1994–95 Boston Celtics season

The 1994–95 NBA season was the 49th season for the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association.^[1] This was the Celtics' first season since the 1979–80 season without long-time center Robert Parish, who left as a free agent to the Charlotte Hornets. It was also the team's final season of play at the Boston Garden, as well as playing occasional home games at the Hartford Civic Center in Hartford, Connecticut.^[2][3][4]

1994–95 Boston Celtics season
Head coach	Chris Ford
General manager	M.L. Carr
Arena	Boston Garden Hartford Civic Center
Results
Record	35–47 (.427)
Place	Division: 3rd (Atlantic) Conference: 8th (Eastern)
Playoff finish	East First Round (lost to Magic 1–3)
Stats at Basketball Reference
Local media
Television	WSBK-TV SportsChannel New England
Radio	WBNW
< 1993–94 1995–96 >

After missing the playoffs the previous season, the Celtics had the ninth overall pick in the 1994 NBA draft, and selected Eric Montross from the University of North Carolina.^{[5][6][7][8][9]} Prior to the season, the Celtics signed free agent All-Star forward Dominique Wilkins (a controversial move late in Wilkins' career),^{[10][11][12][13][14]} signed free agents Pervis Ellison,^[15][16] second-year guard David Wesley and rookie guard Greg Minor,^[17][18] and acquired Blue Edwards and Derek Strong from the Milwaukee Bucks.^[19][20]

The Celtics got off to a 7–6 start in November, but played below .500 basketball for the remainder of the regular season, holding a 19–27 record at the All-Star break.^[21] At mid-season, Edwards was traded back to his former team, the Utah Jazz in exchange for Jay Humphries.^[22][23][24] The Celtics won eight of their final twelve games, finishing in third place in the Atlantic Division with a 35–47 record.^[25]

Wilkins averaged 17.8 points and 5.2 rebounds per game along with 112 three-point field goals, while second-year star Dino Radja averaged 17.2 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game, and Dee Brown provided the team with 15.6 points and 1.4 steals per game, and also led them with 126 three-point field goals. In addition, Sherman Douglas contributed 14.7 points and 6.9 assists per game, while Montross averaged 10.0 points and 7.3 rebounds per game, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team. Off the bench, Rick Fox contributed 8.8 points per game, but only played 53 games due to ankle and foot injuries,^[26] while Xavier McDaniel provided with 8.6 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. Wesley contributed 7.4 points, 5.2 assists and 1.6 steals per game in only 51 games, starting in 36 of them due to a knee injury,^[27] while Ellison averaged 6.8 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, and Strong provided with 6.3 points and 5.4 rebounds per game.^[28]

Despite finishing six games under .500 winning percentage, the Celtics qualified for the playoffs as the #8 seed in the Eastern Conference. In the Eastern Conference First Round, the team suffered a 47-point margin in a Game 1 road loss to the #1 seed Orlando Magic, 124–77,^[29][30][31] but managed to defeat them in Game 2, 99–92 (seizing the "theoretical home court advantage" for the series).^[32][33][34] However, the Magic defeated the Celtics at Boston Garden in both Games 3 and 4 to close out the series.^{[35][36][37][38]} The Magic would go on to reach the NBA Finals for the first time, but would lose in four straight games to the 6th-seeded, and defending champion Houston Rockets.^{[39][40][41][42][43]}

Following the season, Wilkins and McDaniel both left to play overseas in Greece,^{[44][45][46][47]} while Strong signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Lakers,^[48] Humphries was released to free agency, and head coach Chris Ford was fired; General Manager M.L. Carr explained the firing as having to do with "diminishing returns".^[49][50][51]

Draft picks

Main article: 1994 NBA draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	College
1	9	Eric Montross	C	United States	North Carolina
2	36	Andrei Fetisov	SF	Russia	Fórum Valladolid

Roster

1994–95 Boston Celtics roster

Players

Coaches

Pos. No. Player Height Weight DOB From G 8 James Blackwell 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1968–02–25 Dartmouth G 7 Dee Brown 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 160 lb (73 kg) 1968–11–29 Jacksonville F 45 Tony Dawson 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1967–08–25 Florida State G 20 Sherman Douglas 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1966–09–15 Syracuse F 55 Acie Earl 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1970–06–23 Iowa F 29 Pervis Ellison 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1967–04–03 Louisville F 44 Rick Fox 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1969–07–24 North Carolina G 5 Jay Humphries 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1962–10–17 Colorado F 34 Xavier McDaniel 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1963–06–04 Wichita State F 9 Greg Minor 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1971–09–18 Louisville C 0 Eric Montross 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 270 lb (122 kg) 1971–09–23 North Carolina F/C 40 Dino Radja 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1967–04–24 Croatia F 31 Derek Strong 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1968–02–09 Xavier G 4 David Wesley 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1970–11–14 Baylor F 12 Dominique Wilkins 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1960–01–12 Georgia

Head coach Chris Ford Assistant(s) Don Casey Dennis Johnson Legend (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured Roster

Regular season

Season standings

Atlantic Division v t e	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
c-Orlando Magic	57	25	.695	—	39–2	18–23	18–10
x-New York Knicks	55	27	.671	2	29–12	26–15	23–5
x-Boston Celtics	35	47	.427	22	20–21	15–26	14–14
Miami Heat	32	50	.390	25	22–19	10–31	9–19
New Jersey Nets	30	52	.366	27	20–21	10–31	13–15
Philadelphia 76ers	24	58	.293	33	14–27	10–31	12–16
Washington Bullets	21	61	.256	36	13–28	8–33	9–19

#	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

Record vs. opponents

1994-95 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	UTA	WAS
Atlanta	–	3–1	2–2	1–4	1–4	2–0	2–0	3–2	2–0	0–2	1–4	2–0	0–2	2–2	1–3	2–0	4–0	2–2	1–3	3–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	0–2	0–2	4–0
Boston	1–3	–	1–3	0–4	2–2	1–1	1–1	3–1	2–0	1–1	2–2	0–2	1–1	4–1	1–3	2–0	2–3	0–5	2–3	3–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	0–2	1–1	0–2	3–1
Charlotte	2–2	3–1	–	2–2	3–2	0–2	1–1	5–0	2–0	0–2	1–4	2–0	0–2	3–1	4–1	1–1	3–1	3–1	1–3	3–1	0–2	2–0	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–0	3–1
Chicago	4–1	4–0	2–2	–	2–3	1–1	1–1	5–0	2–0	1–1	2–2	1–1	1–1	3–1	1–4	2–0	2–2	3–1	1–3	4–0	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	0–2	0–2	2–2
Cleveland	4–1	2–2	2–3	3–2	–	0–2	1–1	2–2	2–0	0–2	2–3	1–1	1–1	1–3	4–0	1–1	4–0	2–2	1–3	3–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	0–2	0–2	1–1	3–1
Dallas	0–2	1–1	2–0	1–1	2–0	–	1–4	1–1	3–1	2–3	1–1	3–1	1–3	0–2	1–1	4–1	1–1	0–2	0–2	2–0	0–4	3–1	2–2	2–3	0–4	2–4	1–1
Denver	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	4–1	–	1–1	1–3	1–4	1–1	4–0	2–2	2–0	2–0	6–0	1–1	0–2	0–2	1–1	1–3	3–1	2–2	1–4	1–3	1–4	2–0
Detroit	2–3	1–3	0–5	0–5	2–2	1–1	1–1	–	1–1	0–2	2–2	1–1	0–2	1–3	2–3	1–1	2–2	1–3	1–3	4–0	1–1	0–2	1–1	0–2	0–2	0–2	3–1
Golden State	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	1–3	3–1	1–1	–	0–4	0–2	3–2	3–2	1–1	0–2	1–3	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	3–2	1–4	0–5	1–3	1–4	2–2	2–0
Houston	2–0	1–1	2–0	1–1	2–0	3–2	4–1	2–0	4–0	–	1–1	3–1	0–4	2–0	1–1	3–2	2–0	0–2	0–2	2–0	3–1	1–3	3–1	1–5	0–4	2–3	2–0
Indiana	4–1	2–2	4–1	2–2	3–2	1–1	1–1	2–2	2–0	1–1	–	2–0	1–1	2–2	3–2	2–0	3–1	1–3	2–2	4–0	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–0	1–1	0–2	3–1
L.A. Clippers	0–2	2–0	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–3	0–4	1–1	2–3	1–3	0–2	–	2–3	0–2	1–1	1–3	0–2	0–2	0–2	1–1	1–4	0–5	1–4	0–4	0–5	1–3	0–2
L.A. Lakers	2–0	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	3–1	2–2	2–0	2–3	4–0	1–1	3–2	–	1–1	1–1	3–1	2–0	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–4	2–3	3–2	1–3	4–1	2–2	2–0
Miami	2–2	1–4	1–3	1–3	3–1	2–0	0–2	3–1	1–1	0–2	2–2	2–0	1–1	–	4–0	1–1	1–3	1–4	1–3	1–4	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	4–1
Milwaukee	3–1	3–1	1–4	4–1	0–4	1–1	0–2	3–2	2–0	1–1	2–3	1–1	1–1	0–4	–	1–1	2–2	2–2	0–4	3–1	0–2	0–2	1–1	0–2	0–2	0–2	3–1
Minnesota	0–2	0–2	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–4	0–6	1–1	3–1	2–3	0–2	3–1	1–3	1–1	1–1	–	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	0–4	0–4	1–3	0–5	0–4	1–4	1–1
New Jersey	0–4	3–2	1–3	2–2	0–4	1–1	1–1	2–2	1–1	0–2	1–3	2–0	0–2	3–1	2–2	1–1	–	1–4	2–2	2–3	0–2	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	0–2	2–3
New York	2–2	5–0	1–3	1–3	2–2	2–0	2–0	3–1	1–1	2–0	3–1	2–0	2–0	4–1	2–2	2–0	4–1	–	2–3	4–0	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	0–2	0–2	4–0
Orlando	3–1	3–2	3–1	3–1	3–1	2–0	2–0	3–1	2–0	2–0	2–2	2–0	1–1	3–1	4–0	1–1	2–2	3–2	–	4–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	3–2
Philadelphia	1–3	1–3	1–3	0–4	1–3	0–2	1–1	0–4	1–1	0–2	0–4	1–1	1–1	4–1	1–3	1–1	3–2	0–4	1–4	–	0–2	2–0	1–1	0–2	0–2	0–2	3–2
Phoenix	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	4–0	3–1	1–1	2–3	1–3	1–1	4–1	4–1	2–0	2–0	4–0	2–0	1–1	1–1	2–0	–	5–0	4–1	2–2	4–1	2–2	2–0
Portland	1–1	2–0	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–3	1–3	2–0	4–1	3–1	1–1	5–0	3–2	2–0	2–0	4–0	1–1	1–1	0–2	0–2	0–5	–	3–2	1–3	2–3	1–3	2–0
Sacramento	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	2–2	2–2	1–1	5–0	1–3	0–2	4–1	2–3	2–0	1–1	3–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–4	2–3	–	0–4	3–2	0–4	1–1
San Antonio	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	2–0	3–2	4–1	2–0	3–1	5–1	0–2	4–0	3–1	2–0	2–0	5–0	2–0	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–2	3–1	4–0	–	2–2	3–2	2–0
Seattle	2–0	1–1	0–2	2–0	2–0	4–0	3–1	2–0	4–1	4–0	1–1	5–0	1–4	2–0	2–0	4–0	1–1	2–0	2–0	2–0	1–4	3–2	2–3	2–2	–	1–3	2–0
Utah	2–0	2–0	0–2	2–0	1–1	4–2	4–1	2–0	2–2	3–2	2–0	3–1	2–2	2–0	2–0	4–1	2–0	2–0	1–1	2–0	2–2	3–1	4–0	2–3	3–1	–	2–0
Washington	0–4	1–3	1–3	2–2	1–3	1–1	0–2	1–3	0–2	0–2	1–3	2–0	0–2	1–4	1–3	1–1	3–2	0–4	2–3	2–3	0–2	0–2	1–1	0–2	0–2	0–2	—

