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1995–96 Atlanta Hawks season

The 1995–96 Atlanta Hawks season was the 47th season for the Atlanta Hawks in the National Basketball Association, and their 28th season in Atlanta, Georgia. The Hawks had the 16th overall pick in the 1995 NBA draft, and selected power forward Alan Henderson out of Indiana University. During the off-season, the team re-acquired former Hawks guard, and one-time Slam Dunk champion Spud Webb from the Sacramento Kings; Webb played for the Hawks from 1985 to 1991. The team also replaced Stacey Augmon as the team's starting small forward with Ken Norman, as Augmon played a sixth man role off the bench for the first half of the regular season.

With the addition of Henderson and Webb, the Hawks got off to a 9–5 start to the regular season, but soon struggled losing 10 of their 14 games in December, falling below .500 in winning percentage with a 13–15 record at the end of the month. After 28 games, Norman was benched as Augmon returned to the lineup for the remainder of the regular season, as the Hawks posted a 10-game winning streak in January, and later on held a 26–21 record at the All-Star break. At mid-season, the team traded Webb, and Andrew Lang to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Christian Laettner, and Sean Rooks. The Hawks finished in fourth place in the Central Division with a 46–36 record, and earned the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference.

Steve Smith averaged 18.1 points per game and contributed 140 three-point field goals, while Mookie Blaylock averaged 15.7 points, 5.9 assists and 2.6 steals per game, led the Hawks with 231 three-point field goals, and was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team, and Laettner provided the team with 14.2 points and 7.9 rebounds per game in 30 games after the trade. In addition, Grant Long provided with 13.1 points, 9.6 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game, while Augmon contributed 12.7 points and 1.4 steals per game, Craig Ehlo contributed 8.5 points per game, and Henderson averaged 6.4 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. Norman averaged 8.9 points and 3.9 rebounds per game in only just 34 games, and did not participate in the NBA playoffs, despite not being injured; Norman feuded with head coach Lenny Wilkens during the regular season after being removed from the team's starting lineup.

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, Henderson was selected for the NBA Rookie Game, as a member of the Eastern Conference Rookie team. On March 1, 1996, Wilkens reached a significant milestone, becoming the first NBA coach ever to reach 1,000 victories, as the Hawks defeated Wilkens' former team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, 74–68 at home at the Omni Coliseum; he also finished in sixth place in Coach of the Year voting.

In the Eastern Conference First Round of the 1996 NBA playoffs, and for the third consecutive year, the Hawks faced off against the 3rd–seeded Indiana Pacers; All-Star guard Reggie Miller was out for most of the series due to an eye socket injury, as the Pacers were led by Rik Smits and Mark Jackson. The Hawks took a 2–1 series lead before losing Game 4 to the Pacers at the Omni Coliseum, 83–75. With the series tied at 2–2, and despite the return of Miller, the Hawks managed to win Game 5 over the Pacers on the road, 89–87 at the Market Square Arena to win in a hard-fought five-game series.

In the Eastern Conference Semi-finals, the team 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 Magic won the first three games to take a 3–0 series lead, but the Hawks managed to win Game 4 at the Omni Coliseum, 104–99, in which Smith scored 35 points, and made 7 out of 14 three-point field-goal attempts. However, the Hawks lost Game 5 to the Magic on the road, 96–88 at the Orlando Arena, thus losing the series in five games.

The Hawks finished 27th in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 496,668 at the Omni Coliseum during the regular season, which was the third-lowest in the league. Following the season, Augmon and Long were both traded to the Detroit Pistons, while Ehlo signed as a free agent with the Seattle SuperSonics, and Rooks signed with the Los Angeles Lakers.

For the season, the Hawks changed their primary logo and uniforms, adding black and brown to their color scheme of red and yellow; the team's new logo featured a red hawk spreading its wings and holding a basketball, while their new uniforms featured their primary logo of a hawk on the front of their jerseys, with a red side panel on the left side of their shorts, plus adding half-black and half-red road uniforms. The team's new primary logo would remain in use until 2007, while the basic design of the logo would last until 2015, and the new uniforms would last until 1999.

