1991–92 NBA season

46th NBA season December 2022 August 2023 1991–92 NBA season National Basketball Association Basketball November 1, 1991 – April 19, 1992 April 23 – May 29, 1992 (Playoffs) June 3 – 14, 1992 (Finals) 27 NBC, TBS, TNT Draft 1991 NBA Draft List of first overall NBA draft picks Larry Johnson Charlotte Hornets Regular season Chicago Bulls Michael Jordan (Chicago) NBA MVP Michael Jordan (Chicago) Playoffs 1992 NBA playoffs Eastern Eastern Conference (NBA) Chicago Bulls Cleveland Cavaliers Western Western Conference (NBA) Portland Trail Blazers Utah Jazz Finals 1992 NBA Finals Chicago Bulls Portland Trail Blazers Michael Jordan (Chicago) NBA Finals MVP List of NBA seasons NBA 1990–91 NBA season 1990–91 1992–93 NBA season 1992–93 The 1991–92 NBA season was the 46th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The season ended with the Chicago Bulls winning their second straight NBA championship, beating the Portland Trail Blazers 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals. This was Larry Bird's final season as a player in the NBA. Notable occurrences +Coaching changesOffseason Team 1990–91 coach 1991–92 coach Charlotte Hornets Gene Littles Allan Bristow Miami Heat Ron Rothstein Kevin Loughery Minnesota Timberwolves Bill Musselman Jimmy Rodgers New York Knicks John MacLeod Pat RileyIn-season Team Outgoing coach Incoming coach Houston Rockets Don Chaney Rudy TomjanovichLos Angeles Clippers Mike Schuler Mack Calvin Mack Calvin Larry Brown Milwaukee Bucks Del Harris Frank Hamblen Sacramento Kings Dick Motta Rex Hughes San Antonio Spurs Larry Brown Bob BassSeattle SuperSonics K.C. Jones Bob Kloppenburg Bob Kloppenburg George Karl The game clock and shot clock combo was introduced as of today. Magic Johnson of the Los Angeles Lakers announces his retirement early in the season after receiving the news that he had tested positive for HIV. The Philadelphia 76ers' Charles Barkley honored Johnson by switching from his usual number 34 to 32, which he wore for the entire season. The 76ers had retired the number in honor of Billy Cunningham, who un-retired it for Barkley to wear. Due to back problems, Boston Celtics star Larry Bird retires at the end of the season, and since Bill Russell vs. Wilt Chamberlain it brings one of the most memorable eras in NBA history (Magic vs. Bird) to a close. After a season in the Western Conference's Midwest Division, the Orlando Magic move back to the Eastern Conference, playing in the Atlantic Division. The 27 teams of the NBA would remain in the same four divisions until 2004, when the league would realign into six divisions. The sport of basketball would celebrate its centennial anniversary of its creation on December 21, 1991.Sachare Alex The Official NBA Basketball Encyclopedia: Second Edition 1994 Villard Books (Random House, Inc.) 0-679-43293-0 , p. 23 The 1992 NBA All-Star Game was played at the Orlando Arena in Orlando, Florida, with the West defeating the East 153–113. In an emotionally charged game, Magic Johnson wins the game's MVP award. In the wake of the 1992 Los Angeles riots, the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers rescheduled and relocated their home first-round playoff games. Game 4 of the Lakers-Blazers series was played at Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, while Game 4 of the Clippers-Jazz series was played at the Anaheim Convention Center. Luc Longley, drafted by the Timberwolves, becomes the first Australian to play in the NBA. He would later play in three Bulls championship teams. Larry Brown became the first to coach two different NBA teams in a single season after resigning from the San Antonio Spurs to coach the Los Angeles Clippers. Brown led the Clippers to the team's first winning season since their relocation to Los Angeles in addition to ending their fifteen-year playoff drought. The season marked the last time the Boston Celtics would win 50 games (they won 51) until the 2008 season. Following the first round loss to the New York Knicks, Detroit Pistons head coach Chuck Daly resigned, ending the Pistons' "Bad Boys" era. On December 17, the Cleveland Cavaliers crushed the Miami Heat by a score of 148–80. This 68-point win by the Cavaliers stood as a record for nearly three decades until the Memphis Grizzlies defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder by 73 points 152–79 on December 2, 2021. Run TMC, consisting of Golden State Warriors players Tim Hardaway, Chris Mullin and Mitch Richmond, was disbanded when Richmond was traded to the Sacramento Kings for Billy Owens. The Utah Jazz played their first season at the Delta Center. The Phoenix Suns played their final season at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The