1990–91 Golden State Warriors season

NBA professional basketball team season March 2026 August 2023 Golden State Warriors 1991 44 38 Pacific 4 7 Don Nelson Don Nelson Jim Fitzgerald Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena Conference Semi-finals(lost to Lakers 1–4) GSW KPIX KICU Pacific Sports Network KNBR The 1990–91 Golden State Warriors season was the 45th season for the Golden State Warriors in the National Basketball Association, and their 28th season in the San Francisco Bay Area. Golden State Warriors Basketball-Reference https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/GSW/ August 6, 2026 Season summary Off-season The Warriors received the eleventh overall pick in the 1990 NBA draft, and selected power forward Tyrone Hill out of Xavier University. Goldaper Sam Nets Make Coleman No. 1 Pick in N.B.A. Draft The New York Times June 28, 1990 https://www.nytimes.com/1990/06/28/sports/nets-make-coleman-no-1-pick-in-nba-draft.html July 10, 2025 Associated Press Clippers Go with Kimble: NBA Draft: Derrick Coleman, as Expected, Is No. 1 Overall with Nets. Clippers Also Grab Michigan's Vaught with 13th Pick Los Angeles Times June 28, 1990 https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-06-28-sp-1194-story.html July 10, 2025 1990 NBA Draft Basketball-Reference https://www.basketball-reference.com/draft/NBA_1990.html July 10, 2025 The trio of Chris Mullin, Mitch Richmond, and second-year star Tim Hardaway were given the name "Run TMC" during the regular season.Osborne Ben Original Old School: Run & Shoot & Shoot… January 3, 2011 SlamOnline.com http://www.slamonline.com/online/nba/2011/01/original-old-school-run-shoot-shoot/ https://web.archive.org/web/20130514042038/http://www.slamonline.com/online/nba/2011/01/original-old-school-run-shoot-shoot/ May 14, 2013 live Regular season In their regular season opener on November 2, 1990, the Warriors defeated the Denver Nuggets on the road, 162–158 at the McNichols Sports Arena; it was the highest-scoring regulation game in NBA history. Associated Press Pro Basketball: Nuggets Run, Gun and Lose The New York Times November 3, 1990 https://www.nytimes.com/1990/11/03/sports/pro-basketball-nuggets-run-gun-and-lose.html January 15, 2022 Associated Press NBA Roundup: Warriors Survive Nuggets' Pace, 162-158 Los Angeles Times November 3, 1990 https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-11-03-sp-3089-story.html April 10, 2023 Golden State Warriors at Denver Nuggets Box Score, November 2, 1990 Basketball-Reference https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/199011020DEN.html February 1, 2022 Despite their scoring prowess, the team was limited defensively. With the addition of Hill, the Warriors got off to a solid start by winning eight of their first eleven games of the season. However, the team later on played around .500 in winning percentage as the season progressed, holding a 26–20 record at the All-Star break. NBA Games Played on February 7, 1991 Basketball-Reference https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/index.fcgi?month=2&day=7&year=1991 November 21, 2022 At mid-season, the team signed rookie shooting guard Mario Elie after a brief stint with the Philadelphia 76ers. Golden State Warriors: The 12 Best Free-Agent Signings in Team History Bleacher-Report April 15, 2011 https://bleacherreport.com/articles/666558-golden-state-warriors-the-12-best-free-agent-signings-in-team-history January 17, 2022 The Warriors won their final five games of the season, and finished in fourth place in the Pacific Division with a 44–38 record, earning the seventh seed in the Western Conference, and returning to the NBA playoffs after a one-year absence. 