| 1995–96 Seattle SuperSonics season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Conference champions | |||
Division champions | |||
| Head coach | George Karl | ||
| General manager | Wally Walker | ||
| Arena | KeyArena at Seattle Center | ||
| Results | |||
| Record | 64–18 (.780) | ||
| Place | Division: 1st (Pacific) Conference: 1st (Western) | ||
| Playoff finish | NBA Finals (lost toBulls 2–4) | ||
Stats atBasketball Reference | |||
| Local media | |||
| Television | KSTW Prime Sports Northwest | ||
| Radio | KJR | ||
| |||
The1995–96 Seattle SuperSonics season was the 28th season for theSeattle SuperSonics in theNational Basketball Association.[1] During the off-season, the SuperSonics acquiredHersey Hawkins andDavid Wingate from theCharlotte Hornets,[2][3][4] and re-acquiredFrank Brickowski from theSacramento Kings.[5][6] The team returned to what had now become theKeyArena at Seattle Center, after spending the previous season in theTacoma Dome, while the KeyArena was being renovated.[7][8]
After two consecutiveNBA playoff appearances losing in the first round, the SuperSonics got off to a 9–6 start to the regular season in November, but later on posted a 14-game winning streak between February and March, then won nine straight games between March and April. The team held a 34–12 record at the All-Star break,[9] then won 30 of their final 36 games of the season, winning thePacific Division title with a franchise-best 64–18 record, surpassing the record from the1993–94 season, and earning the first seed in theWestern Conference;[10] The team also posted a 38–3 record at home, which was the second-best in the league, and qualified for the NBA playoffs for the sixth consecutive year.
Shawn Kemp led the team with 19.6 points, 11.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game, whileGary Payton averaged 19.3 points, 7.5 assists and 2.9 steals per game, and was named to theNBA All-Defensive First Team, and was named theNBA Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the first and only point guard ever to win the award;[11][12][13] Kemp and Payton were both named to theAll-NBA Second Team. In addition,Detlef Schrempf averaged 17.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game, but only played 63 games due to a knee injury,[14][15][16] while Hawkins provided the team with 15.6 points and 1.8 steals per game, and also led them with 146 three-point field goals, sixth manSam Perkins provided with 11.8 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, along with 129 three-point field goals, and starting centerErvin Johnson contributed 5.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game. Also off the bench,Vincent Askew averaged 8.4 points per game, and defensive guardNate McMillan contributed 5.0 points, 3.6 assists and 1.7 steals per game.[17]
During theNBA All-Star weekend at theAlamodome inSan Antonio, Texas, Kemp and Payton were both selected for the1996 NBA All-Star Game, as members of the Western Conference All-Star team, while head coachGeorge Karl was selected to coach the Western Conference;[18][19][20] Payton also finished in sixth place inMost Valuable Player voting, while Kemp finished in eighth place.[21][22] This Sonics team is regarded as one of the best defensive teams in the late 90s.
Led by Kemp and Payton, the two formed "Sonic Boom", one of the most electrifying tandems in NBA history. In the1996 NBA playoffs, the SuperSonics faced off against the 8th-seededSacramento Kings in the Western Conference First Round; despite losing Game 2 at home, 90–81,[23][24][25] the SuperSonics defeated the Kings in four games, advancing to the second round for the first time in three years.[26][27][28] In the Western Conference Semi-finals, they swept the 5th-seeded, and 2-time defending NBA championHouston Rockets in four straight games to advance to the Western Conference Finals,[29][30][31] where they defeated theUtah Jazz inseven games to reach their firstNBA Finals appearance since1979.[32][33][34]
In the1996 NBA Finals, they would face off against theChicago Bulls, who posted the league's best record at 72–10, and were led byMichael Jordan,Scottie Pippen andDennis Rodman. After an 0–3 start in the series,[35][36][37] the SuperSonics managed to win their next two home games,[38][39] but eventually lost the series in Game 6 in Chicago.[40][41][42]
The SuperSonics finished 14th in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 697,301 at the KeyArena at Seattle Center during the regular season.[17][43] Following the season, Johnson signed as a free agent with theDenver Nuggets,[44][45][46] while Askew was traded to theNew Jersey Nets,[47][48] and Brickowski signed with theBoston Celtics.[49] This Sonics team has been featured in the video game seriesNBA 2K.