Draft picks

Roster

Regular season

Season standings

Game log

|- align="center" bgcolor="ffcccc" || 1 || November 3 || Indiana Pacers || L 106-111|| || Omni Coliseum || 0–1 |- align="center" bgcolor="ccffcc" || 2 || November 4 || Orlando Magic || W 124-91|| || Omni Coliseum || 1-1 |- align="center" bgcolor="ffcccc" || 3 || November 6 || @ Utah Jazz || L 96-105|| || Delta Center || 1–2 |- align="center" bgcolor="ccffcc" || 4 || November 8 || @ Los Angeles Clippers || W 100-92|| || Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena || 2-2 |- align="center" bgcolor="ccffcc" || 5 || November 9 || @ Golden State Warriors || W 125-121|| || Oakland Coliseum Arena || 3–2 |- align="center" bgcolor="ccffcc" || 6 || November 11 || @ Dallas Mavericks || W 113-100|| || Reunion Arena || 4–2 |- align="center" bgcolor="ccffcc" || 7 || November 14 || Charlotte Hornets || W 111-104|| || Omni Coliseum || 5–2 |- align="center" bgcolor="ffcccc" || 8 || November 17 || Miami Heat || L 88-91|| || Omni Coliseum || 5–3 |- align="center" bgcolor="ccffcc" || 9 || November 19 || @ Sacramento Kings || W 108-94|| || ARCO Arena || 6–3 |- align="center" bgcolor="ffcccc" || 10 || November 21 || @ Denver Nuggets || L 99-107|| || McNichols Sports Arena || 6–4 |- align="center" bgcolor="ffcccc" || 11 || November 22 || @ Phoenix Suns || L 112-117|| || America West Arena || 6–5 |- align="center" bgcolor="ccffcc" || 12 || November 25 || Toronto Raptors || W 114-102|| || Omni Coliseum || 7–5 |- align="center" bgcolor="ccffcc" || 13 || November 28 || @ New York Knicks || W 102-97 (OT)|| || Madison Square Garden || 8–5 |- align="center" bgcolor="ccffcc" || 14 || November 29 || Philadelphia 76ers || W 106-81|| || Omni Coliseum || 9–5 |-

|- align="center" bgcolor="ffcccc" || 15 || December 1 || Dallas Mavericks || L 98-106 || || Omni Coliseum || 9–6 |- |- align="center" bgcolor="ffcccc" || 16 || December 2 || @ Detroit Pistons || L 96-104 || || The Palace Of Auburn Hills || 9–7 |- |- align="center" bgcolor="ffcccc" || 17 || December 6 || @ Washington Bullets || L 79-96 || || US Airways Arena || 9–8 |- |- align="center" bgcolor="ffcccc" || 18 || December 7 || San Antonio Spurs || L 102-104 || || Omni Coliseum || 9-9 |- |- align="center" bgcolor="ffcccc" || 19 || December 9 || New York Knicks || L 92-101 || || Omni Coliseum || 9–10 |- |- align="center" bgcolor="ccffcc" || 20 || December || @ Boston Celtics || W 108-103 || || Fleet Center || 10-10 |- |- align="center" bgcolor="ffcccc" || 21 || December 12 || Minnesota Timberwolves || L 78-85 || || Omni Coliseum || 10–11 |- |- align="center" bgcolor="ffcccc" || 22 || December 14 || Chicago Bulls || L 108-127 || || Omni Coliseum || 10–12 |- |- align="center" bgcolor="ccffcc" || 23 || December 16 || Denver Nuggets || W 95-86 || || Omni Coliseum || 11–12 |- |- align="center" bgcolor="ccffcc" || 24 || December 22 || New Jersey Nets || W 94-91 || || Omni Coliseum || 12-12 |- |- align="center" bgcolor="ffcccc" || 25 || December 23 || @ Milwaukee Bucks || L 111-115 || || Bradley Center || 12–13 |- |- align="center" bgcolor="ccffcc" || 26 || December 26 || Los Angeles Clippers || W 94-88 || || Omni Coliseum || 13-13 |- |- align="center" bgcolor="ffcccc" || 27 || December 29 || Golden State Warriors || L 96-117 || || Omni Coliseum || 13–14 |- |- align="center" bgcolor="ffcccc" || 28 || December 30 || @ Chicago Bulls || L 93-95 || || United Center || 13–15 |-