1990–91 Golden State Warriors Schedule and Results Basketball-Reference https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/GSW/1991_games.html October 16, 2021 Mullin averaged 25.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.1 steals per game, and was named to the All-NBA Second Team, while Richmond averaged 23.9 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game, and Hardaway provided the team with 22.9 points, 9.7 assists and 2.6 steals per game. In addition, second-year guard Sarunas Marciulionis contributed 10.9 points per game off the bench, while sixth man Rod Higgins provided with 9.5 points and 4.3 rebounds per game off the bench, and Tom Tolbert contributed 8.1 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. Meanwhile, Alton Lister averaged 6.4 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game, Hill provided with 5.3 points and 5.2 rebounds per game, and Jim Petersen averaged 4.5 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. 1990–91 Golden State Warriors Roster and Stats Basketball-Reference https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/GSW/1991.html December 14, 2021 During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Charlotte Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina, Mullin and Hardaway were both selected for the 1991 NBA All-Star Game, as members of the Western Conference All-Star team; it was Hardaway's first ever All-Star appearance. Barnard Bill The Show of Shows for Magic: NBA: For Laker Guard, Making His 10th Appearance, Each and Every All-Star Game Is a Special Occasion Los Angeles Times February 10, 1991 https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-02-10-sp-1467-story.html July 10, 2025 NBA.com Staff 1991 NBA All-Star Recap NBA.com September 13, 2021 https://www.nba.com/news/history-all-star-recap-1991 July 10, 2025 1991 NBA All-Star Game: East 116, West 114 Basketball-Reference https://www.basketball-reference.com/allstar/NBA_1991.html December 2, 2021 In addition, Hardaway also participated in the NBA Three-Point Shootout. Associated Press All-Star Saturday Participants The Hour February 9, 1991 22 https://books.google.com/books?id=dwchAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA12&dq=1991+NBA+slam+dunk+roster&article_id=1433,1155810&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj00tPUuZyQAxXfnCYFHVURH0AQ6AF6BAgLEAM#v=onepage&q=1991%20NBA%20slam%20dunk%20roster&f=false October 11, 2025 NBA & ABA All-Star Game Contest Winners Basketball-Reference https://www.basketball-reference.com/allstar/contest.html October 11, 2025 Despite a stellar season, Richmond was not selected for the NBA All-Star Game. Smith Sam Pippen Bypassed for All-Star Team Chicago Tribune January 30, 1991 https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1991-01-30-9101090666-story.html July 6, 2026 Hardaway finished in fifth place in Most Improved Player voting, and also finished tied in 19th place in Most Valuable Player voting. 1990–91 NBA Awards Voting Basketball-Reference https://www.basketball-reference.com/awards/awards_1991.html December 7, 2025 The Warriors finished 14th in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 616,025 at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena during the regular season. 