1996–97 Charlotte Hornets season

Anthony Mason's first season with the Hornets

Head coach

Dave Cowens

Owner(s)

George Shinn

Arena

Charlotte Coliseum

Results

Record

54–28 (.659)

Place

Division: 4th (Central)
Conference: 5th (Eastern)

Playoff finish

First Round
(Eliminated 0–3)

Stats @ Basketball-Reference.com

Local media

Television

Fox Sports South, WJZY, WFVT

Radio

WBT

< 1995–96

1997–98 >

The 1996–97 NBA season was the 9th season for the Charlotte Hornets in the National Basketball Association. During the offseason, the Hornets acquired Anthony Mason from the New York Knicks, and Vlade Divac from the Los Angeles Lakers. Under new head coach Dave Cowens, the new-look Hornets played better than expected: Divac and Matt Geiger provided the best center combo in the league, Mason averaged a double-double and earned All-NBA Third Team honors, and Glen Rice had the finest season of his career, finishing third in the league in scoring with a career high of 26.8 points per game, and earning All-NBA Second Team honors. Rice also set several scoring records in the 1997 NBA All-Star Game, and was selected the game's MVP. At midseason, the Hornets traded Scott Burrell to the Golden State Warriors while acquiring Ricky Pierce from the Denver Nuggets. The Hornets went on a nine-game winning streak in April, and finished fourth in the Central Division with a franchise best record at 54–28, making it back to the playoffs after a one-year absence.

In the first round of the playoffs, they were swept by the New York Knicks in three straight games. The Hornets led the NBA in attendance for the eighth and final time during their history in Charlotte. They also had the best three-point percentage in NBA history shooting 42.8% from beyond the arch. Following the season, Pierce re-signed as a free agent with the Milwaukee Bucks.

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Wikipedia