1994–95 Boston Celtics season

The 1994–95 NBA season was the 49th season for the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association.[1] It was also the last season of play at the Boston Garden.[2] After missing the playoffs the previous season, the Celtics had the ninth pick in the 1994 NBA draft, and selected Eric Montross from the University of North Carolina.[3] Prior to the season, the Celtics signed free agent All-Star forward Dominique Wilkins (a controversial move late in Wilkins' career),[4] signed free agents Pervis Ellison,[5] second-year guard David Wesley and rookie guard Greg Minor, and acquired Blue Edwards and Derek Strong from the Milwaukee Bucks.

1994–95 Boston Celtics season
Head coachChris Ford
General managerM.L. Carr
ArenaBoston Garden
Hartford Civic Center
Results
Record35–47 (.427)
PlaceDivision: 3rd (Atlantic)
Conference: 8th (Eastern)
Playoff finishEast First Round
(Lost to Magic 1–3)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
TelevisionWSBK-TV
SportsChannel New England
RadioWBNW

The Celtics got off to a 7–6 start in November, but played below .500 for the remainder of the season. Midway through the season, Edwards was traded back to his former team, the Utah Jazz in exchange for Jay Humphries.[6] The Celtics won eight of their final twelve games finishing third in the Atlantic Division with a 35–47 record.[7] Wilkins led the team in scoring with 17.8 points per game, while second-year star Dino Radja averaged 17.2 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game, and Dee Brown provided the team with 15.6 points and 1.4 steals per game. In addition, Sherman Douglas contributed 14.7 points and 6.9 assists per game, while Montross averaged 10.0 points and 7.3 rebounds per game, and was selected to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team, and Xavier McDaniel provided with 8.6 points and 4.4 rebounds per game off the bench.[8]

Despite finishing six games under .500, the Celtics qualified for the playoffs as the #8 seed in the Eastern Conference, and earned a road win over the #1 seed Orlando Magic in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference First Round (seizing the "theoretical home court advantage" for the series).[9] However, the Magic defeated the Celtics at Boston Garden in both Games 3 and 4 to close out the series.[10] Following the season, Wilkins and McDaniel both left to play in Greece,[11] while Strong signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Lakers, Humphries was released to free agency, and head coach Chris Ford was fired. General Manager M.L. Carr explained the firing as having to do with "diminishing returns".[12]

Draft picks
Main article: 1994 NBA Draft
Round Pick Player Position Nationality College
19Eric MontrossC United StatesNorth Carolina
236Andrei FetisovSF RussiaFórum Valladolid

Roster
1994–95 Boston Celtics roster
Players Coaches
Pos.No.NameHeightWeightDOB (YYYY-MM-DD)From
G 8 Blackwell, James 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1968–02–25 Dartmouth
G 7 Brown, Dee (C) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 160 lb (73 kg) 1968–11–29 Jacksonville
F 45 Dawson, Tony 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1967–08–25 Florida State
G 20 Douglas, Sherman 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1966–09–15 Syracuse
F 55 Earl, Acie 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1970–06–23 Iowa
F 29 Ellison, Pervis 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1967–04–03 Louisville
F 44 Fox, Rick  6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1969–07–24 North Carolina
G 5 Humphries, Jay 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1962–10–17 Colorado
F 34 McDaniel, Xavier 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1963–06–04 Wichita State University
F 9 Minor, Greg 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1971–09–18 Louisville
C 0 Montross, Eric 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 270 lb (122 kg) 1971–09–23 North Carolina
F/C 40 Radja, Dino 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1967–04–24 Croatia
F 31 Strong, Derek 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1968–02–09 Xavier
G 4 Wesley, David  6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1970–11–14 Baylor
F 12 Wilkins, Dominique (C) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1960–01–12 Georgia
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured

Roster

Regular season

Season standings
Atlantic Division W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-Orlando Magic 5725.695—39–218–2318–10
x-New York Knicks 5527.671229–1226–1523–5
x-Boston Celtics 3547.4272220–2115–2614–14
Miami Heat 3250.3902522–1910–319–19
New Jersey Nets 3052.3662720–2110–3113–15
Philadelphia 76ers 2458.2933314–2710–3112–16
Washington Bullets 2161.2563613–288–339–19
# Eastern Conference
Team W L PCT GB
1 c-Orlando Magic5725.695–
2 y-Indiana Pacers5230.6345
3 x-New York Knicks5527.6712
4 x-Charlotte Hornets5032.6107
5 x-Chicago Bulls4735.57310
6 x-Cleveland Cavaliers4339.52414
7 x-Atlanta Hawks4240.51215
8 x-Boston Celtics3547.42722
9 Milwaukee Bucks3448.41523
10 Miami Heat3250.39025
11 New Jersey Nets3052.36627
12 Detroit Pistons2854.34129
13 Philadelphia 76ers2458.29333
14 Washington Bullets2161.25636

Record vs. opponents
1994-95 NBA Records
Team ATL BOS CHA CHI CLE DAL DEN DET GSW HOU IND LAC LAL MIA MIL MIN NJN NYK ORL PHI PHO POR SAC SAS SEA UTA WAS
Atlanta –3–12–21–41–42–02–03–22–00–21–42–00–22–21–32–04–02–21–33–11–11–11–11–10–20–24–0
Boston 1–3–1–30–42–21–11–13–12–01–12–20–21–14–11–32–02–30–52–33–11–10–21–10–21–10–23–1
Charlotte 2–23–1–2–23–20–21–15–02–00–21–42–00–23–14–11–13–13–11–33–10–22–01–11–12–02–03–1
Chicago 4–14–02–2–2–31–11–15–02–01–12–21–11–13–11–42–02–23–11–34–01–11–10–21–10–20–22–2
Cleveland 4–12–22–33–2–0–21–12–22–00–22–31–11–11–34–01–14–02–21–33–11–11–11–10–20–21–13–1
Dallas 0–21–12–01–12–0–1–41–13–12–31–13–11–30–21–14–11–10–20–22–00–43–12–22–30–42–41–1
Denver 0–21–11–11–11–14–1–1–11–31–41–14–02–22–02–06–01–10–20–21–11–33–12–21–41–31–42–0
Detroit 2–31–30–50–52–21–11–1–1–10–22–21–10–21–32–31–12–21–31–34–01–10–21–10–20–20–23–1
Golden State 0–20–20–20–20–21–33–11–1–0–40–23–23–21–10–21–31–11–10–21–13–21–40–51–31–42–22–0
Houston 2–01–12–01–12–03–24–12–04–0–1–13–10–42–01–13–22–00–20–22–03–11–33–11–50–42–32–0
Indiana 4–12–24–12–23–21–11–12–22–01–1–2–01–12–23–22–03–11–32–24–01–11–12–02–01–10–23–1
L.A. Clippers 0–22–00–21–11–11–30–41–12–31–30–2–2–30–21–11–30–20–20–21–11–40–51–40–40–51–30–2
L.A. Lakers 2–01–12–01–11–13–12–22–02–34–01–13–2–1–11–13–12–00–21–11–11–42–33–21–34–12–22–0
Miami 2–21–41–31–33–12–00–23–11–10–22–22–01–1–4–01–11–31–41–31–40–20–20–20–20–20–24–1
Milwaukee 3–13–11–44–10–41–10–23–22–01–12–31–11–10–4–1–12–22–20–43–10–20–21–10–20–20–23–1
Minnesota 0–20–21–10–21–11–40–61–13–12–30–23–11–31–11–1–1–10–21–11–10–40–41–30–50–41–41–1
New Jersey 0–43–21–32–20–41–11–12–21–10–21–32–00–23–12–21–1–1–42–22–30–21–11–10–21–10–22–3
New York 2–25–01–31–32–22–02–03–11–12–03–12–02–04–12–22–04–1–2–34–01–11–12–01–10–20–24–0
Orlando 3–13–23–13–13–12–02–03–12–02–02–22–01–13–14–01–12–23–2–4–11–12–01–11–10–21–13–2
Philadelphia 1–31–31–30–41–30–21–10–41–10–20–41–11–14–11–31–13–20–41–4–0–22–01–10–20–20–23–2
Phoenix 1–11–12–01–11–14–03–11–12–31–31–14–14–12–02–04–02–01–11–12–0–5–04–12–24–12–22–0
Portland 1–12–00–21–11–11–31–32–04–13–11–15–03–22–02–04–01–11–10–20–20–5–3–21–32–31–32–0
Sacramento 1–11–11–12–01–12–22–21–15–01–30–24–12–32–01–13–11–10–21–11–11–42–3–0–43–20–41–1
San Antonio 1–12–01–11–12–03–24–12–03–15–10–24–03–12–02–05–02–01–11–12–02–23–14–0–2–23–22–0
Seattle 2–01–10–22–02–04–03–12–04–14–01–15–01–42–02–04–01–12–02–02–01–43–22–32–2–1–32–0
Utah 2–02–00–22–01–14–24–12–02–23–22–03–12–22–02–04–12–02–01–12–02–23–14–02–33–1–2–0
Washington 0–41–31–32–21–31–10–21–30–20–21–32–00–21–41–31–13–20–42–32–30–20–21–10–20–20–2—

