1990–91 Philadelphia 76ers season
NBA professional basketball team season
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 1990–91 Philadelphia 76ers season was the 42nd season for the Philadelphia 76ers in the National Basketball Association, and their 28th season in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[1]
| 1990–91 Philadelphia 76ers season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Jim Lynam |
| General manager | Gene Shue |
| Arena | The Spectrum |
| Results | |
| Record | 44–38 (.537) |
| Place | Division: 2nd (Atlantic) Conference: 5th (Eastern) |
| Playoff finish | Conference semifinals (lost to Bulls 1–4) |
Stats at Basketball Reference | |
| Local media | |
| Television | WPHL-TV SportsChannel Philadelphia PRISM |
| Radio | WIP |
Season summary
Off-season
During the off-season, the 76ers acquired 7' 7" center Manute Bol from the Golden State Warriors,[2][3] and signed free agent Rickey Green.[4]
Regular season
After only just four games into the regular season, Johnny Dawkins sustained a torn ACL in his right knee, and was replaced with Green as the team's starting point guard for the remainder of the season.[5][6][7] In November, the 76ers signed free agent Andre Turner as a backup point guard for Green. With the addition of Bol, and despite the loss of Dawkins, the 76ers got off to a 19–8 start to the season, but then lost 10 of their next 16 games. At mid-season, the team traded Mike Gminski to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Armen Gilliam.[8][9][10] The 76ers held a 25–21 record at the All-Star break,[11] posted a seven-game winning streak between February and March, and finished in second place in the Atlantic Division with a 44–38 record, earning the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference.[12]
Charles Barkley averaged 27.6 points, 10.1 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.6 steals per game, and was named to the All-NBA First Team, while Hersey Hawkins averaged 22.1 points, 3.7 assists and 2.2 steals per game, and led the 76ers with 108 three-point field goals, and Gilliam provided the team with 15.0 points and 7.3 rebounds per game in 50 games after the trade. In addition, sixth man Ron Anderson provided with 14.6 points per game off the bench, while Dawkins contributed 15.8 points and 7.0 assists per game during his short four-game stint, and Green contributed 10.0 points and 5.2 assists per game. Meanwhile, Rick Mahorn averaged 8.9 points and 7.8 rebounds per game, Turner contributed 5.9 points and 4.4 assists per game, and Bol provided with 1.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.0 blocks per game.[13]
During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Charlotte Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina, Barkley and Hawkins were both selected for the 1991 NBA All-Star Game, as members of the Eastern Conference All-Star team; it was Hawkins' first and only All-Star appearance.[14][15][16] Barkley scored 17 points along with 22 rebounds, and was named the NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player, as the Eastern Conference defeated the Western Conference, 116–114.[17][18][19] In addition, Hawkins also participated in the NBA Three-Point Shootout.[20][21] Barkley also finished in fourth place in Most Valuable Player voting.[22][23]
The 76ers finished eleventh in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 624,582 at The Spectrum during the regular season.[13][24]
NBA playoffs
In the Eastern Conference First Round of the 1991 NBA playoffs, the 76ers faced off against the 4th–seeded Milwaukee Bucks, who were led by All-Star guard Alvin Robertson, Jay Humphries and Frank Brickowski. The 76ers won the first two games over the Bucks on the road at the Bradley Center, before winning Game 3 at home, 121–100 at The Spectrum to win the series in a three-game sweep.[25][26][27]
In the Eastern Conference Semi-finals, and for the second consecutive year, the team faced off against the top–seeded, and Central Division champion Chicago Bulls, who were led by the trio of All-Star guard, and Most Valuable Player of the Year, Michael Jordan, All-Star forward Scottie Pippen, and Horace Grant. The Bulls took a 2–0 series lead, but the 76ers managed to win Game 3 at The Spectrum, 99–97.[28] However, the 76ers lost the next two games, including a Game 5 loss to the Bulls on the road, 100–95 at the Chicago Stadium, thus losing the series in five games.[29][30][31]
The Bulls would advance to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history, and defeat the Los Angeles Lakers in five games in the 1991 NBA Finals, winning their first ever NBA championship.[32][33][34] This season would also be the final NBA playoff appearance for the 76ers until the 1998–99 season; the seven consecutive seasons that followed, in which they would not make the playoffs, were more than the franchise had missed in total since their inaugural season of 1950, five (missed playoffs in 1972–1975, and in 1988).[1]
Aftermath
Following the season, Mahorn left to play overseas in Italy,[35][36] while Green signed as a free agent with the Boston Celtics, and Turner signed with the Washington Bullets.
