1991–92 NBA season
1991–92 NBA season | |
---|---|
League | National Basketball Association |
Sport | Basketball |
Duration | November 1, 1991 – April 19, 1992 April 23 – May 29, 1992 (Playoffs) June 3 – 14, 1992 (Finals) |
Number of teams | 27 |
TV partner(s) | NBC, TBS, TNT |
Draft | |
Top draft pick | Larry Johnson |
Picked by | Charlotte Hornets |
Regular season | |
Top seed | Chicago Bulls |
Season MVP | Michael Jordan (Chicago) |
Top scorer | Michael Jordan (Chicago) |
Playoffs | |
Eastern champions | Chicago Bulls |
Eastern runners-up | Cleveland Cavaliers |
Western champions | Portland Trail Blazers |
Western runners-up | Utah Jazz |
Finals | |
Champions | Chicago Bulls |
Runners-up | Portland Trail Blazers |
Finals MVP | Michael Jordan (Chicago) |
The 1991–92 NBA season was the 46th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Chicago Bulls winning their second-straight NBA Championship, beating the Portland Trail Blazers 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals.
Contents
1 Notable occurrences
2 1991–92 NBA changes
3 Standings
3.1 By division
3.2 By conference
4 Playoffs
5 Statistics leaders
6 NBA awards
7 References
Notable occurrences
Offseason | ||
---|---|---|
Team | 1990–91 coach | 1991–92 coach |
Charlotte Hornets | Gene Littles | Allan Bristow |
Miami Heat | Ron Rothstein | Kevin Loughery |
Minnesota Timberwolves | Bill Musselman | Jimmy Rodgers |
New York Knicks | John MacLeod | Pat Riley |
In-season | ||
Team | Outgoing coach | Incoming coach |
Houston Rockets | Don Chaney | Rudy Tomjanovich |
Los Angeles Clippers | Mike Schuler | Mack Calvin |
Mack Calvin | Larry Brown | |
Milwaukee Bucks | Del Harris | Frank Hamblen |
Sacramento Kings | Dick Motta | Rex Hughes |
San Antonio Spurs | Larry Brown | Bob Bass |
Seattle SuperSonics | K.C. Jones | Bob Kloppenburg |
Bob Kloppenburg | George Karl |
- The game clock/shot clock combo made its debut.
- In one of the most shocking announcements in sports history, Lakers star Magic Johnson announces his retirement early in the season after receiving the news that he had tested HIV-positive.
Philadelphia 76er Charles Barkley honors Johnson by switching from his usual number 34 to 32, which he wore for the entire season. The 76ers had retired the number in honor of Billy Cunningham, who un-retired it for Barkley to wear.- Due to back problems, Celtics star Larry Bird retires at the end of the season, and since Bill Russell vs. Jerry West it brings one of the most memorable eras in NBA history (Magic vs. Bird) to a close.
- After a season in the Western Conference's Midwest Division, the Orlando Magic move back to the Eastern Conference, playing in the Atlantic Division. The 27 teams of the NBA would remain in the same four divisions until 2004, when the league would realign into six divisions.
- The 1992 NBA All-Star Game was played at the Orlando Arena in Orlando, Florida, with the West defeating the East 153–113. In an emotionally charged game, Magic Johnson wins the game's MVP award; despite having retired from the game a few days into the season, fans were still able to vote him into the starting lineup because the printed ballots still featured Magic's name.
- In the wake of the 1992 Los Angeles Riots, the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers rescheduled and moved their home playoff games to the nearest area possible. Game 4 of the Lakers-Blazers series was played at Las Vegas' Thomas & Mack Center while Game 4 of the Clippers-Jazz series was played at Anaheim's Convention Center.
Luc Longley, drafted by the Timberwolves, becomes the first Australian to play in the NBA. He would later play in three Bulls championship teams.
