The 1994-95 Seattle SuperSonics had a memorable NBA season, characterized by high expectations and a shocking playoff exit. Under the leadership of head coach George Karl, the team boasted a strong regular season, finishing with a 57-25 record, securing the top seed in the Western Conference. The Sonics were led by the dynamic duo of Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp, who were pivotal in both offensive and defensive plays. Payton, known for his defensive prowess, earned his fourth consecutive All-NBA Defensive Team honor, while Kemp continued to excel as an explosive force in the frontcourt.
Seattle’s regular season dominance was evident as they clinched the Pacific Division title. The team was also bolstered by key contributions from players like Detlef Schrempf, who provided scoring and versatility, and Sam Perkins, a reliable presence both in the paint and beyond the arc. The Sonics were known for their aggressive style of play and a deep roster that contributed to their success.
However, the season took a dramatic turn during the playoffs. In a stunning first-round series, the SuperSonics were upset by the eighth-seeded Denver Nuggets, who won the series 3-2. This marked the first time in NBA history that an eighth seed defeated a first seed in the playoffs. The unexpected defeat was a significant disappointment for Seattle, overshadowing their impressive regular season and prompting reflection on their postseason strategies.
- Regular Season Record: 57-25
- Playoff Result: Western Conference First Round: 1-3
Seattle SuperSonics Roster and Stats for 1994-95 Season
| Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | GP | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3P% | GP | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3P% |
| Gary Payton | 82 | 20.6 | 3.4 | 7.1 | 2.5 | 0.2 | 30.2 | 4 | 17.8 | 2.5 | 5.3 | 1.3 | 0.0 | 20.0 |
| Detlef Schrempf | 82 | 19.2 | 6.2 | 3.8 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 51.4 | 4 | 18.8 | 4.8 | 3.0 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 55.6 |
| Shawn Kemp | 82 | 18.7 | 10.9 | 1.8 | 1.2 | 1.5 | 28.6 | 4 | 24.8 | 12.0 | 2.8 | 2.0 | 1.8 | 100.0 |
| Kendall Gill | 73 | 13.7 | 4.0 | 2.6 | 1.6 | 0.4 | 36.8 | 4 | 6.3 | 1.0 | 2.5 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 25.0 |
| Sam Perkins | 82 | 12.7 | 4.9 | 1.6 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 39.6 | 4 | 13.5 | 7.8 | 3.3 | 0.8 | 1.3 | 45.5 |
| Vincent Askew | 71 | 9.9 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 33.0 | 4 | 7.5 | 3.8 | 2.0 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 80.0 |
| Šarūnas Marčiulionis | 66 | 9.3 | 1.0 | 1.7 | 1.1 | 0.0 | 40.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |
| Nate McMillan | 80 | 5.2 | 3.8 | 5.3 | 2.1 | 0.7 | 34.2 | 4 | 4.8 | 4.5 | 7.3 | 2.5 | 0.5 | 12.5 |
| Byron Houston | 39 | 3.4 | 1.4 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 27.3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Ervin Johnson | 64 | 3.1 | 4.5 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 4 | 3.5 | 5.3 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 1.0 | 0.0 |
| Bill Cartwright | 29 | 2.4 | 3.0 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |
| Dontonio Wingfield | 20 | 2.3 | 1.5 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 16.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |
| Steve Scheffler | 18 | 2.2 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 1 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Rich King | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |
Seattle SuperSonics in the 1995 NBA Playoffs
Playoffs First Round vs. Seattle SuperSonics
In the 1995 NBA Playoffs, the Seattle SuperSonics faced a stunning upset in the first round against the eighth-seeded Los Angeles Lakers. Despite having a strong regular season with a 57-25 record, Seattle was unable to capitalize on home-court advantage, losing the series 3-1. This early exit marked a significant disappointment for the Sonics, who had been considered strong contenders that year.
| Date | Opponent | Result | High Scorer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 1995 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 96-71 | |
| Apr 29, 1995 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | W 84-82 | |
| May 01, 1995 | @ Los Angeles Lakers | L 105-101 | |
| May 04, 1995 | @ Los Angeles Lakers | L 114-110 |
Seattle SuperSonics 1994-95 Regular Season Game Log
Here is the game log for the 1994-95 season for the Seattle SuperSonics.