|- align="center" bgcolor="ffcccc" || 29 || January 2 || Seattle SuperSonics || L 88-111 || || Omni Coliseum || 13–16 |- |- align="center" bgcolor="ccffcc" || 30 || January 4 || Toronto Raptors || W 104-101 (OT) || || Omni Coliseum || 14–16 |- |- align="center" bgcolor="ffcccc" || 31 || January 6 || @ Charlotte Hornets || L 90-96 || || Charlotte Coliseum || 14–17 |- |- align="center" bgcolor="ccffcc" || 32 || January 9 || Sacramento Kings || W 104-88 || || Omni Coliseum || 15–17 |- |- align="center" bgcolor="ccffcc" || 33 || January 11 || @ Toronto Raptors || W 87-79 || || SkyDome || 16–17 |- |- align="center" bgcolor="ccffcc" || 34 || January 13 || Boston Celtics || W 108-105 || || Omni Coliseum || 17-17 |- |- align="center" bgcolor="ccffcc" || 35 || January 15 || Detroit Pistons || W 96-88 || || Omni Coliseum || 18–17 |- |- align="center" bgcolor="ccffcc" || 36 || January 17 || Indiana Pacers || W 102-93 || || Omni Coliseum || 19–17 |- |- align="center" bgcolor="ccffcc" || 37 || January 19 || @ Philadelphia 76ers || W 82-77 || || Spectrum || 20–17 |- |- align="center" bgcolor="ccffcc" || 38 || January 20 || Miami Heat || W 98-78 || || Omni Coliseum || 21–17 |- |- align="center" bgcolor="ccffcc" || 39 || January 22 || Houston Rockets || W 105-96 || || Omni Coliseum || 22–17 |- |- align="center" bgcolor="ccffcc" || 40 || January 23 || @ Cleveland Cavaliers || W 84-72 || || Gund Arena || 23–17 |- |- align="center" bgcolor="ccffcc" || 41 || January 26 || Orlando Magic || W 96-84 || || Omni Coliseum || 24–17 |- |- align="center" bgcolor="ffcccc" || 42 || January 30 || @ Indiana Pacers || L 90-107 || || Market Square Arena || 24–18 |- |- align="center" bgcolor="ffcccc" || 43 || January 31 || Phoenix Suns || L 84-120 || || Omni Coliseum || 24–19 |-

|- align="center" bgcolor="ffcccc" || 44 || February 2 || @ Orlando Magic || L 95-108 || || Orlando Arena || 24–20 |- |- align="center" bgcolor="ccffcc" || 45 || February 4 || Charlotte Hornets || W 106-104 || || Omni Coliseum || 25–20 |- |- align="center" bgcolor="ffcccc" || 46 || February 7 || @ Miami Heat || L 89-101 || || Miami Arena || 25–21 |- |- align="center" bgcolor="ccffcc" || 47 || February 8 || Washington Bullets || W 98-92 || || Omni Coliseum || 26–21 |- |- align="center" bgcolor="ffcccc" || 48 || February 14 || @ Los Angeles Lakers || L 86-87 || || Great Western Forum || 26–22 |- |- align="center" bgcolor="ccffcc" || 49 || February 16 || @ Vancouver Grizzlies || W 110-100 || || General Motors Place || 27–22 |- |- align="center" bgcolor="ccffcc" || 50 || February 18 || @ Portland Trail Blazers || W 93-90 || || Rose Garden Arena || 28–22 |- |- align="center" bgcolor="ffcccc" || 51 || February 19 || @ Seattle SuperSonics || L 94-102 || || KeyArena at Seattle Center || 28–23 |- |- align="center" bgcolor="ffcccc" || 52 || February 22 || Chicago Bulls || L 91-96 || || Omni Coliseum || 28–24 |- |- align="center" bgcolor="ccffcc" || 53 || February 23 || @ New York Knicks || W 108-97 || || Madison Square Garden || 29–24 |- |- align="center" bgcolor="ccffcc" || 54 || February 25 || @ Minnesota Timberwolves || W 92-76 || || Target Center || 30–24 |- |- align="center" bgcolor="ccffcc" || 55 || February 28 || Portland Trail Blazers || W 90-88 || || Omni Coliseum || 31–24 |-