Larry Brown makes history becoming the first NBA coach to serve as head coach for two different teams in a single season (San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Clippers). Brown leads the Clippers to the team's first winning season since the team relocated to Los Angeles. Brown resigned from the Spurs in order to take the Clippers' job; Bob Bass replaced him.- The season marked the last time the Boston Celtics won 50 games (they won 51 that season) for nearly two decades. They would not win 50 games or more until the 2008 season.
- Following the first round loss to the New York Knicks, Detroit Pistons head coach Chuck Daly resigned, ending the Pistons' 'Bad Boys' era.
- On December 17, the Cleveland Cavaliers crushed the Miami Heat by a score of 148-80. This 68-point win by the Cavaliers set the record for largest margin of victory in the history of the NBA.
Run TMC, consisting of Tim Hardaway, Chris Mullin and Mitch Richmond, and were named after the famous hip-hop group, was disbanded when the Golden State Warriors traded Richmond to the Sacramento Kings for Billy Owens. Richmond went on to become an All-Star for the otherwise struggling Kings while Owens never made an impact with the Warriors. Subsequently, the Warriors never won a playoff series following the trade until 2007, losing in the opening round to the Seattle SuperSonics in four games in 1992, and then were swept by the Phoenix Suns in 1994.- The Utah Jazz play their first game at the Delta Center.
- The Phoenix Suns play their final season at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
- The Chicago Bulls set a franchise record with 67 wins in a season (later broken by the 1996 team).
Dennis Rodman recorded 1,530 rebounds and averaged 18.7 rebounds per game in the regular season, both of which are the highest figures since 1972. It is the first of an NBA record seven consecutive rebounding titles for Rodman.
Michael Jordan scored 35 points in the first half to set an NBA Finals record for most points in a half. His six three-pointers also set a record for most in a half.- The Miami Heat were the first of the four late-1980s expansion franchises to make it to the playoffs. They were swept in the first round by the Bulls. Fourteen years later, they would become the first of those teams to win an NBA Championship.
- All NBA teams sport patches on their warmups commemorating the centennial anniversary of basketball.
- The Los Angeles Clippers went to the playoffs, which ended the currently record-breaking 15 seasons without a playoff appearance.
1991–92 NBA changes
- The Philadelphia 76ers changed their uniforms.
- The Portland Trail Blazers changed their logo and uniforms.
- The Utah Jazz moved into the Delta Center.
Standings
|
Atlantic Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
y-Boston Celtics | 51 | 31 | .622 | — | 34–7 | 17–24 | 19–9 |
x-New York Knicks | 51 | 31 | .622 | — | 30–11 | 21–20 | 20–8 |
x-New Jersey Nets | 40 | 42 | .488 | 11 | 25–16 | 15–26 | 15–13 |
x-Miami Heat | 38 | 44 | .463 | 13 | 28–13 | 10–31 | 14–14 |
Philadelphia 76ers | 35 | 47 | .427 | 16 | 23–18 | 12–29 | 15–13 |
Washington Bullets | 25 | 57 | .305 | 26 | 14–27 | 11–30 | 7–21 |
Orlando Magic | 21 | 61 | .256 | 30 | 13–28 | 8–33 | 8–20 |
Central Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
y-Chicago Bulls | 67 | 15 | .817 | — | 36–5 | 31–10 | 22–6 |
x-Cleveland Cavaliers | 57 | 25 | .695 | 10 | 35–6 | 22–19 | 21-7 |
