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1994–95 NBA season

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1994–95 NBA season
LeagueNational Basketball Association
SportBasketball
DurationNovember 4, 1994 – April 23, 1995
April 27 – June 4, 1995 (Playoffs)
June 7–14, 1995 (Finals)
Number of teams27
TV partner(s)NBC, TBS, TNT
Draft
Top draft pickGlenn Robinson
Picked byMilwaukee Bucks
Regular season
Top seedSan Antonio Spurs
Season MVPDavid Robinson (San Antonio)
Top scorerShaquille O'Neal (Orlando)
Playoffs
Eastern championsOrlando Magic
  Eastern runners-upIndiana Pacers
Western championsHouston Rockets
  Western runners-upSan Antonio Spurs
Finals
ChampionsHouston Rockets
  Runners-upOrlando Magic
Finals MVPHakeem Olajuwon (Houston)
NBA seasons

The 1994–95 NBA season was the 49th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Houston Rockets defeating the Orlando Magic 4–0 in the NBA Finals to be crowned champions.

Notable occurrences

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Coaching changes
Offseason
Team 1993–94 coach 1994–95 coach
Dallas Mavericks Quinn Buckner Dick Motta
Los Angeles Clippers Bob Weiss Bill Fitch
Los Angeles Lakers Magic Johnson Del Harris
Minnesota Timberwolves Sidney Lowe Bill Blair
New Jersey Nets Chuck Daly Butch Beard
Philadelphia 76ers Fred Carter John Lucas
Portland Trail Blazers Rick Adelman P.J. Carlesimo
San Antonio Spurs John Lucas Bob Hill
Washington Bullets Wes Unseld Jim Lynam
In-season
Team Outgoing coach Incoming coach
Denver Nuggets Dan Issel Gene Littles
Gene Littles Bernie Bickerstaff
Golden State Warriors Don Nelson Bob Lanier
Miami Heat Kevin Loughery Alvin Gentry
  • The Houston Rockets became the lowest seeded team to ever win the NBA Finals, winning as the sixth seed in the Western Conference. The Rockets also became the first team to defeat four opponents who had 50 or more wins en route to a title (Utah, Phoenix, San Antonio and Orlando); the only other team ever to accomplish that feat was the 2000–01 Los Angeles Lakers.
  • The 1995 NBA All-Star Game was played at America West Arena (now known as Footprint Center) in Phoenix, Arizona, with the West defeating the East 139–112. Mitch Richmond of the Sacramento Kings was named the game's MVP (Most Valuable Player).
  • Late in the season, Michael Jordan returned to the Chicago Bulls after an attempt at a minor-league baseball career. His announcement consisted of a two-word fax: "I'm back." Because the Bulls had already retired his number 23, he returned wearing number 45. However, he changed back to 23 during the playoffs.
  • An era came to an end as the Boston Celtics played their final season at the historic Boston Garden.
  • The Portland Trail Blazers played their final season at Memorial Coliseum (renamed as the Veterans Memorial Coliseum as of 2012). They would host a preseason game at the Coliseum in 2009.
  • The Chicago Bulls played their first season at the United Center.
  • The Cleveland Cavaliers played their first season at Gund Arena (now known as Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse).
  • Due to extensive renovations to the Seattle Center Coliseum (renamed as KeyArena following the season), the Seattle SuperSonics played their home games at the Tacoma Dome, in nearby Tacoma, Washington.
  • Grant Hill became the first rookie in professional sports to lead fan balloting for the NBA All-Star Game.
  • The Orlando Magic became the first of the four late 1980s expansion franchises to reach the NBA Finals. They were swept in four games by the defending champion Houston Rockets.
  • Lenny Wilkens passed Red Auerbach to become the NBA's all-time leader in wins, which stood for 15 years.
  • Moses Malone, the only remaining active former ABA player, announced his retirement after 19 NBA seasons. Malone, who came to the professional level without any college basketball experience, retired just in time for a new generation of prep-to-pro stars like Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant to arrive on the scene.
  • In an effort to increase scoring, the NBA's competition committee voted to shorten the three-point field goal line to a uniform 22 feet around the basket beginning this season and lasting through the 1996–97 NBA season.[1] Orlando Magic forward Dennis Scott set a then-single season record for most three-pointers made with 267 during the 1995–96 NBA season (Later surpassed by Stephen Curry, who notched 402 three-pointers in the 2015–16 NBA season).[2] The NBA would revert to its original three-point field goal parameters of 23 feet, 9 inches (22 feet at the corners) at the start of the 1997–98 NBA season.[3]
  • Starting this season, players fouled while in the act of shooting a three-point attempt would get three free throws instead of two.[4]
  • Hand-checking was eliminated from the end line in the backcourt to the opposite foul line.[4]
  • The Western Conference Finals series between the San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets was notable for the lack of home team success. The home team lost each of the first 5 games of the series, with the Rockets finally breaking through with a home win in Game 6.
  • The Miami Heat made two blockbuster trades. The first one was 2 days before the season when Miami traded Rony Seikaly to the Golden State Warriors for Billy Owens and Sasha Danilovic. Then, 2 games into the season after a game against the Phoenix Suns, Miami traded Grant Long, Steve Smith and a 1996 1st round pick to the Atlanta Hawks for Kevin Willis and a 1996 1st round pick. The latter trade was so one-sided (Miami missed the playoffs altogether while Atlanta became a contender in the East) that it was credited with spurring the Heat to make their biggest decision in franchise history: hiring Pat Riley to be their coach and top executive.
  • In the last game of the regular season for both teams, the Denver Nuggets defeated the Sacramento Kings to obtain the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Had the Kings won, they would have qualified instead. They had missed the playoffs for nine straight seasons. As for the Nuggets, this was their final postseason appearance until 2004.
  • For the first time since the 1971–72 season, the league brought the first wave of third jerseys. The Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Detroit Pistons, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings released new alternate uniforms for the season.
  • The Los Angeles Lakers retired James Worthy's jersey number 42 in December and the Boston Celtics retired the late Reggie Lewis jersey number 35 on their rafters, the last season in which both teams retired a jersey until 2017–18.
  • On November 5, 1994, the San Antonio Spurs first home of the season, against the Golden State Warriors, was delayed for 50 minutes as the pregame fireworks show triggered a water cannon that sent water blasting down on fans, players and coaches for four minutes before it was shut off.[5]

