1993–94 Utah Jazz season
NBA professional basketball team season
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 1993–94 Utah Jazz season was the 20th season for the Utah Jazz in the National Basketball Association, and their 15th season in Salt Lake City, Utah.[1]
| 1993–94 Utah Jazz season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Jerry Sloan |
| General manager | Tim Howells |
| Owner | Larry H. Miller |
| Arena | Delta Center |
| Results | |
| Record | 53–29 (.646) |
| Place | Division: 3rd (Midwest) Conference: 5th (Western) |
| Playoff finish | Western Conference finals (lost to Rockets 1–4) |
Stats at Basketball Reference | |
| Local media | |
| Television | |
| Radio | KCNR |
Season summary
Off-season
During the off-season, the Jazz signed free agent All-Star forward, and former University of Utah star Tom Chambers,[2][3][4] and acquired Felton Spencer from the Minnesota Timberwolves.[5][6][7]
Regular season
With the addition of Spencer and Chambers, the Jazz played competitive basketball with a 22–8 start to the regular season, but then lost five of their next six games, and later on held a 31–18 record at the All-Star break.[8] At mid-season, the team traded Jeff Malone to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for All-Star guard Jeff Hornacek.[9][10][11] With the addition of Hornacek, the Jazz posted a 10-game winning streak between February and March, and won eight of their final nine games of the season. The Jazz finished in third place in the Midwest Division with a 53–29 record, and earned the fifth seed in the Western Conference;[12] the team qualified for the NBA playoffs for the eleventh consecutive year.[1]
Karl Malone averaged 25.2 points, 11.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.5 blocks per game, and joined the list in all-time points scored topping the 19,000 point mark, while John Stockton averaged 15.1 points, 12.6 assists and 2.4 steals per game, as both players were named to the All-NBA First Team. In addition, Hornacek provided the team with 14.6 points and 3.9 assists per game in 27 games after the trade, while Chambers played a sixth man role off the bench, averaging 11.2 points and 4.1 rebounds per game, and Spencer provided with 8.6 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. Meanwhile, Tyrone Corbin contributed 8.0 points and 1.2 steals per game, Jay Humphries contributed 7.5 points per game, David Benoit provided with 6.5 points and 4.7 rebounds per game, and rookie small forward, and second-round draft pick Bryon Russell averaged 5.0 points per game.[13]
During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Malone and Stockton were both selected for the 1994 NBA All-Star Game, as members of the Western Conference All-Star team,[14][15][16] while Russell was selected for the inaugural NBA Rookie Game, as a member of the Phenoms team.[17][18] Malone also finished tied in seventh place in Most Valuable Player voting, while Stockton finished tied in eleventh place.[19][20]
The Jazz finished third in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 814,502 at the Delta Center during the regular season.[13][21]
NBA playoffs
In the Western Conference First Round of the 1994 NBA playoffs, the Jazz faced off against the 4th–seeded San Antonio Spurs, who were led by the trio of All-Star center David Robinson, Dale Ellis, and rebound-specialist Dennis Rodman. The Jazz lost Game 1 to the Spurs on the road, 106–89 at the Alamodome,[22][23][24] but managed to win the next three games, which included a Game 4 win over the Spurs at home, 95–90 at the Delta Center to win the series in four games.[25][26][27]
In the Western Conference Semi-finals, the team faced off against the 8th–seeded Denver Nuggets, a team that featured defensive shot-blocker Dikembe Mutombo, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, and second-year star LaPhonso Ellis. The Jazz won the first three games over the Nuggets, which included a Game 3 road win at the McNichols Sports Arena in overtime, 111–109 to take a 3–0 series lead.[28][29][30] However, the team lost the next three games, including a Game 6 loss to the Nuggets at the McNichols Sports Arena, 94–91.[31][32][33] With the series tied at 3–3, the Jazz won Game 7 over the Nuggets at the Delta Center, 91–81, thus winning in a hard-fought seven-game series.[34][35][36]
In the Western Conference Finals, the Jazz then faced off against the 2nd–seeded, and Midwest Division champion Houston Rockets, a team that featured All-Star center, Most Valuable Player and Defensive Player of the Year, Hakeem Olajuwon, Otis Thorpe and Vernon Maxwell. The Jazz lost the first two games to the Rockets on the road at The Summit, before winning Game 3 at the Delta Center, 95–86.[37] The Jazz lost the next two games to the Rockets, including a Game 5 loss at The Summit, 94–83, thus losing the series in five games.[38][39][40]
The Rockets would go on to defeat the New York Knicks in a full seven-game series in the 1994 NBA Finals, winning their first ever NBA championship in franchise history.[41][42][43]
Aftermath
Following the season, Corbin was traded to the Atlanta Hawks,[44][45][46] and Mark Eaton retired after missing the entire regular season due to a back injury.[47][48]
Draft picks
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 | Luther Wright | C | Seton Hall | |
| 2 | 45 | Bryon Russell | SF | California State-Long Beach |
Roster
| Players | Coaches | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Head coach
Assistant(s)
Legend
Roster |
Roster Notes
- Center Mark Eaton was on the injured reserve list due to a back injury, and missed the entire regular season.
