1993–94 Denver Nuggets season
NBA professional basketball team season
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 1993–94 Denver Nuggets season was the 18th season for the Denver Nuggets in the National Basketball Association, and their 27th season as a franchise.[1]
| 1993–94 Denver Nuggets season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Dan Issel |
| President | Bernie Bickerstaff |
| General manager | Bernie Bickerstaff |
| Arena | McNichols Sports Arena |
| Results | |
| Record | 42–40 (.512) |
| Place | Division: 4th (Midwest) Conference: 8th (Western) |
| Playoff finish | Conference Semi-finals (lost to Jazz 3–4) |
Stats at Basketball Reference | |
| Local media | |
| Television | |
| Radio | KOA |
Season summary
Off-season
The Nuggets received the ninth overall pick in the 1993 NBA draft, and selected power forward Rodney Rogers out of Wake Forest University.[2][3][4] During the off-season, the team acquired Brian Williams from the Orlando Magic.[5][6][7]
For the season, the Nuggets redesigned their primary logo, replacing the rainbow colors from their previous skyline logo with gold, dark navy blue and dark red to their color scheme of white. The team's primary logo featured a dark navy blue and white snowcapped mountain with a dark red outline, above a dark red sign with a gold outline featuring the city name "Denver" in white letters; below the mountain and city name featured the team name "Nuggets" in gold letters with a white outline, in front of a dark navy blue background surrounded by a dark red outline.[8] The team also redesigned their home and road uniforms, removing the skyline logo from the front of their jerseys, and adding a dark red and dark navy blue trim; the home uniforms remained white, while the road uniforms were changed from blue to dark navy blue.[9][10]
The team's new primary logo, and new uniforms would both remain in use until 2003, while the basic design of the logo would last until 2018.
Regular season
During the first month of the regular season, the Nuggets traded Mark Macon and Marcus Liberty to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for All-Star guard Alvin Robertson; however, Robertson never played for the Nuggets due to a back injury he sustained with the Pistons, and was out for the entire season.[11][12][13] With the addition of Rogers and Brian Williams, the Nuggets played around .500 in winning percentage all season long; the team got off to a 9–8 start to the regular season, but then posted a five-game losing streak in December afterwards. The team then posted a five-game winning streak also in December, and later on held a 22–25 record at the All-Star break.[14] The Nuggets won five of their final seven games of the season, and finished in fourth place in the Midwest Division with a 42–40 record, earning the eighth seed in the Western Conference;[15][16] the team qualified for the NBA playoffs for the first time since the 1989–90 season.[1]
Last season's Most Improved Player Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf averaged 18.0 points and 4.5 assists per game, while second-year star LaPhonso Ellis averaged 15.4 points and 8.6 rebounds per game, and Dikembe Mutombo provided the team with 12.0 points, 11.8 rebounds and 4.1 blocks per game. In addition, Reggie Williams provided with 13.0 points and 1.4 steals per game, and second-year guard Bryant Stith contributed 12.5 points and 1.4 steals per game. Off the bench, Robert Pack provided with 9.6 points and 5.4 assists per game, while Rogers contributed 8.1 points per game, and Brian Williams averaged 8.0 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.[17]
During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Pack participated in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest.[18][19] Mutombo finished in third place in Defensive Player of the Year voting,[20][21] while Brian Williams finished tied in seventh place in Most Improved Player voting.[22][21] The Nuggets finished eleventh in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 673,738 at the McNichols Sports Arena during the regular season.[17][23]
NBA playoffs
In the Western Conference First Round of the 1994 NBA playoffs, the Nuggets faced off against the top–seeded, and Pacific Division champion Seattle SuperSonics, who were led by the All-Star trio of Shawn Kemp, Gary Payton and Detlef Schrempf. The Nuggets lost the first two games to the SuperSonics on the road at the Seattle Center Coliseum, as the SuperSonics took a 2–0 series lead.[24][25][26] However, the team managed to win the next two games at home, which included a Game 4 win over the SuperSonics at the McNichols Sports Arena in overtime, 94–85 to even the series.[27][25][28] The Nuggets won Game 5 over the SuperSonics at the Seattle Center Coliseum in overtime, 98–94 to win in a hard-fought five-game series, and became the first 8th-seeded team to beat a #1 seed; an on-court camera featured Mutombo, in jubilation on his back holding the ball after the buzzer.[29][30][31]
In the Western Conference Semi-finals, the team faced off against the 5th–seeded Utah Jazz, who were led by the trio of All-Star forward Karl Malone, All-Star guard John Stockton, and Jeff Hornacek. The Nuggets lost the first three games to the Jazz, which included a Game 3 home loss at the McNichols Sports Arena in overtime, 111–109, as the Jazz took a 3–0 series lead.[32][33][34] Despite the threat of elimination, the Nuggets managed to win the next three games, including a Game 6 win over the Jazz at the McNichols Sports Arena, 94–91 to even the series.[35][36][37] However, the Nuggets lost Game 7 to the Jazz on the road, 91–81 at the Delta Center, thus losing in a hard-fought seven-game series.[38][39][40]
Aftermath
Following the season, Robertson was released to free agency.
