1995–96 Vancouver Grizzlies season
1995–96 Vancouver Grizzlies season | |
---|---|
Inaugural season | |
Head coach | Brian Winters |
Owner(s) | Arthur Griffiths |
Arena | General Motors Place |
Results | |
Record | 15–67 (.183) |
Place | Division: 7th (Midwest) Conference: 14th (Western) |
Playoff finish | DNQ |
Stats @ Basketball-Reference.com |
|
Local media | |
Television | CHAN |
Radio | CKST |
The 1995–96 NBA season was the Grizzlies' first season in the National Basketball Association.[1] The Vancouver Grizzlies, along with the Toronto Raptors became expansion NBA franchises in 1995. They were the first NBA teams to play in Canada since 1946–47's Toronto Huskies. The Grizzlies got off to a solid start stunning the Portland Trail Blazers on the road 92–80 on November 3. Two nights later the Grizzlies had a successful home debut at General Motors Place by beating the Minnesota Timberwolves 100–98. Despite the start, the Grizzlies lost their next 19 games, as they finished in last place in the Midwest Division with an NBA-worst record of 15 wins and 67 losses. Only four Grizzlies averaged 10 or more points per game, as Greg Anthony led the way with 14.0 points per game. In games against the other Canadian expansion team, the Grizzlies and the Toronto Raptors split two games.[2]
Contents
Offseason
NBA Expansion Draft
The Grizzlies roster was filled during the 1995 NBA Expansion Draft. Vancouver lost the coin flip to the Toronto Raptors, and had the second pick in the draft. With their first pick, the Grizzlies selected point guard Greg Anthony from the New York Knicks.
Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | Former Team |
---|---|---|---|---|
2 | Greg Anthony | Point guard | ![]() |
New York Knicks |
4 | Rodney Dent | Center | ![]() |
Orlando Magic |
6 | Antonio Harvey | Forward | ![]() |
Los Angeles Lakers |
8 | Reggie Slater | Power Forward-Center | ![]() |
Denver Nuggets |
10 | Trevor Ruffin | Point Guard | ![]() |
Phoenix Suns |
12 | Derrick Phelps | Point Guard | ![]() |
Sacramento Kings |
14 | Larry Stewart | Power Forward | ![]() |
Washington Bullets |
16 | Kenny Gattison | Power Forward | ![]() |
Charlotte Hornets |
18 | Byron Scott | Shooting Guard | ![]() |
Indiana Pacers |
20 | Gerald Wilkins | Small Forward | ![]() |
Cleveland Cavaliers |
22 | Benoit Benjamin | Center | ![]() |
New Jersey Nets |
24 | Doug Edwards | Forward | ![]() |
Atlanta Hawks |
26 | Blue Edwards | Shooting Guard | ![]() |
Utah Jazz |
NBA Draft
<templatestyles src="Module:Hatnote/styles.css"></templatestyles>
The Grizzlies first ever draft pick was Bryant Reeves.
Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 6 | Bryant Reeves | Center | ![]() |
Oklahoma State |
2 | 36 | Lawrence Moten | Guard | ![]() |
Syracuse |
Roster
Vancouver Grizzlies roster
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Players | Coaches | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
First game
- On November 3, 1995, Vancouver played their first ever game in Portland against the Trail Blazers and beat the Blazers by a score of 92–80. Benoit Benjamin scored a team high 29 points and 13 rebounds for the Grizzlies.
Regular season
Although they won their first two games in franchise history, the Grizzlies finished with the worst win/loss record in the 1995–96 NBA season, as is typical for an expansion team, and lost 23 straight games from February to April (setting an NBA single-season record now held by the Philadelphia 76ers with 27.)
Highs
- On November 3, 1995, Vancouver plays their first ever game, defeating the Portland Trail Blazers by a score of 92–80 in Portland. On November 5, 1995, the Grizzlies make their home debut, defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves 100–98 in overtime in front of 19,113 fans, to begin the season with a 2–0 record.
- The Grizzlies defeat nearby rivals the Seattle SuperSonics by a single point in a hotly contested game on December 19, 1995. The crowd leaves ecstatic.
- The Grizzlies hold the Miami Heat to only 65 points in a 69–65 victory on January 13, 1996.
- Vancouver finishes the season on a positive note, defeating the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers on the road.
Lows
- After starting the season 2–0, Vancouver would lose their next 19 games to quickly fall into last place in the Midwest Division.
