While he never won an NBA championship, Karl made the postseason 22 times with five different teams, which included a trip to the 1996 NBA Finals with the Seattle SuperSonics.
- George KarlThe SuperSonics were led by Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp, with George Karl as head coach.
- 1996 NBA Finals3 related topics
Gary Payton
American former professional basketball player who played the point guard position.
American former professional basketball player who played the point guard position.
In 1996, Payton and the SuperSonics, under coach George Karl, reached the NBA Finals after winning a franchise record 64 games and lost in six games to Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls.
Dennis Rodman
American former professional basketball player, actor and unofficial US Peace Ambassador to North Korea.
American former professional basketball player, actor and unofficial US Peace Ambassador to North Korea.
In the 1996 playoffs, Rodman scored 7.5 points and grabbed 13.7 rebounds per game and had a large part in the six-game victory against the Seattle SuperSonics in the 1996 NBA Finals: in Game Two at home in the Bulls' United Center, he grabbed 20 rebounds, among them a record-tying 11 offensive boards, and in Game Six, again at the United Center, the power forward secured 19 rebounds and again 11 offensive boards, scored five points in a decisive 12–2 Bulls run, unnerved opposing power forward Shawn Kemp and caused Seattle coach George Karl to say: "As you evaluate the series, Dennis Rodman won two basketball games. We controlled Dennis Rodman for four games. But Game 2 and tonight, he was the reason they were successful."
1995–96 Seattle SuperSonics season
The 28th season for the Seattle SuperSonics in the National Basketball Association.
The 28th season for the Seattle SuperSonics in the National Basketball Association.
Point guard and Defensive Player of the Year Gary Payton, and power forward Shawn Kemp were both selected for the 1996 NBA All-Star Game, with head coach George Karl coaching the Western Conference.
In the Western Conference Semi-finals, they swept the 5th-seeded and reigning champions Houston Rockets in four straight games to advance to the Western Conference Finals, where they defeated the Utah Jazz in seven games to reach their first NBA Finals since 1979.