re: Did Nick Anderson’s 4 miss free throws cause them to lose the finals to Houston?

No. The only thing that would have changed is the Magic would have lost the series in a gentlemen’s sweep instead of a clean sweep. The Magic had a stronger 1-2 punch but the Rockets were significantly better from 3-8. They were simply the better team. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that guys like Robert Horry, Sam Cassell, and Mario Elie continues to have a lot of team success after leaving the Rockets. Those guys were consummate winners who knew how to win in the postseason.