1994–95 Denver Nuggets season
NBA professional basketball team season
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 1994–95 Denver Nuggets season was the 19th season for the Denver Nuggets in the National Basketball Association, and their 28th season as a franchise.[1]
- Dan Issel (resigned) (18–16)
- Gene Littles (interim) (3–13)
- Bernie Bickerstaff (20–12)
| 1994–95 Denver Nuggets season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach |
|
| President | Bernie Bickerstaff |
| General manager | Bernie Bickerstaff |
| Arena | McNichols Sports Arena |
| Results | |
| Record | 41–41 (.500) |
| Place | Division: 4th (Midwest) Conference: 8th (Western) |
| Playoff finish | First round (lost to Spurs 0–3) |
Stats at Basketball Reference | |
| Local media | |
| Television | |
| Radio | KOA |
Season summary
Off-season
The Nuggets had the 13th overall pick in the 1994 NBA draft, and selected shooting guard Jalen Rose from the University of Michigan,[2][3][4] and signed free agent Dale Ellis during the off-season.[5][6][7] Prior to the regular season, LaPhonso Ellis suffered a knee injury from an off-season pickup game;[8][9][10] second-year forward Rodney Rogers replaced Ellis as the team's starting power forward, while Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf was replaced with Robert Pack as the team's starting point guard.
Regular season
With the addition of Dale Ellis and Rose, and despite the loss of LaPhonso Ellis, the Nuggets won five of their first six games of the regular season. However, after an 18–16 start to the season, head coach Dan Issel resigned and was replaced with assistant coach Gene Littles as an interim coach.[11][12] Under Littles, the Nuggets struggled losing 13 of their next 16 games; Littles was replaced with General Manager Bernie Bickerstaff as the team's new coach.[13][14] The Nuggets were out of playoff position with a 20–26 record at the All-Star break.[15]
Pack suffered a knee injury in February, as Abdul-Rauf returned to the starting lineup; Pack eventually returned during the final month of the season in April, but then re-injured his knee after only playing just 42 games.[16][17] Under Bickerstaff, the Nuggets recovered playing above .500 in winning percentage by winning 20 of their final 32 games of the season; LaPhonso Ellis returned from his knee injury to play in the final six games. On the final day of the regular season on April 23, 1995, the Nuggets faced off against the Sacramento Kings at home at the McNichols Sports Arena, as both teams were fighting for the eighth seed in the Western Conference; the Nuggets defeated the Kings, 102–89 to qualify for the NBA playoffs,[18][19][20] finishing in fourth place in the Midwest Division with a 41–41 record.[21]
Dikembe Mutombo averaged 11.5 points, 12.5 rebounds and 3.9 blocks per game, and was named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year, and was also named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team.[22][23][24] In addition, Abdul-Rauf averaged 16.0 points and 3.6 assists per game, while Reggie Williams provided the team with 13.4 points and 1.5 steals per game, Rogers provided with 12.2 points and 4.8 rebounds per game, and Pack contributed 12.1 points, 6.9 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Meanwhile, Dale Ellis played a sixth man role off the bench, averaging 11.3 points per game and leading the Nuggets with 106 three-point field goals, Bryant Stith contributed 11.2 points per game, and Rose provided with 8.2 points and 4.8 assists per game, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team. Brian Williams averaged 7.9 points and 4.7 rebounds per game, while Tom Hammonds provided with 5.9 points and 3.2 rebounds per game, and LaPhonso Ellis contributed 4.0 points per game during his short six-game stint.[25]
During the NBA All-Star weekend at the America West Arena in Phoenix, Arizona, Mutombo was selected for the 1995 NBA All-Star Game, as a member of the Western Conference All-Star team,[26][27][28] while Rose was selected for the NBA Rookie Game, as a member of the Green team.[29][30] Rogers finished tied in ninth place in Most Improved Player voting.[31][32] The Nuggets finished tenth in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 704,011 at the McNichols Sports Arena during the regular season.[25][33]
