1991–92 Los Angeles Clippers season

The 1991–92 NBA season was the Clippers' 22nd season in the National Basketball Association, and their 8th season in Los Angeles.[1] During the off-season, the Clippers acquired Doc Rivers from the Atlanta Hawks,[2] and James Edwards from the Detroit Pistons.[3] The Clippers, led by Danny Manning and Ron Harper, won five of their first seven games. They would lose six straight afterwards, but then post an 8-game winning streak in December which led them to a 14–10 start. However, they would struggle over the next few weeks sliding back below .500 with a 21–24 record as head coach Mike Schuler was fired.[4] After splitting two games under interim Mack Calvin, the team hired Larry Brown, who resigned as coach of the San Antonio Spurs a few weeks earlier.[5]

1991–92 Los Angeles Clippers season
Head coachMike Schuler (fired)
Mack Calvin (interim)
Larry Brown
OwnersDonald Sterling
ArenaLos Angeles Memorial Sports Arena
Results
Record45–37 (.549)
PlaceDivision: 5th (Pacific)
Conference: 7th (Western)
Playoff finishWest First Round
(Lost to Jazz 2–3)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
TelevisionKCOP-TV
(Ralph Lawler, Mike Fratello)
SportsChannel Los Angeles
(Joel Meyers, Jerry Tarkanian)
RadioKRLA
(Rich Marotta)

Under Brown, the Clippers won 23 of their final 35 games to finish fifth in the Pacific Division with a 45–37 record.[6] Making their first playoff appearance since the 1975–76 season when they were known as the Buffalo Braves, and ending a fifteen-year playoff drought.[7] This season also marked the first time that the Clippers finished with a better record than their crosstown rival, the Los Angeles Lakers, who finished two games behind them with a 43–39 record.

Manning averaged 19.2 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 1.5 blocks per game, while Harper averaged 18.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.9 steals per game, and Charles D. Smith provided the team with 14.6 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game, but only played just 49 games due to injury. In addition, Ken Norman averaged 12.1 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, while Rivers contributed 10.9 points, 3.9 assists and 1.9 steals per game, Olden Polynice provided with 8.1 points and 7.1 rebounds per game, and Gary Grant contributed 7.8 points, 6.9 assists and 1.8 steals per game. Edwards averaged 9.7 points per game off the bench, and second-year forward Loy Vaught provided with 7.6 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.[8] However, in the Western Conference First Round of the playoffs, the Clippers lost in five games to the Utah Jazz.[9]

Following the season, Smith, Rivers and second-year guard Bo Kimble were all traded to the New York Knicks,[10] while Edwards signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Lakers, and Polynice was dealt to the Detroit Pistons.

Draft picks
Main article: 1991 NBA draft
Round Pick Player Position Nationality College
122LeRon EllisC/PF United StatesSyracuse
237Elliot PerryPG United StatesMemphis
238Joe WyliePF United StatesMiami (FL)

Roster
1991–92 Los Angeles Clippers roster
Players Coaches
Pos.No.NameHeightWeightDOB (YYYY-MM-DD)From
C 53 Edwards, James 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1955–11–22 Washington
C 22 Ellis, LeRon 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1969–04–28 Syracuse
G 23 Grant, Gary 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1965–04–21 Michigan
G 4 Harper, Ron 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1964–01–20 Miami (OH)
G 30 Kimble, Bo 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1966–04–09 Loyola Marymount
F 5 Manning, Danny 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1966–05–17 Kansas
F 3 Norman, Ken 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1964–09–05 Illinois
C 0 Polynice, Olden 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1964–11–21 Virginia
G 32 Rivers, David 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1965–01–20 Notre Dame
G 25 Rivers, Doc 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1961–10–13 Marquette
F 54 Smith, Charles D. 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1965–07–16 Pittsburgh
F 35 Vaught, Loy 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1968–02–27 Michigan
G 21 Young, Danny 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1962–07–26 Wake Forest
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured

Roster notes
  • Forward Tony Brown became the 5th former Laker to play with the crosstown rival Clippers. He would later serve as an assistant coach for the team under coaches Mike Dunleavy, Sr. and Kim Hughes from 2008 to 2010
  • This is point guard David Rivers's second tour of duty with the franchise. He previously played for the team in 1989–1990.

