1996–97 NBA season
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1996–97 NBA season | ||
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League | MVP Michael Jordan (Chicago) | |
The 1996–97 NBA season was the 51st season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league used this season to celebrate its 50th anniversary, which included the unveiling of the league's list of its 50 greatest players. This particular season featured what has since been acknowledged as one of the most talented rookie-classes, featuring the debuts of Allen Iverson, Ray Allen, Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Jermaine O'Neal, Ben Wallace and Stephon Marbury. The season ended with the Chicago Bulls defeating the Utah Jazz 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals to win the franchise's 5th championship.
1996 NBA lockout
The 1996 NBA lockout was the second lockout of four in the history of the NBA. It took place on July 10, 1996. The lockout was imposed after the league and the players union could not reach an agreement involving $50 million in profit sharing from television revenue. The league requested 50 percent of the profits be applied toward player salaries while the union pushed for a larger share. After a few hours of talks, the league agreed to allocate an additional $14 million per season in television revenue toward the salary cap during the last four years of the six-year collective bargaining agreement. The agreement ending the lockout was announced a few hours after the lockout began.[1][2][3]
Notable occurrences
Offseason | ||
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Team | 1995–96 coach | 1996–97 coach |
Charlotte Hornets | Allan Bristow | Dave Cowens |
Dallas Mavericks | Dick Motta | Jim Cleamons |
Milwaukee Bucks | Mike Dunleavy, Sr.
|
Chris Ford |
New Jersey Nets
|
Butch Beard | John Calipari |
Philadelphia 76ers | John Lucas | Johnny Davis |
Phoenix Suns | Cotton Fitzsimmons | Danny Ainge |
Toronto Raptors | Brendan Malone | Darrell Walker |
In–season | ||
Team | Outgoing coach | Incoming coach |
Denver Nuggets | Bernie Bickerstaff | Dick Motta |
Orlando Magic | Brian Hill
|
Richie Adubato |
Sacramento Kings | Garry St. Jean | Eddie Jordan |
San Antonio Spurs | Bob Hill | Gregg Popovich |
Vancouver Grizzlies | Brian Winters | Stu Jackson |
Washington Bullets
|
Jim Lynam | Bob Staak |
Bob Staak | Bernie Bickerstaff |
- The Chicago Bulls missed back to back 70 win seasons, going 69–13, tying the second best all-time record (with the 1971–72 Los Angeles Lakers season). With four games to play, the Bulls' record stood at 68–10, only needing a 2–2 split; however, they went 1–3 in those games. In the final game of the regular season, the Bulls lost to the Knicks 103–101 as Scottie Pippen missed a three-pointer that would have given the Bulls back to back 70 win seasons. This loss also prevented the Bulls from tying the best home record of 40–1, set by the 1985–86 Boston Celtics, finishing 39–2 at the United Center.
- The Jacobs Fieldin July, giving Cleveland the distinction of hosting two All-Star Games in the same year.
- The Tokyo, Japanearly into the season.
- The Philadelphia 76ers played their first season at the Core States Center (later First Union and Wachovia Center, now Wells Fargo Center).
- The media created feudwould eventually lead to O'Neal being traded to Miami in 2004.
- Allen Iverson set a rookie record scoring with forty points or more in five games.
- Due to extensive renovations at San Francisco's new arena the Chase Center for the 2019–20 season.
- Dennis Rodman was suspended for 11 games after kicking a cameraman in a road game against the Minnesota Timberwolves after tripping over him.
- In the last game of the regular season for both teams, the 2017-18 NBA seasona regular-season game has served as a direct play-in game to the postseason.
- Following a last-second three-point shot by John Stockton in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals, the Utah Jazz made their first ever NBA Finals appearance.
- The John Starkswere suspended for Game 7. The Heat eventually won the series in seven games.
- In Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Lakers, Karl Malone hit all 18 of his free-throw attempts, setting a playoff record for most attempts without a miss, since broken by Paul Pierce and Dirk Nowitzki.
- After seven seasons of futility, the Minnesota Timberwolves finally made a postseason appearance, becoming the last of the late 1980s expansion teams to do so. In addition, their expansion counterparts (Miami, Orlando, and Charlotte) also made the playoffs. It would be seven years, however, before they could win their first playoff series.
