit one right at the buzzer

[@FFKDTP1]

Game 7 was a 40 point drubbing. Indiana was a speedbump for the Magic, Bulls, even the Knicks minus the one time they got lucky and Ewing missed a finger roll

[@sevendst19]

@@FFKDTP1 game 7 was the result of Orlando getting blown out in game 6. So they returned the favor

[@mg19cal]

​@@sevendst19 I remember my local newspaper had the end of that game with a frame by frame photo set on the head of the sports page

[@MrCrisisZ]

As a young Orlando Magic fan because of Penny and Shaq I remember this moment clearly at only 9 years old.. I was heartbroken for the magic to be swept in the finals.. I remember my Uncle who lived in texas was rooting for the rockets.. Making it even harder knowing my other family member was happy the magic lost, but there was positives out of it. I lived in Utah and went naturally back to the Jazz fanship only to watch MJ destroy us 2 years in a row in the Finals. Aww... Good times lol. Thanks Nick!

[@ponypower8]

Just to set things straight, the Magic made it to The Finals on the SECOND YEAR of the Shaq-Penny partnership. I think that's unprecedented and still unmatched by any combo up to this day.

[@jaredgrube6320]

Magic won it as a rookie so Kareem and Magic did it first

[@stpbasss3773]

Kobe and Pau

[@ponypower8]

@@stpbasss3773 Dude, Kobe and Pau were already VETERANS when they teamed up!

[@ponypower8]

@@stpbasss3773 Dude, Kobe and Pau were already VETERANS when they teamed up!

[@stpbasss3773]

@@ponypower8 I miss-understood I thought you just meant the fastest to make the finals of any duo regardless of what period it was in their career.

[@shyboyfso]

I remember game 1 1995 finals well . Every other Magic player who went to FT line made free throws even Shaq,Nick the only one who didn't .

[@SuperTheTman]

awesome video, love the wild speculations off of one little event. That ONE free-throw could've altered the NBA as we know it, just crazy how one simple shot you learn as a child can change the legacies of tens of hundreds of people

[@lalibretaderaulalzaga3435]

Awesome video Casey. Two thumps up for the history lesson.

[@ninocrown3247]

I always says Ben Simmons is the new Nick Anderson. All Star caliber players, who in one game went had an event, that destroyed them and they couldn’t recover mentally.

[@loksumhui478]

That’s what called a butterfly effect

[@paulyiustravelogue]

Two things… first, IIRC the Magic went 41-41 in Shaq’s rookie season, not 45. Second, it was only the second round when the Magic beat the Bulls. You didn’t even mention there was still a ECF against the Pacers. 🤷🏻

[@DonGivani]

Nick Anderson, I never forget that game!!!

[@hugdablok6162]

C. Webb is the most underrated player in NBA history.

[@JoiRandom]

Kenny Smith had an absolutely amazing 2nd half of that game 1 vs the Magic .. he was on fire 🔥

[@freedommgtow4996]

I felt bad for Nick Anderson after missing those 4 free-throws, that moment had him rattled for yrs.

[@ponypower8]

... for the rest of his career, actually.

[@steviechampagne]

maybe he should’ve made 1/4 free throws

[@forexmind3244]

Nick Anderson still played the game unlike Ben Simmons.

[@tjcib]

I was at that game as a boy. I cried.

[@vargas218]

Great recap

[@WhoDatNaton]

Maaaan. I was watching this game. That was a back breaking moment....yes, Magic fan😭😭😢

[@4realGTFOH]

that was the moment I became a Rockets fan😈🚀

[@demorik6794]

What if they won, Shaq doesn't leave and Penny doesn't get hurt. That was my team when I was a little kid being from Memphis and Penny playing for Memphis.

[@ShadowX2406]

Sounds like me here. I wish that Penny had a longer career and not have to endure devastating injuries that cut his abilities short. That was one more thing to add to the list of the Magic’s miserable moments after the Game 1 debacle. 😞🤦🏾‍♂️

[@brittlyle3523]

NICK ANDERSON!!! Use to see him out and about in Orlando. He'd look at me like ,"You know who I am?" Never said a word to him. Happened at least 15 times over the years and a friend of mine even introduced him to me at a club. I just looked at him and didn't even speak. Cost us the Championship in '95 and ruined "That Magic Moment". The city was electric then, but the Orlando Magic has NEVER recovered.....

[@iixxion]

alternate history breakdown pretty awesome!

[@adamali444]

Nice I really love this content💯🏀❤️

[@2ThaDirt]

That Rockets team was better than people thought.. Keem dreamed shaked shaq to sleep

[@imajhawk6146]

Exactly, going down one game in the Finals would have been nothing to the Rockets given all of the adversity they had dealt with. The Magic got swept easily because they couldn't handle it.