- Vancouver was held to a season low 62 points in a 111–62 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on November 8, 1995.
- On December 10, 1995, the Grizzlies play the Toronto Raptors for the first time. The first NBA regular season game contested between two non-U.S. based teams. The game is held at General Motors Place in Vancouver. The Raptors win the game by a score of 93–81.
- On April 2, 1996, Vancouver loses its 23rd straight game, losing 101–85 to the Portland Trail Blazers. The loss was also the Grizzlies 29th in their last 30 games.
Season standings
Midwest Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
y-San Antonio Spurs | 59 | 23 | .720 | – | 33–8 | 26–15 | 19–5 |
x-Utah Jazz | 55 | 27 | .671 | 4 | 34–7 | 21–20 | 14–10 |
x-Houston Rockets | 48 | 34 | .585 | 11 | 27–14 | 21–20 | 15–9 |
Denver Nuggets | 35 | 47 | .427 | 24 | 24–17 | 11–30 | 13–11 |
Dallas Mavericks | 26 | 56 | .317 | 33 | 16–25 | 10–31 | 10–14 |
Minnesota Timberwolves | 26 | 56 | .317 | 33 | 17–24 | 9–32 | 10–14 |
Vancouver Grizzlies | 15 | 67 | .183 | 44 | 10–31 | 5–36 | 3–21 |
Western Conference | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
# | Team | W | L | PCT | GB |
1 | c-Seattle SuperSonics | 64 | 18 | .780 | – |
2 | y-San Antonio Spurs | 59 | 23 | .720 | 5 |
3 | x-Utah Jazz | 55 | 27 | .671 | 9 |
4 | x-Los Angeles Lakers | 53 | 29 | .646 | 11 |
5 | x-Houston Rockets | 48 | 34 | .585 | 16 |
6 | x-Portland Trail Blazers | 44 | 38 | .537 | 20 |
7 | x-Phoenix Suns | 41 | 41 | .500 | 23 |
8 | x-Sacramento Kings | 39 | 43 | .476 | 25 |
9 | Golden State Warriors | 36 | 46 | .439 | 28 |
10 | Denver Nuggets | 35 | 47 | .427 | 29 |
11 | Los Angeles Clippers | 29 | 53 | .354 | 35 |
12 | Dallas Mavericks | 26 | 56 | .317 | 38 |
13 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 26 | 56 | .317 | 38 |
14 | Vancouver Grizzlies | 15 | 67 | .183 | 49 |
Game log
# | Date | Opponent | Score | Record | Streak |
1 | November 3 | @ Portland Trail Blazers | 92–80 | 1–0 | Won 1 |
2 | November 5 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 100–98 (OT) | 2–0 | Won 2 |
3 | November 7 | @ Dallas Mavericks | 88–99 | 2–1 | Lost 1 |
4 | November 8 | @ San Antonio Spurs | 62–111 | 2–2 | Lost 2 |
5 | November 10 | Los Angeles Clippers | 91–98 | 2–3 | Lost 3 |
6 | November 11 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | 81–117 | 2–4 | Lost 4 |
7 | November 13 | Dallas Mavericks | 89–94 | 2–5 | Lost 5 |
8 | November 16 | @ Los Angeles Clippers | 98–103 | 2–6 | Lost 6 |
9 | November 17 | Los Angeles Lakers | 91–114 | 2–7 | Lost 7 |
10 | November 19 | @ New York Knicks | 93–98 | 2–8 | Lost 8 |
11 | November 22 | @ Orlando Magic | 93–95 | 2–9 | Lost 9 |
12 | November 24 | @ Charlotte Hornets | 104–116 | 2–10 | Lost 10 |
13 | November 25 | @ Miami Heat | 91–111 | 2–11 | Lost 11 |
14 | November 28 | @ Minnesota Timberwolves | 98–121 | 2–12 | Lost 12 |
15 | November 30 | Chicago Bulls | 88–94 | 2–13 | Lost 13 |
16 | December 1 | @ Los Angeles Lakers | 100–113 | 2–14 | Lost 14 |
17 | December 3 | Milwaukee Bucks | 95–109 | 2–15 | Lost 15 |
18 | December 5 | @ Phoenix Suns | 108–112 | 2–16 | Lost 16 |
19 | December 7 | Detroit Pistons | 84–93 | 2–17 | Lost 17 |
20 | December 10 | Toronto Raptors | 81–93 | 2–18 | Lost 18 |
