1995 NBA Finals 🏆 – History Tried to Repeat Itself… and Failed 🚫

We just witnessed history rewritten in 1994, with the Atlanta Hawks hoisting the trophy at season’s end. It marked only the second championship in franchise history.

The 1958 St. Louis Hawks beat the Boston Celtics to win their first and only title in real life. In our world, they’ve reached the summit again — and once again, they’re led by a dominant big man. 

In ’58, it was Bob Pettit. In ’94, it was Brad Daugherty, their 1986 draft pick. In reality, Daugherty played his career in Cleveland, but thanks to our altered history, he became a Hawk.

Could the Hawks become the first repeat champion since the Mavericks’ three-peat from 1988–90? Time will tell as the 1994–95 season unfolds… but first, the 1994 draft class had to make its mark.

#1 pick Glenn Robinson landed with the Indiana Pacers, instantly becoming their best player. #2 Jason Kidd went to the Denver Nuggets, doing the same for them.

Grant Hill, taken third, joined the Dallas Mavericks, pairing with John Stockton in an All-Star backcourt. Dallas missed the playoffs in ’94, but Hill led them to a 40-42 record — just one game shy of returning to the postseason.

At #5, Juwan Howard joined an Orlando Magic squad that had made the playoffs the year before. The Magic, owning Seattle’s pick, added Howard as the perfect frontcourt fit.

Sharone Wright, drafted sixth by the Boston Celtics, filled the void left by the departure of the last “Big Three” member, Robert Parish. With a healthy Tim Hardaway, Boston returned to the postseason.

Once again, all 11 lottery picks made an impact, each inserted directly into their team’s starting lineups. Even later picks made noise — Jalen Rose, drafted by the Golden State Warriors, worked his way into their rotation. But make no mistake: the 1994 draft belonged to its lottery picks.

As for the season, the Chicago Bulls (52–30) claim their first-ever #1 seed in our history. Despite making the Finals twice — and winning it all once — the Bulls had never topped the standings. Scottie Pippen, Chris Mullin, and Larry Johnson now set their sights on title number two.

At #2, the Miami Heat (51–31) secure their third straight Atlantic Division crown. Last year they reached the Conference Semis for the first time; this year, they want more.

Our defending champion Atlanta Hawks (50–32) land at #3, but there’s a major change — Finals MVP Brad Daugherty has retired. Now Mookie Blaylock and Derrick Coleman lead the charge.

Rounding out the top four are the Orlando Magic (49–33). Last year’s #5 seed made the Conference Semis in their playoff debut. With new additions Horace Grant and Juwan Howard, their frontcourt upgrade shows in the win column.

Seeds 5–8 are the Nets, Bullets, Knicks, and Celtics. The New Jersey Nets return to the postseason for the first time since 1991, led by All-Stars Vlade Divac and Vin Baker. 

The Washington Bullets, who missed the playoffs last year, are back with Chris Webber as their new All-Star leader. The New York Knicks extend their streak — they haven’t missed the playoffs since 1992. 

And the Boston Celtics, also absent since ’92, are revived thanks to a healthy Tim Hardaway and the emergence of Dino Rađa as a strong #2 option.

The Nets, Bullets, and Celtics replace last year’s playoff participants — the Bucks, Hornets, and Cavs. The Bucks suffered the biggest drop-off, tumbling from the East’s third-best record to the worst. 

They lost All-Star Tom Gugliotta and two other key contributors. The Cavs slipped just slightly, from 8th to 9th. The Hornets, however, plummeted from 7th to 11th, losing 11 more games than last year — the absence of Steve Smith proved more costly than they imagined.

On to the West — and for the third straight year, we have a new #1 seed in the San Antonio Spurs (57–25). Not only do they top the conference, but they also finish with the best record in the league.

Before 1992, the Dallas Mavericks owned the West, finishing first for six straight years. But ever since Charles Barkley left, the conference crown has been wide open.

This year, the Spurs — led by Karl Malone and Dennis Rodman — sit on top. Malone has never advanced past the Conference Semis, and only reached that stage once in his career. Could this finally be his breakthrough?

At #2, the Los Angeles Lakers (54–28) finish atop the Pacific Division for the first time since 1986. This isn’t the Showtime era — this is a new core powered by Alonzo Mourning and Gary Payton.

At #3, the Sacramento Kings (49–33) return after reaching their first-ever Conference Finals last season. All-Star Shawn Kemp leads a talented group eager to take the next step — can they go even further?