[@timshaver996]

Imagine Nick Anderson sitting at home watching this

[@frankhuff4160]

Really enjoyed the what possibilities from the missed free throws. I have 2 ideas for some what ifs that could be interesting. 1. What if Carlos Boozer stayed in Cleveland with LBJ?? 2. What if Detroit draft Carmelo Anthony? The James v Anthony rivalry would have been insane in the same division.

[@huaijiutv]

If Shaq never left Orlando, Penny would have stayed healthy a lot longer, and IF they got one or two championships, a Hall of Famer for sure. They had great chemistry together, and Penny's just a humble guy, Shaq would have never had the same problems he had with Kobe. They could go on to separate ways later but they would have had each others' backs in their prime. What a pity!

[@kozmeetorez]

Despite the rings he won with Kobe, Anfernee was actually a better teammate for him.

[@taylordunekacke5784]

If Amderson hits just one ft, the Magic lose the finals 4-1 to the Rockets.

[@mostmost1]

Right

[@ATLienForLife]

Exactly!! They were down 0-1 & 0-2 to the Jazz two or three rounds earlier. P.eople believe Orlando could've have beaten Hakeem FOUR times. Please!!

[@TyrWinterHD]

Hey man, glad i found your channel a while back. Great content, and informative. Keep at it! You are basically my go to Basketball channel atm :D

[@mareklame8589]

I watched this finals on TV. First & second I was, OK, bad luck. After third & fourth I was astonished. From that point I knew Rockets gonna make 2nd title.

[@TheMarkOlsonShow]

Chris Webber was the no doubt #1 pick in the 1993 Draft. It was just as clear and consensus as Shaq going #1 in 1992. You don’t get Penny Hardaway and 3 1st round picks otherwise

[@jamesflanagan7693]

IF.......he made 1 free throw.......that doesn't necessarily change anything except the Magic getting a win in game 1. Instead of getting swept they possibly could've just suffered a gentlemen's sweep. So basically your whole premise is shot. You don't know that the game 1 win would've given them the confidence to go out and win 3 more in that series against a defending champion.

[@tylongkicks8821]

That game destroyed their confidence. One guy crushing loss can effect a series

[@NAMskalle]

Loved the first part of that video. Those free throws will hunt my dreams forever tho

[@johnjames2010]

Lol... love what you did with this...kinda like how Marvel did what ifs.....it would be interesting if this could be made into an animated series

[@dejamike88]

Oh yeah… as a rockets fan…..that was a miracle lol @6:49 btw it’s Kenny smith not Kenny Anderson.

[@javierdumond7054]

Amazing take once again!

[@barttcounts8456]

Nick Anderson is one of the most humble and coolest pro athletes you'll ever meet. Shaq leaving destroyed the Magic, Curse of the Shaqino is real. 😆

[@ChrisHobson916]

Videos of people destroying their TVs will never get old 😂

[@Grizz.EditzYT]

Ikr

[@castle5931]

What a fantastic video idea, congrats bro🖤

[@BrockMak]

0:50 I tried recreating the same situation practising on my own, I went from 85% (20 shots) all the way down to 50%.

[@bran5410]

Nick The Brick Anderson

[@johnanderson9765]

Oklahoma City going the finals in year four doesn't compare because they used to be the Seattle Supersonics, as opposed to being an expansion team. They moved to Oklahoma City and changed their nickname after Kevin Durant's rookie season.

That game was the very first NBA game I had ever watched. I was eleven and had just started playing basketball. I knew of Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson and was waiting for the legendary Eurobasket 95 to start. I decided to be a magic fan cause I liked how Penny played and the Magic had better looking jerseys :D Cheers

[@JohnTortorelli]

brilliant video idea brotha

[@kirkcornelius1074]

There is a 30 for 30 about this called “This Magic Moment”

[@javinwatson3663]

What a fantastic video 👏🏼

[@timothywright1318]

Love this video!

[@lukaskywalker7791]

Happy New Year to my favorite hoops content creator of the year. U the best ❤💪🏽

[@themuffinman4634]

I love these story videos

[@MrZackavelli]

Yeah, Shaq changed every franchise he ever went to. Except like half of them.

[@lilv3966]

1:16 I assure you young man anyone who watched 90s basketball has not forgotten that.

[@KxngPDaHustla]

I still think he was paid off to miss those 4 Free Throws.

[@KxngPDaHustla]

@Ellis I don't believe it's scripted but I do believe that lots of people fall victims to greed and throw games. Both athletes and officials.

[@robkelly8940]

Dude, you’re reaching about the Bulls still not winning three more rings…I’m sorry, but no matter who was in the East, no one was beating MJ, Pippen and Rodman. They won 72 games the next year and you’re saying that that Orlando team would have beaten them?! Nope, the Bulls the Magic played in 95 were no where near the same level of the Bulls of 96. Jordan came back with a chip on his shoulder and that’s all they needed. I don’t think Anderson making those free throws would have made much difference other than the ring for Orlando that year. Shaq would have probably lost in 96 again and gone to the Lakers just like he did and it changes nothing else. Just my opinion. The Bulls and MJ were way too good.