Draft picks
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | School/Club team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 32 | Brian Oliver | SG |  United States | Georgia Tech |
| 2 | 47 | Derek Strong | PF | United States | Xavier |
Roster
| Players | Coaches | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Head coach
Assistant(s)
Legend
|
Regular season
Season standings
| W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y-Boston Celtics | 56 | 26 | .683 | — | 35–6 | 21–20 | 20-6 |
| x-Philadelphia 76ers | 44 | 38 | .537 | 12 | 29-12 | 15-26 | 14-12 |
| x-New York Knicks | 39 | 43 | .476 | 17 | 21-20 | 18-23 | 17–9 |
| Washington Bullets | 30 | 52 | .366 | 26 | 21-20 | 9-32 | 10-16 |
| New Jersey Nets | 26 | 56 | .317 | 30 | 20-21 | 6–35 | 8-18 |
| Miami Heat | 24 | 58 | .293 | 32 | 18-23 | 6-35 | 9-17 |
- y - clinched division title
- x - clinched playoff spot
| # | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | GB | |
| 1 | c-Chicago Bulls | 61 | 21 | .744 | – |
| 2 | y-Boston Celtics | 56 | 26 | .683 | 5 |
| 3 | x-Detroit Pistons | 50 | 32 | .610 | 11 |
| 4 | x-Milwaukee Bucks | 48 | 34 | .585 | 13 |
| 5 | x-Philadelphia 76ers | 44 | 38 | .537 | 17 |
| 6 | x-Atlanta Hawks | 43 | 39 | .524 | 18 |
| 7 | x-Indiana Pacers | 41 | 41 | .500 | 20 |
| 8 | x-New York Knicks | 39 | 43 | .476 | 22 |
| 9 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 33 | 49 | .402 | 28 |
| 10 | Washington Bullets | 30 | 52 | .366 | 31 |
| 11 | New Jersey Nets | 26 | 56 | .317 | 35 |
| 12 | Charlotte Hornets | 26 | 56 | .317 | 35 |
| 13 | Miami Heat | 24 | 58 | .293 | 37 |
- z - clinched division title
- y - clinched division title
- x - clinched playoff spot
Game log
Playoffs
| 1991 playoff game log | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
First Round: 3–0 (home: 1–0; road: 2–0)
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Conference semifinals: 1–4 (home: 1–1; road: 0–3)
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1991 schedule | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Player statistics
| 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 |
Regular season
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ron Anderson | 82 | 13 | 28.5 | .485 | .209 | .833 | 4.5 | 1.4 | .8 | .2 | 14.6 |
| Charles Barkley | 67 | 67 | 37.3 | .570 | .284 | .722 | 10.1 | 4.2 | 1.6 | .5 | 27.6 |
| Manute Bol | 82 | 6 | 18.6 | .396 | .071 | .585 | 4.3 | .2 | .2 | 3.0 | 1.9 |