Regular season

Season standings
Pacific Division W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-Portland Trail Blazers5725.695—33–824–1721–9
x-Golden State Warriors5527.671231–1024–1719–11
x-Phoenix Suns5329.646436–517–2417–13
x-Seattle SuperSonics4735.5731028–1319–2216–14
x-Los Angeles Clippers4537.5491229–1216–2513–17
x-Los Angeles Lakers4339.5241424–1719–2213–17
Sacramento Kings2953.3542821–208–336–24
y – clinched division title
x – clinched playoff spot
# Western Conference
Team W L PCT GB
1 c-Portland Trail Blazers5725.695–
2 y-Utah Jazz5527.6712
3 x-Golden State Warriors5527.6712
4 x-Phoenix Suns5329.6464
5 x-San Antonio Spurs4735.57310
6 x-Seattle SuperSonics4735.57310
7 x-Los Angeles Clippers4537.54912
8 x-Los Angeles Lakers4339.52414
9 Houston Rockets4240.51215
10 Sacramento Kings2953.35428
11 Denver Nuggets2458.29333
12 Dallas Mavericks2260.26835
13 Minnesota Timberwolves1567.18342
z – clinched division title
y – clinched division title
x – clinched playoff spot

Record vs. opponents
1991-92 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 –3–12–20–50–52–02–01–41–12–01–41–10–22–23–12–03–12–22–22–22–00–21–10–21–11–12–2
Boston 1–3–3–11–33–11–11–14–01–11–12–22–02–03–22–20–22–33–25–03–11–11–12–01–12–01–13–1
Charlotte 2–21–3–0–42–31–11–11–41–10–23–20–21–11–32–31–11–30–43–13–11–10–21–12–01–10–22–2
Chicago 5–03–14–0–3–22–02–04–11–11–13–12–01–14–03–22–04–04–03–13–11–12–02–01–12–01–14–0
Cleveland 5–01–33–22–3–1–11–13–11–11–15–01–12–03–13–12–02–24–03–14–01–10–22–01–11–11–14–0
Dallas 0–21–11–10–21–1–3–20–20–44–21–11–30–41–11–13–20–20–21–10–22–20–41–30–50–41–40–2
Denver 0–21–11–10–21–12–3–0–20–42–30–20–41–30–21–12–31–10–22–02–01–31–32–21–41–31–51–1
Detroit 4–10–44–11–41–32–02–0–1–12–02–20–22–02–23–21–12–22–24–03–10–22–02–01–11–11–13–1
Golden State 1–11–11–11–11–14–04–01–1–2–22–03–23–21–12–04–02–01–12–01–13–22–35–02–23–21–32–0
Houston 0–21–12–01–11–12–43–20–22–2–1–12–22–22–01–13–21–11–12–01–11–33–13–13–21–31–42–0
Indiana 4–12–22–31–30–51–12–02–20–21–1–0–22–03–14–12–02–21–32–22–21–10–21–12–00–21–12–2
L.A. Clippers 1–10–22–00–21–13–14–02–02–32–22–0–2–32–02–04–01–10–22–01–13–22–32–32–22–31–30–2
L.A. Lakers 2–00–21–11–10–24–03–10–22–32–20–23–2–2–01–13–12–02–02–02–02–31–44–11–31–41–31–1
Miami 2–22–33–10–41–31–12–02–21–10–21–30–20–2–4–02–02–21–43–11–40–20–22–01–11–11–15–0
Milwaukee 1–32–23–22–31–31–11–12–30–21–11–40–21–10–4–2–00–41–33–13–10–20–20–21–11–11–13–1
Minnesota 0–22–01–10–20–22–33–21–10–42–30–20–41–30–20–2–0–20–20–20–20–40–41–30–60–42–30–2
New Jersey 1–33–23–10–42–22–01–12–20–21–12–21–10–22–24–02–0–2–33–13–21–11–11–11–10–20–22–3
New York 2–22–34–00–40–42–02–02–21–11–13–12–00–24–13–12–03–2–4–13–11–11–11–10–22–02–04–0
Orlando 2–20–51–31–31–31–10–20–40–20–22–20–20–21–31–32–01–31–4–3–20–20–20–21–11–10–22–3
Philadelphia 2–21–31–31–30–42–00–21–31–11–12–21–10–24–11–32–02–31–32–3–0–21–11–11–12–00–25–0
Phoenix 0–21–11–11–11–12–23–12–02–33–11–12–33–22–02–04–01–11–12–02–0–3–24–13–13–22–22–0
Portland 2–01–12–00–22–04–03–10–23–21–32–03–24–12–02–04–01–11–12–01–12–3–5–02–24–12–22–0
Sacramento 1–10–21–10–20–23–12–20–20–51–31–13–21–40–22–03–11–11–12–01–11–40–5–1–31–41–32–0
San Antonio 2–01–10–21–11–15–04–11–12–22–30–22–23–11–11–16–01–12–01–11–11–32–23–1–3–11–40–2
Seattle 1–10–21–10–21–14–03–11–12–33–12–03–24–11–11–14–02–00–21–10–22–31–44–11–3–3–12–0
Utah 1–11–12–01–11–14–15–11–13–14–11–13–13–11–11–13–22–00–22–02–02–22–23–14–11–3–2–0
Washington 2–21–32–20–40–42–01–11–30–20–22–22–01–10–51–32–03–20–43–20–50–20–20–22–00–20–2—