21 | December 13 | Houston Rockets | 89–100 | 2–19 | Lost 19 |
22 | December 15 | Portland Trail Blazers | 104–100 (OT) | 3–19 | Won 1 |
23 | December 16 | Golden State Warriors | 85–116 | 3–20 | Lost 1 |
24 | December 18 | @ Sacramento Kings | 85–92 | 3–21 | Lost 2 |
25 | December 19 | Seattle SuperSonics | 94–93 | 4–21 | Won 1 |
26 | December 21 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | 68–92 | 4–22 | Lost 1 |
27 | December 22 | Phoenix Suns | 80–101 | 4–23 | Lost 2 |
28 | December 26 | @ Houston Rockets | 84–100 | 4–24 | Lost 3 |
29 | December 28 | @ Dallas Mavericks | 101–103 (2OT) | 4–25 | Lost 4 |
30 | December 30 | Boston Celtics | 103–95 | 5–25 | Won 1 |
31 | January 5 | Philadelphia 76ers | 103–102 (OT) | 6–25 | Won 2 |
32 | January 7 | Los Angeles Clippers | 93–101 | 6–26 | Lost 1 |
33 | January 9 | @ Golden State Warriors | 103–109 | 6–27 | Lost 2 |
34 | January 10 | Denver Nuggets | 85–91 | 6–28 | Lost 3 |
35 | January 12 | Golden State Warriors | 95–104 | 6–29 | Lost 4 |
36 | January 13 | Miami Heat | 69–65 | 7–29 | Won 1 |
37 | January 18 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 90–98 | 7–30 | Lost 1 |
38 | January 20 | New York Knicks | 84–80 | 8–30 | Won 1 |
39 | January 22 | @ Milwaukee Bucks | 100–92 | 9–30 | Won 2 |
40 | January 24 | @ Chicago Bulls | 84–104 | 9–31 | Lost 1 |
41 | January 25 | @ Toronto Raptors | 106–101 (OT) | 10–31 | Won 1 |
42 | January 27 | @ Washington Bullets | 77–102 | 10–32 | Lost 1 |
43 | January 29 | @ Philadelphia 76ers | 92–103 | 10–33 | Lost 2 |
44 | January 31 | @ Boston Celtics | 98–131 | 10–34 | Lost 3 |
45 | February 2 | New Jersey Nets | 84–93 | 10–35 | Lost 4 |
46 | February 5 | Utah Jazz | 83–92 | 10–36 | Lost 5 |
47 | February 7 | @ Utah Jazz | 79–102 | 10–37 | Lost 6 |
48 | February 14 | Sacramento Kings | 93–86 | 11–37 | Won 1 |
49 | February 16 | Atlanta Hawks | 100–110 | 11–38 | Lost 1 |
50 | February 18 | Seattle SuperSonics | 109–118 | 11–39 | Lost 2 |
51 | February 19 | @ Phoenix Suns | 94–98 (OT) | 11–40 | Lost 3 |
52 | February 25 | San Antonio Spurs | 84–95 | 11–41 | Lost 4 |
53 | February 28 | Los Angeles Lakers | 80–99 | 11–42 | Lost 5 |
54 | March 1 | Dallas Mavericks | 111–119 | 11–43 | Lost 6 |
55 | March 2 | @ Denver Nuggets | 82–108 | 11–44 | Lost 7 |
56 | March 4 | Washington Bullets | 81–96 | 11–45 | Lost 8 |
57 | March 5 | @ Golden State Warriors | 78–110 | 11–46 | Lost 9 |
58 | March 8 | Indiana Pacers | 80–94 | 11–47 | Lost 10 |
59 | March 10 | Houston Rockets | 89–95 | 11–48 | Lost 11 |
60 | March 11 | @ Sacramento Kings | 88–92 | 11–49 | Lost 12 |
61 | March 15 | Orlando Magic | 87–92 (OT) | 11–50 | Lost 13 |
62 | March 17 | @ Minnesota Timberwolves | 85–90 | 11–51 | Lost 14 |
63 | March 19 | @ New Jersey Nets | 77–82 | 11–52 | Lost 15 |
64 | March 20 | @ Atlanta Hawks | 93–98 | 11–53 | Lost 16 |
65 | March 22 | @ Indiana Pacers | 94–111 | 11–54 | Lost 17 |
66 | March 24 | @ Cleveland Cavaliers | 85–90 | 11–55 | Lost 18 |
67 | March 26 | @ Detroit Pistons | 75–86 | 11–56 | Lost 19 |
68 | March 28 | Denver Nuggets | 88–92 | 11–57 | Lost 20 |
69 | March 29 | @ Utah Jazz | 91–105 | 11–58 | Lost 21 |
70 | March 31 | Charlotte Hornets | 88–121 | 11–59 | Lost 22 |
71 | April 2 | @ Portland Trail Blazers | 85–101 | 11–60 | Lost 23 |
