1994–95 Atlanta Hawks season

1994–95   Atlanta Hawks season
Head coach	Lenny Wilkens
General manager	Pete Babcock
Owners	Ted Turner / Turner Broadcasting System
Arena	The Omni
Results
Record	42–40 (.512)
Place	Division: 5th (Central) Conference: 7th (Eastern)
Playoff finish	First round (lost to Pacers 0–3)
Stats at Basketball Reference
Local media
Television	WATL SportSouth
Radio	WCNN
< 1993–94 1995–96 >

The 1994–95 Atlanta Hawks season was the 46th season for the Atlanta Hawks in the National Basketball Association, and their 27th season in Atlanta, Georgia. ^[1] This was the team's first season since 1981–82 without All-Star forward Dominique Wilkins, as he signed as a free agent with the Boston Celtics in the off-season. ^{[2] [3] [4]} During the off-season, the Hawks acquired Ken Norman from the Milwaukee Bucks, ^{[5] [6] [7]} and Tyrone Corbin from the Utah Jazz. ^{[8] [9]} After the first two games of the regular season, the team traded Kevin Willis to the Miami Heat in exchange for Steve Smith and Grant Long. ^{[10] [11] [12]}

Despite the addition of Smith and Long, the Hawks struggled losing their first four games of the regular season, got off to a 12–19 start to the season, and later on held a 22–26 record at the All-Star break. ^[13] However, the team played above .500 in winning percentage for the remainder of the season, and won seven of their final ten games. The Hawks finished in fifth place in the Central Division with a mediocre 42–40 record, and earned the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference. ^[14]

Mookie Blaylock averaged 17.2 points, 7.7 assists and 2.5 steals per game, led the Hawks with 199 three-point field goals, and was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team, while Smith averaged 16.2 points per game and contributed 135 three-point field goals, and Stacey Augmon provided the team with 13.9 points and 1.3 steals per game. In addition, Norman contributed 12.7 points and 4.9 rebounds per game, while Long provided with 11.7 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game, and Andrew Lang averaged 9.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game. Off the bench, sixth man Craig Ehlo contributed 9.7 points per game, but only played just 49 games due to a knee injury, ^{[15] [16]} while Corbin provided with 6.2 points per game, and Jon Koncak averaged 2.9 points and 3.0 rebounds per game. ^[17]

In the Eastern Conference First Round of the 1995 NBA playoffs, and for the second consecutive year, the Hawks faced off against the 2nd–seeded, and Central Division champion Indiana Pacers, who were led by All-Star guard Reggie Miller, Rik Smits and Mark Jackson. The Hawks lost the first two games to the Pacers on the road at the Market Square Arena, and then lost Game 3 at home, 105–89 at the Omni Coliseum, as the team lost the series in a three-game sweep. ^{[18] [19] [20]}

One notable highlight of the regular season occurred on January 6, 1995, when head coach Lenny Wilkens became the NBA's all-time winningest coach, surpassing former Boston Celtics coach Red Auerbach with 939 wins, as the Hawks defeated the Washington Bullets at the Omni Coliseum, 112–90. Shortly before the game had ended, Hawks assistant coach Dick Helm gave Wilkens a cigar and a lighter; Wilkens, who does not smoke, lit up the cigar, took a puff, and told the crowd at "The Omni" that it was a testament to Auerbach, who was known for his trademark "victory cigar". ^{[21] [22] [23]}

The Hawks finished 26th in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 504,807 at the Omni Coliseum during the regular season, which was the second-lowest in the league. ^{[17] [24]} Following the season, Corbin was traded to the Sacramento Kings, ^{[25] [26]} and Koncak signed as a free agent with the Orlando Magic after ten seasons with the Hawks. ^{[27] [28]}

For the season, the Hawks added new black alternate road uniforms, which only lasted for just one season. ^[29]

Draft picks

Main article: 1994 NBA draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	College
2	34	Gaylon Nickerson (from L.A. Clippers)	Guard	United States	NW Oklahoma State

Roster

1994–95 Atlanta Hawks roster

Players

Coaches

Pos. No. Player Height Weight DOB From C 0 Greg Anderson 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1964–06–22 Houston F 2 Stacey Augmon 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1968–08–01 UNLV G 10 Mookie Blaylock 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1967–03–20 Oklahoma G/F 33 Tyrone Corbin 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1962–12–31 DePaul F 34 Doug Edwards 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1971–01–21 Florida State G 3 Craig Ehlo 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1961–08–11 Washington State C 32 Jon Koncak 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 250 lb (113 kg) 1963–05–17 SMU C 28 Andrew Lang 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 245 lb (111 kg) 1966–06–28 Arkansas G 14 Jim Les   5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 1963–08–18 Bradley F 43 Grant Long 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1966–03–12 Eastern Michigan F 5 Ken Norman 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1964–09–05 Illinois G 8 Steve Smith 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1969–03–31 Michigan State G 1 Ennis Whatley 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 177 lb (80 kg) 1962–08–11 Alabama

Head coach Lenny Wilkens Assistant(s) Dick Helm Brian Winters Legend (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended (IN) Inactive Injured Roster

Roster Notes

• Center Blair Rasmussen was on the injured reserve list due to a back injury, and missed the entire regular season.