1994–95 NBA changes

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Teams

[edit]
1994-95 National Basketball Association
Eastern Conference
Division Team City Arena Capacity
Atlantic Boston Celtics Boston, Massachusetts Boston Garden 13,909
Miami Heat Miami, Florida Miami Arena 15,200
New Jersey Nets East Rutherford, New Jersey Brendan Byrne Arena 20,049
New York Knicks New York, New York Madison Square Garden 19,812
Orlando Magic Orlando, Florida Orlando Arena 17,283
Philadelphia 76ers Philadelphia, Pennsylvania CoreStates Spectrum 18,176
Washington Bullets Landover, Maryland US Airways Arena 18,756
Central Atlanta Hawks Atlanta, Georgia Omni Coliseum 16,378
Charlotte Hornets Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte Coliseum 24,042
Chicago Bulls Chicago, Illinois United Center 21,711
Cleveland Cavaliers Cleveland, Ohio Gund Arena 19,432
Detroit Pistons Auburn Hills, Michigan The Palace of Auburn Hills 22,076
Indiana Pacers Indianapolis, Indiana Market Square Arena 17,171
Milwaukee Bucks Milwaukee, Wisconsin Bradley Center 18,717
Western Conference
Midwest Dallas Mavericks Dallas, Texas Reunion Arena 18,293
Denver Nuggets Denver, Colorado McNichols Sports Arena 17,171
Houston Rockets Houston, Texas The Summit 16,285
Minnesota Timberwolves Minneapolis, Minnesota Target Center 18,798
San Antonio Spurs San Antonio, Texas Alamodome 20,557
Utah Jazz Salt Lake City, Utah Delta Center 18,306
Pacific Golden State Warriors Oakland, California Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena 15,025
Los Angeles Clippers Los Angeles, California Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena 16,161
Los Angeles Lakers Inglewood, California Great Western Forum 17,505
Phoenix Suns Phoenix, Arizona America West Arena 19,023
Portland Trail Blazers Portland, Oregon Memorial Coliseum 12,888
Sacramento Kings Sacramento, California ARCO Arena 17,317
Seattle SuperSonics Tacoma, Washington Tacoma Dome 17,100

