1995–96 Phoenix Suns season

The 1995–96 NBA season was the 28th season for the Phoenix Suns in the National Basketball Association.[1] During the off-season, the Suns acquired Hot Rod Williams from the Cleveland Cavaliers.[2] The Suns struggled with a 13–13 start to the season, then lost eight of their next nine games. Head coach Paul Westphal, who had led the Suns to the 1993 NBA Finals, went 14–19 before being replaced by Cotton Fitzsimmons, who would come on to coach in his third stint with the Suns.[3] The team played above .500 for the remainder of the season and finished fourth in the Pacific Division, and seventh in the Western Conference with a 41–41 record.[4] The Suns were eliminated from the playoffs by the San Antonio Spurs, three games to one in the Western Conference First Round.[5] All home games were played at America West Arena. They were also one of the nine teams to defeat the 72–10 Chicago Bulls.

1995–96 Phoenix Suns season
Head coach
General managerBryan Colangelo
Owner(s)Jerry Colangelo
ArenaAmerica West Arena
Results
Record41–41 (.500)
PlaceDivision: 4th (Pacific)
Conference: 7th (Western)
Playoff finishFirst Round
(Lost to Spurs 1–3)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
Television
RadioKTAR

Charles Barkley led the Suns with 23.2 points, 11.6 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game, while point guard Kevin Johnson averaged 18.7 points, led the team with 9.2 assists, and contributed 1.5 steals per game in only 56 games due to injury. In addition, top draft pick Michael Finley, a rookie from the University of Wisconsin,[6] appeared in all 82 regular season games, averaging 15.0 points and 4.6 rebounds per game, while leading the team with 39.2 minutes per game, and was later named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team.[7] Despite playing all 82 games, Finley suffered an ankle injury on the final day of the regular season, and did not play in any of the Suns' playoff games.[8] Sixth man Danny Manning averaged 13.4 points per game off the bench, but only played just 33 games due to a torn ACL, and sprained ankle.[9][10] Second-year guard Wesley Person provided the team with 12.7 points per game, while Wayman Tisdale contributed 10.7 points per game off the bench, Elliott Perry contributed 8.6 points and 4.4 assists per game, A.C. Green provided with 7.5 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, and Hot Rod Williams averaged 7.3 points and 6.0 rebounds per game, and led the team with 1.5 blocks per game.[7]

Barkley also made his 10th consecutive All-Star appearance, being selected for the 1996 NBA All-Star Game.[11] The power forward, who had turned 33 years of age during the season, made his 11th All-NBA Team, appearing as a selection on the Third Team. It was the first time in Barkley's career he had not been selected to the First or Second Team. Following the season, Barkley was traded to the Houston Rockets after four seasons in Phoenix,[12] and Perry was dealt to the Milwaukee Bucks.[13]

Offseason

NBA draft
Main article: 1995 NBA draft
Round Pick Player Position Nationality College
1 21 Michael Finley Guard/Forward  United States Wisconsin
1 27 Mario Bennett Forward  United States Arizona State
2 56 Chris Carr Guard  United States Southern Illinois

The Suns received the 21st pick from a trade with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1994. With the pick they would select future All-Star swingman Michael Finley from Wisconsin. Finley averaged 18.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game in four years with the Badgers. On October 4, the Suns signed Finley to a three-year rookie contract for $2.17 million. In his rookie season, Finley would average 15.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.0 steal per game, earning NBA All-Rookie First Team honors. Finley was traded to the Dallas Mavericks midway through his sophomore season for All-Star point guard Jason Kidd.

The Suns used their first-round pick to select small forward Mario Bennett from Arizona State. Bennett averaged 15.7 points and 7.8 rebounds per game in three years with the Sun Devils. On October 4, the Suns signed Bennett to a three-year rookie contract for $1.66 million. Bennett underwent knee surgery before the season and remained on the injured reserve until March 1. Bennett would appear in just 19 regular season games, starting in 14 due to injuries, and two playoff games before being waived prior to the 1996–97 season.

The Suns used their second-round pick to select shooting guard Chris Carr from Southern Illinois. Carr averaged 13.5 points and 5.8 rebounds per game in three years with the Salukis. On October 2, the Suns signed Carr to a one-year rookie contract for $200,000. Carr appeared in 60 regular season games, starting in ten, and three playoff games. Carr would sign as a free agent with the Minnesota Timberwolves after the season.