Regular season

Season standings

Central Division v t e	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
y- Indiana Pacers	52	30	.634	–	33–8	19–22	18–10
x- Charlotte Hornets	50	32	.610	2	29–12	21–20	17–11
x- Chicago Bulls	47	35	.573	5	28–13	19–22	16–12
x- Cleveland Cavaliers	43	39	.524	9	26–15	17–24	17–11
x- Atlanta Hawks	42	40	.512	10	24–17	18–23	9–19
Milwaukee Bucks	34	48	.415	18	22–19	12–29	13–15
Detroit Pistons	28	54	.341	24	22–19	6–35	8–20

#	Eastern Conference v t e
	Team	W	L	PCT	GB
1	c-Orlando Magic	57	25	.695	–
2	y-Indiana Pacers	52	30	.634	5
3	x-New York Knicks	55	27	.671	2
4	x-Charlotte Hornets	50	32	.610	7
5	x-Chicago Bulls	47	35	.573	10
6	x-Cleveland Cavaliers	43	39	.524	14
7	x-Atlanta Hawks	42	40	.512	15
8	x-Boston Celtics	35	47	.427	22
9	Milwaukee Bucks	34	48	.415	23
10	Miami Heat	32	50	.390	25
11	New Jersey Nets	30	52	.366	27
12	Detroit Pistons	28	54	.341	29
13	Philadelphia 76ers	24	58	.293	33
14	Washington Bullets	21	61	.256	36

^[30]

Game log

1994–95 game log Total: 42–40 (home: 24–17; road: 18–23)
November: 4–9 (home: 2–5; road: 2–4) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record
December: 8–8 (home: 5–2; road: 3–6) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 27 December 27, 1994 8:30 p.m. EST @ Houston L 93–105 Norman (28) Norman (11) Ehlo (6) The Summit 16,394 11–16
January: 7–7 (home: 4–5; road: 3–2) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record
February: 8–4 (home: 4–2; road: 4–2) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record All-Star Break
March: 8–8 (home: 5–3; road: 3–5) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 62 March 13, 1995 7:30 p.m. EST Houston L 86–97 Blaylock (25) Norman (11) Smith (7) The Omni 11,746 31–31
April: 7–4 (home: 4–0; road: 3–4) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record
1994–95 schedule

Playoffs

1995 playoff game log
First Round: 0–3 (home: 0–1; road: 0–2) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 April 27 @ Indiana L 82–90 Grant Long (18) Grant Long (11) Mookie Blaylock (9) Market Square Arena 16,445 0–1 2 April 29 @ Indiana L 97–105 Steve Smith (27) Grant Long (13) Smith, Blaylock (3) Market Square Arena 16,692 0–2 3 May 2 Indiana L 89–105 Mookie Blaylock (20) Grant Long (10) Mookie Blaylock (5) The Omni 12,106 0–3
1995 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%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Greg Anderson	51	0	12.2	.548	N/A	.479	3.7	0.3	0.5	0.6	2.9
Stacey Augmon	76	76	31.1	.453	.269	.728	4.8	2.6	1.3	0.6	13.9
Sergei Bazarevich	10	0	7.4	.500	.167	.778	0.7	1.4	0.1	0.1	3.0
Mookie Blaylock	80	80	38.4	.425	.359	.729	4.9	7.7	2.5	0.3	17.2
Tyrone Corbin	81	4	17.1	.442	.250	.684	3.2	0.8	0.7	0.2	6.2
Doug Edwards	38	0	5.6	.458	.000	.719	1.3	0.3	0.1	0.1	1.8
Craig Ehlo	49	0	23.8	.453	.381	.620	3.0	2.3	0.9	0.1	9.7
Tom Hovasse	2	0	2.0	.000	.000	N/A	0.0	0.0	0.5	0.0	0.0
Jon Koncak	62	20	15.2	.412	.333	.542	3.0	0.8	0.6	0.7	2.9
Andrew Lang	82	63	28.5	.473	.667	.809	5.6	0.9	0.5	1.8	9.7
Jim Les	24	0	7.8	.289	.217	.852	1.1	1.8	0.2	0.0	2.1
Grant Long	79	77	32.6	.479	.355	.756	7.5	1.6	1.4	0.4	11.7
Ken Norman	74	27	25.4	.453	.344	.457	4.9	1.3	0.5	0.3	12.7
Steve Smith	78	59	33.4	.427	.334	.845	3.5	3.4	0.8	0.4	16.2
Fred Vinson	5	0	5.4	.143	.167	1.000	0.0	0.2	0.0	0.0	0.8
Ennis Whatley	27	2	10.8	.453	.250	.625	1.1	2.0	0.7	0.0	2.8
Morlon Wiley	5	0	3.4	.500	.250	N/A	0.8	1.2	0.2	0.2	1.4
Kevin Willis	2	2	44.5	.390	.000	.667	18.0	1.5	0.5	1.5	21.0

