Head coach Doug Collins Owner(s) William Davidson | General manager Rick Sund Record 46–36 (.561) | |
Arena The Palace of Auburn Hills Place Division: 5th (Central)
Conference: 7th (Eastern) | ||
The 1995–96 NBA season was the Pistons' 48th season in the National Basketball Association, and 39th season in the city of Detroit. During the offseason, the Pistons hired Doug Collins as head coach while acquiring Otis Thorpe from the Portland Trail Blazers, who won a championship as a member of the Houston Rockets in the 1994 NBA Finals. Under Collins, the Pistons who were now led by second-year star Grant Hill and Allan Houston, played .500 basketball in the first half of the season, as the team signed free agent Michael Curry along the way. However, Joe Dumars' production would slip as he averaged just 11.8 points per game. The Pistons reemerged as a playoff contender finishing fifth in the Central Division with a 46–36 record, and returned to the playoffs after a three-year absence thanks to the stellar play of Hill, who was selected for the 1996 NBA All-Star Game.
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However, in the first round of the playoffs, they would be swept by the Orlando Magic in three straight games. Following the season, Houston signed as a free agent with the New York Knicks.
Season standings
z – clinched division title y – clinched division title x – clinched playoff spotEast First Round
(2) Orlando Magic vs. (7) Detroit Pistons Last Playoff Meeting: This is the first meeting between the Magic and Pistons.