The 1995–96 NBA season was the 50th season of the National Basketball Association, although the league didn't celebrate this anniversary until the following season. The season ended with the Chicago Bulls defeating the Seattle SuperSonics 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals to win the franchise's 4th championship. [edit] Notable occurrences - The Chicago Bulls break the record for most wins in a season and highest winning percentage, going 72-10 (.878). They are the closest that any team has come to avoiding back-to-back losses in a season, allowing this just once in mid-season. They also lost only one game by more than 10 points, which is the closest that any team has come to avoiding a blowout loss in a season.
- The Bulls finish the season with a combined regular season and postseason record of 87-13, the best in NBA history.
- Michael Jordan became the only player to win the NBA Finals MVP Award at least four times.
- Michael Jordan won his NBA record 8th scoring title.
- The Boston Celtics play their first game at the Fleet Center (now TD Garden).
- The NBA marks its return to Canada after almost 50 years as the Toronto Raptors and the Vancouver Grizzlies make their debuts as the NBA's 28th and 29th franchises. The Grizzlies began play at GM Place while the Raptors set up shop at SkyDome (now Rogers Centre). In addition to that, both franchises emerge victorious in their debut games.
- The 1996 NBA All-Star Game was played at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, with the East defeating the West 129–118. Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls was named the game's MVP.
- Referees were locked out to begin the season, but reached an agreement to return to work in December 1995.
- Magic Johnson comes out of retirement to play in 32 games for Los Angeles before retiring again at the end of the season.
- The Philadelphia 76ers play their final game at The Spectrum.
- Hakeem Olajuwon passes Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the all-time leader in blocked shots in the last game of the season.
- Portland Trail Blazers' longest sellout streak by any team in professional sports ends at 814, during which the team played its first season at higher-capacity Rose Garden.
[edit] Final standings [edit] Eastern Conference [edit] Western Conference C - NBA Champions [edit] Statistics leaders [edit] NBA awards Note: All information on this page were obtained on the History section on NBA.com [edit] See also |
