1995–96 Miami Heat season

The 1995–96 Miami Heat season was the eighth season for the Miami Heat in the National Basketball Association.^[1] The Heat received the tenth overall pick in the 1995 NBA draft, and selected power forward Kurt Thomas out of Texas Christian University.^[2][3][4] During the off-season, the team acquired Rex Chapman from the Washington Bullets,^[5][6][7] and hired Pat Riley as their new head coach and team president.^[8][9][10] On the first day of the regular season, which began on November 3, 1995, the Heat acquired All-Star center Alonzo Mourning from the Charlotte Hornets.^[11][12][13]

Under Riley and with the addition of Mourning, Chapman and Thomas, the Heat won 11 of their first 14 games of the regular season, but then lost 23 of their next 34 games, holding a 22–26 at the All-Star break.^[14] Riley continued to make changes as he made three more deals at the trading deadline. The team traded Kevin Willis, and Bimbo Coles to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for All-Star guard Tim Hardaway, and Chris Gatling,^[15][16][17] traded Billy Owens, and Kevin Gamble to the Sacramento Kings in exchange for Walt Williams, and Tyrone Corbin, and then dealt rookie point guard Terrence Rencher to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Tony Smith.^[15][18][19] The team also signed free agents Jeff Malone, who was previously released by the Philadelphia 76ers, and rookie shooting guard Voshon Lenard, who previously played in the Continental Basketball Association.^[20]

The flurry of deadline deals led to one notable highlight of the season, as the Heat only had eight players available to face the Chicago Bulls at the Miami Arena on February 23, 1996, but won by a score of 113–104, thanks mainly to a 39-point performance by Chapman; this was one of only 10 losses the Bulls suffered on their way to a then-record 72-win season.^[21][22][23] With the addition of Hardaway, Gatling and Williams, the Heat played above .500 in winning percentage for the remainder of the regular season, winning 10 of their 14 games in March, and then winning five of their final seven games. The team finished in third place in the Atlantic Division with a 42–40 record, which earned them the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference, as they qualified for their third NBA playoff appearance.^[24][25]

Mourning averaged 23.2 points, 10.4 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game, while Hardaway averaged 17.2 points, 10.0 assists and 2.1 steals per game in 28 games after the trade, and Gatling played a sixth man role off the bench, as he provided the team with 15.2 points and 7.3 rebounds per game in 24 games. In addition, Chapman contributed 14.0 points per game, and led the Heat with 125 three-point field goals, but only played 56 games due to an Achilles tendon injury,^[26][27][28] while rookie shooting guard Sasha Danilovic contributed 13.4 points per game, but only played just 19 games due to a wrist injury,^[29][30] Williams averaged 12.0 points per game in 28 games, Thomas provided with 9.0 points and 5.9 rebounds per game, and Keith Askins contributed 6.1 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.^[31]

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, Mourning was selected for the 1996 NBA All-Star Game, as a member of the Eastern Conference All-Star team,^[32][33][34] while Thomas was selected for the NBA Rookie Game, as a member of the Eastern Conference Rookie team.^[35][36] Mourning also finished in 14th place in Most Valuable Player voting, while Gatling finished tied in seventh place in Sixth Man of the Year voting.^[37]

In the Eastern Conference First Round of the 1996 NBA playoffs, the Heat faced off against the top–seeded, and Central Division champion Bulls, who were led by the trio of All-Star guard, and Most Valuable Player of the Year, Michael Jordan, All-Star forward Scottie Pippen, and rebound-specialist Dennis Rodman. The Heat lost the first two games to the Bulls on the road at the United Center, before losing Game 3 at home, 112–91 at the Miami Arena, thus losing the series in a three-game sweep.^[38][39][40] The Bulls would defeat the Seattle SuperSonics in six games in the 1996 NBA Finals, winning their fourth NBA championship in six years.^[41][42][43]

The Heat finished 25th in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 606,088 at the Miami Arena during the regular season, which was the fifth-lowest in the league.^[31][44] Following the season, Chapman signed as a free agent with the Phoenix Suns,^[45][46][47] while Williams signed with the Toronto Raptors,^[48][49][50] Gatling signed with the Dallas Mavericks,^[51][52][53] Corbin signed with the Atlanta Hawks,^[54][55] Smith signed with the Charlotte Hornets,^[56] and Malone retired.

For the season, the Heat added new red alternate road uniforms, which would remain in use until 1999.^[57]