Map of teams

[edit]
Atlantic Division Central Division Midwest Division Pacific Division

NBA awards

[edit]

Yearly awards

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Standings

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By division

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W L PCT GB Home Road Div
c-Orlando Magic 57 25 .695 39–2 18–23 18–10
x-New York Knicks 55 27 .671 2 29–12 26–15 23–5
x-Boston Celtics 35 47 .427 22 20–21 15–26 14–14
Miami Heat 32 50 .390 25 22–19 10–31 9–19
New Jersey Nets 30 52 .366 27 20–21 10–31 13–15
Philadelphia 76ers 24 58 .293 33 14–27 10–31 12–16
Washington Bullets 21 61 .256 36 13–28 8–33 9–19
W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-Indiana Pacers 52 30 .634 33–8 19–22 18–10
x-Charlotte Hornets 50 32 .610 2 29–12 21–20 17–11
x-Chicago Bulls 47 35 .573 5 28–13 19–22 16–12
x-Cleveland Cavaliers 43 39 .524 9 26–15 17–24 17–11
x-Atlanta Hawks 42 40 .512 10 24–17 18–23 9–19
Milwaukee Bucks 34 48 .415 18 22–19 12–29 13–15
Detroit Pistons 28 54 .341 24 22–19 6–35 8–20
W L PCT GB Home Road Div
z-San Antonio Spurs 62 20 .756 33–8 29–12 20–6
x-Utah Jazz 60 22 .732 2 33–8 27–14 17–9
x-Houston Rockets 47 35 .573 15 25–16 22–19 13–13
x-Denver Nuggets 41 41 .500 21 23–18 18–23 13–13
Dallas Mavericks 36 46 .439 26 19–22 17–24 11–15
Minnesota Timberwolves 21 61 .256 41 13–28 8–33 4–22
W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-Phoenix Suns 59 23 .720 32–9 27–14 23–7
x-Seattle SuperSonics 57 25 .695 2 32–9 25–16 16–14
x-Los Angeles Lakers 48 34 .585 11 29–12 19–22 15–15
x-Portland Trail Blazers 44 38 .537 15 26–15 18–23 17–13
Sacramento Kings 39 43 .476 20 27–14 12–29 17–13
Golden State Warriors 26 56 .317 33 15–26 11–30 11–19
Los Angeles Clippers 17 65 .207 42 13–28 4–37 6–24