1990–91 NBA Season Summary Basketball-Reference https://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_1991.html February 24, 2026 NBA playoffs In the Western Conference First Round of the 1991 NBA playoffs, the Warriors faced off against the 2nd–seeded, and Midwest Division champion San Antonio Spurs, who were led by the trio of All-Star center David Robinson, Terry Cummings, and second-year star Sean Elliott. The Warriors lost Game 1 to the Spurs on the road, 130–121 at the HemisFair Arena, San Antonio 130, Golden State 121 United Press International April 25, 1991 https://www.upi.com/Archives/1991/04/25/San-Antonio-130-Golden-State-121/5198672552000/ September 5, 2022 Plenty in Reserve Orlando Sentinel April 29, 1991 https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1991-04-29-9104290077-story.html April 10, 2023 1991 NBA Western Conference First Round Game 1: Golden State Warriors at San Antonio Spurs Box Score, April 25, 1991 Basketball-Reference https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/199104250SAS.html November 22, 2022 but managed to win the next three games, which included a Game 4 win over the Spurs at home, 110–97 at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena to win the series in four games. It was the second time in the last three years that the Warriors finished the regular season as the seventh seed, and defeated a second–seeded team in the opening round of the NBA playoffs. Associated Press Basketball: 4 Guards and 4 Games Do It for Warriors The New York Times May 4, 1991 https://www.nytimes.com/1991/05/04/sports/basketball-4-guards-and-4-games-do-it-for-warriors.html March 10, 2022 Associated Press Warriors Unlikely Winners: NBA Playoffs: Golden State Eliminates Spurs in Four Games to Gain Series Against the Lakers Los Angeles Times May 4, 1991 https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-05-04-sp-822-story.html September 5, 2022 1991 NBA Western Conference First Round: Warriors vs. Spurs Basketball-Reference https://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/1991-nba-western-conference-first-round-warriors-vs-spurs.html April 10, 2023 In the Western Conference Semi-finals, the team faced off against the 3rd–seeded Los Angeles Lakers, who were led by the trio of All-Star guard Magic Johnson, All-Star forward James Worthy, and Byron Scott. The Warriors lost Game 1 to the Lakers on the road, 126–116 at the Great Western Forum, but managed to win Game 2 on the road, 125–124 to even the series. 1991 NBA Western Conference Semifinals Game 1: Golden State Warriors at Los Angeles Lakers Box Score, May 5, 1991 Basketball-Reference https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/199105050LAL.html June 30, 2026 1991 NBA Western Conference Semifinals Game 2: Golden State Warriors at Los Angeles Lakers Box Score, May 8, 1991 Basketball-Reference https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/199105080LAL.html June 30, 2026 However, the Warriors lost the next three games, including a Game 5 loss to the Lakers at the Great Western Forum in overtime, 124–119, thus losing the series in five games. Martinez Michael Basketball: Three Teams Advance to Conference Finals: Lakers Prevail Over Warriors The New York Times May 15, 1991 https://www.nytimes.com/1991/05/15/sports/basketball-three-teams-advance-to-conference-finals-lakers-prevail-over-warriors.html October 16, 2021 Heisler Mark Lakers Pull Through in Clinch: Game 5: Campbell Has a Big Fourth Quarter as L.A. Beats the Warriors in Overtime, 124-119, and Advances to the conference finals Against Portland Los Angeles Times May 15, 1991 https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-05-15-sp-1593-story.html August 27, 2022 1991 NBA Western Conference Semifinals: Warriors vs. Lakers Basketball-Reference https://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/1991-nba-western-conference-semifinals-warriors-vs-lakers.html April 10, 2023 The Lakers would lose in five games to the Chicago Bulls in the 1991 NBA Finals. Brown Clifton Jordan Crowns Career and Bulls Reign in N.B.A. The New York Times June 13, 1991 