1995–96 Seattle SuperSonics season

The 1995–96 NBA season was the 28th season for the Seattle SuperSonics in the National Basketball Association.[1] During the offseason, the Sonics acquired shooting guard Hersey Hawkins from the Charlotte Hornets. The team returned to what had now become KeyArena after spending the previous season in the Tacoma Dome as the KeyArena was being renovated. After two consecutive playoffs appearances losing in the first round, the Sonics played their best basketball posting a 14-game winning streak between February and March. The team won 30 of their 36 games after the All-Star break to finish the regular season with a franchise best 64–18 record, surpassing the record from the 1993–94 season, and earned their third number one seed in the Western Conference in franchise history. Point guard and Defensive Player of the Year Gary Payton and power forward Shawn Kemp were both selected for the 1996 NBA All-Star Game. This Sonics team is regarded as one of the best defensive teams in the late 90s.

1995–96 Seattle SuperSonics season
Conference champions
Division champions
Head coachGeorge Karl
General managerWally Walker
ArenaKeyArena at Seattle Center
Results
Record64–18 (.780)
PlaceDivision: 1st (Pacific)
Conference: 1st (Western)
Playoff finishNBA Finals
(Lost to Bulls 2–4)
Stats @ Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
TelevisionKING-TV
KSTW
Prime Sports Northwest
RadioKJR

Led by Kemp and Payton, the two formed "Sonic Boom", one of the most electrifying tandems in NBA history. The SuperSonics defeated the Sacramento Kings three games to one in the first round, advancing to the second round for the first time in three years.[2] In the semifinals, they swept the 5th-seeded and reigning champions Houston Rockets in four straight games to advance to the Western Conference Finals, where they defeated the Utah Jazz in seven games to reach their first NBA Finals since 1979, where they would face the Chicago Bulls. After an 0–3 start in the series, Seattle managed to win their next two home games, but eventually lost the series in Game 6 in Chicago.[3] Following the season, Ervin Johnson signed as a free agent with the Denver Nuggets, and Vincent Askew was traded to the New Jersey Nets. This Sonics team has been featured in the video game series NBA 2K.

For the season, the Sonics featured new uniforms, a new logo, and adding red to their color scheme. The logo and uniforms would remain until 2001.

Draft picks
Main article: 1995 NBA draft
Round Pick Player Position Nationality College
126Sherell FordSF United StatesIllinois–Chicago
254Eurelijus ŽukauskasC LithuaniaNeptūnas Klaipėda

Roster
Roster listing
Seattle SuperSonics roster
PlayersCoaches
Pos.No.NameHeightWeightDOB (YYYY-MM-DD)From
SF 2 Askew, Vincent 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1966–02–28 Memphis
PF 34 Brickowski, Frank 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1959–08–14 Penn State
SF 1 Ford, Sherell 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1972–08–26 Illinois–Chicago
SG 33 Hawkins, Hersey 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1966–09–29 Bradley
C 50 Johnson, Ervin 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 245 lb (111 kg) 1967–12–21 New Orleans
PF 40 Kemp, Shawn 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1969–11–26 Trinity Valley CC
PG 10 McMillan, Nate 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1964–08–03 North Carolina State
PG 20 Payton, Gary 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1968–07–23 Oregon State
C 14 Perkins, Sam 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1961–06–14 North Carolina
C 55 Scheffler, Steve 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 250 lb (113 kg) 1967–09–03 Purdue
SF 11 Schrempf, Detlef 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 214 lb (97 kg) 1963–01–21 Washington
PG 3 Snow, Eric 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1973–04–04 Michigan State
SF 25 Wingate, David 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1963–12–15 Georgetown
Head coach
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured

Regular season

Season standings
Pacific Division W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-Seattle SuperSonics6418.780–38–326–1521–3
x-Los Angeles Lakers5329.6461130–1123–1817–7
x-Portland Trail Blazers4438.5372026–1518–2311–13
x-Phoenix Suns4141.5002325–1616–259–15
x-Sacramento Kings3943.4762526–1513–2811–13
Golden State Warriors3646.4392823–1813–287–17
Los Angeles Clippers2953.3543519–2210–317–17
Western Conference
# Team W L PCT GB GP
1 c-Seattle SuperSonics *6418.780–82
2 y-San Antonio Spurs *5923.720582
3 x-Utah Jazz5527.671982
4 x-Los Angeles Lakers5329.6461182
5 x-Houston Rockets4834.5851682
6 x-Portland Trail Blazers4438.5372082
7 x-Phoenix Suns4141.5002382
8 x-Sacramento Kings3943.4762582
9 Golden State Warriors3646.4392882
10 Denver Nuggets3547.4272982
11 Los Angeles Clippers2953.3543582
12 Minnesota Timberwolves2656.3173882
13 Dallas Mavericks2656.3173882
14 Vancouver Grizzlies1567.1834982

Record vs. opponents
1995–96 NBA records
Team ATL BOS CHA CHI CLE DAL DEN DET GSW HOU IND LAC LAL MIA MIL MIN NJN NYK ORL PHI PHO POR SAC SAS SEA TOR UTA VAN WAS
Atlanta —4–03–10–43–11–11–12–21–11–11–32–00–22–22–21–14–02–12–22–10–22–02–00–20–24–01–12–01–3
Boston 0–4—2–20–31–30–21–12–10–21–10–42–00–23–13–12–02–20–41–34–01–10–22–00–20–23–10–21–12–2
Charlotte 1–32–2—1–33–12–02–01–30–20–21–31–12–02–23–11–10–33–00–43–12–01–11–10–20–23–11–12–03–1
Chicago 4–03–03–1—4–02–01–14–02–02–02–22–02–03–14–02–03–03–13–14–01–12–02–02–01–13–12–02–04–0
Cleveland 1–33–11–30–4—2–01–12–22–01–12–22–02–01–34–02–01–23–11–24–02–01–11–10–20–23–10–22–03–1
Dallas 1–12–00–20–20–2—2–20–22–21–30–22–20–40–21–10–41–10–21–10–21–30–42–22–22–21–11–34–00–2
Denver 1–11–10–21–11–12–2—1–12–21–30–21–32–20–21–14–00–21–11–12–03–10–40–40–41–32–03–13–11–1
Detroit 2–21–23–10–42–22–01–1—2–01–12–22–00–21–32–21–14–00–41–34–02–02–01–12–01–14–00–22–01–2
Golden State 1–12–02–00–20–22–22–20–2—2–21–13–11–31–11–13–12–00–20–22–01–31–31–31–30–41–11–34–01–1
Houston 1–11–12–00–21–13–13–11–12–2—2–04–03–10–22–02–22–00–20–22–03–12–22–21–30–42–02–24–01–1
Indiana 3–14–03–12–22–22–02–02–21–10–2—2–01–13–03–11–11–31–32–23–11–11–10–21–12–04–00–22–03–0
L.A. Clippers 0–20–21–10–20–22–23–10–21–30–40–2—0–41–11–13–11–11–10–22–03–12–22–21–30–40–21–33–11–1
L.A. Lakers 2–02–00–20–20–24–02–22–03–11–31–14–0—2–02–03–12–01–11–11–13–12–23–11–32–22–02–24–01–1
Miami 2–21–32–21–33–12–02–03–11–12–00–31–10–2—3–01–15–01–31–33–11–10–21–11–10–22–10–21–12–2
Milwaukee 2–21–31–30–40–41–11–12–21–10–21–31–10–20–3—1–11–32–21–32–10–22–00–21–10–22–20–21–11–3
Minnesota 1–10–21–10–20–24–00–41–11–32–21–11–31–31–11–1—1–10–20–21–11–30–43–11–30–41–11–32–20–2
New Jersey 0–42–23–00–32–11–12–00–40–20–23–11–10–20–53–11–1—2–20–42–20–21–11–10–20–22–20–22–02–2
New York 1–24–00–31–31–32–01–14–02–02–03–11–11–13–12–22–02–2—1–33–10–20–20–21–11–14–01–11–13–1
Orlando 2–23–14–01–32–11–11–13–12–02–02–22–01–13–13–12–04–03–1—4–02–01–11–11–11–12–11–12–04–0
Philadelphia 1–20–41–30–40–42–00–20–40–20–21–30–21–11–31–21–12–21–30–4—0–20–20–20–20–23–11–11–11–3
Phoenix 2–01–10–21–10–23–11–30–23–11–31–11–31–31–12–03–12–02–00–22–0—2–22–21–30–42–01–34–02–0
Portland 0–22–01–10–21–14–04–00–23–12–21–12–22–22–00–24–01–12–01–12–02–2—1–31–31–32–01–32–20–2
Sacramento 0–20–21–10–21–12–24–01–13–12–22–02–21–31–12–01–31–12–01–12–02–23–1—1–30–42–00–42–20–2
San Antonio 2–02–02–00–22–02–24–00–23–13–11–13–13–11–11–13–12–01–11–12–03–13–13–1—2–22–03–14–01–1
Seattle 2–02–02–01–12–02–23–11–14–04–00–24–02–22–02–04–02–01–11–12–04–03–14–02–2—1–13–13–11–1
Toronto 0–41–31–31–31–31–10–20–41–10–20–42–00–21–22–21–12–20–41–21–30–20–20–20–21–1—0–21–13–1
Utah 1–12–01–10–22–03–11–32–03–12–22–03–12–22–02–03–12–01–11–11–13–13–14–01–31–32–0—4–01–1
Vancouver 0–21–10–20–20–20–41–30–20–40–40–21–30–41–11–12–20–21–10–21–10–42–22–20–41–31–10–4—0–2
Washington 3–12–21–30–41–32–01–12–11–11–10–31–11–12–23–12–02–21–30–43–10–22–02–01–11–11–31–12–0—