x-Detroit Pistons | 48 | 34 | .585 | 19 | 25–16 | 23–18 | 15–13 |
x-Indiana Pacers | 40 | 42 | .488 | 27 | 26–15 | 14–27 | 13–15 |
Atlanta Hawks | 38 | 44 | .463 | 29 | 23–18 | 15–26 | 7-21 |
Charlotte Hornets | 31 | 51 | .378 | 36 | 22–19 | 9–32 | 10-18 |
Milwaukee Bucks | 31 | 51 | .378 | 36 | 25–16 | 6–35 | 10-18 |
- Western Conference
Midwest Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
y-Utah Jazz | 55 | 27 | .671 | — | 37-4 | 18–23 | 20-6 |
x-San Antonio Spurs | 47 | 35 | .573 | 8 | 31–10 | 16–25 | 18-8 |
Houston Rockets | 42 | 40 | .512 | 13 | 28-13 | 14–27 | 12-14 |
Denver Nuggets | 24 | 58 | .293 | 21 | 18-23 | 6–35 | 8-18 |
Dallas Mavericks | 22 | 60 | .268 | 33 | 15-26 | 7-34 | 11-15 |
Minnesota Timberwolves | 15 | 67 | .183 | 40 | 9-32 | 6–35 | 9-17 |
Pacific Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
y-Portland Trail Blazers | 57 | 25 | .695 | — | 33-8 | 24-17 | 21-9 |
x-Golden State Warriors | 55 | 27 | .671 | 2 | 31-10 | 24-17 | 19-11 |
x-Phoenix Suns | 53 | 29 | .646 | 4 | 36-5 | 17-24 | 17-13 |
x-Seattle SuperSonics | 47 | 35 | .573 | 10 | 28-13 | 19-22 | 16-14 |
x-Los Angeles Clippers | 45 | 37 | .549 | 12 | 29-12 | 16-25 | 13-17 |
x-Los Angeles Lakers | 43 | 39 | .524 | 14 | 24-17 | 19-22 | 13-17 |
Sacramento Kings | 29 | 53 | .354 | 28 | 21-20 | 8-33 | 6-24 |
By conference
# | Eastern Conference | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Team | W | L | PCT | GB | |
1 | z-Chicago Bulls | 67 | 15 | .817 | – |
2 | y-Boston Celtics | 51 | 31 | .622 | 16 |
3 | x-Cleveland Cavaliers | 57 | 25 | .695 | 10 |
4 | x-New York Knicks | 51 | 31 | .622 | 16 |
5 | x-Detroit Pistons | 48 | 34 | .585 | 19 |
6 | x-New Jersey Nets | 40 | 42 | .488 | 27 |
7 | x-Indiana Pacers | 40 | 42 | .488 | 27 |
8 | x-Miami Heat | 38 | 44 | .463 | 29 |
9 | Atlanta Hawks | 38 | 44 | .463 | 29 |
10 | Philadelphia 76ers | 35 | 47 | .427 | 32 |
11t | Milwaukee Bucks | 31 | 51 | .378 | 36 |
11t | Charlotte Hornets | 31 | 51 | .378 | 36 |
13 | Washington Bullets | 25 | 57 | .305 | 42 |
14 | Orlando Magic | 21 | 61 | .256 | 46 |
# | Western Conference | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Team | W | L | PCT | GB | |
1 | c-Portland Trail Blazers | 57 | 25 | .695 | – |
2 | y-Utah Jazz | 55 | 27 | .671 | 2 |
3 | x-Golden State Warriors | 55 | 27 | .671 | 2 |
4 | x-Phoenix Suns | 53 | 29 | .646 | 4 |
5 | x-San Antonio Spurs | 47 | 35 | .573 | 10 |
6 | x-Seattle SuperSonics | 47 | 35 | .573 | 10 |
7 | x-Los Angeles Clippers | 45 | 37 | .549 | 12 |
8 | x-Los Angeles Lakers | 43 | 39 | .524 | 14 |
9 | Houston Rockets | 42 | 40 | .512 | 15 |
10 | Sacramento Kings | 29 | 53 | .354 | 28 |
11 | Denver Nuggets | 24 | 58 | .293 | 33 |
12 | Dallas Mavericks | 22 | 60 | .268 | 35 |
13 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 15 | 67 | .183 | 42 |
Notes
z – Clinched home court advantage for the entire playoffs
c – Clinched home court advantage for the conference playoffs
y – Clinched division title
x – Clinched playoff spot
Playoffs
Teams in bold advanced to the next round. The numbers to the left of each team indicate the team's seeding in its conference, and the numbers to the right indicate the number of games the team won in that round. The division champions are marked by an asterisk. Home court advantage does not necessarily belong to the higher-seeded team, but instead the team with the better regular season record; teams enjoying the home advantage are shown in italics.
