1995–96 Boston Celtics Season

1995–96 Boston Celtics season
1995–96 Boston Celtics season
Head coach	M. L. Carr
General manager	Jan Volk
Owner(s)	Paul Gaston
Arena	Fleet Center
Results
Record	33–49 (.402)
Place	Division: 5th (Atlantic); Conference: 11th (Eastern)
Playoff finish	Did not qualify
	Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
Television	WSBK-TV; SportsChannel New England
Radio	WRKO
< 1994–95	1996–97 >

A new era began for the Celtics as they moved into their current home, a state of the art new arena then known as the Fleet Center (now TD Garden). In addition, this also ended their practice of playing occasional home games at the Civic Center in Hartford, Connecticut. The Celtics had the fourteenth overall pick in the 1995 NBA draft, and selected Eric Williams out of Providence College. There was much speculation during the previous off-season over who would coach the team after the firing of Chris Ford, with candidates that included former Celtics coaches Dave Cowens and K. C. Jones, and even former Celtic player Paul Silas. Ultimately, General Manager M. L. Carr decided to hire himself as the team's new head coach. The Celtics also signed free agent and former Boston College star Dana Barros, who won the Most Improved Player award the previous season with the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Celtics started their season losing their first game at the Fleet Center, 101–100 to the Milwaukee Bucks on November 3, 1995. Near the end of the month, the team traded Sherman Douglas to the Bucks in exchange for Todd Day and Alton Lister, as they played around .500 with a 12–12 start. However, the magic was clearly gone for the Celtics as they lost 15 of their next 18 games, holding a 17–30 record at the All-Star break, finishing fifth in the Atlantic Division with a 33–49 record, and failing to qualify for the playoffs.

Dino Radja led the team with 19.7 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game, but was out for the remainder of the season with an ankle injury after 53 games, while Rick Fox averaged 14.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.4 steals per game, and Barros provided the team with 13.0 points and 3.8 assists per game, and also led them with 150 three-point field goals. In addition, David Wesley contributed 12.3 points and 4.8 assists per game, while Williams and Dee Brown both provided with 10.7 points per game each, and second-year guard Greg Minor contributed 9.6 points per game. On the defensive side, second-year center Eric Montross averaged 7.2 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, but only played 61 games due to a sprained ankle, and Pervis Ellison provided with 5.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game.

Following the season, Montross was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for the sixth overall pick in the 1996 NBA draft.

Draft picks

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	College
1	14	Eric Williams	SF	United States	Providence
2	33	Junior Burrough	SF	United States	Virginia

Roster

1995–96 Boston Celtics roster

Players

Coaches

Pos.	No.	Name	Height	Weight	DOB	From
G	11	Barros, Dana	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	163 lb (74 kg)	1967–04–13	Boston College
G	7	Brown, Dee	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	160 lb (73 kg)	1968–11–29	Jacksonville
F	5	Burrough, Junior	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	242 lb (110 kg)	1973–01–18	Virginia
G	13	Day, Todd	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	188 lb (85 kg)	1970–01–07	Arkansas
F	29	Ellison, Pervis	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	1967–04–03	Louisville
F	44	Fox, Rick	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	230 lb (104 kg)	1969–07–24	North Carolina
C	53	Lister, Alton	7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)	240 lb (109 kg)	1958–10–01	Arizona State
G	9	Minor, Greg	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	1971–09–18	Louisville
C	0	Montross, Eric	7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)	270 lb (122 kg)	1971–09–23	North Carolina
C	51	Mundt, Todd	7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)	250 lb (113 kg)	1970–05–17	Delta State
F	40	Radja, Dino	6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	1967–04–24	Croatia
F	34	Smith, Doug	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	1969–09–17	Missouri
G	4	Wesley, David	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	1970–11–14	Baylor
F	55	Williams, Eric	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	1972–07–17	Providence

Head coach

M. L. Carr

Assistant coach(es)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(DP) Unsigned draft pick
(FA) Free agent
(S) Suspended
Injured

Roster
Last transaction: {{{access-date}}}

Regular season

Season standings

Atlantic Division	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div	GP
y – Orlando Magic	60	22	.732	12.0	37‍–‍4	23‍–‍18	21–3	82
x – New York Knicks	47	35	.573	25.0	26‍–‍15	21‍–‍20	16–8	82
x – Miami Heat	42	40	.512	30.0	26‍–‍15	16‍–‍25	13–12	82
Washington Bullets	39	43	.476	33.0	25‍–‍16	14‍–‍27	10–14	82
Boston Celtics	33	49	.402	39.0	18‍–‍23	15‍–‍26	12–12	82
New Jersey Nets	30	52	.366	42.0	20‍–‍21	10‍–‍31	8–17	82
Philadelphia 76ers	18	64	.220	54.0	11‍–‍30	7‍–‍34	5–19	82