NBA playoffs
In the Western Conference First Round of the 1995 NBA playoffs, the Nuggets faced off against the top–seeded, and Midwest Division champion San Antonio Spurs, who were led by the trio of All-Star center, and Most Valuable Player of the Year, David Robinson, Sean Elliott, and rebound-specialist Dennis Rodman. However, without LaPhonso Ellis and Pack due to season-ending injuries, the Nuggets were unable to repeat their previous playoff run, losing the first two games to the Spurs on the road at the Alamodome, before losing Game 3 at home, 99–95 at the McNichols Sports Arena, thus losing the series in a three-game sweep.[34][35][36]
This would also be the Nuggets' final NBA playoff appearance until the 2003–04 season, as what would follow was an eight-year playoff drought.[1]
Aftermath
Following the season, Rogers and Brian Williams were both traded to the Los Angeles Clippers,[37][38][39] and Pack was traded to the Washington Bullets.[40][41][42]
Draft picks
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | School/Club team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 | Jalen Rose | SG/SF |  United States | Michigan |
Roster
| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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|
Head coach
Assistant(s)
Legend
Roster |
Regular season
Season standings
| W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| z-San Antonio Spurs | 62 | 20 | .756 | — | 33–8 | 29–12 | 20–6 |
| x-Utah Jazz | 60 | 22 | .732 | 2 | 33–8 | 27–14 | 17–9 |
| x-Houston Rockets | 47 | 35 | .573 | 15 | 25–16 | 22–19 | 13–13 |
| x-Denver Nuggets | 41 | 41 | .500 | 21 | 23–18 | 18–23 | 13–13 |
| Dallas Mavericks | 36 | 46 | .439 | 26 | 19–22 | 17–24 | 11–15 |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | 21 | 61 | .256 | 41 | 13–28 | 8–33 | 4–22 |
| # | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | GB | |
| 1 | z-San Antonio Spurs | 62 | 20 | .756 | – |
| 2 | y-Phoenix Suns | 59 | 23 | .720 | 3 |
| 3 | x-Utah Jazz | 60 | 22 | .732 | 2 |
| 4 | x-Seattle SuperSonics | 57 | 25 | .695 | 5 |
| 5 | x-Los Angeles Lakers | 48 | 34 | .585 | 14 |
| 6 | x-Houston Rockets | 47 | 35 | .573 | 15 |
| 7 | x-Portland Trail Blazers | 44 | 38 | .537 | 18 |
| 8 | x-Denver Nuggets | 41 | 41 | .500 | 21 |
| 9 | Sacramento Kings | 39 | 43 | .476 | 23 |
| 10 | Dallas Mavericks | 36 | 46 | .439 | 26 |
| 11 | Golden State Warriors | 26 | 56 | .317 | 36 |
| 12 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 21 | 61 | .256 | 41 |
| 13 | Los Angeles Clippers | 17 | 65 | .207 | 45 |
Game log
Regular season
| 1994–95 game log Total: 41–31 (home: 23–18; road: 18–23) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
November: 6–6 (home: 4–4; road: 2–2)
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December: 8–7 (home: 5–2; road: 3–5)
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January: 5–10 (home: 4–3; road: 1–7)
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February: 5–8 (home: 3–4; road: 2–4)
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March: 10–5 (home: 4–1; road: 6–4)
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April: 7–5 (home: 3–4; road: 4–1)
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| 1994–95 schedule | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playoffs
| 1995 playoff game log | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
First round: 0–3 (home: 0–1; road: 0–2)
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| 1995 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% | 3FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf | 73 | 43 | 28.5 | .470 | .386 | .885 | 1.9 | 3.6 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 16.0 |
| Reggie Williams | 74 | 70 | 29.7 | .459 | .320 | .759 | 4.4 | 3.1 | 1.5 | 0.9 | 13.4 |
| Rodney Rogers | 80 | 77 | 26.8 | .488 | .338 | .651 | 4.8 | 2.0 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 12.2 |
