1986–87 Seattle SuperSonics season

1986–87 Seattle SuperSonics season
Head coach	Bernie Bickerstaff
General manager	Bob Whitsitt
Arena	Seattle Center Coliseum
Results
Record	39–43 (.476)
Place	Division: 4th (Pacific) Conference: 7th (Western)
Playoff finish	West Finals (Eliminated 0-4)
Stats @ Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
Television	KCTS
Radio	KIXI

The 1986–87 Seattle SuperSonics season was the 20th season of the Seattle SuperSonics in the National Basketball Association. Bernie Bickerstaff returned for his second season as head coach of the franchise and, despite little improvement over their previous season's 31–51 record, managed to clinch a spot in the playoffs and reach the Western Conference Finals, losing in four games to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Draft picks

Main article: 1986 NBA Draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	College
2	30	Nate McMillan	SG / SF	United States	North Carolina State
2	38	Lemone Lampley		United States	DePaul
3	53	Tod Murphy	PF / C	United States	UC Irvine
4	76	Michael Graham		United States	Georgetown
5	99	Dominic Pressley		United States	Boston College
6	122	Curtis Kitchen	PF	United States	South Florida
7	145	Glen McCants		United States	Clemson

Roster

Seattle SuperSonics 1986–87 roster

Players

Coaches

Pos.	#	Nat.	Name	Ht.	Wt.	DOB	From
5.5 !F/C	24	USA !	Chambers, Tom	7000208279999999999♠6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	1959–06–21	Utah
2.5 !G/F	3	USA !	Ellis, Dale	7000200659999999999♠6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	1960–08–06	Tennessee
5.5 !F/C	45	USA !	Johnson, Clemon	7000208279999999999♠6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	240 lb (109 kg)	1956–09–12	Florida A&M
1.5 !G	15	USA !	Johnson, Eddie	7000187960000000000♠6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	1955–02–24	Auburn
4.0 !F	42	USA !	Kitchen, Curtis	7000205740000000000♠6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	235 lb (107 kg)	1964–01–30	South Florida
5.5 !F/C	53	USA !	Lister, Alton	7000213360000000000♠7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)	240 lb (109 kg)	1958–10–01	Arizona State
5.5 !F/C	20	USA !	Lucas, Maurice	7000205740000000000♠6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	1952–02–18	Marquette
4.0 !F	34	USA !	McDaniel, Xavier	7000200659999999999♠6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	1963–06–04	Wichita State
2.5 !G/F	10	USA !	McMillan, Nate	7000195580000000000♠6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	1964–08–03	North Carolina State
1.5 !G	25	USA !	Phelps, Mike	7000193040000000000♠6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	1961–10–03	Alcorn State
5.5 !F/C	40	USA !	Schoene, Russ	7000208279999999999♠6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	1960–04–16	Chattanooga
1.5 !G	44	USA !	Stansbury, Terence	7000195580000000000♠6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	1961–02–27	Temple
1.5 !G	30	USA !	Williams, Kevin	7000187960000000000♠6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	1961–09–11	St. John's
1.5 !G	22	USA !	Young, Danny	7000190500000000000♠6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	1962–07–26	Wake Forest

Head coach

Bernie Bickerstaff
(San Diego)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(DP) Unsigned draft pick
(FA) Free agent
(S) Suspended
Injured

Regular season

Season standings

Pacific Division	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
y-Los Angeles Lakers	65	17	.793	–	37–4	28–13	24–6
x-Portland Trail Blazers	49	33	.598	16	34–7	15–26	17–13
x-Golden State Warriors	42	40	.512	23	25–16	17–24	17–13
x-Seattle SuperSonics	39	43	.476	26	25–16	14–27	15–15
Phoenix Suns	36	46	.439	29	26–15	10–31	14–16
Los Angeles Clippers	12	70	.146	53	9–32	3–38	3–27

#	Western Conference
#	Team	W	L	PCT	GB
1	z-Los Angeles Lakers	65	17	.793	–
2	y-Dallas Mavericks	55	27	.671	10
3	x-Portland Trail Blazers	49	33	.598	16
4	x-Utah Jazz	44	38	.537	21
5	x-Golden State Warriors	42	40	.512	23
6	x-Houston Rockets	42	40	.512	23
7	x-Seattle SuperSonics	39	43	.476	26
8	x-Denver Nuggets	37	45	.451	28