By conference

[edit]
#
Team W L PCT GB
1 c-Orlando Magic 57 25 .695
2 y-Indiana Pacers 52 30 .634 5
3 x-New York Knicks 55 27 .671 2
4 x-Charlotte Hornets 50 32 .610 7
5 x-Chicago Bulls 47 35 .573 10
6 x-Cleveland Cavaliers 43 39 .524 14
7 x-Atlanta Hawks 42 40 .512 15
8 x-Boston Celtics 35 47 .427 22
9 Milwaukee Bucks 34 48 .415 23
10 Miami Heat 32 50 .390 25
11 New Jersey Nets 30 52 .366 27
12 Detroit Pistons 28 54 .341 29
13 Philadelphia 76ers 24 58 .293 33
14 Washington Bullets 21 61 .256 36
#
Team W L PCT GB
1 z-San Antonio Spurs 62 20 .756
2 y-Phoenix Suns 59 23 .720 3
3 x-Utah Jazz 60 22 .732 2
4 x-Seattle SuperSonics 57 25 .695 5
5 x-Los Angeles Lakers 48 34 .585 14
6 x-Houston Rockets 47 35 .573 15
7 x-Portland Trail Blazers 44 38 .537 18
8 x-Denver Nuggets 41 41 .500 21
9 Sacramento Kings 39 43 .476 23
10 Dallas Mavericks 36 46 .439 26
11 Golden State Warriors 26 56 .317 36
12 Minnesota Timberwolves 21 61 .256 41
13 Los Angeles Clippers 17 65 .207 45
  • NOTE: The Detroit Pistons finished the 1994–95 NBA season with a 28–54 win–loss record along with a .341 win percentage, and finished 29 games behind the #1 seed Orlando Magic. The Pistons also posted a 22–19 record at home, a 6–35 record on the road, and an 8–20 record against teams in the Central Division.[6]

Notes

  • z – Clinched home court advantage for the entire playoffs
  • c – Clinched home court advantage for the conference playoffs
  • y – Clinched division title
  • x – Clinched playoff spot

Playoffs

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Teams in bold advanced to the next round. The numbers to the left of each team indicate the team's seeding in its conference, and the numbers to the right indicate the number of games the team won in that round. The division champions are marked by an asterisk. Home court advantage does not necessarily belong to the higher-seeded team, but instead the team with the better regular season record; teams enjoying the home advantage are shown in italics.

First Round Conference Semifinals Conference Finals NBA Finals
            
E1 Orlando* 3
E8 Boston 1
E1 Orlando* 4
E5 Chicago 2
E4 Charlotte 1
E5 Chicago 3
E1 Orlando* 4
Eastern Conference
E2 Indiana* 3
E3 New York 3
E6 Cleveland 1
E3 New York 3
E2 Indiana* 4
E2 Indiana* 3
E7 Atlanta 0
E1 Orlando* 0
W6 Houston 4
W1 San Antonio* 3
W8 Denver 0
W1 San Antonio* 4
W5 LA Lakers 2
W4 Seattle 1
W5 LA Lakers 3
W1 San Antonio* 2
Western Conference
W6 Houston 4
W3 Utah 2
W6 Houston 3
W6 Houston 4
W2 Phoenix* 3
W2 Phoenix* 3
W7 Portland 0
  • * Division winner
  • Bold Series winner
  • Italic Team with home-court advantage

Statistics leaders

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Category Player Team Stat
Points per game Shaquille O'Neal Orlando Magic 29.3
Rebounds per game Dennis Rodman San Antonio Spurs 16.8
Assists per game John Stockton Utah Jazz 12.3
Steals per game Scottie Pippen Chicago Bulls 2.94
Blocks per game Dikembe Mutombo Denver Nuggets 3.91
FG% Chris Gatling Golden State Warriors .633
FT% Spud Webb Sacramento Kings .934
3FG% Steve Kerr Chicago Bulls .524

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "PRO BASKETBALL; N.B.A. Panel's 3-Point Plan". The New York Times. September 14, 1994. Archived from the original on November 21, 2015. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
  2. ^ "Stephen Curry Stats - Basketball-Reference.com". Basketball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on May 31, 2017. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  3. ^ Abrams, Jonathan (October 18, 2009). "In Its 30th Year in N.B.A., 3-Pointer Is No Outsider". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 6, 2018. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
  4. ^ a b "NBA RULES CHANGES FOR 1994–95 SEASON" The Washington Post
  5. ^ Camilo, Christian. "The day fireworks triggered water cannons at Spurs-Warriors game". epicbuzzer.com. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  6. ^ "1994–95 NBA Standings". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved July 9, 2021.