| Date | Opponent | Result | High Scorer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 05, 1994 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 110-103 | |
| Nov 09, 1994 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | W 108-100 | |
| Nov 11, 1994 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 129-123 | |
| Nov 13, 1994 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 115-90 | |
| Nov 15, 1994 | @ New Jersey Nets | L 112-106 | |
| Nov 16, 1994 | @ Boston Celtics | L 120-93 | |
| Nov 18, 1994 | @ Indiana Pacers | L 94-87 | |
| Nov 19, 1994 | @ Milwaukee Bucks | W 120-96 | |
| Nov 22, 1994 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 104-97 | |
| Nov 23, 1994 | @ Utah Jazz | L 113-103 | |
| Nov 25, 1994 | @ San Antonio Spurs | W 114-94 | |
| Nov 26, 1994 | @ Houston Rockets | W 98-94 | |
| Nov 28, 1994 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 118-99 | |
| Nov 30, 1994 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 109-100 | |
| Dec 03, 1994 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 111-108 | |
| Dec 06, 1994 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 103-90 | |
| Dec 08, 1994 | @ Sacramento Kings | L 103-91 | |
| Dec 10, 1994 | @ Los Angeles Clippers | W 132-127 | |
| Dec 14, 1994 | @ Phoenix Suns | L 111-93 | |
| Dec 15, 1994 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 114-103 | |
| Dec 17, 1994 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 124-84 | |
| Dec 20, 1994 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 110-79 | |
| Dec 22, 1994 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 103-101 | |
| Dec 25, 1994 | @ Denver Nuggets | L 105-96 | |
| Dec 26, 1994 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 123-103 | |
| Dec 28, 1994 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 121-102 | |
| Dec 29, 1994 | @ Los Angeles Lakers | L 96-95 | |
| Jan 03, 1995 | @ Washington Bullets | W 121-107 | |
| Jan 04, 1995 | @ Cleveland Cavaliers | W 116-85 | |
| Jan 06, 1995 | @ Chicago Bulls | W 108-101 | |
| Jan 10, 1995 | @ Golden State Warriors | W 128-118 | |
| Jan 13, 1995 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 108-101 | |
| Jan 15, 1995 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 131-124 | |
| Jan 17, 1995 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 115-91 | |
| Jan 19, 1995 | @ Minnesota Timberwolves | W 102-87 | |
| Jan 21, 1995 | @ Dallas Mavericks | W 117-91 | |
| Jan 24, 1995 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 111-89 | |
| Jan 26, 1995 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | W 120-108 | |
| Jan 28, 1995 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | W 128-121 | |
| Jan 30, 1995 | @ Philadelphia 76ers | W 109-104 | |
| Feb 02, 1995 | @ Orlando Magic | W 106-103 | |
| Feb 03, 1995 | @ Atlanta Hawks | W 121-98 | |
| Feb 05, 1995 | @ Miami Heat | W 136-109 | |
| Feb 07, 1995 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | W 106-103 | |
| Feb 09, 1995 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 126-118 | |
| Feb 14, 1995 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 118-108 | |
| Feb 15, 1995 | @ Los Angeles Lakers | L 102-96 | |
| Feb 17, 1995 | @ Portland Trail Blazers | L 114-109 | |
| Feb 18, 1995 | @ Golden State Warriors | W 129-117 | |
| Feb 20, 1995 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | W 108-105 | |
| Feb 22, 1995 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 120-104 | |
| Feb 24, 1995 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 90-86 | |
| Feb 27, 1995 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | W 116-114 | |
| Mar 02, 1995 | @ Los Angeles Clippers | W 116-88 | |
| Mar 03, 1995 | @ Phoenix Suns | L 122-118 | |
| Mar 06, 1995 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | W 106-103 | |
| Mar 08, 1995 | @ Minnesota Timberwolves | W 118-104 | |
| Mar 09, 1995 | @ Charlotte Hornets | L 112-99 | |
| Mar 11, 1995 | @ New York Knicks | W 96-84 | |
| Mar 12, 1995 | @ Detroit Pistons | W 134-94 | |
| Mar 14, 1995 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 113-93 | |
| Mar 16, 1995 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 103-78 | |
| Mar 18, 1995 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 133-110 | |
| Mar 20, 1995 | @ San Antonio Spurs | L 104-96 | |
| Mar 21, 1995 | @ Houston Rockets | W 104-102 | |
| Mar 23, 1995 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 108-103 | |
| Mar 24, 1995 | @ Portland Trail Blazers | W 122-118 | |
| Mar 26, 1995 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 93-82 | |
| Mar 29, 1995 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 109-92 | |
| Mar 31, 1995 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 120-95 | |
| Apr 02, 1995 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 105-83 | |
| Apr 04, 1995 | @ Utah Jazz | L 114-92 | |
| Apr 06, 1995 | @ Denver Nuggets | W 106-100 | |
| Apr 08, 1995 | @ Dallas Mavericks | W 125-98 | |
| Apr 11, 1995 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | W 96-90 | |
| Apr 13, 1995 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 133-112 | |
| Apr 15, 1995 | @ Golden State Warriors | W 115-99 | |
| Apr 17, 1995 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | W 97-93 | |
| Apr 18, 1995 | @ Los Angeles Lakers | W 113-97 | |
| Apr 20, 1995 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 111-101 | |
| Apr 21, 1995 | @ Sacramento Kings | L 105-97 | |
| Apr 23, 1995 | @ Phoenix Suns | L 105-100 |