Eastern Conference
#	Team	W	L	PCT	GB	GP
1	z – Chicago Bulls	72	10	.878	–	82
2	y – Orlando Magic	60	22	.732	12.0	82
3	x – Indiana Pacers	52	30	.634	20.0	82
4	x – Cleveland Cavaliers	47	35	.573	25.0	82
5	x – New York Knicks	47	35	.573	25.0	82
6	x – Atlanta Hawks	46	36	.561	26.0	82
7	x – Detroit Pistons	46	36	.561	26.0	82
8	x – Miami Heat	42	40	.512	30.0	82

9	Charlotte Hornets	41	41	.500	31.0	82
10	Washington Bullets	39	43	.476	33.0	82
11	Boston Celtics	33	49	.402	39.0	82
12	New Jersey Nets	30	52	.366	42.0	82
13	Milwaukee Bucks	25	57	.305	47.0	82
14	Toronto Raptors	21	61	.256	51.0	82
15	Philadelphia 76ers	18	64	.220	54.0	82

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	–	4–0	3–1	0–4	3–1	1–1	1–1	2–2	1–1	1–1	1–3	2–0	0–2	2–2	2–2	1–1	4–0	2–1	2–2	2–1	0–2	2–0	2–0	0–2	0–2	4–0	1–1	2–0	1–3
Boston	0–4	–	2–2	0–3	1–3	0–2	1–1	2–1	0–2	1–1	0–4	2–0	0–2	3–1	3–1	2–0	2–2	0–4	1–3	4–0	1–1	0–2	2–0	0–2	0–2	3–1	0–2	1–1	2–2
Charlotte	1–3	2–2	–	1–3	3–1	2–0	2–0	1–3	0–2	0–2	1–3	1–1	2–0	2–2	3–1	1–1	0–3	3–0	0–4	3–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	0–2	0–2	3–1	1–1	2–0	3–1
Chicago	4–0	3–0	3–1	–	4–0	2–0	1–1	4–0	2–0	2–0	2–2	2–0	2–0	3–1	4–0	2–0	3–0	3–1	3–1	4–0	1–1	2–0	2–0	2–0	1–1	3–1	2–0	2–0	4–0
Cleveland	1–3	3–1	1–3	0–4	–	2–0	1–1	2–2	2–0	1–1	2–2	2–0	2–0	1–3	4–0	2–0	1–2	3–1	1–2	4–0	2–0	1–1	1–1	0–2	0–2	3–1	0–2	2–0	3–1
Dallas	1–1	2–0	0–2	0–2	0–2	–	2–2	0–2	2–2	1–3	0–2	2–2	0–4	0–2	1–1	0–4	1–1	0–2	1–1	0–2	1–3	0–4	2–2	2–2	2–2	1–1	1–3	4–0	0–2
Denver	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	2–2	–	1–1	2–2	1–3	0–2	1–3	2–2	0–2	1–1	4–0	0–2	1–1	1–1	2–0	3–1	0–4	0–4	0–4	1–3	2–0	3–1	3–1	1–1
Detroit	2–2	1–2	3–1	0–4	2–2	2–0	1–1	–	2–0	1–1	2–2	2–0	0–2	1–3	2–2	1–1	4–0	0–4	1–3	4–0	2–0	2–0	1–1	2–0	1–1	4–0	0–2	2–0	1–2
Golden State	1–1	2–0	2–0	0–2	0–2	2–2	2–2	0–2	–	2–2	1–1	3–1	1–3	1–1	1–1	3–1	2–0	0–2	0–2	2–0	1–3	1–3	1–3	1–3	0–4	1–1	1–3	4–0	1–1
Houston	1–1	1–1	2–0	0–2	1–1	3–1	3–1	1–1	2–2	–	2–0	4–0	3–1	0–2	2–0	2–2	2–0	0–2	0–2	2–0	3–1	2–2	2–2	1–3	0–4	2–0	2–2	4–0	1–1
Indiana	3–1	4–0	3–1	2–2	2–2	2–0	2–0	2–2	1–1	0–2	–	2–0	1–1	3–0	3–1	1–1	1–3	1–3	2–2	3–1	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	2–0	4–0	0–2	2–0	3–0
L.A. Clippers	0–2	0–2	1–1	0–2	0–2	2–2	3–1	0–2	1–3	0–4	0–2	–	0–4	1–1	1–1	3–1	1–1	1–1	0–2	2–0	3–1	2–2	2–2	1–3	0–4	0–2	1–3	3–1	1–1
L.A. Lakers	2–0	2–0	0–2	0–2	0–2	4–0	2–2	2–0	3–1	1–3	1–1	4–0	–	2–0	2–0	3–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	3–1	2–2	3–1	1–3	2–2	2–0	2–2	4–0	1–1
Miami	2–2	1–3	2–2	1–3	3–1	2–0	2–0	3–1	1–1	2–0	0–3	1–1	0–2	–	3–0	1–1	5–0	1–3	1–3	3–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	0–2	2–1	0–2	1–1	2–2