9	Phoenix Suns	36	46	.439	29
10	Sacramento Kings	29	53	.354	36
11	San Antonio Spurs	28	54	.341	37
12	Los Angeles Clippers	12	70	.146	53

Record vs. opponents

1986-87 NBA Records
Team	ATL	BOS	CHI	CLE	DAL	DEN	DET	GSW	HOU	IND	LAC	LAL	MIL	NJN	NYK	PHI	PHO	POR	SAC	SAS	SEA	UTA	WAS
Atlanta	—	3–3	4–2	4–2	2–0	2–0	3–3	1–1	1–1	3–3	2–0	1–1	3–3	5–0	5–1	3–3	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–0	5–0
Boston	3–3	—	6–0	3–2	2–0	2–0	3–2	2–0	2–0	5–1	2–0	0–2	3–3	4–2	4–2	3–3	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–0	1–1	4–2
Chicago	2–4	0–6	—	5–1	1–1	1–1	3–3	0–2	0–2	3–2	2–0	0–2	4–2	3–2	4–2	3–3	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	0–2	3–3
Cleveland	2–4	2–3	1–5	—	0–2	1–1	1–5	1–1	0–2	3–3	2–0	0–2	1–5	4–2	4–1	2–4	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	0–2	2–4
Dallas	0–2	0–2	1–1	2–0	—	4–2	1–1	5–0	3–3	0–2	5–0	3–2	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–0	3–2	2–3	5–1	4–2	5–0	3–3	1–1
Denver	0–2	0–2	1–1	1–1	2–4	—	0–2	4–1	3–3	1–1	2–3	0–5	1–1	2–0	2–0	0–2	3–2	3–2	2–4	5–1	2–3	2–4	1–1
Detroit	3–3	2–3	3–3	5–1	1–1	2–0	—	1–1	1–1	3–3	2–0	1–1	3–3	5–1	6–0	5–0	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	3–3
Golden State	1–1	0–2	2–0	1–1	0–5	1–4	1–1	—	4–1	0–2	6–0	2–4	0–2	2–0	2–0	1–1	1–5	4–2	4–1	4–1	4–2	2–3	0–2
Houston	1–1	0–2	2–0	2–0	3–3	3–3	1–1	1–4	—	2–0	4–1	1–4	0–2	1–1	1–1	0–2	3–2	2–3	5–1	5–1	1–4	3–3	1–1
Indiana	3–3	1–5	2–3	3–3	2–0	1–1	3–3	2–0	0–2	—	2–0	0–2	2–4	5–1	3–2	2–4	1–1	0–2	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	4–2
L.A. Clippers	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–5	3–2	0–2	0–6	1–4	0–2	—	0–6	0–2	1–1	0–2	0–2	1–5	0–6	1–4	1–4	2–4	2–3	0–2
L.A. Lakers	1–1	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–3	5–0	1–1	4–2	4–1	2–0	6–0	—	1–1	2–0	2–0	2–0	5–1	5–1	5–0	4–1	4–2	3–2	1–1
Milwaukee	3–3	3–3	2–4	5–1	0–2	1–1	3–3	2–0	2–0	4–2	2–0	1–1	—	4–2	4–2	2–3	2–0	0–2	2–0	1–1	2–0	1–1	4–1
New Jersey	0–5	2–4	2–3	2–4	0–2	0–2	1–5	0–2	1–1	1–5	1–1	0–2	2–4	—	5–1	3–3	1–1	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	1–1	2–4
New York	1–5	2–4	2–4	1–4	0–2	0–2	0–6	0–2	1–1	2–3	2–0	0–2	2–4	1–5	—	3–3	1–1	0–2	2–0	1–1	0–2	1–1	2–4
Philadelphia	3–3	3–3	3–3	4–2	0–2	2–0	0–5	1–1	2–0	4–2	2–0	0–2	3–2	3–3	3–3	—	1–1	2–0	2–0	1–1	2–0	1–1	3–3
Phoenix	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	2–3	2–3	1–1	5–1	2–3	1–1	5–1	1–5	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	—	2–4	2–3	2–3	1–5	4–1	0–2
Portland	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	3–2	2–3	2–0	2–4	3–2	2–0	6–0	1–5	2–0	2–0	2–0	0–2	4–2	—	3–2	4–1	4–2	3–2	1–1
Sacramento	0–2	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–5	4–2	1–1	1–4	1–5	1–1	4–1	0–5	0–2	2–0	0–2	0–2	3–2	2–3	—	3–3	2–3	1–5	1–1
San Antonio	0–2	0–2	1–1	1–1	2–4	1–5	1–1	1–4	1–5	0–2	4–1	1–4	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	3–2	1–4	3–3	—	1–4	2–4	0–2
Seattle	0–2	0–2	0–2	1–1	0–5	3–2	0–2	2–4	4–1	1–1	4–2	2–4	0–2	2–0	2–0	0–2	5–1	2–4	3–2	4–1	—	3–2	1–1
Utah	0–2	1–1	2–0	2–0	3–3	4–2	1–1	3–2	3–3	1–1	3–2	2–3	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–4	2–3	5–1	4–2	2–3	—	1–1
Washington	0–5	2–4	3–3	4–2	1–1	1–1	3–3	2–0	1–1	2–4	2–0	1–1	1–4	4–2	4–2	3–3	2–0	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	—

