1994–95 Detroit Pistons season
NBA team season
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 1994–95 Detroit Pistons season was the 47th season for the Detroit Pistons in the National Basketball Association, and their 38th season in Detroit, Michigan.[1]
| 1994–95 Detroit Pistons season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Don Chaney |
| General manager | Billy McKinney |
| Owners | William Davidson |
| Arena | The Palace of Auburn Hills |
| Results | |
| Record | 28–54 (.341) |
| Place | Division: 7th (Central) Conference: 12th (Eastern) |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
Stats at Basketball Reference | |
| Local media | |
| Television | WKBD-TV PASS Sports |
| Radio | WJR |
Season summary
Off-season
After finishing with a miserable 20–62 record the previous season, along with the retirements of Bill Laimbeer and Isiah Thomas, the Pistons received the third overall pick in the 1994 NBA draft, and selected small forward Grant Hill out of Duke University.[2][3][4] The team also signed free agents Oliver Miller,[5][6][7] Johnny Dawkins,[8][9] and Rafael Addison,[10] and acquired Mark West from the Phoenix Suns during the off-season.[5][7]
For the season, the Pistons revealed new red alternate road uniforms, which featured a blue and white trim, and blue side panels with white inlines on their jerseys and shorts; these uniforms would remain in use until the franchise's 1996 teal-colored rebrand.[11]
Regular season
With the addition of Hill, Miller, Dawkins and West, the Pistons played above .500 in winning percentage with an 8–7 start to the regular season. However, the team struggled losing 13 of their next 14 games, which included an eight-game losing streak between December and January, and later on held a 17–29 record at the All-Star break.[12] Second-year guard Lindsey Hunter only played just 42 games due to foot and ankle injuries,[13][14] and Dawkins was released to free agency after 50 games.[15] The Pistons posted a six-game losing streak in March, and lost eight of their final nine games of the season, finishing in last place in the Central Division with a 28–54 record.[16]
Hill became an immediate fan favorite averaging 19.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.8 steals per game, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team, and was also named the co-NBA Rookie of the Year along with Jason Kidd of the Dallas Mavericks,[17][18][19] while Joe Dumars averaged 18.1 points and 5.5 assists per game, and contributed 103 three-point field goals. In addition, Terry Mills provided the team with 15.5 points and 7.8 rebounds per game, while second-year guard Allan Houston showed improvement averaging 14.5 points per game, and leading the Pistons with 158 three-point field goals, and Miller averaged 8.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game. Meanwhile, Addison contributed 8.3 points per game off the bench, but was released by the team to free agency shortly before the regular season had ended,[20] while Hunter contributed 7.5 points, 3.8 assists and 1.2 steals per game, and West provided with 7.5 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game.[21]
During the NBA All-Star weekend at the America West Arena in Phoenix, Arizona, Hill and Dumars were both selected for the 1995 NBA All-Star Game, as members of the Eastern Conference All-Star team;[22][23][24] it was Hill's first ever All-Star appearance, as he also became the first rookie ever to lead in All-Star voting.[25][26][27] Houston finished in fifth place in Most Improved Player voting.[28][29] The Pistons finished eighth in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 719,090 at The Palace of Auburn Hills during the regular season.[21][30]
Aftermath
Following the season, Miller was left unprotected in the 1995 NBA expansion draft, where he was selected by the Toronto Raptors expansion team,[31][32][33] and head coach Don Chaney was fired.[34][35]
Draft picks
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Grant Hill | SF |  United States | Duke |
| 2 | 48 | Jevon Crudup | PF | United States | Missouri |
Roster
| Players | Coaches | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Head coach
Assistant(s)
Legend
Roster |
Roster Notes
- Small forward Rafael Addison was waived on April 19, 1995.