72 | April 3 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 105–103 | 12–60 | Won 1 |
73 | April 5 | @ Los Angeles Lakers | 94–104 | 12–61 | Lost 1 |
74 | April 7 | Phoenix Suns | 92–112 | 12–62 | Lost 2 |
75 | April 9 | @ Houston Rockets | 84–90 | 12–63 | Lost 3 |
76 | April 10 | @ San Antonio Spurs | 82–105 | 12–64 | Lost 4 |
77 | April 12 | Sacramento Kings | 99–98 | 13–64 | Won 1 |
78 | April 14 | Portland Trail Blazers | 79–81 | 13–65 | Lost 1 |
79 | April 16 | San Antonio Spurs | 86–95 | 13–66 | Lost 2 |
80 | April 18 | Utah Jazz | 79–94 | 13–67 | Lost 3 |
81 | April 19 | @ Denver Nuggets | 92–78 | 14–67 | Won 1 |
82 | April 21 | @ Los Angeles Clippers | 108–101 | 15–67 | Won 2 |
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 |
Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ashraf Amaya | 54 | 34 | 20.4 | .480 | .000 | .651 | 5.6 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 6.3 |
Greg Anthony | 69 | 68 | 30.4 | .415 | .332 | .771 | 2.5 | 6.9 | 1.7 | 0.2 | 14.0 |
Anthony Avent | 71 | 32 | 22.3 | .384 | .000 | .740 | 5.0 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 5.8 |
Benoit Benjamin | 13 | 13 | 31.1 | .441 | .000 | .696 | 7.9 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 1.2 | 13.9 |
Blue Edwards | 82 | 82 | 33.8 | .419 | .343 | .755 | 4.2 | 2.6 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 12.7 |
Doug Edwards | 31 | 0 | 16.7 | .352 | .000 | .763 | 2.8 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 3.0 |
Kenny Gattison | 25 | 14 | 22.8 | .479 | .000 | .603 | 4.6 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 9.2 |
Antonio Harvey | 18 | 6 | 22.8 | .411 | .000 | .465 | 5.2 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 1.2 | 5.4 |
Chris King | 80 | 66 | 24.1 | .427 | .389 | .662 | 3.6 | 1.3 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 7.9 |
Rich Manning | 29 | 0 | 10.7 | .434 | .000 | .643 | 1.9 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 3.7 |
Cuonzo Martin | 4 | 0 | 4.8 | .600 | 1.000 | .000 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 2.3 |
Darrick Martin | 24 | 0 | 16.8 | .450 | .227 | .826 | 1.6 | 2.5 | 1.1 | 0.0 | 6.7 |
Eric Mobley | 34 | 1 | 18.0 | .550 | .500 | .446 | 3.8 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 5.4 |
Lawrence Moten | 44 | 3 | 13.0 | .453 | .327 | .653 | 1.4 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 6.6 |
Eric Murdock | 64 | 14 | 23.1 | .422 | .320 | .809 | 2.4 | 4.6 | 2.0 | 0.1 | 9.1 |
Bryant Reeves | 77 | 63 | 31.9 | .457 | .000 | .732 | 7.4 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 13.3 |
Byron Scott | 80 | 0 | 23.7 | .401 | .335 | .835 | 2.4 | 1.5 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 10.2 |
Gerald Wilkins | 28 | 14 | 26.4 | .376 | .219 | .870 | 2.3 | 2.4 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 6.7 |
Franchise firsts
On opening night, the Grizzlies would spoil the Portland Trail Blazers debut at the Rose Garden Arena by defeating them. A few nights later, the Grizzlies would play their first home game, defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves at the buzzer.
Awards and records
- Bryant Reeves, Second Team, NBA All-Rookie Team
Transactions
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.