For the season, the SuperSonics featured a new primary logo of a dark green oval with the Space Needle forming the letter "I" in Sonics,[50] plus adding new uniforms, and added dark green and red to their color scheme.[51][52] The logo and uniforms would both remain in use until 2001.
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 26 | Sherell Ford | SF |  United States | Illinois–Chicago |
| 2 | 54 | Eurelijus Žukauskas | C |  Lithuania | Neptūnas Klaipėda |
| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Head coach Assistant(s) Legend
Roster |
| W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| c-Seattle SuperSonics | 64 | 18 | .780 | – | 38–3 | 26–15 | 21–3 |
| x-Los Angeles Lakers | 53 | 29 | .646 | 11 | 30–11 | 23–18 | 17–7 |
| x-Portland Trail Blazers | 44 | 38 | .537 | 20 | 26–15 | 18–23 | 11–13 |
| x-Phoenix Suns | 41 | 41 | .500 | 23 | 25–16 | 16–25 | 9–15 |
| x-Sacramento Kings | 39 | 43 | .476 | 25 | 26–15 | 13–28 | 11–13 |
| Golden State Warriors | 36 | 46 | .439 | 28 | 23–18 | 13–28 | 7–17 |
| Los Angeles Clippers | 29 | 53 | .354 | 35 | 19–22 | 10–31 | 7–17 |
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | c-Seattle SuperSonics * | 64 | 18 | .780 | – | 82 |
| 2 | y-San Antonio Spurs * | 59 | 23 | .720 | 5 | 82 |
| 3 | x-Utah Jazz | 55 | 27 | .671 | 9 | 82 |
| 4 | x-Los Angeles Lakers | 53 | 29 | .646 | 11 | 82 |
| 5 | x-Houston Rockets | 48 | 34 | .585 | 16 | 82 |
| 6 | x-Portland Trail Blazers | 44 | 38 | .537 | 20 | 82 |
| 7 | x-Phoenix Suns | 41 | 41 | .500 | 23 | 82 |
| 8 | x-Sacramento Kings | 39 | 43 | .476 | 25 | 82 |
| 9 | Golden State Warriors | 36 | 46 | .439 | 28 | 82 |
| 10 | Denver Nuggets | 35 | 47 | .427 | 29 | 82 |
| 11 | Los Angeles Clippers | 29 | 53 | .354 | 35 | 82 |
| 12 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 26 | 56 | .317 | 38 | 82 |
| 13 | Dallas Mavericks | 26 | 56 | .317 | 38 | 82 |
| 14 | Vancouver Grizzlies | 15 | 67 | .183 | 49 | 82 |
| 1995–96 game log Total: 64–18 (home: 38–3; road: 26–15) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
November: 0–0 (home: 0–0; road: 0–0)
| |||||||||
December: 0–0 (home: 0–0; road: 0–0)
| |||||||||
January: 0–0 (home: 0–0; road: 0–0)
| |||||||||
February: 0–0 (home: 0–0; road: 0–0)
| |||||||||
March: 0–0 (home: 0–0; road: 0–0)
| |||||||||
April: 0–0 (home: 0–0; road: 0–0)
| |||||||||
| 1995–96 schedule | |||||||||
The SuperSonics started their season on November 3 on the road wherein they faced the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City. They started the game well after leading the Jazz in the 1st Quarter, but the Jazz fought back and never looked back as they defeated the Sonics, 112–94. The Sonics now went back home to play the two Los Angeles teams, theLos Angeles Lakers and theL.A. Clippers. The SuperSonics won both of their home games, as they were now up 2-1 for the season. On November 26, the SuperSonics hosted the Michael Jordan-ledChicago Bulls. The visiting Bulls hold a double-digit lead at halftime but the Sonics fought back and only allowed 28 2nd half PTS for the Bulls as they won the game, 97–92. The month of November for the Sonics ended in a disappointing way because they were defeated by a point by the visitingIndiana Pacers led byReggie Miller. Overall, the Sonics posted a record of 9–6 in 15 games played during that month.