With the lockout in full swing our analysts have been antsy. We’re happy to answer fan requests for historical fact checking*. Today’s request comes via a Tweet from Mosi Platt of the Miami Heat Index:
@NerdNumbers You have your assignment RT @NBAHistory: Announcer Bob Neal: “Horace Grant is the MVP for the Magic in this series thus far.” @NBATV NOW (Orl/Chi, Gm 6, ’95 EC Semis)
The 1995 playoffs were pretty crazy. The Orlando Magic took down the Bulls despite Michael Jordan returning. The Houston Rockets shocked the world and won it all despite being a lowly sixth seed. Two surprising facts came from these two series.
Horace Grant was the MVP of the Magic-Bulls Series
Don't look back, they might be gaining!
In a series with Michael Jordan and Shaquille O’Neal, it’s surprising to realize the best player on the court was indeed Horace Grant. Here was the breakdown in terms of Wins:
- Horace Grant (Orlando Magic) 251 Minutes, 0.293 WP48, 1.53 Wins Produced
- Shaquille O’Neal (Orlando Magic) 238 Minutes, 0.265 WP48, 1.31 Wins Produced
- Scottie Pippen (Chicago Bulls) 248 Minutes, 0.221 Wp48, 1.14 Wins Produced
- Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls) 254 Minutes, 0.192 Wp48, 1.02 Wins Produced
- Anfernee Hardaway (Orlando Magic) 246 Minutes, 0.133 WP48, 0.68 Wins Produced
Bob Neal was speaking the truth. Horace Grant was better (just barely) than Shaq, and together Shaq and Horace rant circles around Scottie and Michael. Of course Horace and Shaq’s great play may have come from playing a team lacking bigs. Against the Rockets they crumbled when faced with Hakeem’s Finals MVP performance. . . or did they? That brings us to surprise fact number two.
Clyde Drexler was the real finals MVP in 1995
Well at least they both got a trophy.
We can maybe give Hakeem some credit for slowing down Shaq in the finals. That said, Clyde’s performance was inspired. Here’s how the finals went down:
- Clyde Drexler (Houston Rockets) 162 Minutes, 0.342 WP48 1.15 Wins Produced
- Robert Horry (Houston Rockets) 187 Minutes, 0.213 WP48, 0.83 Wins Produced
- Mario Elie (Houston Rockets) 161 Minutes, 0.199 WP48, 0.69 Wins Produced
- Shaquille O’Neal (Orlando Magic) 180 Minutes, 0.176 WP48, 0.66 Wins Produced
- Anfernee Hardaway (Orlando Magic) 172 Minutes, 0.179 WP48, 0.64 Wins Produced
- Nick Anderson (Orlando Magic) 161 Minutes, 0.160 WP48, 0.54 Wins Produced
- Hakeem Olajuwon (Houston Rockets) 179 Minutes, 0.122 WP48, 0.46 Wins Produced
- Horace Grant (Orlando Magic) 168 Minutes, 0.084 WP48, 0.30 Wins Produced
Sadly Horace Grant’s greatness disapeared in the finals. But the story wasn’t Hakeem outplaying the bigs of Orlando; the real story was how Clyde Drexler and Robert Horry destroyed the Magic from the wings.
With no NBA in front of us for the foreseeable future, it is fun to go back to the past. Let us know if you have any weird stories you want us to look into and — provided we have time and there are no developments with the lockout — maybe we’ll look into it.
-Dre
* Don’t worry Mark, I haven’t forgotten about the Spurs, they’re on deck.
Wages of Wins Journal 
mettaworldpiece
November 16, 2011
Seeing Nick Anderson listed 6th here is petty hilarious considering he single-handily cost them game 1 and probably the series as a result.
I guess you can be considered better than Hakeem as your team is being swept as you shoot 36% (28% in games 2-4) from the field, 30% from the FT line, and falling apart mentally, but i guess failing to tip in your shot a couple times does that.
Anyone here watch the series? I did. Can anyone here truly believe Nick Anderson and Hakeem were close in this series (Dream put up 30/10 on nearly 50% and stellar defense and 5apg). No, really, Dream outperformed him in every category (except close on steals) in about the same minutes, yet Nick “0/4 FT To ice the game” Anderson outperformed him in WP.
I think something is wrong, there.
Abraham Wiebe
November 19, 2011
huge WP fan but have to agree with mettaworldpiece…something bad wrong here!?!
hgh2
November 21, 2011
This just illustrates the limitations of some, if not all, stats on reliably and reasonably representing the approximate contribution of a players entire impact on the game.
The Most Valuable Player in my mind should go to the player on the winning team who can best be determined to have had the largest net impact in the series. This should take into account an estimation of what the outcome of the teams performance would have been without this player. In effect estimate how the team would have done with the said players replacement at his position instead and then compare the difference. If replacing him involves sliding players around then it can become complicated but the same logic applies.
I believe Hakeem’s role for those Rockets both on offense and on defense was much less replaceable than Clyde’s, including in that series.
Perhaps I am wrong but I believe the Rockets would still have won that series without Clyde, but would have lost without Hakeem. In any case my estimation of their respective net impacts on their team, and in that series, heavily favors Hakeem. The MVP was awarded properly for that series in my judgement.