When Shaq's raw strength overshadowed Nick Anderson's 50-point performance

Throughout his 13-year NBA career, Nick Anderson never experienced the accolades of an All-Star selection or the glory of a championship victory. Nevertheless, he did experience his heroic moments, including his career-high 50-point performance against the New Jersey Nets in the 1992-93 season.

Despite leading the Orlando Magic to a nail-biting win, Anderson's hard-fought efforts were overshadowed by Shaquille O'Neal , who had a subpar game, yet his raw strength and power were enough to attract all headlines.

Anderson's career-high night against the Nets

Shaq's impact extended beyond his impressive 23.4 points per game average during his rookie year. The 7'1" center demonstrated a remarkable ability to damage pieces of equipment with his raw strength. In his debut national television appearance on NBC against Charles Barkley's Phoenix Suns, O'Neal dunked the ball with such force that the entire basket was forced to bend forward, ultimately breaking its support system and causing a 35-minute delay.

However, his destructive abilities reached greater heights on April 23, '93, when the Magic played the Nets. On this occasion, his ferocious play in the first quarter brought the entire rim and dislodged the shot clock, leaving both lying on the floor.

On the other hand, Nick, who was questionable for the game due to a strained hamstring, started on the bench. But once he hit the court, he was unstoppable. In 33 minutes, the 6'6" shooting guard shot 68% from the field and 57.1% from beyond the arc, racking up a career-best 50 points with just one turnover. Meanwhile, Shaq struggled to make an impact, scoring only 10 points on 27.3% shooting and grabbing 5 rebounds.

More importantly, despite the Nets having four players scoring over 20 points, the Magic won the game 119-116.

Nick Anderson's performance deserved more limelight

While Nick's performance was appreciated, the dominant topic of discussion in the barbershops around the country was The Big Aristotle dismantling the entire backboard.

Safe to say, it was indeed the quietest 50-point performance in NBA history, considering how, years later, it was Jamal Crawford who became the next player to drop a 51-point performance off the bench against the Suns in the 2018-19 season. Perhaps that was just one of the many drawbacks O'Neal's teammates faced during his reign in the league.

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