[53]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vincent Askew | 69 | 2 | 25.0 | .493 | .337 | .764 | 3.2 | 2.4 | .7 | .2 | 8.4 |
| Frank Brickowski | 63 | 8 | 15.7 | .488 | .405 | .709 | 2.4 | .9 | .4 | .1 | 5.4 |
| Sherell Ford | 28 | 1 | 5.0 | .375 | .160 | .765 | .9 | .2 | .3 | .0 | 3.2 |
| Hersey Hawkins | 82 | 82 | 34.4 | .473 | .384 | .874 | 3.6 | 2.7 | 1.8 | .2 | 15.6 |
| Ervin Johnson | 81 | 60 | 18.8 | .511 | .333 | .669 | 5.3 | .6 | .5 | 1.6 | 5.5 |
| Shawn Kemp | 79 | 76 | 33.3 | .561 | .417 | .742 | 11.4 | 2.2 | 1.2 | 1.6 | 19.6 |
| Nate McMillan | 55 | 14 | 22.9 | .420 | .380 | .707 | 3.8 | 3.6 | 1.7 | .3 | 5.0 |
| Gary Payton | 81 | 81 | 39.0 | .484 | .328 | .748 | 4.2 | 7.5 | 2.9 | .2 | 19.3 |
| Sam Perkins | 82 | 20 | 26.5 | .408 | .355 | .793 | 4.5 | 1.5 | 1.0 | .6 | 11.8 |
| Steve Scheffler | 35 | 2 | 5.2 | .533 | .200 | .474 | .9 | .1 | .2 | .1 | 1.7 |
| Detlef Schrempf | 63 | 60 | 34.9 | .486 | .408 | .776 | 5.2 | 4.4 | .9 | .1 | 17.1 |
| Eric Snow | 43 | 1 | 9.0 | .420 | .200 | .592 | 1.0 | 1.7 | .7 | .0 | 2.7 |
| David Wingate | 60 | 3 | 11.6 | .415 | .441 | .780 | .9 | 1.0 | .3 | .1 | 3.7 |
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vincent Askew | 19 | 0 | 18.2 | .343 | .261 | .607 | 2.2 | 1.4 | .7 | .4 | 3.7 |
| Frank Brickowski | 21 | 3 | 9.8 | .421 | .273 | .750 | 1.4 | .5 | .3 | .2 | 2.0 |
| Hersey Hawkins | 21 | 21 | 34.0 | .452 | .344 | .895 | 3.0 | 2.2 | 1.3 | .2 | 12.3 |
| Ervin Johnson | 18 | 18 | 14.1 | .371 | .000 | .818 | 3.8 | .4 | .3 | .8 | 3.1 |
| Shawn Kemp | 20 | 20 | 36.0 | .570 | .000 | .795 | 10.4 | 1.5 | 1.2 | 2.0 | 20.9 |
| Nate McMillan | 19 | 0 | 20.3 | .406 | .475 | .643 | 3.7 | 2.7 | 1.2 | .3 | 4.4 |
| Gary Payton | 21 | 21 | 43.4 | .485 | .410 | .633 | 5.1 | 6.8 | 1.8 | .3 | 20.7 |
| Sam Perkins | 21 | 1 | 31.1 | .459 | .368 | .754 | 4.3 | 1.7 | .7 | .3 | 12.3 |
| Steve Scheffler | 8 | 0 | 2.8 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .8 | .3 | .1 | .0 | .0 |
| Detlef Schrempf | 21 | 21 | 37.6 | .475 | .368 | .750 | 5.0 | 3.2 | .7 | .2 | 16.0 |
| Eric Snow | 10 | 0 | 2.4 | .143 | .000 | .000 | .4 | .6 | .2 | .0 | .2 |
| David Wingate | 13 | 0 | 5.2 | .438 | .500 | 1.000 | .2 | .0 | .0 | .0 | 1.5 |
Player Statistics Citation:[17]
| June 27, 1995 | ToSeattle SuperSonics Hersey Hawkins David Wingate | ToCharlotte Hornets Kendall Gill |
| June 28, 1995 | ToSeattle SuperSonics Eric Snow | ToMilwaukee Bucks Aurelijus Zukauskas 1996 second-round pick |
| September 18, 1995 | ToSeattle SuperSonics Frank Brickowski | ToSacramento Kings Byron Houston Šarūnas Marčiulionis |
Additions[edit]
| Subtractions[edit]
|
Player Transactions Citation:[54]