Roster
1995–96 Phoenix Suns roster
Players Coaches
Pos.No.NameHeightWeightDOB (YYYY-MM-DD)From
F 34 Barkley, Charles (C) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 252 lb (114 kg) 1963–02–20 Auburn
F 8 Bennett, Mario 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1973–08–01 Arizona State
G 43 Carr, Chris 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 207 lb (94 kg) 1974–03–12 Southern Illinois
C 40 Coker, John  7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 253 lb (115 kg) 1971–10–28 Boise State
G/F 4 Finley, Michael  6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1973–03–06 Wisconsin
F 45 Green, A. C. 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1963–10–04 Oregon State
G 7 Johnson, Kevin (C) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1966–03–04 California
C 35 Kleine, Joe 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 255 lb (116 kg) 1962–01–04 Arkansas
F 15 Manning, Danny 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1966–05–17 Kansas
G 2 Perry, Elliot 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 150 lb (68 kg) 1969–03–28 Memphis
G/F 11 Person, Wesley 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1971–03–28 Auburn
G 14 Rencher, Terrence  6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1973–02–19 Texas
F 23 Tisdale, Wayman 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1964–06–09 Oklahoma
C 18 Williams, Hot Rod 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1962–08–09 Tulane
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured

Roster
Last transaction: February 22, 1996

Regular season

Standings
Pacific Division W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-Seattle SuperSonics6418.780–38–326–1521–3
x-Los Angeles Lakers5329.6461130–1123–1817–7
x-Portland Trail Blazers4438.5372026–1518–2311–13
x-Phoenix Suns4141.5002325–1616–259–15
x-Sacramento Kings3943.4762526–1513–2811–13
Golden State Warriors3646.4392823–1813–287–17
Los Angeles Clippers2953.3543519–2210–317–17
Western Conference
# Team W L PCT GB GP
1 c-Seattle SuperSonics *6418.780–82
2 y-San Antonio Spurs *5923.720582
3 x-Utah Jazz5527.671982
4 x-Los Angeles Lakers5329.6461182
5 x-Houston Rockets4834.5851682
6 x-Portland Trail Blazers4438.5372082
7 x-Phoenix Suns4141.5002382
8 x-Sacramento Kings3943.4762582
9 Golden State Warriors3646.4392882
10 Denver Nuggets3547.4272982
11 Los Angeles Clippers2953.3543582
12 Minnesota Timberwolves2656.3173882
13 Dallas Mavericks2656.3173882
14 Vancouver Grizzlies1567.1834982

Record vs. opponents
1995–96 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 TOR UTA VAN WAS
Atlanta —4–03–10–43–11–11–12–21–11–11–32–00–22–22–21–14–02–12–22–10–22–02–00–20–24–01–12–01–3
Boston 0–4—2–20–31–30–21–12–10–21–10–42–00–23–13–12–02–20–41–34–01–10–22–00–20–23–10–21–12–2
Charlotte 1–32–2—1–33–12–02–01–30–20–21–31–12–02–23–11–10–33–00–43–12–01–11–10–20–23–11–12–03–1
Chicago 4–03–03–1—4–02–01–14–02–02–02–22–02–03–14–02–03–03–13–14–01–12–02–02–01–13–12–02–04–0
Cleveland 1–33–11–30–4—2–01–12–22–01–12–22–02–01–34–02–01–23–11–24–02–01–11–10–20–23–10–22–03–1
Dallas 1–12–00–20–20–2—2–20–22–21–30–22–20–40–21–10–41–10–21–10–21–30–42–22–22–21–11–34–00–2
Denver 1–11–10–21–11–12–2—1–12–21–30–21–32–20–21–14–00–21–11–12–03–10–40–40–41–32–03–13–11–1
Detroit 2–21–23–10–42–22–01–1—2–01–12–22–00–21–32–21–14–00–41–34–02–02–01–12–01–14–00–22–01–2
Golden State 1–12–02–00–20–22–22–20–2—2–21–13–11–31–11–13–12–00–20–22–01–31–31–31–30–41–11–34–01–1
Houston 1–11–12–00–21–13–13–11–12–2—2–04–03–10–22–02–22–00–20–22–03–12–22–21–30–42–02–24–01–1
Indiana 3–14–03–12–22–22–02–02–21–10–2—2–01–13–03–11–11–31–32–23–11–11–10–21–12–04–00–22–03–0
L.A. Clippers 0–20–21–10–20–22–23–10–21–30–40–2—0–41–11–13–11–11–10–22–03–12–22–21–30–40–21–33–11–1
L.A. Lakers 2–02–00–20–20–24–02–22–03–11–31–14–0—2–02–03–12–01–11–11–13–12–23–11–32–22–02–24–01–1
Miami 2–21–32–21–33–12–02–03–11–12–00–31–10–2—3–01–15–01–31–33–11–10–21–11–10–22–10–21–12–2
Milwaukee 2–21–31–30–40–41–11–12–21–10–21–31–10–20–3—1–11–32–21–32–10–22–00–21–10–22–20–21–11–3
Minnesota 1–10–21–10–20–24–00–41–11–32–21–11–31–31–11–1—1–10–20–21–11–30–43–11–30–41–11–32–20–2
New Jersey 0–42–23–00–32–11–12–00–40–20–23–11–10–20–53–11–1—2–20–42–20–21–11–10–20–22–20–22–02–2
New York 1–24–00–31–31–32–01–14–02–02–03–11–11–13–12–22–02–2—1–33–10–20–20–21–11–14–01–11–13–1
Orlando 2–23–14–01–32–11–11–13–12–02–02–22–01–13–13–12–04–03–1—4–02–01–11–11–11–12–11–12–04–0
Philadelphia 1–20–41–30–40–42–00–20–40–20–21–30–21–11–31–21–12–21–30–4—0–20–20–20–20–23–11–11–11–3
Phoenix 2–01–10–21–10–23–11–30–23–11–31–11–31–31–12–03–12–02–00–22–0—2–22–21–30–42–01–34–02–0
Portland 0–22–01–10–21–14–04–00–23–12–21–12–22–22–00–24–01–12–01–12–02–2—1–31–31–32–01–32–20–2
Sacramento 0–20–21–10–21–12–24–01–13–12–22–02–21–31–12–01–31–12–01–12–02–23–1—1–30–42–00–42–20–2
San Antonio 2–02–02–00–22–02–24–00–23–13–11–13–13–11–11–13–12–01–11–12–03–13–13–1—2–22–03–14–01–1
Seattle 2–02–02–01–12–02–23–11–14–04–00–24–02–22–02–04–02–01–11–12–04–03–14–02–2—1–13–13–11–1
Toronto 0–41–31–31–31–31–10–20–41–10–20–42–00–21–22–21–12–20–41–21–30–20–20–20–21–1—0–21–13–1
Utah 1–12–01–10–22–03–11–32–03–12–22–03–12–22–02–03–12–01–11–11–13–13–14–01–31–32–0—4–01–1
Vancouver 0–21–10–20–20–20–41–30–20–40–40–21–30–41–11–12–20–21–10–21–10–42–22–20–41–31–10–4—0–2
Washington 3–12–21–30–41–32–01–12–11–11–10–31–11–12–23–12–02–21–30–43–10–22–02–01–11–11–31–12–0—

