[1] After building through the draft in previous years, the Magic made themselves even stronger by signing free agents Horace Grant, who won three championships with the Chicago Bulls,[2][3][4][5] and Brian Shaw during the off-season.
[9] Despite losing seven of their final eleven games in April, the Magic won the Atlantic Division title with a 57–25 record.
Shaquille O'Neal continued to dominate the NBA with 29.3 points, 11.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game, and was named to the All-NBA Second Team, while second-year star Penny Hardaway averaged 20.9 points, 7.2 assists and 1.7 steals per game, while being named to the All-NBA First Team, and Grant gave the Magic one of the most dominant starting lineups in the NBA, averaging 12.8 points and 9.7 rebounds per game, as he was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team.
[19] In the Eastern Conference First Round of the playoffs, the Magic overwhelmed the Boston Celtics with a 124–77 victory in Game 1.
The comment motivated Jordan to return to number 23 and the Bulls evened the series with a 104–94 road win in Game 2.
[44][45][46][47] In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Magic would beat Reggie Miller, and the 2nd-seeded and Central Division champion Indiana Pacers in a tough 7-game series that saw the home team win every game.
[55][56][57][58][59] Following the season, Anthony Avent was traded to the newly expansion Vancouver Grizzlies,[60][61] and Tree Rollins retired.