Game log
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

Season Synopsis

November

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, the Los Angeles Lakers and the L.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-led Chicago 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 visiting Indiana Pacers led by Reggie Miller. Overall, the Sonics posted a record of 9-6 in 15 games played during that month.

Playoffs

West First Round

(1) Seattle SuperSonics vs. (8) Sacramento Kings Last Playoff Meeting: This is the first meeting between the SuperSonics and Kings.

Game Date Home Score Visitor Score Record

(SEA-SAC)

 Venue Recap Television
1 April 26 Seattle 97 Sacramento 85 1-0 KeyArena, Seattle 1 TNT 10:30et
2 April 28 Seattle 81 Sacramento 90 1-1 KeyArena, Seattle 2 TNT 9:00et
3 April 30 Sacramento 89 Seattle 96 2-1 ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California 3 TNT 10:30et
4 May 2 Sacramento 87 Seattle 101 3-1 ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California 4 TBS 10:30et
Seattle wins series 3–1

West Conference Semifinals

(1) Seattle SuperSonics vs. (5) Houston Rockets Last Playoff Meeting: 1993 Western Conference Semifinals (Seattle won 4-3)

Game Date Home Score Visitor Score Record

(SEA-HOU)

 Venue Recap Television
1 May 4 Seattle 108 Houston 75 1-0 KeyArena, Seattle 1 NBC 3:30et
2 May 6 Seattle 105 Houston 101 2-0 KeyArena, Seattle 2 TNT 9:00et
3 May 10 Houston 112 Seattle 115 3-0 The Summit, Houston 3 TNT 9:30et
4* May 12 Houston 107 Seattle 114 4-0 The Summit, Houston 4 NBC 3:00et
Seattle wins series 4–0

*Required overtime

West Conference Finals

(1) Seattle SuperSonics vs. (3) Utah Jazz Last Playoff Meeting: 1993 Western Conference First Round (Seattle won 4-3)

Game Date Home Score Visitor Score Record

(SEA-UTAH)

 Venue Recap Television
1 May 18 Seattle 102 Utah 72 1-0 KeyArena, Seattle 1 NBC 3:30et
2 May 20 Seattle 91 Utah 87 2-0 KeyArena, Seattle 2 TNT 9:00et
3 May 24 Utah 96 Seattle 76 2-1 Delta Center, Salt Lake City 3 NBC 9:00et
4 May 26 Utah 86 Seattle 88 3-1 Delta Center, Salt Lake City 4 NBC 3:30et
5* May 28 Seattle 95 Utah 98 3-2 KeyArena, Seattle 5 NBC 9:00et
6 May 30 Utah 118 Seattle 83 3-3 Delta Center, Salt Lake City 6 NBC 9:00et
7 June 2 Seattle 90 Utah 86 4-3 KeyArena, Seattle 7 NBC 7:30et
Seattle wins series 4–3