Playoffs

Game log
1996 playoff game log
First Round: 1–3 (Home: 1–1; Road: 0–2)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Series
1 April 26 @ San Antonio L 98–120 Charles Barkley (26) Charles Barkley (12) Kevin Johnson (11) Alamodome
16,545		 0–1
2 April 28 @ San Antonio L 105–110 Charles Barkley (30) Charles Barkley (20) Kevin Johnson (16) Alamodome
19,507		 0–2
3 May 1 San Antonio W 94–93 Charles Barkley (25) Charles Barkley (13) Kevin Johnson (8) America West Arena
19,023		 1–2
4 May 3 San Antonio L 98–116 Charles Barkley (21) Charles Barkley (9) Kevin Johnson (8) America West Arena
19,023		 1–3
1996 schedule

Awards and honors

Week/Month
  • Kevin Johnson was named Player of the Week for games played April 1 through April 7.
  • Charles Barkley was named Player of the Month for February.

All-Star

Season

Injuries/Missed Games

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
Charles Barkley717137.1.500.280.77711.63.71.6.823.2
Mario Bennett191412.1.453.000.6432.60.3.6.64.5
Chris Carr60109.8.415.262.8171.70.7.2.14.0
John Coker502.2.800†..0.40.2.0.21.6
Michael Finley827239.2.476.328.7494.63.51.0.415.0
A. C. Green823625.8.484.269.7096.80.9.5.37.5
Kevin Johnson565535.8.507†.368.859#3.99.21.5.218.7
Joe Kleine56911.8.420.286.8002.40.8.2.12.9
Danny Manning33424.7.459.214.7524.32.01.2.713.4
Elliot Perry812620.6.475.407^.7781.74.41.1.18.6
Wesley Person824731.8.445.374^.7713.91.7.7.312.7
Terrence Rencher*204.01.000†..3331.00.0.0.51.5
Stefano Rusconi704.3.333..4000.90.4.0.31.1
Tony Smith*34215.5.405.325.6491.62.5.6.15.6
Wayman Tisdale63618.3.495..7653.40.9.2.610.7
Hot Rod Williams625826.6.453.000.7316.01.0.71.57.3
David Wood*408.5.167.1.000#1.30.5.3.01.0

* – Stats with the Suns.
† – Minimum 300 field goals made.
^ – Minimum 82 three-pointers made.
# – Minimum 125 free-throws made.

Playoffs
Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Charles Barkley4441.0.443.250.78713.53.81.01.025.5
Mario Bennett204.0.500..1.50.0.0.02.0
Chris Carr3012.0.643.667.8002.31.3.7.38.0
A. C. Green4421.8.353.000.8754.50.5.3.04.8
Kevin Johnson4437.8.474.250.8244.310.8.5.517.3
Joe Kleine204.0.000..0.50.0.5.00.0
Danny Manning4022.5.458.000.6252.81.31.0.312.3
Elliot Perry4012.8.500..0000.53.0.5.03.5
Wesley Person4445.8.393.310.8005.80.8.8.314.3
Wayman Tisdale4016.8.333..5001.00.5.3.35.3
Hot Rod Williams4428.8.438..6676.50.3.01.89.0

Transactions

Trades
October 7, 1995 To Cleveland Cavaliers---- To Phoenix Suns----
February 22, 1996 To Miami Heat---- To Phoenix Suns----

Free agents
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