Playoffs

West First Round

(2) Dallas Mavericks vs. (7) Seattle SuperSonics: SuperSonics win series 3-1

Game 1 @ Reunion Arena, Dallas (April 23): Dallas 151, Seattle 129
Game 2 @ Reunion Arena, Dallas (April 25): Seattle 112, Dallas 110
Game 3 @ Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion, Seattle (April 28): Seattle 117, Dallas 107
Game 4 @ Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion, Seattle (April 30): Seattle 124, Dallas 98

Last Playoff Meeting: 1984 Western Conference First Round (Dallas won 3-2)

West Conference Semifinals

(6) Houston Rockets vs. (7) Seattle SuperSonics: SuperSonics win series 4-2

Game 1 @ The Summit, Houston (May 2): Seattle 111, Houston 106
Game 2 @ The Summit, Houston (May 5): Seattle 99, Houston 97
Game 3 @ Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle (May 7): Houston 102, Seattle 84
Game 4 @ Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle (May 9): Seattle 117, Houston 102
Game 5 @ The Summit, Houston (May 12): Houston 112, Seattle 107
Game 6 @ Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle (May 14): Seattle 128, Houston 125

Last Playoff Meeting: 1982 Western Conference First Round (Seattle won 2-1)

West Conference Finals

(1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (7) Seattle SuperSonics: Lakers win series 4-0

Game 1 @ The Forum, Los Angeles (May 16): Los Angeles 92, Seattle 87
Game 2 @ The Forum, Los Angeles (May 19): Los Angeles 112, Seattle 104
Game 3 @ Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle (May 23): Los Angeles 122, Seattle 121
Game 4 @ Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle (May 25): Los Angeles 133, Seattle 102

Last Playoff Meeting: 1980 Western Conference Finals (Los Angeles won 4-1)

Player statistics

Legend
GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field-goal percentage	3P%	3-point field-goal percentage	FT%	Free-throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game

Season

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3FG%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Chambers, TomTom Chambers	82	82	36.8	.456	.372	.849	6.6	3.0	1.0	.6	23.3
Ellis, DaleDale Ellis	82	76	37.5	.516	.358	.787	5.5	2.9	1.3	.4	24.9
Henderson, GeraldGerald Henderson¹	6	6	25.8	.500	.000	.944	1.5	5.3	1.0	.0	11.2
Johnson, ClemonClemon Johnson	78	7	13.5	.494	.000	.636	3.6	.3	.3	.5	3.2
Johnson, EddieEddie Johnson	24	0	21.2	.457	.333	.764	1.9	4.8	.5	.0	9.0
Kitchen, CurtisCurtis Kitchen	6	0	5.2	.500	.000	.750	1.5	.2	.3	.5	1.5
Lister, AltonAlton Lister	75	75	30.5	.504	.000	.675	9.4	1.5	.4	2.4	11.6
Lucas, MauriceMaurice Lucas	63	0	17.8	.451	.000	.802	4.9	1.0	.5	.3	7.9
McDaniel, XavierXavier McDaniel	82	82	37.0	.509	.214	.696	8.6	2.5	1.4	.6	23.0
McMillan, NateNate McMillan	71	50	27.8	.475	.000	.617	4.7	8.2	1.8	.6	5.3
Phelps, MikeMike Phelps	60	6	7.8	.426	.100	.705	.8	1.1	.4	.0	3.0
Schoene, RussRuss Schoene	63	0	9.2	.374	.154	.630	1.9	.4	.3	.2	2.7
Stansbury, TerenceTerence Stansbury	44	0	8.5	.429	.379	.620	.5	1.3	.3	.0	4.0
Williams, KevinKevin Williams	65	0	10.8	.446	.000	.833	1.3	1.0	.7	.1	4.9
Young, DannyDanny Young	73	26	20.3	.458	.367	.831	1.5	4.8	1.0	.0	4.8

1.^ Statistics with the SuperSonics.

Playoffs

Player	GP	MPG	FG%	3FG%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Chambers, TomTom Chambers	14	35.6	.449	.353	.808	6.4	2.3	.9	.9	23.0
Ellis, DaleDale Ellis	14	37.9	.487	.361	.815	6.4	2.6	.7	.4	25.2
Johnson, ClemonClemon Johnson	14	18.7	.453	.000	.632	3.5	.3	1.1	.2	4.3
Johnson, EddieEddie Johnson	14	12.9	.534	.400	.867	1.0	3.2	.6	.0	6.4
Kitchen, CurtisCurtis Kitchen	8	12.9	.500	.000	.000	.8	.0	.0	.4	.3
Lister, AltonAlton Lister	9	22.9	.400	.000	.700	6.2	.8	.8	1.4	6.0
Lucas, MauriceMaurice Lucas	14	18.9	.389	.000	.737	4.6	1.4	.9	.4	7.0
McDaniel, XavierXavier McDaniel	14	37.7	.488	.200	.607	8.4	3.0	1.5	.6	20.3
McMillan, NateNate McMillan	14	25.4	.435	.000	.708	3.9	8.0	1.0	.7	5.1
Schoene, RussRuss Schoene	14	8.8	.357	.333	.750	1.9	.2	.1	.3	2.2
Williams, KevinKevin Williams	14	18.2	.479	.000	.750	2.4	2.1	1.1	.1	8.6
Young, DannyDanny Young	14	14.9	.404	.313	1.000	1.1	3.4	1.1	.0	4.1

Awards and records

Awards

Dale Ellis won the Most Improved Player Award at the end of the season.
Tom Chambers participated in the 1987 NBA All-Star Game and won the game's Most Valuable Player Award. He also was named Player of the Week between December 1 and December 7.

Transactions

Overview

Players Added

Via draft

Via free agency

Via trade

Players Lost

Via free agency

Via trade

Via waiver

Dominic Pressley

Trades

July 1, 1986	To Seattle SuperSonics Alton Lister Conditional 1987 and 1989 first round picks	To Milwaukee Bucks Jack Sikma Conditional 1987 and 1989 second round picks
July 23, 1986	To Seattle SuperSonics Dale Ellis	To Dallas Mavericks Al Wood
September 29, 1986	To Seattle SuperSonics Clemon Johnson Conditional 1989 first round pick	To Philadelphia 76ers Tim McCormick Danny Vranes
September 30, 1986	To Seattle SuperSonics John Long	To Detroit Pistons Conditional 1987 and 1991 second round picks
October 2, 1986	To Seattle SuperSonics Russ Schoene Terence Stansbury	To Indiana Pacers John Long Conditional 1993 second round pick
October 2, 1986	To Seattle SuperSonics Ronnie Lester	To Los Angeles Lakers Cash considerations
November 12, 1986	To Seattle SuperSonics Conditional 1987 first round and 1990 second round picks	To New York Knicks Gerald Henderson Conditional 1987 first round pick

Free agents

Additions

Player	Signed	Former team
Kevin Williams	July 11, 1986	Cleveland Cavaliers
Maurice Lucas	September 30, 1986	Los Angeles Lakers
Eddie Johnson	March 23, 1987	Cleveland Cavaliers

Subtractions

Player	Left	New team
John Schweitz	September 5, 1986	Golden State Warriors
Frank Brickowski	October 8, 1986	Los Angeles Lakers

1986–87 Seattle SuperSonics season

Draft picks

Roster

Regular season

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Playoffs

West First Round

West Conference Semifinals

West Conference Finals

Player statistics

Season

Playoffs

Awards and records

Awards

Transactions

Overview

Trades

Free agents

Additions

Subtractions

References

See also