|- align="center" bgcolor="ccffcc" || 56 || March 1 || Cleveland Cavaliers || W 74-68 || || Omni Coliseum || 32–24 |- |- align="center" bgcolor="ffcccc" || 57 || March 2 || @ Milwaukee Bucks || L 106-110 || || Bradley Center || 32–25 |- |- align="center" bgcolor="ffcccc" || 58 || March 4 || @ Detroit Pistons || L 93-99 || || The Palace Of Auburn Hills || 32–26 |- |- align="center" bgcolor="ccffcc" || 59 || March 7 || @ Cleveland Cavaliers || W 83-72 || || Gund Arena || 33–26 |- |- align="center" bgcolor="ccffcc" || 60 || March 8 || Milwaukee Bucks || W 94-91 || || Omni Coliseum || 34–26 |- |- align="center" bgcolor="ffcccc" || 61 || March 10 || @ Washington Bullets || L 91-99 || || US Airways Arena || 34–27 |- |- align="center" bgcolor="ccffcc" || 62 || March 12 || Utah Jazz || W 115-89 || || Omni Coliseum || 35–27 |- |- align="center" bgcolor="ffcccc" || 63 || March 14 || @ Houston Rockets || L 106-114 || || The Summit || 35–28 |- |- align="center" bgcolor="ffcccc" || 64 || March 16 || @ San Antonio Spurs || L 92-119 || || Alamodome || 35–29 |- |- align="center" bgcolor="ccffcc" || 65 || March 20 || Vancouver Grizzlies || W 98-93 || || Omni Coliseum || 36–29 |- |- align="center" bgcolor="ccffcc" || 66 || March 22 || @ Charlotte Hornets || W 117-92 || || Charlotte Coliseum || 37–29 |- |- align="center" bgcolor="ccffcc" || 67 || March 23 || Detroit Pistons || W 92-84 || || Omni Coliseum || 38–29 |- |- align="center" bgcolor="ccffcc" || 68 || March 26 || @ Toronto Raptors || W 114-111 || || SkyDome || 39–29 |- |- align="center" bgcolor="ffcccc" || 69 || March 28 || @ Chicago Bulls || L 80-111 || || United Center || 39–30 |- |- align="center" bgcolor="ffcccc" || 70 || March 29 || Los Angeles Lakers || L 89-102 || || Omni Coliseum || 39–31 |- |- align="center" bgcolor="ccffcc" || 71 || March 31 || @ Boston Celtics || W 93-92 || || Fleet Center || 40–31 |-

