1992–93 Charlotte Hornets season

The 1992–93 Charlotte Hornets season was the fifth season for the Charlotte Hornets in the National Basketball Association.^[1] The Hornets received the second overall pick in the 1992 NBA draft, and selected center Alonzo Mourning out of Georgetown University.^[2][3][4] The team also signed free agent David Wingate during the first month of the regular season,^[5][6] then later on traded J.R. Reid to the San Antonio Spurs in exchange for Sidney Green in December,^[7][8][9] and released Tom Hammonds to free agency as he later on signed with the Denver Nuggets.^[10][11]

With the addition of Mourning, the Hornets struggled losing four of their first six games of the regular season, but then posted a five-game winning streak afterwards, and later on held a 26–23 record at the All-Star break.^[12] The team won nine of their final twelve games of the season, which included a five-game winning streak to close the season. The Hornets showed improvement finishing in third place in the Central Division with a 44–38 record,^[13] earning the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference, and qualifying for their first ever NBA playoff appearance.^[14][15]

Second-year star Larry Johnson averaged 22.1 points, 10.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game, and was named to the All-NBA Second Team, while Mourning averaged 21.0 points, 10.3 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team, and Kendall Gill provided the team with 16.9 points and 1.4 steals per game. In addition, sixth man Dell Curry contributed 15.3 points per game off the bench, while Johnny Newman contributed 11.9 points per game, Muggsy Bogues provided with 10.0 points, 8.8 assists and 2.0 steals per game, Kenny Gattison averaged 6.8 points and 4.7 rebounds per game, and Wingate contributed 6.1 points per game.^[16]

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, Johnson was selected for the 1993 NBA All-Star Game, as a member of the Eastern Conference All-Star team; it was his first ever All-Star appearance.^[17][18][19] Mourning finished in second place in Rookie of the Year voting, behind Shaquille O'Neal of the Orlando Magic,^[20][21] while Curry finished in fourth place in Sixth Man of the Year voting.^[22][21]

In the Eastern Conference First Round of the 1993 NBA playoffs, the Hornets faced off against the 4th–seeded Boston Celtics, a team that featured All-Star guard Reggie Lewis, Xavier McDaniel and Robert Parish. The Hornets lost Game 1 to the Celtics on the road, 112–101 at the Boston Garden;^[23] Lewis collapsed on the court during the game, and was out for the remainder of the series.^[24][25][26] The Hornets managed to win the next three games, which included a Game 4 win over the Celtics at home, 104–103 at the Charlotte Coliseum, as Mourning sunk a 20-foot jumper at the buzzer; the Hornets won the series over the Celtics in four games, and became the first of the four expansion franchises of the late 1980s to win an NBA playoff series.^[27][28][29]

In the Eastern Conference Semi-finals, the team faced off against the top–seeded, and Atlantic Division champion New York Knicks, who were led by the trio of All-Star center Patrick Ewing, John Starks and Charles Oakley. The Hornets lost the first two games to the Knicks on the road at Madison Square Garden, but managed to win Game 3 at the Charlotte Coliseum in double-overtime, 110–106.^[30] However, the Hornets lost the next two games, including a Game 5 loss to the Knicks at Madison Square Garden, 105–101, thus losing the series in five games.^[31][32][33]

The Hornets led the NBA in home-game attendance for the fourth time in five seasons, with an attendance of 971,880 at the Charlotte Coliseum during the regular season.^[16][34] Following the season, Gill was traded to the Seattle SuperSonics,^[35][36][37] and Green was released to free agency.