Playoffs

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Greg Anderson	3	0	13.0	.200	.000	.750	4.3	0.7	0.7	0.7	1.7
Stacey Augmon	3	1	17.3	.429	.000	.750	2.3	1.7	1.0	0.0	7.0
Mookie Blaylock	3	3	40.3	.367	.393	.636	4.3	5.7	1.3	0.0	18.0
Tyrone Corbin	3	2	26.3	.462	.333	.889	3.3	0.7	0.7	0.3	11.3
Craig Ehlo	3	0	16.3	.167	.167	1.000	2.3	1.0	0.7	0.0	3.0
Andrew Lang	3	3	33.7	.429	.000	.778	4.0	0.3	0.7	0.7	10.3
Grant Long	3	3	36.7	.500	.000	.722	11.3	1.3	1.3	0.3	13.7
Ken Norman	3	0	14.0	.389	.125	.143	3.0	1.0	0.0	0.3	5.3
Steve Smith	3	3	36.0	.395	.389	.842	2.7	2.0	2.0	0.3	19.0
Ennis Whatley	3	0	6.3	.000	.000	.000	1.3	0.3	0.0	0.0	0.0

Player statistics citation: ^[17]

Awards and records

Awards

• Mookie Blaylock, NBA All-Defensive First Team

Trades

November 7, 1994

• Traded Kevin Willis, and a 1996 first round draft pick to the Miami Heat for Grant Long, Steve Smith, and a 1996 second round draft pick.

Player Transactions Citation: ^[31]

See also

• 1994–95 NBA season

References

1. 1994-95 Atlanta Hawks
2. "Dominique Wilkins a Celtic". The New York Times. Associated Press. July 23, 1994. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
3. Baker, Chris (July 23, 1994). "Clippers Must Pay the Price of Losing Wilkins to Celtics: Basketball: All-Star Forward's Short Tenure in L.A. Ends with a Three-Year, $11-Million Deal from Boston". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
4. "Celtics Sign Dominique Wilkins". The Washington Post. July 23, 1994. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
5. "Transactions". The New York Times. June 23, 1994. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
6. "Bucks Trade Norman, Get Hinson from Hawks". Los Angeles Times. Staff and Wire Reports. June 23, 1994. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
7. "Around the NBA". The Washington Post. June 23, 1994. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
8. "Jazz Ships Corbin, Draft Pick to Hawks for Keefe". Los Angeles Times. Staff and Wire Reports. September 17, 1994. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
9. Evans, Richard (September 17, 1994). "Jazz Play Trading Game: Corbin for Hawks' Keefe". Deseret News. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
10. "PRO BASKETBALL; Hawks Trade Willis to Heat". The New York Times. Associated Press. November 8, 1994. Retrieved March 10, 2017.
11. "Hawks Trade All-Star Forward Willis to Miami: Pro Basketball: Atlanta Reportedly Acquires Guard Steve Smith and Forward Grant Long". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. November 8, 1994. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
12. "Hawks Trade Willis to Heat". The Washington Post. November 8, 1994. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
13. "NBA Games Played on February 9, 1995". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
14. "1994–95 Atlanta Hawks Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
15. "It's Official: Nelson Steps Down as Coach of Hapless Golden State". The Spokesman-Review. Wire Services. February 14, 1995. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
16. "Hawks Activate Ehlo". United Press International. March 23, 1995. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
17. "1994–95 Atlanta Hawks Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
18. "1995 N.B.A. PLAYOFFS; Suns, Spurs and Pacers Make It a Sweeps Night". The New York Times. Associated Press. May 3, 1995. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
19. "Spurs, Suns, Pacers Complete Sweeps". Deseret News. Associated Press. May 3, 1995. Retrieved November 25, 2022.
20. "1995 NBA Eastern Conference First Round: Hawks vs. Pacers". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
21. "PRO BASKETBALL; After Three Attempts, Wilkens Gets His Cigar". The New York Times. Associated Press. January 7, 1995. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
22. Justice, Richard (January 7, 1995). "Wilkens Becomes King of Coaching Victories". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
23. Justice, Richard (January 7, 1995). "Wilkens Sets Mark, Bullets Smoked Hawks Coach Wins No. 939". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 5, 2022.
24. "1994–95 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
25. "SPORTS PEOPLE: BASKETBALL; Kings Trade an Unhappy Webb". The New York Times. June 30, 1995. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
26. "NBA ROUNDUP: Lockout Gets Closer; Webb Goes to Hawks". Los Angeles Times. Times Wire Services. June 30, 1995. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
27. "Koncak Just Might Have O'Neal's Number". The Washington Post. October 7, 1995. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
28. Povtak, Tim (October 3, 1995). "Magic Moves: Koncak In, - Bowie Out?". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
29. "Atlanta Hawks Uniform". Chris Creamer's Sports Logos Page - SportsLogos.Net. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
30. 1994–95 NBA season Summary - Basketball-Reference.com
31. "1994–95 Atlanta Hawks Transactions". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved July 3, 2021.