First Round | Conference Semifinals | Conference Finals | NBA Finals | ||||||||||||||||
1 | Chicago | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
8 | Miami | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
1 | Chicago | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
4 | New York | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
4 | New York | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
5 | Detroit | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
1 | Chicago | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
Eastern Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
3 | Cleveland | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
3 | Cleveland | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
6 | New Jersey | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
3 | Cleveland | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
2 | Boston | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
2 | Boston | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
7 | Indiana | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
E1 | Chicago | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
W1 | Portland | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
1 | Portland | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
8 | L.A. Lakers | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
1 | Portland | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
4 | Phoenix | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
4 | Phoenix | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
5 | San Antonio | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
1 | Portland | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
Western Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
2 | Utah | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
3 | Golden State | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
6 | Seattle | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
6 | Seattle | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
2 | Utah | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
2 | Utah | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
7 | L.A. Clippers | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
Statistics leaders
Category | Player | Team | Stat |
---|---|---|---|
Points per game | Michael Jordan | Chicago Bulls | 30.1 |
Rebounds per game | Dennis Rodman | Detroit Pistons | 18.7 |
Assists per game | John Stockton | Utah Jazz | 13.7 |
Steals per game | John Stockton | Utah Jazz | 2.98 |
Blocks per game | David Robinson | San Antonio Spurs | 4.49 |
FG% | Buck Williams | Portland Trail Blazers | .604 |
FT% | Mark Price | Cleveland Cavaliers | .947 |
3FG% | Dana Barros | Seattle SuperSonics | .446 |
NBA awards
Most Valuable Player: Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls
Rookie of the Year: Larry Johnson, Charlotte Hornets
Defensive Player of the Year: David Robinson, San Antonio Spurs
Sixth Man of the Year: Detlef Schrempf, Indiana Pacers
Most Improved Player: Pervis Ellison, Washington Bullets
Coach of the Year: Don Nelson, Golden State Warriors
All-NBA First Team:
- F – Karl Malone, Utah Jazz
- F – Chris Mullin, Golden State Warriors
- C – David Robinson, San Antonio Spurs
- G – Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls
- G – Clyde Drexler, Portland Trail Blazers
- F – Karl Malone, Utah Jazz
All-NBA Second Team:
- F – Scottie Pippen, Chicago Bulls
- F – Charles Barkley, Philadelphia 76ers
- C – Patrick Ewing, New York Knicks
- G – Tim Hardaway, Golden State Warriors
- G – John Stockton, Utah Jazz
- F – Scottie Pippen, Chicago Bulls
All-NBA Third Team:
- F – Dennis Rodman, Detroit Pistons
- F – Kevin Willis, Atlanta Hawks
- C – Brad Daugherty, Cleveland Cavaliers
- G – Mark Price, Cleveland Cavaliers
- G – Kevin Johnson, Phoenix Suns
- F – Dennis Rodman, Detroit Pistons
All-NBA Rookie Team:
Steve Smith, Miami Heat
Larry Johnson, Charlotte Hornets
Billy Owens, Golden State Warriors
Stacey Augmon, Atlanta Hawks
Dikembe Mutombo, Denver Nuggets
NBA All-Defensive First Team:
Dennis Rodman, Detroit Pistons
Scottie Pippen, Chicago Bulls
David Robinson, San Antonio Spurs
Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls
Joe Dumars, Detroit Pistons
NBA All-Defensive Second Team:
Larry Nance, Cleveland Cavaliers
Buck Williams, Portland Trail Blazers
Patrick Ewing, New York Knicks
John Stockton, Utah Jazz
Micheal Williams, Indiana Pacers
Note: All information on this page were obtained on the History section on NBA.com