Game log

Regular season

1994–95 game log Total: 35–47 (home: 20–21; road: 15–26)
November: 7–6 (home: 3–4; road: 4–2) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 3 November 11, 1994 7:30 p.m. EST Houston L 82–102 Radja (31) Radja (11) Fox (6) Boston Garden 14,890 0–3
December: 4–11 (home: 2–4; road: 2–7) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 23 December 17, 1994 8:30 p.m. EST @ Houston W 112–109 Wilkins (43) Montross (12) Wesley (11) The Summit 15,757 10–13
January: 5–9 (home: 5–5; road: 0–4) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record
February: 6–6 (home: 3–2; road: 3–4) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record All-Star Break
March: 6–11 (home: 2–5; road: 4–6) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record
April: 7–4 (home: 5–1; road: 2–3) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record
1994–95 schedule

Playoffs

1995 playoff game log
First round: 1–3 (home: 0–2; road: 1–1) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 April 28 @ Orlando L 77–124 Dee Brown (20) Dominique Wilkins (9) Sherman Douglas (6) Orlando Arena 16,010 0–1 2 April 30 @ Orlando W 99–92 Dominique Wilkins (24) Brown, Radja (8) Sherman Douglas (15) Orlando Arena 16,010 1–1 3 May 3 Orlando L 77–82 Brown, Wilkins (16) Pervis Ellison (10) Sherman Douglas (7) Boston Garden 14,890 1–2 4 May 5 Orlando L 92–95 Dominique Wilkins (22) Dominique Wilkins (18) Douglas, Brown (5) Boston Garden 14,890 1–3
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