Regular season
Season standings
| W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y-Indiana Pacers | 52 | 30 | .634 | – | 33–8 | 19–22 | 18–10 |
| x-Charlotte Hornets | 50 | 32 | .610 | 2 | 29–12 | 21–20 | 17–11 |
| x-Chicago Bulls | 47 | 35 | .573 | 5 | 28–13 | 19–22 | 16–12 |
| x-Cleveland Cavaliers | 43 | 39 | .524 | 9 | 26–15 | 17–24 | 17–11 |
| x-Atlanta Hawks | 42 | 40 | .512 | 10 | 24–17 | 18–23 | 9–19 |
| Milwaukee Bucks | 34 | 48 | .415 | 18 | 22–19 | 12–29 | 13–15 |
| Detroit Pistons | 28 | 54 | .341 | 24 | 22–19 | 6–35 | 8–20 |
| # | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | GB | |
| 1 | c-Orlando Magic | 57 | 25 | .695 | – |
| 2 | y-Indiana Pacers | 52 | 30 | .634 | 5 |
| 3 | x-New York Knicks | 55 | 27 | .671 | 2 |
| 4 | x-Charlotte Hornets | 50 | 32 | .610 | 7 |
| 5 | x-Chicago Bulls | 47 | 35 | .573 | 10 |
| 6 | x-Cleveland Cavaliers | 43 | 39 | .524 | 14 |
| 7 | x-Atlanta Hawks | 42 | 40 | .512 | 15 |
| 8 | x-Boston Celtics | 35 | 47 | .427 | 22 |
| 9 | Milwaukee Bucks | 34 | 48 | .415 | 23 |
| 10 | Miami Heat | 32 | 50 | .390 | 25 |
| 11 | New Jersey Nets | 30 | 52 | .366 | 27 |
| 12 | Detroit Pistons | 28 | 54 | .341 | 29 |
| 13 | Philadelphia 76ers | 24 | 58 | .293 | 33 |
| 14 | Washington Bullets | 21 | 61 | .256 | 36 |
- z - clinched division title
- y - clinched division title
- x - clinched playoff spot
Game log
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grant Hill | 70 | 69 | 38.3 | .477 | .148 | .732 | 6.4 | 5.0 | 1.8 | 0.9 | 19.9 |
| Joe Dumars | 67 | 67 | 38.0 | .430 | .305 | .805 | 2.4 | 5.5 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 18.1 |
| Terry Mills | 72 | 69 | 34.9 | .447 | .382 | .799 | 7.8 | 2.2 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 15.5 |
| Allan Houston | 76 | 39 | 26.3 | .463 | .424 | .860 | 2.2 | 2.2 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 14.5 |
| Oliver Miller | 64 | 22 | 24.3 | .555 | .231 | .629 | 7.4 | 1.5 | 0.9 | 1.8 | 8.5 |
| Rafael Addison | 79 | 16 | 22.5 | .476 | .289 | .747 | 3.1 | 1.4 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 8.3 |
| Mark West | 67 | 58 | 23.0 | .556 | .478 | 6.1 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 1.5 | 7.5 | |
| Lindsey Hunter | 42 | 26 | 22.5 | .374 | .333 | .727 | 1.8 | 3.8 | 1.2 | 0.2 | 7.5 |
| Johnny Dawkins | 50 | 9 | 23.4 | .463 | .342 | .909 | 2.3 | 4.1 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 6.5 |
| Mark Macon | 55 | 6 | 13.1 | .381 | .323 | .794 | 1.4 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 0.0 | 5.0 |
| Negele Knight | 44 | 17 | 15.1 | .392 | .393 | .667 | 1.3 | 2.6 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 4.1 |
| Eric Leckner | 57 | 11 | 10.9 | .527 | .000 | .708 | 3.1 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 3.9 |
| Bill Curley | 53 | 1 | 11.2 | .433 | .750 | 2.3 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 2.7 | |
| Walter Bond | 5 | 0 | 10.2 | .250 | .250 | .750 | 1.0 | 1.4 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 2.0 |
| Mike Peplowski | 6 | 0 | 3.5 | 1.000 | .500 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 1.8 | |
| Ivano Newbill | 34 | 0 | 9.7 | .356 | .364 | 2.4 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 1.2 |
Player statistics citation:[21]