Game log

Regular season
1994–95 game log
Total: 35–47 (Home: 20–21; Road: 15–26)
November: 7–6 (Home: 3–4; Road: 4–2)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
3 November 11, 1994
7:30 p.m. EST		 Houston L 82–102 Radja (31) Radja (11) Fox (6) Boston Garden
14,890		 0–3
December: 4–11 (Home: 2–4; Road: 2–7)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
23 December 17, 1994
8:30 p.m. EST		 @ Houston W 112–109 Wilkins (43) Montross (12) Wesley (11) The Summit
15,757		 10–13
January: 5–9 (Home: 5–5; Road: 0–4)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
February: 6–6 (Home: 3–2; Road: 3–4)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
All-Star Break
March: 6–11 (Home: 2–5; Road: 4–6)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
April: 7–4 (Home: 5–1; Road: 2–3)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
1994–95 schedule

Playoffs
1995 playoff game log
First round: 1–3 (Home: 0–2; Road: 1–1)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Series
1 April 28 @ Orlando L 77–124 Dee Brown (20) Dominique Wilkins (9) Sherman Douglas (6) Orlando Arena
16,010		 0–1
2 April 30 @ Orlando W 99–92 Dominique Wilkins (24) Brown, Radja (8) Sherman Douglas (15) Orlando Arena
16,010		 1–1
3 May 3 Orlando L 77–82 Brown, Wilkins (16) Pervis Ellison (10) Sherman Douglas (7) Boston Garden
14,890		 1–2
4 May 5 Orlando L 92–95 Dominique Wilkins (22) Dominique Wilkins (18) Douglas, Brown (5) Boston Garden
14,890		 1–3
1995 schedule

Player statistics
Legend
  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

Awards
Player Award
Eric Montross NBA All-Rookie 2nd Team

Transactions

The Celtics were involved in the following transactions during the 1994–95 season.

Trades
June 29, 1994 To Boston Celtics
Blue Edwards
Derek Strong		 To Milwaukee Bucks
Ed Pinckney
Andrei Fetisov
February 3, 1995 To Boston Celtics
Jay Humphries
1995 second-round pick		 To Utah Jazz
Blue Edwards

Free agents

Player Transactions Citation:[13]

See also

References
  1. 1994-95 Boston Celtics
  2. "BACKTALK; The Last Days of a Garden Where Memories Grew". New York Times. April 16, 1995. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  3. "BASKETBALL; The Bucks Go With Robinson As No. 1 Pick". New York Times. June 30, 1994. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  4. "Dominique Wilkins a Celtic". The New York Times. July 23, 1994.
  5. "EX-BULLET ELLISON CLOSE TO SIGNING WITH CELTICS". Washington Post. July 28, 1994. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  6. "BLUE'S BACK: JAZZ DEAL HUMPHRIES, 2ND-ROUND DRAFT PICK TO CELTICS FOR HIGH-FLYING EDWARDS". Deseret News. February 4, 1995. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
  7. "1994–95 Boston Celtics Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
  8. "1994–95 Boston Celtics Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
  9. "Celtics Bounce Back And Head Home Even". The New York Times. May 1, 1995.
  10. "Grant and Magic Wrap Up Garden's Parquet". The New York Times. May 6, 1995.
  11. "SPORTS PEOPLE: BASKETBALL; Celtics to Wilkins: Goodbye, Good Luck". New York Times. September 8, 1995. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  12. "FORD REACHES POINT OF NO RETURN WITH CELTICS". Hartford Courant. May 18, 1995. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  13. "1994–95 Boston Celtics Transactions". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
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