1995–96 Cleveland Cavaliers season explained

The 1995–96 NBA season was the 26th season of the National Basketball Association in Cleveland, Ohio.^[1] During the off-season, the Cavaliers acquired All-Star guard, and three-point specialist Dan Majerle from the Phoenix Suns,^{[2] [3] [4] [5]} and acquired 2-time Slam Dunk champion Harold Miner from the Miami Heat.^{[6] [7] [8]} After the first two games, Tyrone Hill was seriously injured in a car accident and missed 38 games, as the Cavs struggled losing their first seven games of the season.^{[9] [10] [11] [12]} However, Hill returned in the second half of the season playing off the bench, being replaced by Michael Cage as the team's starting center. The Cavaliers played above .500 for the remainder of the season, holding a 26–20 record at the All-Star break,^[13] posting a 10–2 record in February, and finishing 3rd in the Central Division with a 47–35 record.^[14]

Terrell Brandon continued to show improvement, leading the team with 19.3 points, 6.5 assists and 1.8 steals per game, and was selected for the 1996 NBA All-Star Game.^{[15] [16] [17] [18]} In addition, Chris Mills had a stellar season averaging 15.1 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, while Bobby Phills provided the team with 14.6 points and 1.4 steals per game, and was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team. Danny Ferry became the team's starting power forward, and contributed 13.3 points per game, while Majerle played a sixth man role, averaging 10.6 points per game off the bench, Cage contributed 6.0 points and led the team with 8.9 rebounds per game, and Hill provided with 7.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game off the bench.^[19] Head coach Mike Fratello finished in second place in Coach of the Year voting,^{[20] [21]} while Brandon and Ferry both finished tied in third place in Most Improved Player voting.^{[22] [23]}

However, in the Eastern Conference First Round of the playoffs, the Cavs were swept by the 5th-seeded New York Knicks in three straight games.^{[24] [25] [26] [27]} Following the season, Majerle signed as a free agent with the Miami Heat after just one season with the Cavaliers,^{[28] [29] [30] [31]} while Cage signed with the Philadelphia 76ers,^{[32] [33]} and Miner retired after just four seasons in the NBA due to injuries, only playing just 19 games with the Cavaliers this season due to a knee injury.^{[34] [35]}

After missing the previous two seasons with a back injury, former All-Star center Brad Daugherty also retired, ending his eight-year career in the NBA with the Cavaliers.^{[36] [37] [38] [39]}

Key Dates:

Offseason

Trades

Draft picks

See main article: 1995 NBA draft.

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	School/Club Team
1	17	Bob Sura	Guard		Florida State
2	39	Donny Marshall	Forward		UConn

Roster

Roster Notes

• Center Brad Daugherty missed the entire season due to a back injury.

Regular season

Record vs. opponents

1995-96 NBA Records
width=100	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

|- align="center" bgcolor=|-|| || || || || |||-|- align="center" bgcolor=|-|| || || || || |||-|- align="center" bgcolor=|-|| || || || || |||-|- align="center" bgcolor=|-|| || || || || |||-|- align="center" bgcolor=|-|| || || || || |||-|- align="center" bgcolor=|-|| || || || || |||-

Playoffs

|- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"| 1| April 25| New York| L 83–106| Terrell Brandon (18)| Michael Cage (8)| Brandon, Majerle (5)| Gund Arena
16,419| 0–1|- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"| 2| April 27| New York| L 80–84| Terrell Brandon (21)| Michael Cage (8)| Terrell Brandon (12)| Gund Arena
17,232| 0–2|- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"| 3| May 1| @ New York| L 76–81| Terrell Brandon (19)| Michael Cage (12)| Terrell Brandon (7)| Madison Square Garden
19,763| 0–3|-

Player stats

Regular season

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Terrell Brandon	75	75	34.3	46.5	38.7	88.7	3.3	6.5	1.8	0.4	19.3
Chris Mills	80	80	38.3	46.8	37.6	82.9	5.5	2.4	0.9	0.7	15.1
Bobby Phills	72	69	35.1	46.7	44.1	77.5	3.6	3.8	1.4	0.4	14.6
Danny Ferry	82	79	32.7	45.9	39.4	76.9	3.8	2.3	0.7	0.5	13.3
Dan Majerle	82	15	28.9	40.5	35.3	71.0	3.7	2.6	1.0	0.4	10.6
Tyrone Hill	44	2	21.1	51.2	0.0	60.0	5.5	0.8	0.7	0.5	7.8
Michael Cage	82	80	32.1	55.6	0.0	54.3	8.9	0.6	1.1	1.0	6.0
Bob Sura	79	3	14.6	41.1	34.6	70.2	1.7	2.9	0.7	0.3	5.3
Harold Miner	19	0	7.2	44.2	20.0	100.0	0.6	0.4	0.0	0.0	3.2
John Crotty	58	4	10.6	44.7	29.6	86.1	0.9	1.8	0.4	0.1	3.0
John Amaechi	28	3	12.8	41.4	0.0	57.6	1.9	0.3	0.2	0.4	2.8
Antonio Lang	41	0	9.0	53.2	0.0	72.3	1.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	2.8
Donny Marshall	34	0	6.1	35.3	23.3	62.9	0.8	0.2	0.2	0.1	2.3
Joe Courtney	23	0	8.7	42.9	0.0	44.4	2.1	0.4	0.2	0.3	1.7
Darryl Johnson	11	0	2.5	41.7	0.0	100.0	0.2	0.1	0.0	0.0	1.1

Playoffs

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Terrell Brandon	3	3	41.7	44.7	33.3	86.7	3.0	8.0	1.3	0.3	19.3
Dan Majerle	3	0	30.3	44.4	43.5	88.9	4.0	3.0	1.3	0.7	16.7
Danny Ferry	3	3	39.0	34.1	6.3	0.0	5.0	3.0	1.0	0.7	9.7
Bobby Phills	3	3	32.0	37.1	20.0	25.0	4.7	2.0	0.7	0.3	9.7
Tyrone Hill	3	0	17.7	75.0	0.0	77.8	5.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	8.3
Chris Mills	3	3	35.0	33.3	0.0	100.0	5.3	1.7	0.7	0.7	7.7
Michael Cage	3	3	33.7	57.1	0.0	60.0	9.3	0.7	0.7	1.7	6.3
Bob Sura	3	0	6.0	66.7	0.0	0.0	0.3	1.0	0.3	0.0	1.3
John Crotty	2	0	4.5	0.0	0.0	100.0	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.5	1.0
John Amaechi	1	0	2.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Antonio Lang	1	0	2.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Donny Marshall	1	0	1.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0

Player Statistics Citation:

Awards and records

All-Star

Transactions

Development League

References

• Cleveland Cavaliers on Database Basketball
• Cleveland Cavaliers on Basketball Reference

Notes and References

1. https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CLE/1996.html 1995-96 Cleveland Cavaliers
2. News: Associated Press . Suns Trade Majerle to Cavs . The New York Times . October 8, 1995 . March 19, 2022.
3. News: Associated Press . Suns Trade Majerle for 'Hot Rod' Williams: Pro Basketball: The Cavaliers Also Get Lang and a First-Round Draft Pick from Phoenix . Los Angeles Times . October 8, 1995 . June 30, 2022.
4. News: Associated Press . Trade of Majerle Makes Barkley Unhappy: Pro Basketball: Popular Player Sent to Cleveland for Center John 'Hot Rod' Williams . Los Angeles Times . October 8, 1995 . January 30, 2023.
5. News: Associated Press . Suns Deal Majerle, Lang, No. 1 Pick for Cavs' Hot Rod . Deseret News . October 8, 1995 . July 24, 2022.
6. News: SPORTS PEOPLE: BASKETBALL; Cavaliers Acquire Miner from Heat . The New York Times . June 16, 1995 . January 30, 2023.
7. News: Staff and Wire Reports . Heat's Miner Gets New Life with Cavaliers . Los Angeles Times . June 16, 1995 . January 1, 2022.
8. News: Patton . Robes . Heat Give Up on Miner, Trade Guard to Cavaliers . Orlando Sentinel . June 16, 1995 . November 18, 2022.
9. News: Cavs' Hill to Miss Two Weeks . United Press International . November 10, 1995 . May 14, 2022.
10. News: 2 Cavaliers in Minor Accidents . The Washington Post . November 13, 1995 . September 24, 2022.
11. News: Berger . Ken . Cleveland's Hill Returns to Top Form After Accident . The Seattle Times . December 22, 1996 . January 13, 2023.
12. News: Robbins . Liz . Rebound of a Lifetime for the Cavaliers' Hill . The Washington Post . March 7, 1997 . May 14, 2022.
13. News: NBA Games Played on February 8, 1996 . Basketball-Reference . July 18, 2022.
14. Web site: 1995–96 Cleveland Cavaliers Schedule and Results. Basketball-Reference. June 21, 2021.
15. News: Bembry . Jerry . NBA Coaches Recognize Howard's Star Quality; Bullets' 2nd-Year Player Named Eastern Reserve . The Baltimore Sun . January 31, 1996 . April 19, 2023.
16. News: Heisler . Mark . NBA Has All-Stars in Its Eyes . Los Angeles Times . February 11, 1996 . January 2, 2023.
17. News: NBA.com Staff . 1996 NBA All-Star Recap . NBA.com . September 13, 2021 . May 16, 2023.
18. Web site: 1996 NBA All-Star Game: East 129, West 118 . Basketball-Reference . November 27, 2021.
19. Web site: 1995–96 Cleveland Cavaliers Roster and Stats. Basketball-Reference. June 21, 2021.
20. News: Bulls' Jackson NBA Coach of Year . United Press International . May 7, 1996 . October 7, 2022.
21. News: Isaacson . Melissa . Better Late Than Never: Jackson Selected Coach of the Year . Chicago Tribune . May 8, 1996 . February 1, 2023.
22. News: Muresan Is NBA's Most Improved Player . United Press International . May 2, 1996 . October 7, 2022.
23. News: 1995–96 NBA Awards Voting . Basketball-Reference . January 2, 2022.
24. News: Schabner . Dean . Knicks 81, Cavaliers 76 . United Press International . May 1, 1996 . November 25, 2022.
25. News: Wise . Mike . NBA PLAYOFFS; A Chance to Shoot Down Bulls Is as Easy as 1-2-3 . The New York Times . May 2, 1996 . July 3, 2021.
26. News: Knicks Sweep Cavs . The Oklahoman . May 2, 1996 . June 4, 2022.
27. News: 1996 NBA Eastern Conference First Round: Knicks vs. Cavaliers . Basketball-Reference . February 5, 2023.
28. News: Associated Press . Majerle Seems Headed to the Heat . The New York Times . August 14, 1996 . July 31, 2021.
29. News: Wire Services . Majerle to Sign with Heat . The Spokesman-Review . August 22, 1996 . July 10, 2022.
30. News: Once More, Majerle to Miami . Tampa Bay Times . August 22, 1996 . October 5, 2022.
31. News: Heeren . Dave . Majerle Makes It Official with Heat . Sun Sentinel . August 23, 1996 . January 30, 2023.
32. News: Philadelphia Signs Cage . The New York Times . August 23, 1996 . June 28, 2022.
33. News: Long . Ernie . Cage Brings Solid Work Ethic to 76ers; Veteran Free Agent Hopes to Shore Up Philly's Inside Game . The Morning Call . August 23, 1996 . November 18, 2022.
34. News: Standard Times . Daily Sports Capsule . South Coast Today . March 5, 1996 . February 1, 2023.
35. News: Cavs Say Goodbye to Majerle, Miner . The Baltimore Sun . August 9, 1996 . September 18, 2022.
36. News: Injured Cleveland Cavaliers Center Brad Daugherty Considers Retiring . Associated Press . June 6, 1996 . June 17, 2021.
37. News: Injured Cleveland Cavaliers Center Brad Daugherty Retires . Associated Press . June 6, 1996 . January 18, 2022.
38. News: Staff and Wire Reports . Daugherty Says He's Retired, But It's News to the Cavaliers . Los Angeles Times . June 7, 1996 . January 13, 2023.
39. News: First Pride, Now Fall: Celtics' Tickets Available . The Washington Post . August 9, 1996 . January 30, 2023.