At #4, the Utah Jazz (47–35) are driven by two-time MVP David Robinson. Like Malone, Robinson is still searching for his first Conference Finals appearance. Is this the year?

Seeds 5–8 belong to the Suns, Rockets, Blazers, and Warriors. The defending Conference champion Suns slide to 5th, losing eight more games than last season. They still feature arguably the most decorated active player in our universe — 4-time champion Charles Barkley.

The Houston Rockets have current 5-time MVP Hakeem Olajuwon and now All-Star Clyde Drexler, but not much else. The Portland Trail Blazers, even without Drexler, make it 11-for-11 in playoff appearances in our history.

The Golden State Warriors lost Chris Webber, but with Dikembe Mutombo anchoring the defense, they still earn a spot. Webber’s departure, however, translates to 10 more losses year over year.

The Lakers and Spurs replace last year’s playoff participants — the Clippers and Timberwolves. The Clippers nosedived, losing an additional 17 games after parting with leader Ron Harper and other key contributors. The Timberwolves slipped just six games, but still fell from 8th to worst in the West.

The big headline out West? The top two seeds this season didn’t even make the playoffs last year.  

Now on to the fun — the 1995 NBA Playoffs. Who will be the last team standing?

We start in the East, where #1 Chicago Bulls face the #8 Boston Celtics. The last time these two met was 1992, which was also Boston’s last playoff appearance. Back then, the #2 seed Bulls beat the then-defending champion Celtics in a hard-fought 7-game Conference Semis.

The Bulls still have their core from those days, but for the Celtics, Tim Hardaway is the only holdover. Boston manages to win Game 3 at home thanks to a stellar effort from Hardaway, but that’s it. Chicago bounces back in Game 4 to take the series 3–1.

#2 Miami Heat vs #7 New York Knicks — two years ago, this was an upset by the Knicks. Back then, the Heat were debuting in the playoffs. Now, they’re coming off their first playoff series win a year ago.

Patrick Ewing and the Knicks give Miami all they can muster, but unlike 1993 — when New York took a 2–1 lead and closed the series at home — the Heat protect their home floor this time, winning the first two in Miami.

The Knicks respond by taking both games at MSG, setting the stage for a thrilling Game 5. In front of their home fans, Miami’s All-Star frontcourt of Shaquille O’Neal and Kevin Willis delivers, sending the Heat to the Conference Semis.

#3 Atlanta Hawks vs #6 Washington Bullets — now here’s the shocker. The defending champion Hawks lost their Finals MVP Brad Daugherty to early retirement due to injuries. Without their MVP big man, they’re not the same team. After finishing at the top of the East two years running, they slip slightly to third.

The Bullets, meanwhile, hit the jackpot by landing Chris Webber and surrounding him with solid talent. Washington steals Game 1 in Atlanta, heads home tied at 1–1, and never looks back. The Bullets win both games in the nation’s capital to take the series 3–1. The champs are left staring at each other in disbelief after Game 4.

Finally, #4 Orlando Magic vs #5 New Jersey Nets. Despite not making the playoffs since 1991, Reggie Miller and the Nets — boosted by their All-Star frontcourt of Vlade Divac and Vin Baker — push the series to a decisive Game 5.

In the end, Orlando’s new frontcourt of Horace Grant and Juwan Howard contains Baker and Divac just enough for Penny Hardaway to take over and propel the Magic back to the Conference Semis.

And in a fun parallel to real life, both in our world and reality, the Magic and Bulls advance and will face each other in the Semis. The only difference? There’s no Nick Anderson “MJ comments” drama here — because Michael Jordan doesn’t exist in our universe.

As for the West, Karl Malone is now on top with his #1 San Antonio Spurs. Their opponents are the #8 Golden State Warriors and All-Star Dikembe Mutombo — who, impressively, has led his Warriors to the playoffs every year since his debut in 1992.

The Spurs made a massive leap this season, going from 9th place last year to 1st, winning 23 more games. Adding solid players like Sean Elliott and rookie Brian Grant made a difference — but the real series-changer was Dennis Rodman, who completely shut down Mutombo. Malone and the Spurs cruise to a 3–0 sweep.

#2 Los Angeles Lakers vs #7 Portland Trail Blazers — a tale of two franchises heading in opposite directions. The Blazers were once a Western powerhouse, reaching 4 Conference Finals and 1 NBA Finals with Clyde Drexler leading the way. But with Drexler now in Houston, Portland just squeezes into the postseason as a 7 seed.

