1995–96 Detroit Pistons season
NBA team season
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The 1995–96 Detroit Pistons season was the 48th season for the Detroit Pistons in the National Basketball Association, and their 39th season in Detroit, Michigan.[1]
| 1995–96 Detroit Pistons season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Doug Collins |
| General manager | Rick Sund |
| Owner | Bill Davidson |
| Arena | The Palace of Auburn Hills |
| Results | |
| Record | 46–36 (.561) |
| Place | Division: 5th (Central) Conference: 7th (Eastern) |
| Playoff finish | First round (lost to Magic 0–3) |
Stats at Basketball Reference | |
| Local media | |
| Television | WKBD-TV (George Blaha, Kelly Tripucka) PASS Sports (Fred McLeod, Greg Kelser) |
| Radio | WWJ (George Blaha) |
Season summary
Off-season
The Pistons had the 18th overall pick in the 1995 NBA draft, and selected center Theo Ratliff from the University of Wyoming, and also selected power forward Don Reid out of Georgetown University with the 58th overall pick.[2][3][4] During the off-season, the team hired Doug Collins as their new head coach,[5][6][7] and acquired Otis Thorpe from the Portland Trail Blazers; Thorpe won an NBA championship as a member of the Houston Rockets in the 1994 NBA Finals.[8][9][10]
Regular season
Under Collins, and with the addition of Thorpe, Ratliff and Reid, the Pistons struggled with a 5–9 record in November, but played above .500 in winning percentage for the remainder of the regular season, holding a 23–22 record at the All-Star break.[11] At mid-season, the team signed free agent Michael Curry, who was previously released by the Washington Bullets.[12][13] The Pistons reemerged as a playoff contender, finishing in fifth place in the Central Division with a 46–36 record, earning the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference, and returning to the NBA playoffs after a three-year absence.[14]
Second-year star Grant Hill averaged 20.2 points, 9.8 rebounds, 6.9 assists and 1.3 steals per game, and was named to the All-NBA Second Team, while Allan Houston averaged 19.7 points per game, and led the Pistons with 191 three-point field goals, and Thorpe provided the team with 14.2 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. In addition, Joe Dumars played half of the regular season off the bench as the team's sixth man, and contributed 11.8 points and 4.0 assists per game, along with 121 three-point field goals,[15][16] as Lindsey Hunter was the team's starting point guard for half the season, averaging 8.5 points and 2.4 assists per game, along with 117 three-point field goals, and Terry Mills provided with 9.4 points and 4.3 rebounds per game off the bench. On the defensive side, Curry contributed 4.9 points per game in 41 games, while Ratliff averaged 4.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game, and Reid was the team's starting power forward, averaging 3.8 points and 2.9 rebounds per game.[17]
During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, Hill was selected for the 1996 NBA All-Star Game, as a member of the Eastern Conference All-Star team.[18][19][20] Hill also finished tied in ninth place in Most Valuable Player voting, while Houston finished tied in eighth place in Most Improved Player voting,[21] and Collins finished tied in third place in Coach of the Year voting.[22][21]
The Pistons finished tenth in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 730,573 at The Palace of Auburn Hills during the regular season.[17][23]
NBA playoffs
In the Eastern Conference First Round of the 1996 NBA playoffs, the Pistons faced off against the 2nd–seeded, and Atlantic Division champion Orlando Magic, who were led by the trio of All-Star center Shaquille O'Neal, All-Star guard Penny Hardaway, and Horace Grant. The Pistons lost the first two games to the Magic on the road at the Orlando Arena, before losing Game 3 at home, 101–98 at The Palace of Auburn Hills, thus losing the series in a three-game sweep.[24][25][26]
Notable incidents
One notable incident of the regular season occurred on March 19, 1996, during a road game against the Magic at the Orlando Arena. With the Magic up by 20 points against the Pistons, Magic reverse guard Anthony Bowie called a timeout with 2.7 seconds left to set up a play, so he could get his first career triple-double. Collins got upset and viewed this as poor sportsmanship, as he instructed his players off the court to not defend the final play, and then towards the locker room before the game had ended; Collins was fined $5,000 by the league.[27][28][29] Bowie posted his first ever career triple-double of 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, as the Magic defeated the Pistons by a score of 113–91.[30]
Aftermath
Following the season, Houston signed as a free agent with the New York Knicks,[31][32][33] which left a bitter feud between Houston and Hill's relationship,[34][35][36] and Mark West signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers.[37][38]
Draft picks
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 | Theo Ratliff | C/PF |  United States | Wyoming |
| 1 | 19 | Randolph Childress | PG | United States | Wake Forest |
| 2 | 30 | Lou Roe | PF | United States | Massachusetts Amherst |
| 2 | 58 | Don Reid | PF | United States | Georgetown |
Roster
| Players | Coaches | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Head coach
Assistant(s)