Chicago Bulls set a franchise record with 67 wins in a season (later broken by the 1996 team). The NBA Finals and Stanley Cup Final both had their games played in Chicago, causing a potential scheduling conflict with each other. However, this was rendered moot as the Blackhawks were swept in four games by the Pittsburgh Penguins, who ended up winning their second consecutive Stanley Cup. Dennis Rodman recorded 1,530 rebounds and averaged 18.7 rebounds per game in the regular season, both of which were the highest figures since 1972.May 2020 It is the first of an NBA record seven consecutive rebounding titles for Rodman. Michael Jordan scored 35 points in the first half of Game 1 of the 1992 NBA Finals, setting records for most points in a Finals half and most three-pointers in a half (six) until the latter was broken by the Houston Rockets' Kenny Smith (seven) in 1995. He also set a new NBA record for the most times a player has won a championship and led the league in scoring in the same season.Second straight year that Michael Jordan qualified for accolade, , accessed on October 3, 2022 The Miami Heat were the first of the four late 1980s expansion franchises to make it to the playoffs, but were swept in the first round by the Bulls. The Milwaukee Bucks failed to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 1978-79. All NBA teams sported patches on their warmups commemorating basketball's centennial anniversary. 1991–92 NBA changes The New Jersey Nets changed their road uniforms to a darker blue color. The Philadelphia 76ers changed their uniforms, adding stars to their jerseys. The Portland Trail Blazers changed their logo and uniforms. The Utah Jazz moved into the Delta Center. Standings By division Eastern Conference Western Conference By conference Notes z – Clinched home court advantage for the entire playoffs c – Clinched home court advantage for the conference playoffs y – Clinched division title x – Clinched playoff spot Playoffs 1992 NBA playoffs Teams in bold advanced to the next round. The numbers to the left of each team indicate the team's seeding in its conference, and the numbers to the right indicate the number of games the team won in that round. The division champions are marked by an asterisk. Home court advantage does not necessarily belong to the higher-seeded team, but instead the team with the better regular season record; teams enjoying the home advantage are shown in italics. 1992 NBA playoffs Bracket yes no Statistics leaders + Category Player Team Stat Points per game Michael Jordan Chicago Bulls 30.1 Rebounds per game Dennis Rodman Detroit Pistons 18.7 Assists per game John Stockton Utah Jazz 13.7 Steals per game John Stockton Utah Jazz 2.98 Blocks per game David Robinson San Antonio Spurs 4.49 FG% Buck Williams Portland Trail Blazers .604 FT% Mark Price Cleveland Cavaliers .947 3FG% Dana Barros Seattle SuperSonics .446 NBA awards Most Valuable Player: Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls Rookie of the Year: Larry Johnson, Charlotte Hornets Defensive Player of the Year: David Robinson, San Antonio Spurs Sixth Man of the Year: Detlef Schrempf, Indiana Pacers Most Improved Player: Pervis Ellison, Washington Bullets Coach of the Year: Don Nelson, Golden State Warriors 99% 33% All-NBA First Team: F – Karl Malone, Utah Jazz F – Chris Mullin, Golden State Warriors C – David Robinson, San Antonio Spurs G – Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls G – Clyde Drexler, Portland Trail Blazers 33% All-NBA Second Team: F – Scottie Pippen, Chicago Bulls F – Charles Barkley, Philadelphia 76ers C – Patrick Ewing, New York Knicks G – Tim Hardaway, Golden State Warriors G – John Stockton, Utah Jazz 33% All-NBA Third Team: F – Dennis Rodman, Detroit Pistons F – Kevin Willis, Atlanta Hawks C – Brad Daugherty, Cleveland Cavaliers G – Mark Price, Cleveland Cavaliers G – Kevin Johnson, Phoenix Suns 66% 33% NBA All-Rookie First Team: Steve Smith, Miami Heat Larry Johnson, Charlotte Hornets Billy Owens, Golden State Warriors Stacey Augmon, Atlanta Hawks Dikembe Mutombo, Denver Nuggets 33% NBA All-Rookie Second Team: Terrell Brandon, Cleveland Cavaliers Rick Fox, Boston Celtics Mark Macon, Denver Nuggets Stanley Roberts, Orlando Magic Larry Stewart, Washington Bullets 66% 33% NBA All-Defensive First Team: Dennis Rodman, Detroit Pistons Scottie Pippen, Chicago Bulls David Robinson, San Antonio Spurs Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls Joe Dumars, Detroit Pistons 33% NBA All-Defensive Second Team: Larry Nance, Cleveland Cavaliers Buck Williams, Portland Trail Blazers Patrick Ewing, New York Knicks John Stockton, Utah Jazz Micheal Williams, Indiana Pacers See also List of NBA regular season records References