Meanwhile, the Lakers skyrocket from 10th to 2nd in one year, winning 21 more games. The reason? The growth of their backcourt — Gary Payton and Nick Van Exel — plus the addition of Cedric Ceballos. Payton even joins Alonzo Mourning as an All-Star.

Without Drexler, the Blazers can’t match the Lakers’ talent. All-Star Rod Strickland helps Portland steal Game 3, but Los Angeles responds in Game 4 to take the series 3–1.

#3 Sacramento Kings vs #6 Houston Rockets — the Kings, led by All-Star Shawn Kemp, have been a top seed since 1992, making their deepest run last year with a trip to the Conference Finals.

Last postseason, they beat Drexler’s 6th-seeded Blazers and then the Jazz to reach the WCF. This year, they face Drexler again — but now he’s paired with 5-time MVP Hakeem Olajuwon.

Just like in real life 1995, Drexler and Olajuwon form a dangerous playoff duo. In reality, their Rockets upset Karl Malone’s Jazz in the first round; here in our world, they topple the talented Kings in 5 games, closing it out on the road in California.

#4 Utah Jazz vs #5 Phoenix Suns — the Jazz are led by former 2-time MVP David Robinson and boast a strong frontcourt, while the Suns are the defending Western Conference champions, featuring Kevin Johnson and 4-time champion Charles Barkley.

Although Johnson is no longer an All-Star, he’s the difference-maker here. The Jazz have no answer for him, and the Suns steal Game 1 in Utah before finishing the job with two wins in Phoenix to take the series 3–1.

Interestingly, all four advancing teams in our world — Spurs, Lakers, Rockets, and Suns — also advanced in real life, but the matchups are different. In our universe, it’s Rockets vs Lakers and Suns vs Spurs; in real life, it was Spurs vs Lakers and Suns vs Rockets.

Back to the East, where the #1 Chicago Bulls face the #4 Orlando Magic in the Conference Semis. In real life, this was a #1 Magic vs #5 Bulls matchup with Michael Jordan wearing #45.

In reality, Nick Anderson’s now-famous comments pushed Jordan to switch back to #23, but the top-seeded Magic with Shaquille O’Neal still took the series 4–2.

Here in our world, it’s the Bulls, led by Scottie Pippen, who are the top seed. Anderson never had “The Diesel” as a teammate, though with Horace Grant and Juwan Howard, the Magic still possess a talented — but not dominant — frontcourt.

The Magic push the Bulls to the limit, forcing a Game 7 in Chicago. But when it matters most, the Bulls’ trio of Pippen, Chris Mullin, and Larry Johnson proves too much, sending the Magic home.

On the other side, Shaq’s Miami Heat were looking to make their first-ever Conference Finals. Standing in their way were the upstart #6 Washington Bullets, fresh off upsetting the defending champion Hawks in Round 1.

Chris Webber dominated Atlanta, especially with Brad Daugherty absent, as Derrick Coleman struggled to contain his fellow All-Star. But this time, Webber had to deal with the dominant Shaquille O’Neal and his running mate Kevin Willis, also an All-Star this season.

Despite the tougher matchup, the Bullets fought hard, forcing a decisive Game 7. In the finale, the Heat came out blazing and led from start to finish. Afterward, Shaq gave the Bullets their due, but added: “I am glad we prevailed — it is our time.”

The Heat will now face the Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals — a very different matchup from real life’s Magic vs Pacers. The one similarity? A Shaq-led team is still in the mix in both worlds.

The Western Conference Semis opened with the #1 San Antonio Spurs squaring off against the #5 Phoenix Suns, the defending Western Conference Champions. The Spurs hadn’t been to a Conference Final since 1985 — the year before Karl Malone was even drafted.

On paper, this looked like an upset waiting to happen. After four games, the series was deadlocked at 2–2. In a pivotal Game 5, the home crowd in San Antonio roared as the Spurs pulled away late, taking a 3–2 series lead.

Back in Phoenix, with their season on the line, Charles Barkley and Kevin Johnson fed off the crowd’s energy. With key contributions from Danny Manning, the Suns answered back, forcing a Game 7 in San Antonio.

The finale had it all — 12 lead changes, countless momentum swings, and tension you could feel through the screen. With two minutes left and the Suns up by eight, it seemed the upset was in the bag.

Then the Spurs struck.