https://www.nytimes.com/1991/06/13/sports/jordan-crowns-career-and-bulls-reign-in-nba.html December 31, 2022 Heisler Mark NBA Finals: Lakers vs. Chicago Bulls: Bulls' Decree: Jordan Rules: Game 5: Chicago Wins First Championship by Sweeping at Forum, 108-101, But Depleted Lakers Go Down Fighting Los Angeles Times June 13, 1991 https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-06-13-sp-738-story.html September 22, 2022 1991 NBA Finals: Lakers vs. Bulls Basketball-Reference https://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/1991-nba-finals-lakers-vs-bulls.html April 10, 2023 Notable highlights On February 26, 1991, the Warriors lost to the Orlando Magic at home, 131–119 at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena, despite the "Run TMC" trio each scoring more than 30 points; the rest of the team totaled 21 points. Late Tuesday Night: Magic 131, Warriors 119 Tampa Bay Times February 28, 1991 https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1991/02/28/late-tuesday-night-magic-131-warriors-119/?outputType=amp January 15, 2022 Orlando Magic at Golden State Warriors Box Score, February 26, 1991 Basketball-Reference https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/199102260GSW.html February 1, 2022Hoffman Benjamin Fascination Lingers for Three Stars of Warriors' Brief Run February 16, 2013 The New York Times http://offthedribble.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/16/fascination-lingers-for-three-stars-of-warriors-brief-run/ https://web.archive.org/web/20130221023800/http://offthedribble.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/16/fascination-lingers-for-three-stars-of-warriors-brief-run/ February 21, 2013 live Aftermath Following the season, Richmond was traded to the Sacramento Kings after three seasons with the Warriors. Sports People: Pro Basketball: Richmond Is Traded for Rights to Owens The New York Times November 2, 1991 https://www.nytimes.com/1991/11/02/sports/sports-people-pro-basketball-richmond-is-traded-for-rights-to-owens.html May 11, 2026 Associated Press Richmond Traded to Kings for the Rights to Billy Owens: Pro Basketball: Warriors Break Up His High-Scoring Trio to Get Syracuse Rookie Los Angeles Times November 2, 1991 https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-11-02-sp-478-story.html May 11, 2026 Warriors Get Rights to Owens The Washington Post November 2, 1991 https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1991/11/02/warriors-get-rights-to-owens/4f90b609-67ba-4907-8bfc-e2d42a385ca7/ May 11, 2026 Draft picks 1990 NBA draft Round Pick Player Position Nationality College 1 11 Tyrone Hill PF Xavier 2 28 Les Jepsen C Iowa 2 34 Kevin Pritchard PG Kansas Roster Golden State Warriors 1990–91 4 Vincent Askew G 6 6 210 1966–02–28 Memphis 20 Mario Elie F 6 5 210 1963–11–26 American International 10 Tim Hardaway G 6 0 175 1966–09–01 Texas-El Paso 22 Rod Higgins F 6 7 200 1960–01–31 Fresno State 32 Tyrone Hill F 6 9 240 1968–03–19 Xavier 51 Les Jepsen C 7 0 237 1967–06–24 Iowa 53 Alton Lister C 7 0 240 1958–10–01 Arizona State 13 Sarunas Marciulionis G 6 5 200 1964–06–13 Lithuania 44 Paul Mokeski C 7 0 250 1957–01–03 Kansas 17 Chris Mullin basketball F 6 6 200 1963–07–30 St. John's 43 Jim Petersen C 6 10 235 1962–02–22 Minnesota 23 Mitch Richmond G 6 5 215 1965–06–30 Kansas State 3 Tom Tolbert F 6 7 235 1965–10–16 Arizona Don Nelson Larry Farmer Garry St. Jean Donnie Nelson https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/GSW/1991.html April 6, 1991 Regular season Season standings GSW y - clinched division title x - clinched playoff spot GSW z - clinched division title y - clinched division title x - clinched playoff spot Game log January 2011 Playoffs Golden State Warriors 1991 yes Golden