1994–95 Charlotte Hornets season

The 1994–95 Charlotte Hornets season was the seventh season for the Charlotte Hornets in the National Basketball Association.^[1] During the off-season, the Hornets signed free agent All-Star center Robert Parish, who won three NBA championships with the Boston Celtics in the 1980s,^[2][3][4] and acquired Michael Adams from the Washington Bullets.^[5][6][7]

After falling one game short of the NBA playoffs the previous season, the Hornets lost their first three games of the regular season, but later on posted an eight-game winning streak between December and January. The team posted a six-game winning streak between January and February, and held a 31–17 record at the All-Star break.^[8] The Hornets finished in second place in the Central Division with a solid 50–32 record, earning the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference, and qualifying for their second NBA playoff appearance.^[9]

Alonzo Mourning averaged 21.3 points, 9.9 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game, while Larry Johnson averaged 18.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game, and Hersey Hawkins provided the team with 14.3 points and 1.5 steals per game, along with 131 three-point field goals. In addition, sixth man Dell Curry contributed 13.6 points per game, and led the Hornets with 154 three-point field goals off the bench, while second-year forward Scott Burrell provided with 11.5 points and 5.7 rebounds per game, and Muggsy Bogues contributed 11.1 points, 8.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game. Meanwhile, Adams averaged 6.5 points and 3.3 assists per game, but only played just 29 games due to injury, Kenny Gattison provided with 6.0 points and 3.6 rebounds per game, but only appeared in just 21 games, and Parish averaged 4.8 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.^[10]

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the America West Arena in Phoenix, Arizona, Mourning and Johnson were both selected for the 1995 NBA All-Star Game, as members of the Eastern Conference All-Star team; it was Johnson's second and final All-Star appearance.^[11][12][13] Meanwhile, Burrell participated in the NBA Three-Point Shootout.^[14][15] Mourning also finished tied in sixth place in Defensive Player of the Year voting,^[16][17] while Curry finished in second place in Sixth Man of the Year voting, behind Anthony Mason of the New York Knicks,^[18][17] and Burrell finished tied in third place in Most Improved Player voting.^[19][17]

In the Eastern Conference First Round of the 1995 NBA playoffs, the Hornets faced off against the 5th–seeded Chicago Bulls, who were led by All-Star guard Michael Jordan, All-Star forward Scottie Pippen, and second-year star Toni Kukoč; Jordan recently came out of his retirement and returned to play for the Bulls after an unsuccessful baseball career.^[20][21][22] The Hornets lost Game 1 to the Bulls at home in overtime, 108–100 at the Charlotte Coliseum, but then won Game 2 at home, 106–89 to even the series. However, the Hornets lost the next two games on the road, which included a Game 4 loss to the Bulls at the United Center, 85–84, thus losing the series in four games.^[23][24][25]

The Hornets led the NBA in home-game attendance for the sixth time in seven seasons, with an attendance of 971,618 at the Charlotte Coliseum during the regular season.^[10][26] Despite the stellar season, Johnson and Mourning had trouble getting along as teammates. Following the season, Mourning was traded to the Miami Heat after three seasons with the franchise,^[27][28][29] while Hawkins and David Wingate were both traded to the Seattle SuperSonics,^[30][31][32] and Gattison was left unprotected in the 1995 NBA expansion draft, where he was selected by the Vancouver Grizzlies expansion team.^[33][34][35]

For the season, the Hornets added new purple pinstriped alternate road uniforms, which would remain in use until 1997.^[36]