Two quick buckets from Malone in just 45 seconds cut the lead in half. The building came alive. The Suns worked the ball into Barkley, but before he could make his move, Dennis Rodman pounced with a double-team, stripping the ball.

Sean Elliott raced up the floor, pulled up from deep, and drilled the three — Suns’ lead now just one.

Phoenix still had the ball and 45 seconds to work with. This time Barkley passed out of the double early, finding Johnson — but Avery Johnson anticipated it, cutting off the pass for another steal.

The Spurs ran down the clock, got it inside to Malone, who missed, but Rodman tipped it in at the buzzer. The Spurs had completed the greatest comeback in our universe.

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On the other side, the #2 Los Angeles Lakers faced the #6 Houston Rockets. The Lakers were back in the postseason after a year away, while the Rockets were fueled by redemption after last year’s first-round exit as a 2 seed.

This time, Hakeem Olajuwon was once again the league’s MVP, and now had Clyde Drexler as his co-star. The two had been to the Finals before — but never together. Despite their lower seed, the Rockets believed they could go all the way.

The series was as tight as expected, tied 2–2 heading into Game 5 in Los Angeles. There, Olajuwon and Drexler took over, pushing the Rockets to a 3–2 lead.

Back in Houston for Game 6, the Lakers hung tough, keeping it tied late. But in the closing moments, it was Vernon “Mad Max” Maxwell who hit the clutch shot to seal the series.

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So our world mirrors reality — sort of. The Western Conference Finals will be #1 Spurs vs #6 Rockets in both timelines. The Rockets are still led by Olajuwon and Drexler, but in our universe, the Spurs’ frontman is Karl Malone — not David Robinson.

The Eastern Conference Finals saw the Chicago Bulls making their fourth straight appearance, led by their dominant trio of Scottie Pippen, Chris Mullin, and Larry Johnson.

On the other side, Shaquille O’Neal’s Miami Heat were breaking new ground, making their first-ever trip to the ECF.

This was a rematch of last year’s Conference Semis, when the #3 Bulls took down the Heat in six games. The question now: could Miami flip the script with the NBA Finals on the line?

The stakes were higher, but the result was familiar — the Bulls once again closed it out in Game 6 on the road.  Pippen was headed to his third NBA Finals, while Shaq, unlike his real-life counterpart with the Magic in 1995, still couldn’t get past Chicago.

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Out West, the Western Conference Finals matched up the San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets — just as in real life. But while the real-world Rockets took out David Robinson’s Spurs, here they faced Karl Malone’s version.

In reality, Olajuwon and Drexler needed only six games to advance. In our universe, they were the ones fighting to stay alive in Game 6, down 3–2 in the series. The Rockets did manage to win that must-have game, but unlike history, it only bought them one more night.

Game 7 in San Antonio belonged entirely to the Spurs.  There was no last-second heroics needed this time — Malone exploded for 40 points, the Spurs stormed to a 15-point lead by the fourth quarter, and never looked back.

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That leaves us with a Bulls vs. Spurs Finals — Pippen’s trio against Malone’s frontcourt power.  A matchup we never saw in reality… but one that could define this alternate 1995.

The San Antonio Spurs held home-court advantage, and they looked ready to use it — taking the first two games in Texas.  But when the series shifted to Chicago, everything changed. The Bulls fed off the home crowd, storming back to tie the series 2–2.

Back then, the NBA Finals used the 2-3-2 format, giving the lower seed three straight home games in the middle. History showed it was rare for the underdog to sweep all three…

…but this Bulls team wasn’t interested in history — they were interested in making it.

Chicago won all three at home, flipping the series from a 0–2 hole to a 3–2 lead.  By the time the Finals returned to San Antonio, the momentum was entirely in the Bulls’ favor. The Spurs, deflated, came out flat, and Chicago pounced.

By the third quarter, it was a full-on blowout. Spurs fans headed for the exits early, and Karl Malone — along with the rest of the starters — didn’t even see the fourth.  The Bulls closed it out with a 22-point victory, securing their second championship in three years.

In reality, Olajuwon’s Rockets had swept Shaq’s Magic in 1995. In our world, it wasn’t a sweep — but it was still domination, a gentleman’s sweep with four straight Bulls wins after dropping the first two.

Scottie Pippen now had two titles as Chicago’s leader — compared to Michael Jordan’s three in real life.  And with the way this squad finished the year, the question heading into 1996 is clear:

Can Pippen and the Bulls go back-to-back?
Season 12 — coming soon.