Draft picks
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | School/Club team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | Rodney Rogers | SF/PF | Wake Forest | |
| 2 | 43 | Josh Grant | F | Utah |
Roster
| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Head coach
Assistant(s)
Legend
Roster |
Roster notes
- Shooting guard Alvin Robertson was on the injured reserve list due to a back injury, missed the entire regular season, and never played for the Nuggets.
Regular season
Season standings
| W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y-Houston Rockets | 58 | 24 | .707 | — | 35–6 | 23–18 | 15–11 |
| x-San Antonio Spurs | 55 | 27 | .671 | 3 | 32–9 | 23–18 | 16–10 |
| x-Utah Jazz | 53 | 29 | .646 | 5 | 33–8 | 20–21 | 21–5 |
| x-Denver Nuggets | 42 | 40 | .512 | 16 | 28–13 | 14–27 | 14–12 |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | 20 | 62 | .244 | 38 | 13–28 | 7–34 | 5–21 |
| Dallas Mavericks | 13 | 69 | .159 | 45 | 6–35 | 7–34 | 7–19 |
| # | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | GB | |
| 1 | z-Seattle SuperSonics | 63 | 19 | .768 | – |
| 2 | y-Houston Rockets | 58 | 24 | .707 | 5 |
| 3 | x-Phoenix Suns | 56 | 26 | .683 | 7 |
| 4 | x-San Antonio Spurs | 55 | 27 | .671 | 8 |
| 5 | x-Utah Jazz | 53 | 29 | .646 | 10 |
| 6 | x-Golden State Warriors | 50 | 32 | .610 | 13 |
| 7 | x-Portland Trail Blazers | 47 | 35 | .573 | 16 |
| 8 | x-Denver Nuggets | 42 | 40 | .512 | 21 |
| 9 | Los Angeles Lakers | 33 | 49 | .402 | 30 |
| 10 | Sacramento Kings | 28 | 54 | .341 | 35 |
| 11 | Los Angeles Clippers | 27 | 55 | .329 | 36 |
| 12 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 20 | 62 | .244 | 43 |
| 13 | Dallas Mavericks | 13 | 69 | .159 | 50 |
- z – clinched division title
- y – clinched division title
- x – clinched playoff spot
Game log
Regular season
| 1993–94 game log Total: 42–40 (home: 28–13; road: 14–27) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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November: 6–7 (home: 4–2; road: 2–5)
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December: 8–6 (home: 6–0; road: 2–6)
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January: 6–8 (home: 5–4; road: 1–4) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
February: 7–7 (home: 4–2; road: 3–5)
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March: 8–5 (home: 7–1; road: 1–4)
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April: 7–7 (home: 2–4; road: 5–3)
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| 1993–94 schedule | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playoffs
Playoffs
West First Round
(1) Seattle SuperSonics vs. (8) Denver Nuggets: Nuggets win series 3-2
- Game 1 @ Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle (April 28): Seattle 106, Denver 82
- Game 2 @ Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle (April 30): Seattle 97, Denver 87
- Game 3 @ McNichols Sports Arena, Denver (May 2): Denver 110, Seattle 93
- Game 4 @ McNichols Sports Arena, Denver (May 5): Denver 94, Seattle 85 (OT)
- Game 5 @ Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle (May 7): Denver 98, Seattle 94 (OT)
Last Playoff Meeting: 1988 Western Conference First Round (Denver won 3–2)
West Conference Semi-finals
(5) Utah Jazz vs. (8) Denver Nuggets: Jazz win series 4-3
- Game 1 @ Delta Center, Salt Lake City (May 10): Utah 100, Denver 91
- Game 2 @ Delta Center, Salt Lake City (May 12): Utah 104, Denver 94
- Game 3 @ McNichols Sports Arena, Denver (May 14): Utah 111, Denver 109 (OT)
- Game 4 @ McNichols Sports Arena, Denver (May 15): Denver 83, Utah 82
- Game 5 @ Delta Center, Salt Lake City (May 17): Denver 109, Utah 101 (2OT)