*Required overtime

NBA Finals

Chicago Bulls vs. Seattle SuperSonics

Game Date Home Score Visitor Score Record

(CHI-SEA)

 Venue Recap Television
1 June 5 Chicago 107 Seattle 90 1-0 United Center, Chicago 1 NBC 9:00et
2 June 7 Chicago 92 Seattle 88 2-0 United Center, Chicago 2 NBC 9:00et
3 June 9 Seattle 86 Chicago 108 3-0 KeyArena, Seattle 3 NBC 7:30et
4 June 12 Seattle 107 Chicago 86 3-1 KeyArena, Seattle 4 NBC 9:00et
5 June 14 Seattle 89 Chicago 78 3-2 KeyArena, Seattle 5 NBC 9:00et
6 June 16 Chicago 87 Seattle 75 4-2 United Center, Chicago 6 NBC 7:30et
Chicago wins NBA Finals series 4–2

Player statistics
Legend
  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

Season
Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Vincent Askew 69225.0.493.337.7643.22.4.7.28.4
Frank Brickowski 63815.7.488.405.7092.4.9.4.15.4
Sherell Ford 2815.0.375.160.765.9.2.3.03.2
Hersey Hawkins 828234.4.473.384.8743.62.71.8.215.6
Ervin Johnson 816018.8.511.333.6695.3.6.51.65.5
Shawn Kemp 797633.3.561.417.74211.42.21.21.619.6
Nate McMillan 551422.9.420.380.7073.83.61.7.35.0
Gary Payton 818139.0.484.328.7484.27.52.9.219.3
Sam Perkins 822026.5.408.355.7934.51.51.0.611.8
Steve Scheffler 3525.2.533.200.474.9.1.2.11.7
Detlef Schrempf 636034.9.486.408.7765.24.4.9.117.1
Eric Snow 4319.0.420.200.5921.01.7.7.02.7
David Wingate 60311.6.415.441.780.91.0.3.13.7

Playoffs
Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Vincent Askew 19018.2.343.261.6072.21.4.7.43.7
Frank Brickowski 2139.8.421.273.7501.4.5.3.22.0
Hersey Hawkins 212134.0.452.344.8953.02.21.3.212.3
Ervin Johnson 181814.1.371.000.8183.8.4.3.83.1
Shawn Kemp 202036.0.570.000.79510.41.51.22.020.9
Nate McMillan 19020.3.406.475.6433.72.71.2.34.4
Gary Payton 212143.4.485.410.6335.16.81.8.320.7
Sam Perkins 21131.1.459.368.7544.31.7.7.312.3
Steve Scheffler 802.8.000.000.000.8.3.1.0.0
Detlef Schrempf 212137.6.475.368.7505.03.2.7.216.0
Eric Snow 1002.4.143.000.000.4.6.2.0.2
David Wingate 1305.2.438.5001.000.2.0.0.01.5

Awards and records

Awards
All-NBA Teams
  • Shawn Kemp – All-NBA Second Team
  • Gary Payton – All-NBA Second Team
NBA All-Defensive Teams
  • Gary Payton – All-Defensive First Team
1996 NBA All-Star Game
  • Shawn Kemp (fourth appearance, second start)
  • Gary Payton (third appearance)

Records

Transactions
Main article: List of 1995–96 NBA season transactions

Trades
June 27, 1995
 To Seattle SuperSonics
Hersey Hawkins
David Wingate		 To Charlotte Hornets
Kendall Gill
June 28, 1995
 To Seattle SuperSonics
Eric Snow		 To Milwaukee Bucks
Aurelijus Zukauskas
1996 second-round pick
September 18, 1995
 To Seattle SuperSonics
Frank Brickowski		 To Sacramento Kings
Byron Houston
Šarūnas Marčiulionis

Free agents

See also

References
  1. 1995–96 Seattle SuperSonics
  2. "Seattle Finally Reaches Round 2". Los Angeles Times. May 3, 1996. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
  3. "Not This Time -- Sonic Hopes End 87-75 As Bulls Win Fourth Title". Seattle Times. June 17, 1996. Retrieved July 24, 2017.
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