| Johnny Dawkins | 4 | 4 | 31.0 | .634 | .250 | .909 | 4.0 | 7.0 | .8 | .0 | 15.8 |
| Mario Elie† | 3 | 0 | 6.7 | .286 | .500 | .500 | .3 | .3 | .0 | .0 | 2.0 |
| Jim Farmer† | 2 | 0 | 6.5 | .286 | .000 | 1.000 | 2.5 | .0 | .0 | .0 | 3.0 |
| Armen Gilliam† | 50 | 50 | 33.9 | .470 | .000 | .816 | 7.3 | 1.6 | .7 | .6 | 15.0 |
| Mike Gminski† | 30 | 29 | 26.4 | .384 | .125 | .841 | 6.7 | 1.1 | .5 | 1.1 | 9.1 |
| Rickey Green | 79 | 75 | 28.5 | .463 | .222 | .830 | 1.7 | 5.2 | .7 | .1 | 10.0 |
| Tony Harris | 6 | 0 | 6.8 | .250 | .000 | .500 | .2 | .0 | .2 | .0 | 1.7 |
| Hersey Hawkins | 80 | 80 | 38.9 | .472 | .400 | .871 | 3.9 | 3.7 | 2.2 | .5 | 22.1 |
| Dave Hoppen† | 11 | 0 | 3.9 | .500 | .000 | .667 | .8 | .0 | .1 | .0 | 1.8 |
| Rick Mahorn | 80 | 74 | 30.5 | .467 | .000 | .788 | 7.8 | 1.5 | 1.0 | .7 | 8.9 |
| Brian Oliver | 73 | 4 | 11.0 | .408 | .278 | .732 | 1.1 | 1.2 | .5 | .1 | 3.8 |
| Kenny Payne | 47 | 6 | 9.4 | .360 | .222 | .897 | 1.4 | .3 | .2 | .1 | 3.5 |
| Robert Reid | 3 | 0 | 12.3 | .143 | 3.0 | 1.3 | .3 | 1.0 | 1.3 | ||
| Andre Turner | 70 | 1 | 20.1 | .439 | .364 | .736 | 2.2 | 4.4 | .9 | .0 | 5.9 |
| Jayson Williams | 52 | 1 | 9.8 | .447 | .500 | .661 | 2.1 | .3 | .2 | .1 | 3.5 |
Playoffs
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ron Anderson | 8 | 0 | 27.9 | .398 | .200 | .895 | 2.6 | 2.4 | .8 | .0 | 11.0 |
| Charles Barkley | 8 | 8 | 40.8 | .592 | .100 | .653 | 10.5 | 6.0 | 1.9 | .4 | 24.9 |
| Manute Bol | 8 | 0 | 13.6 | .500 | .667 | 2.4 | .1 | .1 | 1.5 | 3.0 | |
| Armen Gilliam | 8 | 8 | 35.9 | .462 | .848 | 6.5 | 1.3 | .6 | .8 | 16.9 | |
| Rickey Green | 8 | 8 | 24.9 | .436 | .750 | .889 | 1.1 | 2.8 | .9 | .0 | 7.4 |
| Hersey Hawkins | 8 | 8 | 41.1 | .465 | .538 | .937 | 5.8 | 3.4 | 2.5 | 1.3 | 20.9 |
| Dave Hoppen | 3 | 0 | 3.0 | 1.000 | .000 | 1.0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | 2.0 | |
| Rick Mahorn | 8 | 8 | 26.0 | .556 | .786 | 5.3 | 1.8 | .3 | .5 | 6.4 | |
| Brian Oliver | 4 | 0 | 3.8 | .333 | 1.000 | .0 | .3 | .3 | .0 | 1.5 | |
| Robert Reid | 7 | 0 | 5.9 | .333 | .000 | 1.1 | .3 | .1 | .0 | .9 | |
| Andre Turner | 8 | 0 | 23.6 | .438 | .333 | .813 | 1.6 | 4.4 | 1.4 | .0 | 7.3 |
| Jayson Williams | 4 | 0 | 2.5 | .800 | 1.0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | 2.0 |
- † Denotes player spent time with another team in the season. Stats reflect time with the 7ers only.
Player statistics citation:[13]