1996–97 Orlando Magic season

1996–97 Orlando Magic season
Head coach	Brian Hill Richie Adubato
Arena	Orlando Arena
Results
Record	45–37 (.549)
Place	Division: 3rd (Atlantic) Conference: 7th (Eastern)
Playoff finish	East First Round (eliminated 2-3)
Stats @ Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
Television	Sunshine Network, WKCF

The 1996–97 season was the eighth season of the Orlando Magic in the National Basketball Association (NBA). After losing Shaquille O'Neal via free agency to the Los Angeles Lakers in the offseason, the Magic went from 60-22 the year before to 45-37, though they still managed to make the playoffs.

At the start of the season, the Magic acquired Rony Seikaly from the Golden State Warriors. Head coach Brian Hill was fired 49 games into the season, and star Anfernee Hardaway was generally blamed for leading a player revolt that resulted in his dismissal. Hill was replaced with Richie Adubato for the remainder of the season.

In the first round of the playoffs, the Magic lost 3-2 to the Miami Heat. This was the only time that both teams from Florida ever faced each other in the NBA Playoffs. Following the season, Dennis Scott was traded to the Dallas Mavericks.

Draft picks

Main article: 1996 NBA Draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	School/Club Team
1	27	Brian Evans	SF	United States	Indiana
2	49	Amal McCaskill	C	United States	Marquette

Roster

Orlando Magic roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB (YYYY–MM–DD) From SG 25 Anderson, Nick 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Illinois PG 10 Armstrong, Darrell 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Fayetteville State SF 34 Evans, Brian 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Indiana PF 54 Grant, Horace  6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Clemson PG 1 Hardaway, Anfernee 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Memphis C 00 McCaskill, Amal 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Marquette C 24 Schayes, Danny 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Syracuse SF 3 Scott, Dennis 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 229 lb (104 kg) Georgia Tech C 4 Seikaly, Rony 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Syracuse PG 20 Shaw, Brian 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) UC Santa Barbara PF 33 Strong, Derek 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Xavier PF 42 Vaughn, David 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Memphis SG 9 Wilkins, Gerald 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Chattanooga	Head coach Richie Adubato Assistant coach(es) Tree Rollins (Clemson) Tom Sterner (Millersville State) Legend (C) Team captain (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured Roster • Transactions

Regular season

Season standings

Atlantic Division	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
y-Miami Heat	61	21	.744	–	29–12	32–9	16–8
x-New York Knicks	57	25	.695	4	31–10	26–15	19–6
x-Orlando Magic	45	37	.549	16	26–15	19–22	13–11
x-Washington Bullets	44	38	.537	17	25–16	19–22	14–10
New Jersey Nets	26	56	.317	35	16–25	10–31	11–13
Philadelphia 76ers	22	60	.268	39	11–30	11–30	11–14
Boston Celtics	15	67	.183	46	11–30	4–37	1–23

#	Eastern Conference
	Team	W	L	PCT	GB
1	z-Chicago Bulls	69	13	.841	–
2	y-Miami Heat	61	21	.744	8
3	x-New York Knicks	57	25	.695	12
4	x-Atlanta Hawks	56	26	.683	13
5	x-Detroit Pistons	54	28	.659	15
6	x-Charlotte Hornets	54	28	.659	15
7	x-Orlando Magic	45	37	.549	24
8	x-Washington Bullets	44	38	.537	25
9	Cleveland Cavaliers	42	40	.512	27
10	Indiana Pacers	39	43	.476	30
11	Milwaukee Bucks	33	49	.402	36
12	Toronto Raptors	30	52	.366	39
13	New Jersey Nets	26	56	.317	43
14	Philadelphia 76ers	22	60	.268	47
15	Boston Celtics	15	67	.183	54

z - clinched division title

y - clinched division title

x - clinched playoff spot

Playoffs

East First Round

(2) Miami Heat vs. (7) Orlando Magic Last Playoff Meeting: Not available (first playoff series)

Game	Date	Home	Score	Visitor	Score	Record (MIA-ORL)	Venue	Recap	Television
1	April 24	Miami	99	Orlando	64	1-0	Miami Arena, Miami, Florida	1
2	April 27	Miami	104	Orlando	87	2-0	Miami Arena, Miami, Florida	2	NBC
3	April 29	Orlando	88	Miami	75	2-1	Orlando Arena, Orlando, Florida	3	TBS
4	May 1	Orlando	99	Miami	91	2-2	Orlando Arena, Orlando, Florida	4	TNT
5	May 4	Miami	91	Orlando	83	3-2	Miami Arena, Miami, Florida	5	NBC
Miami wins series 3–2

Player statistics

Legend
GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field-goal percentage	3P%	3-point field-goal percentage	FT%	Free-throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game

Awards and records

• Anfernee Hardaway, All-NBA Third Team