HISTORY

his right, with Anderson not far behind. As Jordan slowed to survey the defense, he looked over his left shoulder to find Anderson.

But as he pursued the ball, Anderson had positioned himself on Jordan’s right side. That allowed him to catch Jordan off-guard, and Anderson knocked the ball away and into the hands of teammate Penny Hardaway.

Hardaway quickly headed up court as he and Grant were in a 2-on-1 break against Bulls forward Toni Kukoc. Hardaway fed Grant with a bounce pass that the Magic forward converted into a dunk for a 92-91 lead with 6.2 seconds left.

Magic fans roared after Anderson’s steal, then erupted in jubilation after Grant’s dunk. They were so loud NBC play-by-play announcer Marv Albert can barely be heard calling the sequence on the network’s broadcast.

For his part, Anderson said he was just trying to carry out coach Brian Hill’s instructions and “play good defense.” The steal was a product of that approach.

“I guess that’s the way it was supposed to happen,” Anderson told Marchitelli.

The Bulls committed a turnover on their next possession, then fouled Hardaway with 0.8 seconds left. He made the ensuing two free throws as the Magic came away victorious in the series opener.

As players and fans eagerly soaked up the win, Albert called it a “stirring finish here in Orlando.”

With sports suspended during the coronavirus pandemic, the Orlando Sentinel staff will highlight great moments in local sports history each day until our teams resume play. If you want to suggest a milestone worth celebrating at the high school, college or pro level, email ilimon@orlandosentinel.com.