1995 NBA Playoffs

The 1995 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1994-95 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Houston Rockets defeating the Eastern Conference champion Orlando Magic 4 games to 0 in the NBA Finals. Hakeem Olajuwon was named NBA Finals MVP.

Houston became the eighth team to win back-to-back titles (after the Minneapolis Lakers of '49 and 50, and again '52-'54, and the legendary Celtics dynasty of '59-66 and again in '68-69, as as the LA Lakers of '87 and '88, Pistons of '89 and '90 and Bulls of '91, '92 and '93). It happened a ninth, tenth and eleventh time, with the Bulls winning 3 more starting in 1996, the Lakers from 2000-2002 and again from 2009-2010. The Rockets championships were also part of a magical dynasty that saw 5 straight teams win consecutive titles (Th Lakers 87-88, Pistons 89-90, Bulls 91-93, Rockets 94-95, Bulls 96-98). That streak was stropped, ironically, but a Spurs franchise who, like the Celtics of the 80s, didn't win back-to-back titles, but did when numerous championships and is considered a dynasty.

The sixth-seeded Rockets (47-35) took out 4 impressive opponents on their way to the title, defeating the 3rd-seeded Utah Jazz (60-22), 2nd-seeded Phoenix Suns (59-23), top-seeded San Antonio Spurs (62-20) and Eastern Conference champion Orlando Magic (57-25) in the NBA Finals. In the Conference Semifinals against the Suns, the Rockets came back from a 2-0 and 3-1 series deficit without home-court advantage, winning Games 5 and 7 in Phoenix. Rockets center Hakeem Olajuwon dominated league MVP David Robinson and Shaquille O'Neal in consecutive series to win the title.

The 1995 Playoffs featured the first 3 playoff series victories in Magic history, as they beat the Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, and Indiana Pacers to win their first Eastern Conference title.

It also featured the return of Michael Jordan to the playoffs after a year's absence, returning mid-season, and the only time the Bulls didn't win a title with him on board since they started their string of titles in 1991.

Game 4 of the Celtics-Magic series was the last game ever played at Boston Garden. Boston returned to the playoffs in 2002, this time in the new FleetCenter (now TD Garden).

Game 3 of the Blazers-Suns series was the last game ever played at the then-Memorial Coliseum (renamed the Veterans Memorial Coliseum as of 2012). The Blazers continued their playoff streak at Rose Garden for the next 7 years.

The Pacers made the Eastern Conference Finals for the second straight year (and finally defeated the New York Knicks on their way to doing so), but found the Magic too powerful to overcome. Coincidentally, they met all 3 playoff opponents (Orlando, Atlanta, and New York) they had in 1994, just in a different order.

Since the NBA playoffs expanded to 16 teams in 1984, the Jazz became the second team (along with the 1994 Sonics) to win at least 60 regular season games and lose in the first round, when they lost to the eventual NBA champion Rockets.