- The Alexander Memorial Coliseumfor the next two seasons.
- The season marked the fiftieth anniversary of the NBA. To commemorate the occasion, some NBA teams wore SkyDomeon the 50th anniversary of the first ever BAA/NBA game on November 1, 1996.
- The Boston Celtics not only set a record for the worst winning percentage and number of wins in franchise history, but also become the only NBA team to win only once in 24 games against other teams in its division, in its last game therein versus the Philadelphia 76ers.[4] Several other teams, previously the 1970–71 Cleveland Cavaliers and latterly the 2005–06 Houston Rockets, the 2006–07 Milwaukee Bucks (ten years later, suffered to the same franchise worst record finished with 24–58 record including a franchise–record 18–game losing streak before both Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen arrived in Boston along with Paul Pierce and won the championship in 2008 against the Los Angeles Lakers.), the 2008–09 Washington Wizards, the 2010–11 Minnesota Timberwolves (Shaquille O'Neal's last season before retiring in June 2011), the 2017–18 Brooklyn Nets (coincidentally, only one win against the same Philadelphia 76ers team and also Kyrie Irving's first of two seasons spent with the Celtics before leaving the team during the 2019 offseason free agency.), the 2020–21 Detroit Pistons (As part of the shortening 72 game schedule due to COVID-19 pandemic started the regular season in late December 2020 until the end of the season in mid–May 2021) and the 2021–22 Portland Trail Blazers (As part of the NBA 75th Anniversary season), won only one divisional game in a shorter schedule.
- For the first time in NBA history, multiple teams – the above-mentioned Celtics and the second-year Vancouver Grizzlies – finished with a winning percentage below .200.[5] This was to be repeated in 1997–98 (the Nuggets and the Raptors) and again during 1998–99 (the Grizzlies again and the Los Angeles Clippers) but has never occurred in any season since 1999–2000.
- After the Cleveland Cavaliers, who lost 42 more games than the previous year.
- The greatest comeback in National Basketball Association play occurred on November 27, 1996, when the Utah Jazz, down by 36 points to the Denver Nuggets late in the second quarter (70–34), overcame this deficit to win 107–103.
1996–97 NBA changes
- The Boston Celtics changed their logo adding color.
- The Detroit Pistons changed their logo and uniforms, replacing their primary blue and red colors with teal with side panels to their jerseys and shorts.
- The Oakland Coliseum Arena.
- The Minnesota Timberwolves changed their logo and uniforms, adding dark blue and black to their color scheme.
- The Philadelphia 76ers moved into the CoreStates Center.
- The Utah Jazz changed their logo and uniforms with purple, blue and teal colors.
Final standings
By division
W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
y-Miami Heat | 61 | 21 | .744 | – | 29–12 | 32–9 | 16–8 |
x-New York Knicks | 57 | 25 | .695 | 4 | 31–10 | 26–15 | 19–6 |
x-Orlando Magic | 45 | 37 | .549 | 16 | 26–15 | 19–22 | 13–11 |
x-Washington Bullets | 44 | 38 | .537 | 17 | 25–16 | 19–22 | 14–10 |
New Jersey Nets | 26 | 56 | .317 | 35 | 16–25 | 10–31 | 11–13 |
Philadelphia 76ers | 22 | 60 | .268 | 39 | 11–30 | 11–30 | 11–14 |
Boston Celtics | 15 | 67 | .183 | 46 | 11–30 | 4–37 | 1–23 |
W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
y-Chicago Bulls | 69 | 13 | .841 | – | 39–2 | 30–11 | 24–4 |