State Warriors First round yes yes no 2 0 1 1 |- | 1 | April 25 | @ San Antonio | L 121–130 | Mullin, Richmond (29) | Chris Mullin (8) | Tim Hardaway (8) | HemisFair Arena15,908 | 0–1 |- | 2 | April 27 | @ San Antonio | W 111–98 | Chris Mullin (27) | Chris Mullin (7) | Tim Hardaway (9) | HemisFair Arena15,908 | 1–1 |- | 3 | May 1 | San Antonio | W 109–106 | Mitch Richmond (27) | Tim Hardaway (8) | Tim Hardaway (11) | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena15,025 | 2–1 |- | 4 | May 3 | San Antonio | W 110–97 | Tim Hardaway (32) | Mitch Richmond (11) | Tim Hardaway (9) | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena15,025 | 3–1 |- Golden State Warriors Conference Semi-finals yes no 0 2 1 2 |- | 1 | May 5 | @ L.A. Lakers | L 116–126 | Tim Hardaway (33) | Alton Lister (8) | Hardaway, Marciulionis (9) | Great Western Forum17,505 | 0–1 |- | 2 | May 8 | @ L.A. Lakers | W 125–124 | Chris Mullin (41) | Jim Petersen (7) | Tim Hardaway (14) | Great Western Forum17,505 | 1–1 |- | 3 | May 10 | L.A. Lakers | L 112–115 | Richmond, Hardaway (24) | Chris Mullin (11) | Tim Hardaway (12) | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena15,025 | 1–2 |- | 4 | May 12 | L.A. Lakers | L 107–123 | Mitch Richmond (26) | Richmond, Mullin (6) | Tim Hardaway (9) | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena | 1–3 |- | 5 | May 14 | @ L.A. Lakers | L 119–124 (OT) | Tim Hardaway (27) | Mullin, Lister (8) | Tim Hardaway (20) | Great Western Forum17,505 | 1–4 |- GSW yes 1991 Player statistics Regular season PlayerGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPGChris Mullin 82 82 40.4 .536 .301 .884 5.4 4.0 2.1 .8 25.7Tim Hardaway 82 82 39.2 .476 .385 .803 4.0 9.7 2.6 .1 22.9Rod Higgins 82 9 24.7 .463 .332 .819 4.3 1.4 .6 .5 9.5Mitch Richmond 77 77 39.3 .494 .348 .847 5.9 3.1 1.6 .4 23.9Alton Lister 77 65 20.2 .478 .000 .569 6.3 1.2 .3 1.2 6.4Tyrone Hill 74 22 16.1 .492 .632 5.2 .3 .4 .4 5.3Tom Tolbert 62 32 22.1 .423 .333 .738 4.4 1.2 .6 .6 8.1Jim Petersen 62 21 13.5 .483 .250 .658 3.2 .4 .2 .7 4.5Kevin Pritchard 62 1 12.5 .384 .161 .805 1.0 1.3 .5 .1 3.9Šarūnas Marčiulionis 50 10 19.7 .501 .167 .724 2.4 1.7 1.2 .1 10.9Paul Mokeski 36 1 7.1 .356 .333 .800 1.9 .3 .2 .1 1.6Mario Elie† 30 0 20.8 .507 .375 .851 3.6 1.5 .6 .3 7.7Steve Johnson basketball 24 8 9.5 .540 .595 2.4 .7 .2 .2 3.8Larry Robinson basketball, born 1968† 24 0 7.1 .407 .533 1.0 .5 .4 .0 2.3Les Jepsen 21 0 5.0 .306 .000 .667 1.8 .0 .0 .1 1.3Vincent Askew 7 0 12.1 .480 .818 1.6 1.9 .3 .0 4.7Mike Smrek† 5 0 5.0 .545 .500 1.4 .2 .4 .0 2.8Bart Kofoed 5 0 4.2 .000 .500 .6 .8 .0 .0 .6 Playoffs PlayerGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPGTim Hardaway 9 9 44.0 .486 .354 .789 3.7 11.2 3.1 .8 25.2Mitch Richmond 9 9 41.3 .503 .333 .958 5.2 2.4 .6 .7 22.3Mario Elie 9 7 21.9 .500 1.000 .844 3.6 1.4 .6 .1 9.3Jim Petersen 9 4 13.0 .706 .625 3.0 .3 .2 .4 3.2Rod Higgins 9 3 23.8 .426 .308 .821 3.2 2.0 .2 .9 9.2Šarūnas Marčiulionis 9 0 22.9 .500 .000 .897 2.6 3.0 1.2 .1 13.2Tom Tolbert 9 0 12.9 .424 .333 .273 2.0 .9 .3 .4 3.6Tyrone Hill 9 0 8.9 .643 .000 .667 2.6 .2 .3 .4 2.4Chris Mullin 8 8 45.8 .527 .692 .860 7.3 2.9 1.9 1.5 23.8Alton Lister 6 5 12.0 .480 .400 4.7 .3 .0 1.2 4.3Vincent Askew 6 0 6.8 .400 .500 1.8 .3 .3 .0 2.5Paul Mokeski 3 0 2.7 1.000 .7 .3 .3 .0 .7 † Denotes player spent time with another team in the season. Stats reflect time with the Warriors only. Player statistics citation: Awards and records Chris Mullin, NBA All-Star Game Tim Hardaway, NBA All-Star Game Chris Mullin, All-NBA Second Team Transactions January 2011 References 2 See also 1990-91 NBA season Category:Golden State Warriors seasons Golden Golden Golden State Category:1990s in Oakland, California