Legend
Roster |
Regular season
Season standings
| Central Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| z–Chicago Bulls | 72 | 10 | .878 | – | 39–2 | 33–8 | 24–4 | 82 |
| x–Indiana Pacers | 52 | 30 | .634 | 20.0 | 32–9 | 20–21 | 19–9 | 82 |
| x–Cleveland Cavaliers | 47 | 35 | .573 | 25.0 | 26–15 | 21–20 | 13–15 | 82 |
| x–Atlanta Hawks | 46 | 36 | .561 | 26.0 | 26–15 | 20–21 | 15–13 | 82 |
| x–Detroit Pistons | 46 | 36 | .561 | 26.0 | 30–11 | 16–25 | 15–13 | 82 |
| Charlotte Hornets | 41 | 41 | .500 | 31.0 | 25–16 | 16–25 | 13–15 | 82 |
| Milwaukee Bucks | 25 | 57 | .305 | 47.0 | 14–27 | 11–30 | 8–20 | 82 |
| Toronto Raptors | 21 | 61 | .256 | 51.0 | 15–26 | 6–35 | 5–23 | 82 |
| Eastern Conference | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
| 1 | z–Chicago Bulls | 72 | 10 | .878 | – | 82 |
| 2 | y–Orlando Magic | 60 | 22 | .732 | 12.0 | 82 |
| 3 | x–Indiana Pacers | 52 | 30 | .634 | 20.0 | 82 |
| 4 | x–Cleveland Cavaliers | 47 | 35 | .573 | 25.0 | 82 |
| 5 | x–New York Knicks | 47 | 35 | .573 | 25.0 | 82 |
| 6 | x–Atlanta Hawks | 46 | 36 | .561 | 26.0 | 82 |
| 7 | x–Detroit Pistons | 46 | 36 | .561 | 26.0 | 82 |
| 8 | x–Miami Heat | 42 | 40 | .512 | 30.0 | 82 |
| 9 | Charlotte Hornets | 41 | 41 | .500 | 31.0 | 82 |
| 10 | Washington Bullets | 39 | 43 | .476 | 33.0 | 82 |
| 11 | Boston Celtics | 33 | 49 | .402 | 39.0 | 82 |
| 12 | New Jersey Nets | 30 | 52 | .366 | 42.0 | 82 |
| 13 | Milwaukee Bucks | 25 | 57 | .305 | 47.0 | 82 |
| 14 | Toronto Raptors | 21 | 61 | .256 | 51.0 | 82 |
| 15 | Philadelphia 76ers | 18 | 64 | .220 | 54.0 | 82 |
- z – clinched division title
- y – clinched division title
- x – clinched playoff spot
Game log
Regular season
Playoffs
| 1996 playoff game log | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
First Round: 0–3 (home: 0–1; road: 0–2)
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1996 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% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steve Bardo | 9 | 0 | 13.7 | .391 | .000 | .667 | 2.4 | 1.7 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 2.4 |
| Michael Curry | 41 | 1 | 18.3 | .464 | .400 | .707 | 2.0 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 4.9 |
| Joe Dumars | 67 | 40 | 32.7 | .426 | .406 | .822 | 2.1 | 4.0 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 11.8 |
| Grant Hill | 80 | 80 | 40.8 | .462 | .192 | .751 | 9.8 | 6.9 | 1.3 | 0.6 | 20.2 |
| Allan Houston | 82 | 75 | 37.5 | .453 | .427 | .823 | 3.7 | 3.0 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 19.7 |
| Lindsey Hunter | 80 | 48 | 26.7 | .381 | .405 | .700 | 2.4 | 2.4 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 8.5 |
| Eric Leckner | 18 | 8 | 8.6 | .621 | .615 | 1.9 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 2.4 | |
| Mark Macon | 23 | 0 | 12.5 | .433 | .467 | .818 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 3.2 |
| Terry Mills | 82 | 5 | 20.2 | .419 | .396 | .771 | 4.3 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 9.4 |
| Theo Ratliff | 75 | 2 | 17.4 | .557 | .000 | .708 | 4.0 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 1.5 | 4.5 |
| Don Reid | 69 | 46 | 14.4 | .567 | .662 | 2.9 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 3.8 | |
| Lou Roe | 49 | 2 | 7.6 | .356 | .222 | .750 | 1.6 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 1.8 |
| Otis Thorpe | 82 | 82 | 34.6 | .530 | .000 | .710 | 8.4 | 1.9 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 14.2 |
| Mark West | 47 | 21 | 14.5 | .484 | .622 | 2.8 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.8 | 3.2 |
Playoffs
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allan Houston | 3 | 3 | 45.3 | .431 | .333 | .900 | 2.7 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 25.0 |
| Grant Hill | 3 | 3 | 38.3 | .564 | .500 | .857 | 7.3 | 3.7 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 19.0 |
| Joe Dumars | 3 | 3 | 41.0 | .457 | .357 | 1.000 | 4.3 | 3.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 13.7 |
| Otis Thorpe | 3 | 3 | 33.7 | .542 | .750 | 11.7 | 2.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 11.7 | |
| Mark West | 3 | 3 | 26.0 | .524 | .462 | 5.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 9.3 | |
| Terry Mills | 3 | 0 | 16.0 | .250 | .125 | .833 | 1.7 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 5.3 |
| Lindsey Hunter | 2 | 0 | 18.0 | .250 | .250 | .500 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 3.0 |
| Michael Curry | 3 | 0 | 14.3 | .429 | .000 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 2.0 | |
| Don Reid | 3 | 0 | 8.7 | .333 | .333 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 1.0 | |
| Theo Ratliff | 1 | 0 | 4.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |||
| Lou Roe | 2 | 0 | 3.5 | .000 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | ||
| Eric Leckner | 1 | 0 | 3.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Player statistics citation:[17]
Awards and records
Transactions
- September 20, 1995: Traded Randolph Childress and Bill Curley to the Portland Trail Blazers for Otis Thorpe.
- October 5, 1995: Signed Steve Bardo as a free agent.
- December 29, 1995: Waived Walter Bond.
- January 5, 1996: Waived Steve Bardo.
- January 31, 1996: Signed Michael Curry to the first of two consecutive 10-day contracts.
- February 22, 1996: Signed Michael Curry for the remainder of the season.
Player transactions citation:[39]