Playoffs
1992 playoff game log
First round: 2–3 (Home: 2–0; Road: 0–3)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Series
1 April 24 @ Utah L 97–115 Doc Rivers (23) Charles Smith (9) Doc Rivers (5) Delta Center
19,911		 0–1
2 April 26 @ Utah L 92–103 Danny Manning (22) Ken Norman (14) Doc Rivers (6) Delta Center
19,911		 0–2
3 April 28 Utah W 98–88 Danny Manning (17) Ron Harper (12) three players tied (5) Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena
14,086		 1–2
4 May 3 Utah W 115–107 Danny Manning (33) Danny Manning (10) Norman, Grant (6) Anaheim Convention Center
7,148		 2–2
5 May 4 @ Utah L 89–98 Danny Manning (24) Ken Norman (10) Ron Harper (7) Delta Center
19,911		 2–3
1992 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

Season
Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Tony Brown 22011.5.438.318.6211.3.7.5.04.7
Lanard Copeland 1004.8.304.0001.000.7.5.2.01.6
James Edwards 721120.0.465.000.7312.8.7.3.59.7
LeRon Ellis 2903.6.340—.474.8.0.2.31.5
Gary Grant 785326.3.462.294.8152.46.91.8.27.8
Ron Harper 828238.3.440.303.7365.55.11.9.918.2
Bo Kimble 3408.1.396.308.645.9.5.3.23.3
Danny Manning 828235.4.542.000.7256.93.51.61.519.3
Tharon Mayes 3013.3.400.500.667.31.0.7.33.0
Ken Norman 772426.1.490.143.5355.81.6.7.912.1
Elliot Perry 1006.6.400.000.500.71.4.9.11.3
Olden Polynice 766524.1.519.000.6227.1.6.6.38.1
David Rivers 1508.1.333.000.9091.31.4.5.12.0
Doc Rivers 592528.1.424.283.8322.53.91.9.310.9
Charles Smith 492526.7.466.000.7856.11.1.82.014.6
Loy Vaught 793821.4.492.800.7976.5.9.5.47.6
Danny Young 44520.2.391.333.8871.53.5.9.15.3

Playoffs
Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
James Edwards 5017.4.417—.6322.6.6.2.26.4
LeRon Ellis 102.0———.0.0.0.0.0
Gary Grant 5115.4.476.0001.000.83.6.6.44.4
Ron Harper 5541.2.448.111.7866.44.61.0.818.0
Bo Kimble 301.7.000——.0.3.0.0.0
Danny Manning 5538.8.568.333.6455.62.81.0.822.6
Ken Norman 5536.8.509.000.5299.83.0.8.612.6
Olden Polynice 5012.6.583—.3333.4.6.2.23.2
Doc Rivers 5437.4.446.500.8153.84.21.2.015.2
Charles Smith 5529.6.393—.9335.61.8.82.411.6
Loy Vaught 507.2.6361.0001.0002.4.8.2.23.4
Danny Young 303.7.500.000—.0.3.0.01.3

Transactions

The Clippers were involved in the following transactions during the 1991–92 season.

Trades
June 26, 1991 To Los Angeles Clippers
 To Atlanta Hawks
  • 1991 first-round draft pick & 1993 and 1994 second-round draft picks
June 26, 1991 To Los Angeles Clippers
  • 1996 or 1997 second-round draft pick
 To Denver Nuggets
September 22, 1991 To Los Angeles Clippers
 To Detroit Pistons

Free agents

Player Transactions Citation:[11]

References
  1. 1991-92 Los Angeles Clippers
  2. "BASKETBALL; The Final Word on Draft: Trades". New York Times. June 28, 1991. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  3. "SPORTS PEOPLE: PRO BASKETBALL; 2 Big Trades for Pistons". New York Times. August 14, 1991. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  4. Stewart, Larry (February 3, 1992). "Schuler Fired as Clippers' Coach". Los Angeles Times. p. 31 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. "BASKETBALL; Brown's 'Last Stop' Is Job With Clippers". New York Times. February 7, 1992. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  6. "1991–92 Los Angeles Clippers Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
  7. "PRO BASKETBALL; Clippers End Long Playoff Wait". New York Times. April 17, 1992. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
  8. "1991–92 Los Angeles Clippers Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
  9. "BASKETBALL; Jazz Beats Its Demons and Clippers". New York Times. May 5, 1992. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
  10. "BASKETBALL; Knicks Get Trade, Thanks to Roberts". New York Times. September 23, 1992. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  11. "1991–92 Los Angeles Clippers Transactions". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
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