- Rookie center Luther Wright was placed on the injured reverse list for treatment of attention deficit disorder; Wright only played just 15 games during the regular season.[49][50][51]
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: 53–29 (home: 33–8; road: 20–21) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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November: 9–5 (home: 5–2; road: 4–3)
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December: 11–3 (home: 7–0; road: 4–3) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
January: 8–7 (home: 5–2; road: 3–5)
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February: 10–4 (home: 7–2; road: 3–2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
March: 6–8 (home: 3–2; road: 3–6) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
April: 9–2 (home: 6–0; road: 3–2)
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| 1993–94 schedule | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playoffs
| 1994 playoff game log | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Western Conference First Round: 3–1 (home: 2–0; road: 1–1)
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Western Conference Semifinals: 4–3 (home: 3–1; road: 1–2)
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Western Conference Finals: 1–4 (home: 1–1; road: 0–3)
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| 1994 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 |
Season
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Karl Malone | 82 | 82 | 40.6 | .497 | .250 | .694 | 11.5 | 4.0 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 25.2 |
| Jeff Malone | 50 | 50 | 33.1 | .488 | .500 | .843 | 2.3 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 16.2 |
| John Stockton | 82 | 82 | 36.2 | .528 | .322 | .805 | 3.1 | 12.6 | 2.4 | 0.3 | 15.1 |
| Jeff Hornacek | 27 | 9 | 30.6 | .509 | .429 | .891 | 2.5 | 3.9 | 1.2 | 0.1 | 14.6 |
| Tom Chambers | 80 | 0 | 23.0 | .440 | .311 | .786 | 4.1 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 11.2 |
| Felton Spencer | 79 | 79 | 28.0 | .505 | .607 | 8.3 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 8.6 | |
| Tyrone Corbin | 82 | 17 | 26.2 | .456 | .207 | .813 | 4.7 | 1.5 | 1.2 | 0.3 | 8.0 |
| Jay Humphries | 75 | 19 | 21.6 | .436 | .396 | .750 | 1.7 | 2.9 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 7.5 |
| David Benoit | 55 | 18 | 19.5 | .385 | .203 | .773 | 4.7 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 6.5 |
| Bryon Russell | 67 | 48 | 16.7 | .484 | .091 | .614 | 2.7 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 5.0 |
| Stephen Howard | 9 | 0 | 5.9 | .588 | .688 | 1.8 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 3.4 | |
| Walter Bond | 56 | 4 | 10.0 | .404 | .352 | .775 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 3.1 |
| Chad Gallagher | 2 | 0 | 1.5 | 1.000 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.0 | ||
| John Crotty | 45 | 0 | 7.0 | .455 | .458 | .861 | 0.7 | 1.7 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 2.9 |
| Darren Morningstar | 1 | 0 | 4.0 | 1.000 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 | ||
| Luther Wright | 15 | 2 | 6.1 | .348 | .000 | .750 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 1.3 |
| Dave Jamerson | 1 | 0 | 4.0 | .000 | 1.000 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | |
| Aaron Williams | 6 | 0 | 2.0 | .250 | .000 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.7 | |
| Sean Green | 1 | 0 | 2.0 | .000 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Playoffs
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Karl Malone | 16 | 16 | 43.9 | .467 | .000 | .738 | 12.4 | 3.4 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 27.1 |
| Jeff Hornacek | 16 | 16 | 34.9 | .475 | .441 | .912 | 2.4 | 4.0 | 1.5 | 0.4 | 15.4 |
| John Stockton | 16 | 16 | 37.3 | .456 | .167 | .810 | 3.3 | 9.8 | 1.7 | 0.5 | 14.4 |
| Felton Spencer | 16 | 16 | 30.8 | .448 | .660 | 8.4 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 1.3 | 7.9 | |
| Jay Humphries | 16 | 0 | 22.3 | .426 | .318 | .679 | 2.3 | 2.4 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 7.4 |
| David Benoit | 16 | 5 | 22.3 | .393 | .188 | .640 | 4.2 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 7.2 |
| Tyrone Corbin | 16 | 11 | 25.8 | .387 | .333 | .933 | 4.9 | 0.9 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 6.3 |
| Tom Chambers | 16 | 0 | 20.3 | .361 | .000 | .793 | 2.8 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 5.8 |
| Bryon Russell | 6 | 0 | 6.0 | .400 | .667 | 1.000 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.7 |
| John Crotty | 8 | 0 | 4.8 | .364 | 1.000 | 1.000 | 0.4 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 1.5 |
| Stephen Howard | 10 | 0 | 2.7 | .273 | .727 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.4 | |
| Walter Bond | 4 | 0 | 3.3 | .000 | .000 | .500 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.3 |
Player statistics citation:[13]
Awards and records
Awards
Records
Transactions
Trades
Free agents
Additions
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Subtractions
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