| Robert Pack | 42 | 32 | 27.2 | .430 | .417 | .783 | 2.7 | 6.9 | 1.5 | 0.1 | 12.1 |
| Dikembe Mutombo | 82 | 82 | 37.8 | .556 | .654 | 12.5 | 1.4 | 0.5 | 3.9 | 11.5 | |
| Dale Ellis | 81 | 3 | 24.6 | .453 | .403 | .866 | 2.7 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 11.3 |
| Bryant Stith | 81 | 51 | 28.8 | .472 | .294 | .824 | 3.3 | 1.9 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 11.2 |
| Jalen Rose | 81 | 37 | 22.2 | .454 | .316 | .739 | 2.7 | 4.8 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 8.2 |
| Bison Dele | 63 | 10 | 20.0 | .589 | .654 | 4.7 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 7.9 | |
| Tom Hammonds | 70 | 5 | 13.7 | .535 | .000 | .746 | 3.2 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 5.9 |
| Reggie Slater | 25 | 0 | 9.4 | .494 | .727 | 2.3 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 4.8 | |
| LaPhonso Ellis | 6 | 0 | 9.7 | .360 | 1.000 | 2.8 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 4.0 | |
| Cliff Levingston | 57 | 0 | 8.2 | .423 | .000 | .422 | 2.2 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 2.3 |
| Greg Grant | 14 | 0 | 10.8 | .303 | .286 | .750 | 0.6 | 3.1 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 2.2 |
| Eldridge Recasner | 3 | 0 | 4.3 | .167 | .000 | 1.000 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 |
| Darnell Mee | 2 | 0 | 4.0 | .200 | .333 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 1.5 | |
| Mark Randall | 8 | 0 | 4.9 | .300 | .000 | 1.5 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.8 |
Playoffs
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bryant Stith | 3 | 1 | 28.3 | .531 | .167 | .789 | 3.0 | 2.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 16.7 |
| Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf | 3 | 2 | 25.3 | .364 | .167 | 1.000 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 13.3 |
| Dale Ellis | 3 | 0 | 24.3 | .357 | .308 | .923 | 4.7 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 12.0 |
| Jalen Rose | 3 | 3 | 33.0 | .464 | .250 | .600 | 3.7 | 6.0 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 10.0 |
| Reggie Williams | 3 | 3 | 28.0 | .222 | .308 | 1.000 | 5.3 | 4.0 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 8.7 |
| Rodney Rogers | 3 | 3 | 25.3 | .545 | .250 | .250 | 4.0 | 1.7 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 8.7 |
| Bison Dele | 3 | 0 | 14.7 | .556 | 1.000 | 6.0 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 8.0 | |
| Tom Hammonds | 3 | 0 | 14.7 | .643 | .333 | 2.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 6.7 | |
| Dikembe Mutombo | 3 | 3 | 28.0 | .600 | .667 | 6.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 2.3 | 6.0 | |
| Cliff Levingston | 3 | 0 | 11.7 | .500 | .500 | 3.0 | 0.3 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 2.3 | |
| Greg Grant | 3 | 0 | 6.7 | .000 | .000 | 1.000 | 1.0 | 1.7 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.7 |
Player statistics citation:[25]
Awards, records, and honors
Transactions
Free agents
Additions
| Player | Signed | Date | Former team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reggie Slater | Free agent | August 2, 1994 | Girona (Spain) |
| Cliff Levingston | Free agent | September 29, 1994 | Buckler Bologna (Italy) |
| Dale Ellis | Free agent | October 4, 1994 | San Antonio Spurs |
| Mark Randall | Signed two 10-day contracts | February 23, 1995 | Fort Wayne Fury (CBA) |
| Eldridge Recasner | 10-day contract | March 14, 1995 | Yakima Sun Kings (CBA) |
| Greg Grant | Signed two 10-day contracts | March 14, 1995 | Mexico City Aztecas (CBA) |
| Mark Randall | Signed for rest of season | March 17, 1995 | Denver Nuggets |
| Greg Grant | Signed for rest of season | April 5, 1995 | Denver Nuggets |
Subtractions
| Player | Reason left | Date | New team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alvin Robertson | Waived | October 3, 1994 | Toronto Raptors |
| Mark Randall | Waived | November 1, 1994 | Fort Wayne Fury (CBA) |
| Darnell Mee | Waived | February 1, 1995 | Tri-City Chinook (CBA) |
Trades
The Denver Nuggets did not make any trades in the off-season and the regular season.
Player Transactions Citation:[44]