x-Atlanta Hawks | 56 | 26 | .683 | 13 | 36–5 | 20–21 | 17–11 |
x-Detroit Pistons | 54 | 28 | .659 | 15 | 30–11 | 24–17 | 17–11 |
x-Charlotte Hornets | 54 | 28 | .659 | 15 | 30–11 | 24–17 | 14–14 |
Cleveland Cavaliers | 42 | 40 | .512 | 27 | 25–16 | 17–24 | 13–15 |
Indiana Pacers | 39 | 43 | .476 | 30 | 21–20 | 18–23 | 11–17 |
Milwaukee Bucks | 33 | 49 | .402 | 36 | 20–21 | 13–28 | 10–18 |
Toronto Raptors | 30 | 52 | .366 | 39 | 18–23 | 12–29 | 6–22 |
W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
y-Utah Jazz | 64 | 18 | .780 | – | 38–3 | 26–15 | 19–5 |
x-Houston Rockets | 57 | 25 | .695 | 7 | 30–11 | 27–14 | 19–5 |
x-Minnesota Timberwolves | 40 | 42 | .488 | 24 | 25–16 | 15–26 | 16–8 |
Dallas Mavericks | 24 | 58 | .293 | 40 | 14–27 | 10–31 | 9–15 |
Denver Nuggets | 21 | 61 | .256 | 43 | 12–29 | 9–32 | 7–17 |
San Antonio Spurs | 20 | 62 | .244 | 44 | 12–29 | 8–33 | 8–16 |
Vancouver Grizzlies | 14 | 68 | .171 | 50 | 8–33 | 6–35 | 6–18 |
W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
y-Seattle SuperSonics | 57 | 25 | .695 | – | 31–10 | 26–15 | 16–8 |
x-Los Angeles Lakers | 56 | 26 | .683 | 1 | 31–10 | 25–16 | 18–6 |
x-Portland Trail Blazers | 49 | 33 | .598 | 8 | 29–12 | 20–21 | 15–9 |
x-Phoenix Suns | 40 | 42 | .488 | 17 | 25–16 | 15–26 | 13–11 |
x-Los Angeles Clippers | 36 | 46 | .439 | 21 | 21–20 | 15–26 | 10–14 |
Sacramento Kings | 34 | 48 | .415 | 23 | 22–19 | 12–29 | 8–16 |
Golden State Warriors | 30 | 52 | .366 | 27 | 18–23 | 12–29 | 4–20 |
By conference
# | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Team | W | L | PCT | GB | |
1 | z-Chicago Bulls | 69 | 13 | .841 | – |
2 | y-Miami Heat | 61 | 21 | .744 | 8 |
3 | x-New York Knicks | 57 | 25 | .695 | 12 |
4 | x-Atlanta Hawks | 56 | 26 | .683 | 13 |
5 | x-Detroit Pistons | 54 | 28 | .659 | 15 |
6 | x-Charlotte Hornets | 54 | 28 | .659 | 15 |
7 | x-Orlando Magic | 45 | 37 | .549 | 24 |
8 | x-Washington Bullets | 44 | 38 | .537 | 25 |
9 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 42 | 40 | .512 | 27 |
10 | Indiana Pacers | 39 | 43 | .476 | 30 |
11 | Milwaukee Bucks | 33 | 49 | .402 | 36 |
12 | Toronto Raptors | 30 | 52 | .366 | 39 |
13 | New Jersey Nets | 26 | 56 | .317 | 43 |
14 | Philadelphia 76ers | 22 | 60 | .268 | 47 |
15 | Boston Celtics | 15 | 67 | .183 | 54 |
# | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Team | W | L | PCT | GB | |
1 | c-Utah Jazz | 64 | 18 | .780 | – |
2 | y-Seattle SuperSonics | 57 | 25 | .695 | 7 |
3 | x-Houston Rockets | 57 | 25 | .695 | 7 |
4 | x-Los Angeles Lakers | 56 | 26 | .683 | 8 |
5 | x-Portland Trail Blazers | 49 | 33 | .598 | 15 |
6 | x-Minnesota Timberwolves | 40 | 42 | .488 | 24 |
7 | x-Phoenix Suns | 40 | 42 | .488 | 24 |
8 | x-Los Angeles Clippers | 36 | 46 | .439 | 28 |
9 | Sacramento Kings | 34 | 48 | .415 | 30 |
10 | Golden State Warriors | 30 | 52 | .366 | 34 |
11 | Dallas Mavericks | 24 | 58 | .293 | 40 |
12 | Denver Nuggets | 21 | 61 | .256 | 43 |
13 | San Antonio Spurs | 20 | 62 | .244 | 44 |
14 | Vancouver Grizzlies | 14 | 68 | .171 | 50 |
Notes
- z – Clinched home court advantage for the entire playoffs
- c – Clinched home court advantage for the conference playoffs
- y – Clinched division title
- x – Clinched playoff spot
Playoffs
Teams in bold advanced to the next round. The numbers to the left of each team indicate the team's seeding in its conference, and the numbers to the right indicate the number of games the team won in that round. The division champions are marked by an asterisk.