|- align="center" bgcolor="ccffcc" || 72 || April 2 || Boston Celtics || W 109-89 || || Omni Coliseum || 41–31 |- |- align="center" bgcolor="ffcccc" || 73 || April 4 || Washington Bullets || L 110-113 || || Omni Coliseum || 41–32 |- |- align="center" bgcolor="ccffcc" || 74 || April 5 || @ New Jersey Nets || W 82-70 || || Brendan Byrne Arena || 42–32 |- |- align="center" bgcolor="ffcccc" || 75 || April 6 || Philadelphia 76ers || L 99-100 || || Omni Coliseum || 42–33 |- |- align="center" bgcolor="ffcccc" || 76 || April 8 || @ Indiana Pacers || L 95-97 || || Market Square Arena || 42–34 |- |- align="center" bgcolor="ccffcc" || 77 || April 12 || Milwaukee Bucks || W 104-97 || || Omni Coliseum || 43–34 |- |- align="center" bgcolor="ccffcc" || 78 || April 14 || @ New Jersey Nets || W 99-90 || || Brendan Byrne Arena || 44–34 |- |- align="center" bgcolor="ffcccc" || 79 || April 16 || Cleveland Cavaliers || L 77-80 || || Omni Coliseum || 44–35 |- |- align="center" bgcolor="ffcccc" || 80 || April 18 || @ Orlando Magic || L 104-119 || || Orlando Arena || 44–36 |- |- align="center" bgcolor="ccffcc" || 81 || April 20 || New Jersey Nets || W 121-99 || || Omni Coliseum || 45–36 |- |- align="center" bgcolor="ccffcc" || 82 || April 21 || @ Miami Heat || W 104-92 || || Miami Arena || 46–36 |-

Playoffs

|- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 1 | April 25 | @ Indiana | W 92–80 | Steve Smith (27) | Grant Long (14) | Mookie Blaylock (9) | Market Square Arena<br>16,438 | 1–0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 2 | April 27 | @ Indiana | L 94–102 (OT) | Steve Smith (25) | Christian Laettner (9) | Mookie Blaylock (7) | Market Square Arena<br>16,709 | 1–1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 3 | April 29 | Indiana | W 90–83 | Steve Smith (26) | Christian Laettner (8) | Mookie Blaylock (7) | Omni Coliseum<br>11,290 | 2–1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 4 | May 2 | Indiana | L 75–83 | Steve Smith (19) | Grant Long (12) | Mookie Blaylock (5) | Omni Coliseum<br>15,482 | 2–2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 5 | May 5 | @ Indiana | W 89–87 | Mookie Blaylock (23) | Christian Laettner (11) | three players tied (3) | Market Square Arena<br>16,731 | 3–2 |-

|- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 1 | May 8 | @ Orlando | L 105–117 | Stacey Augmon (23) | Alan Henderson (8) | Steve Smith (9) | Orlando Arena<br>17,248 | 0–1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 2 | May 10 | @ Orlando | L 94–120 | Mookie Blaylock (25) | Christian Laettner (6) | Steve Smith (5) | Orlando Arena<br>17,248 | 0–2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 3 | May 12 | Orlando | L 96–103 | Christian Laettner (26) | Grant Long (13) | Mookie Blaylock (8) | Omni Coliseum<br>15,476 | 0–3 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 4 | May 13 | Orlando | W 104–99 | Steve Smith (35) | Grant Long (7) | Mookie Blaylock (11) | Omni Coliseum<br>12,645 | 1–3 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 5 | May 15 | @ Orlando | L 88–96 | Grant Long (24) | Grant Long (13) | Mookie Blaylock (7) | Orlando Arena<br>17,248 | 1–4 |-

Player statistics

Season

Playoffs

Player statistics citation:

Awards and records

Awards

Records

Transactions

Trades

February 22, 1996

Free agents

October 5, 1995

October 30, 1995

December 14, 1995

  • Signed Tim Kempton as a free agent.
  • Waived Howard Nathan.

January 5, 1996

  • Waived Tim Kempton.

January 16, 1996

February 22, 1996

  • Signed Howard Nathan to a 10-day contract.

March 2, 1996

  • Waived Howard Nathan.

March 6, 1996

March 9, 1996

  • Waived Todd Mundt.

March 26, 1996

  • Signed Reggie Jordan to a contract for the rest of the season.

Additions

Subtractions

Player Transactions Citation:

See also

References