1995–96 NBA season

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

1995–96 NBA season
League National Basketball Association
Sport Basketball
TV partner/s NBC, TBS
Regular season
Season MVP Flag of the United States Michael Jordan (Chicago)
Top scorer Flag of the United States Michael Jordan (Chicago)
Playoffs
Eastern champions Chicago Bulls
  Eastern runners-up Orlando Magic
Western champions Seattle SuperSonics
  Western runners-up Utah Jazz
Finals
Finals champions Chicago Bulls
  Runners-up Seattle SuperSonics
Finals MVP Flag of the United States Michael Jordan (Chicago)

NBA seasons

< 1994–95

1996–97 >

The 1995–96 NBA season was the 50th season of the National Basketball Association, although the league didn't celebrate this anniversary until the following season. The season ended with the Chicago Bulls defeating the Seattle SuperSonics 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals to win the franchise's 4th championship.

Contents

[edit] Notable occurrences

  • The Chicago Bulls break the record for most wins in a season and highest winning percentage, going 72-10 (.878). They are the closest that any team has come to avoiding back-to-back losses in a season, allowing this just once in mid-season. They also lost only one game by more than 10 points, which is the closest that any team has come to avoiding a blowout loss in a season.
  • The Bulls finish the season with a combined regular season and postseason record of 87-13, the best in NBA history.
  • Michael Jordan became the only player to win the NBA Finals MVP Award at least four times.
  • Michael Jordan won his NBA record 8th scoring title.
  • The Boston Celtics play their first game at the Fleet Center (now TD Banknorth Garden).
  • The NBA marks its return to Canada after almost 50 years as the Toronto Raptors and the Vancouver Grizzlies make their debuts as the NBA's 28th and 29th franchises. The Grizzlies began play at GM Place while the Raptors set up shop at SkyDome (now Rogers Centre). In addition to that, both franchises emerge victorious in their debut games.
  • The 1996 NBA All-Star Game was played at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, with the East defeating the West 129–118. Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls was named the game's MVP.
  • The Seattle SuperSonics play their first game at Key Arena.
  • The Portland Trail Blazers play their first game at the Rose Garden.
  • Referees were locked out to begin the season, but reached an agreement to return to work in December 1995.
  • Magic Johnson comes out of retirement to play in 32 games for Los Angeles before retiring again at the end of the season.
  • The Philadelphia 76ers play their final game at The Spectrum.
  • Hakeem Olajuwon passes Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the all-time leader in blocked shots in the last game of the season.

[edit] Final standings

[edit] Eastern Conference

Atlantic Division
Team W L PCT. GB
Orlando Magic 60 22 .732 -
New York Knicks 47 35 .573 13
Miami Heat 42 40 .512 18
Washington Bullets 39 43 .476 21
Boston Celtics 33 49 .402 27
New Jersey Nets 30 52 .366 30
Philadelphia 76ers 18 64 .220 42
Central Division
Team W L PCT. GB
Chicago Bulls C 72 10 .878 -
Indiana Pacers 52 30 .634 20
Cleveland Cavaliers 47 35 .573 25
Atlanta Hawks 46 36 .561 26
Detroit Pistons 46 36 .561 26
Charlotte Hornets 41 41 .500 31
Milwaukee Bucks 25 57 .305 47
Toronto Raptors 21 61 .256 51

[edit] Western Conference

Midwest Division
Team W L PCT. GB
San Antonio Spurs 59 23 .720 -
Utah Jazz 55 27 .671 4
Houston Rockets 48 34 .585 11
Denver Nuggets 35 47 .427 24
Dallas Mavericks 26 56 .317 33
Minnesota Timberwolves 26 56 .317 33
Vancouver Grizzlies 15 67 .183 44
Pacific Division
Team W L PCT. GB
Seattle SuperSonics 64 18 .780 -
Los Angeles Lakers 53 29 .646 11
Portland Trail Blazers 44 38 .537 20
Phoenix Suns 41 41 .500 23
Sacramento Kings 39 43 .476 25
Golden State Warriors 36 46 .439 28
Los Angeles Clippers 29 53 .354 35

C - NBA Champions

[edit] 1995-96 NBA statistics leaders

Category Player Team Stat
Points per game Michael Jordan Chicago Bulls 30.4
Rebounds per game Dennis Rodman Chicago Bulls 14.9
Assists per game John Stockton Utah Jazz 11.2
Steals per game Gary Payton Seattle SuperSonics 2.9
Blocks per game Dikembe Mutombo Denver Nuggets 4.5
FG% Gheorghe Muresan Washington Bullets 58.4
FT% Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf Denver Nuggets 93.0
3FG% Tim Legler Washington Bullets 52.2

[edit] NBA awards

Note: All information on this page were obtained on the History section on NBA.com

[edit] See also

v • d • e
NBA seasons
Also this year: 1995 Draft • 1996 Playoffs • 1996 Finals • 1996 in sports
1940s 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49
1950s 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59
1960s 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69
1970s 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79
1980s 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89
1990s 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99
2000s 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09
v • d • e
1995–96 NBA season by team
1995 NBA Expansion Draft • 1995 NBA Draft • All-Star Game • Playoffs • Finals • Transactions
East
Boston • Miami • New Jersey • New York • Orlando • Philadelphia • Washington
Atlanta • Charlotte • Chicago • Cleveland • Detroit • Indiana • Milwaukee • Toronto
West
Dallas • Denver • Houston • Minnesota • San Antonio • Utah • Vancouver
Golden State • L.A. Clippers • L.A. Lakers • Phoenix • Portland • Sacramento • Seattle