Milwaukee	2–2	1–3	1–3	0–4	0–4	1–1	1–1	2–2	1–1	0–2	1–3	1–1	0–2	0–3	–	1–1	1–3	2–2	1–3	2–1	0–2	2–0	0–2	1–1	0–2	2–2	0–2	1–1	1–3
Minnesota	1–1	0–2	1–1	0–2	0–2	4–0	0–4	1–1	1–3	2–2	1–1	1–3	1–3	1–1	1–1	–	1–1	0–2	0–2	1–1	1–3	0–4	3–1	1–3	0–4	1–1	1–3	2–2	0–2
New Jersey	0–4	2–2	3–0	0–3	2–1	1–1	2–0	0–4	0–2	0–2	3–1	1–1	0–2	0–5	3–1	1–1	–	2–2	0–4	2–2	0–2	1–1	1–1	0–2	0–2	2–2	0–2	2–0	2–2
New York	1–2	4–0	0–3	1–3	1–3	2–0	1–1	4–0	2–0	2–0	3–1	1–1	1–1	3–1	2–2	2–0	2–2	–	1–3	3–1	0–2	0–2	0–2	1–1	1–1	4–0	1–1	1–1	3–1
Orlando	2–2	3–1	4–0	1–3	2–1	1–1	1–1	3–1	2–0	2–0	2–2	2–0	1–1	3–1	3–1	2–0	4–0	3–1	–	4–0	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–1	1–1	2–0	4–0
Philadelphia	1–2	0–4	1–3	0–4	0–4	2–0	0–2	0–4	0–2	0–2	1–3	0–2	1–1	1–3	1–2	1–1	2–2	1–3	0–4	–	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	3–1	1–1	1–1	1–3
Phoenix	2–0	1–1	0–2	1–1	0–2	3–1	1–3	0–2	3–1	1–3	1–1	1–3	1–3	1–1	2–0	3–1	2–0	2–0	0–2	2–0	–	2–2	2–2	1–3	0–4	2–0	1–3	4–0	2–0
Portland	0–2	2–0	1–1	0–2	1–1	4–0	4–0	0–2	3–1	2–2	1–1	2–2	2–2	2–0	0–2	4–0	1–1	2–0	1–1	2–0	2–2	–	1–3	1–3	1–3	2–0	1–3	2–2	0–2
Sacramento	0–2	0–2	1–1	0–2	1–1	2–2	4–0	1–1	3–1	2–2	2–0	2–2	1–3	1–1	2–0	1–3	1–1	2–0	1–1	2–0	2–2	3–1	–	1–3	0–4	2–0	0–4	2–2	0–2
San Antonio	2–0	2–0	2–0	0–2	2–0	2–2	4–0	0–2	3–1	3–1	1–1	3–1	3–1	1–1	1–1	3–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	2–0	3–1	3–1	3–1	–	2–2	2–0	3–1	4–0	1–1
Seattle	2–0	2–0	2–0	1–1	2–0	2–2	3–1	1–1	4–0	4–0	0–2	4–0	2–2	2–0	2–0	4–0	2–0	1–1	1–1	2–0	4–0	3–1	4–0	2–2	–	1–1	3–1	3–1	1–1
Toronto	0–4	1–3	1–3	1–3	1–3	1–1	0–2	0–4	1–1	0–2	0–4	2–0	0–2	1–2	2–2	1–1	2–2	0–4	1–2	1–3	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	1–1	–	0–2	1–1	3–1
Utah	1–1	2–0	1–1	0–2	2–0	3–1	1–3	2–0	3–1	2–2	2–0	3–1	2–2	2–0	2–0	3–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	3–1	3–1	4–0	1–3	1–3	2–0	–	4–0	1–1
Vancouver	0–2	1–1	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–4	1–3	0–2	0–4	0–4	0–2	1–3	0–4	1–1	1–1	2–2	0–2	1–1	0–2	1–1	0–4	2–2	2–2	0–4	1–3	1–1	0–4	–	0–2
Washington	3–1	2–2	1–3	0–4	1–3	2–0	1–1	2–1	1–1	1–1	0–3	1–1	1–1	2–2	3–1	2–0	2–2	1–3	0–4	3–1	0–2	2–0	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–3	1–1	2–0	—

Game log

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

Awards and records

Transactions

Overview

Players Added

Via draft

Via free agency

Via trade

Players Lost

Via free agency

Via trade

Sherman Douglas

Waived

Trades

November 25, 1995	To Boston Celtics Todd Day Alton Lister	To Milwaukee Bucks Sherman Douglas
June 21, 1996	To Boston Celtics 1996 First-Round Pick 1997 First-Round Pick	To Dallas Mavericks Eric Montross 1996 First-Round Pick

Player Transactions Citation: