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1991–92 NBA season
League National Basketball Association
Sport Basketball
TV partner/s NBC, TBS, TNT
Regular season
Season MVP Michael Jordan (Chicago)
Top scorer Michael Jordan (Chicago)
Playoffs
Eastern champions Chicago Bulls
Eastern runners-up Cleveland Cavaliers
Western champions Portland Trail Blazers
Western runners-up Utah Jazz
Finals
Finals champions Chicago Bulls
Runners-up Portland Trail Blazers
Finals MVP Michael Jordan (Chicago)

The 1991–92 NBA season was the 46th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The season ended with the Chicago Bulls winning their second–straight NBA championship, beating the Portland Trail Blazers 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals.

Notable occurrences[]

  • In one of the most emotional announcements in sports history, Lakers star Magic Johnson announces his retirement early in the season after receiving the news that he had tested HIV–positive.
  • Philadelphia 76er Charles Barkley honors Johnson by switching from his usual number 34 to 32, which he will wear for the entire season. The 76ers had retired the number in honor of Billy Cunningham, who un-retired it for Barkley to wear.
  • Due to back problems, Celtics star Larry Bird retired at the end of the season, thus bringing one of the most memorable eras in NBA history (Magic vs. Bird) to a close.
  • The 1992 NBA All-Star Game was played at the Orlando Arena in Orlando, Florida, with the West defeating the East 153–113. In an emotionally charged game, Magic Johnson wins the game's MVP award.
  • In the wake of the 1992 Los Angeles Riots, the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers rescheduled and moved their home playoff games to the nearest area possible. Game 4 of the Lakers-Blazers series was played at Las Vegas' Thomas & Mack Center while Game 4 of the Clippers-Jazz series was played at the Anaheim Convention Center.
  • The Utah Jazz play their first game at the Delta Center.
  • The Phoenix Suns play their final season at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
  • The Chicago Bulls set a franchise record with 67 wins in a season (later broken by the 1995-96 team).
  • Dennis Rodman recorded 1,530 rebounds and averaged 18.7 rebounds per game in the regular season, both of which are the highest figures since 1972. It is the first of an NBA record seven consecutive rebounding titles for Rodman.
  • Michael Jordan scored 35 points in the first half to set an NBA Finals record for most points in a half. His six three-pointers also set a record for most in a half.
  • The Miami Heat are the first of the four late-1980s expansion franchises to make it to the playoffs. They are swept in the first round by the Bulls. Fourteen years later, they would become the first of those teams to win an NBA Championship.
  • On December 17, the Cleveland Cavaliers crushed the Miami Heat by a score of 148-80. This 68-point win by the Cavaliers set the record for largest margin of victory in the history of the NBA.
  • All NBA teams sport patches on their warmups commemorating the centennial anniversary of basketball. This was also the first of a six-year deal between the NBA and Champion Athletics as the league's official outfitter.
  • The season marked the last time the Boston Celtics won 50 games (they won 51 that season). They would not win 50 games or more until the 2007-08 season.
  • Following the first round loss to the New York Knicks, Detroit Pistons head coach Chuck Daly resigned, ending the Pistons' 'Bad Boys' era.

Standings[]

By division[]

Eastern Conference
Atlantic Division v •d •e W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-Boston Celtics 51 31 .622 34–7 17–24 19-9
x-New York Knicks 51 31 .622 30-11 21-20 20-8
x-New Jersey Nets 40 42 .488 11 25-16 15-26 15-13
x-Miami Heat 38 44 .463 13 28-13 10-31 14-14
Philadelphia 76ers 35 47 .427 16 23-18 12-29 15-13
Washington Bullets 25 57 .305 26 14-27 11-30 7-21
Orlando Magic 21 61 .256 30 13-28 8-33 8-20
Central Division v •d •e W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-Chicago Bulls 67 15 .817 36–5 31–10 22–6
x-Cleveland Cavaliers 57 25 .695 10 35–6 22–19 21-7
x-Detroit Pistons 48 34 .585 19 25–16 23–18 15–13
x-Indiana Pacers 40 42 .488 27 26–15 14–27 13–15
Atlanta Hawks 38 44 .463 29 23-18 15–26 7-21
Charlotte Hornets 31 51 .378 36 22-19 9–32 10-18
Milwaukee Bucks 31 51 .378 36 25–16 6–35 10-18


Western Conference
Midwest Division v •d •e W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-Utah Jazz 55 27 .671 37-4 18–23 20-6
x-San Antonio Spurs 47 35 .573 8 31–10 16–25 18-8
Houston Rockets 42 40 .512 13 28-13 14–27 12-14
Denver Nuggets 24 58 .293 21 18-23 6–35 8-18
Dallas Mavericks 22 60 .268 33 15-26 7-34 11-15
Minnesota Timberwolves 15 67 .183 40 9-32 6–35 9-17
Pacific Division v •d •e W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-Portland Trail Blazers 57 25 .695 33-8 24-17 21-9
x-Golden State Warriors 55 27 .671 2 31-10 24-17 19-11
x-Phoenix Suns 53 29 .646 4 36-5 17-24 17-13
x-Seattle SuperSonics 47 35 .573 10 28-13 19-22 16-14
x-Los Angeles Clippers 45 37 .549 12 29-12 16-25 13-17
x-Los Angeles Lakers 43 39 .578 14 24-17 19-22 13-17
Sacramento Kings 29 53 .354 28 21-20 8-33 6-24


By conference[]

# Eastern Conference v •d •e
Team W L PCT GB
1 z-Chicago Bulls 67 15 .817
2 y-Boston Celtics 51 31 .622 16
3 x-Cleveland Cavaliers 57 25 .695 10
4 x-New York Knicks 51 31 .622 16
5 x-Detroit Pistons 48 34 .585 19
6 x-New Jersey Nets 40 42 .488 27
7 x-Indiana Pacers 40 42 .488 27
8 x-Miami Heat 38 44 .463 29
9 Atlanta Hawks 38 44 .463 29
10 Philadelphia 76ers 35 47 .427 32
11 Milwaukee Bucks 31 51 .378 36
11 Charlotte Hornets 31 51 .378 36
12 Washington Bullets 25 57 .305 42
13 Orlando Magic 21 61 .256 46


# Western Conference v •d •e
Team W L PCT GB
1 z-Portland Trail Blazers 57 25 .695
2 y-Utah Jazz 55 27 .671 2
3 x-Golden State Warriors 55 27 .671 2
4 x-Phoenix Suns 53 29 .646 4
5 x-San Antonio Spurs 47 35 .573 10
6 x-Seattle SuperSonics 47 35 .573 10
7 x-Los Angeles Clippers 45 37 .549 12
8 x-Los Angeles Lakers 43 39 .524 14
9 Houston Rockets 42 40 .512 15
10 Sacramento Kings 29 53 .354 28
11 Denver Nuggets 24 58 .293 33
12 Dallas Mavericks 22 60 .268 35
13 Minnesota Timberwolves 15 67 .183 42



Notes

  • z – clinched home court advantage for the conference playoffs
  • y – clinched division title
  • x – clinched playoff spot

Statistics leaders[]

Category Player Team Stat
Points per game Michael Jordan Chicago Bulls 30.1
Rebounds per game Dennis Rodman Detroit Pistons 18.7
Assists per game John Stockton Utah Jazz 13.7
Steals per game John Stockton Utah Jazz 3.0
Blocks per game David Robinson San Antonio Spurs 4.5
FG% Buck Williams Portland Trail Blazers 60.4
FT% Mark Price Cleveland Cavaliers 94.7
3FG% Dana Barros Seattle SuperSonics 44.6

NBA awards[]

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