- Game 6 @ McNichols Sports Arena, Denver (May 19): Denver 94, Utah 91
- Game 7 @ Delta Center, Salt Lake City (May 21): Utah 91, Denver 81
Last Playoff Meeting: 1985 Western Conference Semi-finals (Denver won 4–1)
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% | 3FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf | 80 | 78 | 32.7 | .460 | .316 | .956 | 2.1 | 4.5 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 18.0 |
| LaPhonso Ellis | 79 | 79 | 34.2 | .502 | .304 | .674 | 8.6 | 2.1 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 15.4 |
| Reggie Williams | 82 | 68 | 32.4 | .412 | .278 | .733 | 4.8 | 3.7 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 13.0 |
| Bryant Stith | 82 | 82 | 34.8 | .450 | .222 | .829 | 4.3 | 2.4 | 1.4 | 0.2 | 12.5 |
| Dikembe Mutombo | 82 | 82 | 34.8 | .569 | .000 | .583 | 11.8 | 1.5 | 0.7 | 4.1 | 12.0 |
| Robert Pack | 66 | 4 | 20.9 | .443 | .207 | .758 | 1.9 | 5.4 | 1.2 | 0.1 | 9.6 |
| Rodney Rogers | 79 | 14 | 17.8 | .439 | .380 | .672 | 2.9 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 8.1 |
| Bison Dele | 80 | 1 | 18.8 | .541 | .000 | .649 | 5.6 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 8.0 |
| Mark Macon | 7 | 0 | 18.0 | .311 | .000 | .800 | 1.0 | 1.6 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 5.1 |
| Tom Hammonds | 74 | 2 | 11.9 | .500 | .683 | 2.7 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 4.1 | |
| Marcus Liberty | 3 | 0 | 3.7 | .571 | .000 | .500 | 1.7 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.0 |
| Adonis Jordan | 6 | 0 | 13.2 | .261 | .300 | 1.0 | 3.2 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 2.5 | |
| Kevin Brooks | 34 | 0 | 5.6 | .364 | .174 | .900 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 2.5 |
| Mark Randall | 28 | 0 | 5.5 | .340 | .143 | .786 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 2.1 |
| Darnell Mee | 38 | 0 | 7.5 | .318 | .208 | .444 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 1.9 |
| Jim Farmer | 4 | 0 | 7.3 | .333 | .000 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | |
| Roy Marble | 5 | 0 | 6.4 | .167 | .000 | 1.6 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 0.8 |
Playoffs
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LaPhonso Ellis | 12 | 12 | 36.3 | .479 | .500 | .704 | 8.1 | 2.2 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 14.8 |
| Reggie Williams | 12 | 12 | 33.8 | .416 | .400 | .771 | 5.1 | 3.5 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 14.3 |
| Dikembe Mutombo | 12 | 12 | 42.6 | .463 | .602 | 12.0 | 1.8 | 0.7 | 5.8 | 13.3 | |
| Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf | 12 | 12 | 28.3 | .370 | .324 | .935 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 12.9 |
| Robert Pack | 12 | 0 | 27.7 | .407 | .300 | .709 | 2.3 | 4.3 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 11.8 |
| Bryant Stith | 12 | 12 | 34.4 | .422 | .000 | .833 | 4.7 | 2.2 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 11.3 |
| Bison Dele | 12 | 0 | 24.1 | .553 | .659 | 7.4 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 0.9 | 9.3 | |
| Rodney Rogers | 12 | 0 | 15.8 | .388 | .316 | .630 | 1.8 | 1.3 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 5.1 |
| Kevin Brooks | 2 | 0 | 2.5 | .286 | .000 | .500 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.5 |
| Darnell Mee | 3 | 0 | 10.0 | .500 | .250 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 2.3 | |
| Tom Hammonds | 8 | 0 | 6.1 | .222 | .833 | 1.6 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.1 | |
| Mark Randall | 2 | 0 | 3.0 | .000 | 2.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 |
Player statistics citation:[17]