Regular season

Boston Celtics statistics

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
James Blackwell†	9	0	6.8	.600		.667	.9	.7	.3	.0	1.6
Dee Brown	79	69	35.3	.447	.385	.852	3.2	3.8	1.4	.6	15.6
Tony Dawson	2	0	6.5	.375	.333	1.000	1.5	.5	.0	.0	4.0
Sherman Douglas	65	43	31.5	.475	.244	.689	2.6	6.9	1.2	.0	14.7
Acie Earl	30	3	6.9	.382		.483	1.5	.1	.2	.3	2.2
Blue Edwards†	31	7	16.4	.426	.256	.896	2.1	1.5	.6	.3	7.1
Pervis Ellison	55	11	19.7	.507	.000	.717	5.6	.6	.4	1.0	6.8
Rick Fox	53	7	19.6	.481	.413	.772	2.9	2.6	1.0	.4	8.8
Tony Harris	3	0	6.0	.375	.000	.889	.0	.0	.0	.0	4.7
Jay Humphries†	6	0	8.7	.444	.000	.500	.5	1.7	.3	.0	1.7
Xavier McDaniel	68	15	21.0	.451	.286	.712	4.4	1.6	.4	.3	8.6
Greg Minor	63	8	15.0	.515	.167	.833	2.2	1.0	.5	.3	6.0
Eric Montross	78	75	29.7	.534	.000	.635	7.3	.5	.4	.8	10.0
Dino Rađa	66	48	32.5	.490	.000	.759	8.7	1.7	.9	1.3	17.2
Derek Strong	70	24	19.2	.453	.286	.820	5.4	.6	.3	.2	6.3
David Wesley	51	36	27.1	.409	.429	.755	2.3	5.2	1.6	.2	7.4
Dominique Wilkins	77	64	31.5	.424	.388	.782	5.2	2.2	.8	.2	17.8

Playoffs

Boston Celtics statistics

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Dee Brown	4	4	43.0	.419	.346	.875	5.0	4.8	1.3	.3	18.8
Sherman Douglas	4	4	42.0	.353	.333	.727	5.0	8.3	1.0	.3	15.0
Acie Earl	1	0	10.0	.333		.000	2.0	.0	.0	1.0	2.0
Pervis Ellison	4	0	17.0	.579		1.000	4.3	.5	.5	1.3	6.0
Xavier McDaniel	4	0	14.8	.294	.000	.750	1.5	1.3	.0	.0	3.3
Greg Minor	4	0	9.3	.385		1.000	.3	.5	.3	.3	2.8
Eric Montross	4	4	15.5	.455		.500	2.3	.0	.0	.0	3.3
Dino Rađa	4	3	38.3	.400		.714	7.0	2.3	1.0	1.3	15.0
Derek Strong	4	1	20.3	.333		.500	6.0	.8	.8	.3	2.8
Dominique Wilkins	4	4	37.5	.426	.471	.889	10.8	2.0	.5	.8	19.0

• ^† Denotes player spent time with another team in the season. Stats reflect time with the Celtics only.

Player Statistics Citation:^[28]

Awards

Player	Award
Eric Montross	NBA All-Rookie 2nd Team

Transactions

The Celtics were involved in the following transactions during the 1994–95 season.

Trades

June 29, 1994	To Boston Celtics Blue Edwards Derek Strong	To Milwaukee Bucks Ed Pinckney Andrei Fetisov
February 3, 1995	To Boston Celtics Jay Humphries 1995 second-round pick	To Utah Jazz Blue Edwards

Free agents

Additions Player Signed Former team David Wesley July 20 New Jersey Nets Dominique Wilkins July 25 Los Angeles Clippers Pervis Ellison August 1 Washington Bullets Greg Minor October 19 Indiana Pacers James Blackwell February 28 Pittsburgh Piranhas (CBA) Tony Dawson February 28 Rockford Lightning (CBA)

Subtractions Player Left New team Alaa Abdelnaby free agency, July 26 Sacramento Kings Robert Parish free agency, August 4 Charlotte Hornets Tony Harris waived, December 28 Sioux Falls Skyforce (CBA)

Player Transactions Citation:^[52]

See also

• 1994–95 NBA season