First Round | Conference Semifinals | Conference Finals | NBA Finals | ||||||||||||||||
E1 | Chicago* | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
E8 | Washington | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
E1 | Chicago* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
E4 | Atlanta | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
E4 | Atlanta | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
E5 | Detroit | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
E1 | Chicago* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
Eastern Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
E2 | Miami* | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
E3 | New York | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
E6 | Charlotte | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
E3 | New York | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
E2 | Miami* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
E2 | Miami* | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
E7 | Orlando | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
E1 | Chicago* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
W1 | Utah* | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
W1 | Utah* | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
W8 | LA Clippers | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
W1 | Utah* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
W4 | LA Lakers | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
W4 | LA Lakers | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
W5 | Portland | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
W1 | Utah* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
Western Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
W3 | Houston | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
W3 | Houston | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
W6 | Minnesota | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
W3 | Houston | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
W2 | Seattle* | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
W2 | Seattle* | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
W7 | Phoenix | 2 |
- * Division winner
- Bold Series winner
- Italic Team with home-court advantage
Statistics leaders
Category | Player | Team | Stat |
---|---|---|---|
Points per game | Michael Jordan | Chicago Bulls | 29.6 |
Rebounds per game | Dennis Rodman | Chicago Bulls | 16.1 |
Assists per game | Mark Jackson |
Indiana Pacers | 11.4 |
Steals per game | Mookie Blaylock | Atlanta Hawks | 2.72 |
Blocks per game | Shawn Bradley | New Jersey Nets |
3.40 |
FG% | Gheorghe Mureșan | Washington Bullets |
.604 |
FT% | Mark Price | Golden State Warriors | .906 |
3FG% | Glen Rice | Charlotte Hornets |
.470 |
NBA awards
Yearly awards
- Most Valuable Player: Karl Malone (Utah Jazz)
- Rookie of the Year: Allen Iverson (Philadelphia 76ers)
- Defensive Player of the Year: Dikembe Mutombo (Atlanta Hawks)
- Sixth Man of the Year: John Starks (New York Knicks)
- Most Improved Player: Isaac Austin (Miami Heat)
- Coach of the Year: Pat Riley (Miami Heat)
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Player of the week
The following players were named NBA Player of the Week.
Player of the month
The following players were named NBA Player of the Month.
Month | Player |
---|---|
November | Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls) |
December | Shaquille O'Neal (Los Angeles Lakers) |
January | Grant Hill (Detroit Pistons) |
February | Glen Rice (Charlotte Hornets) |
March | Karl Malone (Utah Jazz) |
April | Kevin Johnson (Phoenix Suns) |
Rookie of the month
The following players were named NBA Rookie of the Month.
Month | Rookie |
---|---|
November | Allen Iverson (Philadelphia 76ers) |
December (tie) | Shareef Abdur-Rahim (Vancouver Grizzlies) |
December (tie) | New Jersey Nets )
|
January | Stephon Marbury (Minnesota Timberwolves) |
February | Shareef Abdur-Rahim (Vancouver Grizzlies) |
March | Marcus Camby (Toronto Raptors) |
April | Allen Iverson (Philadelphia 76ers) |
Coach of the month
The following coaches were named NBA Coach of the Month.
Month | Coach |
---|---|
November | Rudy Tomjanovich (Houston Rockets) |
December | Pat Riley (Miami Heat) |
January | Lenny Wilkens (Atlanta Hawks) |
February | Doug Collins (Detroit Pistons) |
March | Jerry Sloan (Utah Jazz) |
April | Dave Cowens (Charlotte Hornets) |
See also
References
- ^ Bembry, Jerry (July 10, 1996). "NBA lockout passes quickly Brief stoppage delays free-agent talks 2 days". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on November 23, 2011. Retrieved November 17, 2011.
- ^ Brown, Clifton (July 10, 1996). "Deal Is a Lock, Not a Lockout, For the NBA". The New York Times. Retrieved November 17, 2011.
- ^ "NBA Lockout Chronology". CNN Sports Illustrated. January 6, 1999. Retrieved November 17, 2011.
- ^ 1996–1997 Boston Celtics schedule and results
- ^ Land of Basketball; NBA Worst Season Winning Percentages