[@tonyrobinson8160]

Agreed. History might have been changed if Orlando hadn't lowballed Shaq in salary negotiation AND Penny hadn't gotten hurt. But in no way was Orlando denying Chicago their 2nd threepeat. And also, having beaten the top 3 records in the league (Utah, Phoenix, San Antonio), there was no way an experienced Houston team was losing to Orlando, even if they had lost game 1. They basically had to rally every series in the west that year.

[@delconagher12]

Uh dude Jazz almost beat them if the refs called that push offensive foul on MJ.

[@nathanodwyer8336]

The speculation is based on the IF Anderson hits 1 of 4 free throws that Orlando go on to win the Finals. The Bulls 72-10 season was in the 95/96 season which would put them up against the reigning champs. Confidence & belief that they can do it all again changes everything.

[@weneedhim526]

@@delconagher12 what the heck kind of comment is this?

[@CeeDeeprodz15]

This video just unlocked a new park of me

[@ImadogGarcia]

Shaq took the responsitility for the loss, he sad Nick never should be in the position to decide the game after blowing up a big lead in the second half

[@markusshaw8228]

Great video

[@nikimizi3696]

Wow, minus-blowing idea A.M. ! Thanks for the video

[@williamgee6654]

Crazy as it sounds, as a Rockets fan, I was confident that we were destined to win it all that year after beating Utah in round 1.

[@RJI8]

I love this concept of the NBA Butterfly Effect

[@oscarfamily527]

Amazing what ifs. Makes me thinking 👍

[@cisanta1029]

The funny thing is that I made the EXACT same argument last year. Its not a stretch to think that the Magic could have been champions and a potential dynasty fell over missed FTs

[@MrRaiin32]

Yeah this was crazy how things alternated like What if

[@hisuianzoroark5726]

Nick Anderson, the biggest choker in Orlando Magic History

[@SeanPynrose]

That magic team was ridiculously talented. Shaq and Penny, Horace, Nick Anderson and one of the better 3 point shooters in Dennis Scott. What could have been

[@Goodlookgraphics]

Man this is a great theory

[@brandon.lewis.]

"The Butterfly Effect" is the most fascinating concept that ever existed. You can dig through your entire life and the big events and realize how the smallest thing could have made that moment not happen. You aren't even reading this right now if THAT one little thing happened differently.

[@creditorclass6513]

Still revered in Champaign Illinois, Illini Baby!!.

[@loganstewart3751]

Shea Serrano actually wrote a really interesting chapter about this in his book Basketball (And Other Things)

[@dudespin]

Hey man can you do a what if scenario on zha zha pachulia injuring kahwi leonard how that impacted the spurs the raptors the warriors and clippers. Really enjoyed this one.

[@mattamitrano2431]

Shaq went to LA to make movies and rap. Things were different in the 90s and Orlando was a small market. Plus there’s zero reason to believe Houston wouldn’t have won the series anyway. They already came back in that game to make it close on top of coming back in series throughout that entire postseason.

[@bradjara2869]

Very cool vid

[@cjrad9500]

NICE VIDEO!

[@tim12chang]

While I don't think the butterfly effect of one free throw will last over 20 years, I praise your spot-on analysis. I am a Rockets fan and I remember that game as if it happened yesterday. As a statistician, I give you the probability of a 70% free throw shooter missing all 4 free throws to be 0.8%

[@lanceatkinson9317]

As a Suns fan, and referring to the back-to-back losses vs the Rockets in '94 (after winning games 1+2 IN HOUSTON) and '95 (blowing a 3-1 lead)...we wouldn't have Nick the Brick without first having Charles the Choke.

[@haydensigurdson388]

More of these videos please

[@Antos1907]

Phenomenal video

[@stpbasss3773]

Orlando wasn't winning that title with or without those free throws.

[@cadepearson9735]

love u man

[@marlonbarrientos]

Great video I agree

[@DonDeDon445]

This is the kinda thing that makes you actually wonder about Ben Simmons mental. He was legitimately scared to go to the FT line and that’s not something that just goes away

[@elsantosjr928]

I remember this NBA Finals between Orlando & Houston. My younger brother asked me my prediction about this finals,. I said Houston would sweep Orlando while Orlando had a big lead in game 1, then Nick Anderson missed 4 free throws. The rest is history.

[@pushr357momentsofglory8]

another thing that isn't mentioned is how a 20 point lead felt like a 35 point lead back in 1995--- wasn't like how a 20 point lead is now where teams overcome that in their sleep cuz theyre jacking up 50 3's a game. And in the NBA Finals at that... must've really added to the dejection

[@T--pp7do]

Anderson’s missed free throws is what the MCU calls a Nexus Event.

[@sadiekipitter6933]

This is crazy damn like it’s all could have been possible . But Kobe going out ring chasing 😳

[@alebelakov8129]

name of the documentary at 7:30 min?

[@MC-ej4to]

I would say the sun's Steve Nash turn around was pretty freaking prolific as well