1998–99 NBA season
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1998–99 NBA season | ||
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League | MVP Tim Duncan (San Antonio) | |
The 1998–99 NBA season was the 53rd season of the
Lockout
The third
As the labor dispute continued into September, the preseason was shortened to just two games instead of the normal eight, and training camps were postponed indefinitely.[1] By October, it became the first time in NBA history that games were canceled due to a labor dispute.[2] Further games were canceled by November and December, including the league's Christmas games (which had been played on an annual basis since 1947)[3] and All-Star Game, which had been scheduled to be played on February 14, 1999. The preseason consisted of 2 exhibition games.
An agreement between the owners and players was eventually reached on January 18, 1999. When play resumed, the regular season was shortened to 50 games per team, as opposed to the normal 82. To preserve games between teams in the same conference, much of the time missed was made up for by skipping well over half of the games played between teams in the opposite conference. As a result, some teams did not meet each other at all during the course of the shortened season.
Notable occurrences
Offseason | ||
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Team | 1997–98 coach | 1998–99 coach |
Chicago Bulls | Phil Jackson | Tim Floyd |
Denver Nuggets | Bill Hanzlik | Mike D'Antoni |
Los Angeles Clippers | Bill Fitch | Chris Ford |
Milwaukee Bucks | Chris Ford | George Karl |
Sacramento Kings | Eddie Jordan | Rick Adelman |
Seattle SuperSonics | George Karl | Paul Westphal |
In-season | ||
Team | Outgoing coach | Incoming coach |
Charlotte Hornets | Dave Cowens | Paul Silas |
Los Angeles Lakers | Del Harris | Bill Bertka |
Bill Bertka | Kurt Rambis | |
New Jersey Nets
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John Calipari | Don Casey |
Washington Wizards | Bernie Bickerstaff | Jim Brovelli |
- Michael Jordan announced his retirement for the second time on January 13, 1999, while the lockout was still ongoing. He would later return to play two more seasons for the Washington Wizards from 2001 to 2003.
- The playoffsby defeating a #1 seed.
- The Staples Center.
- The Los Angeles Clippers played their final season at the Los Angeles Sports Arena; they too would move to the Staples Center the following season.
- The Indiana Pacers played their final season at the Market Square Arena.
- The Denver Nuggets played their final season at the McNichols Sports Arena.
- The American Airlines Arenain January 2000.
- The Toronto Raptors played their first game in Air Canada Centre on February 21.
- The San Antonio Spurs became the first former Nets and Pacershave not yet won the NBA Championship despite both appearing in at least one NBA Finals.)
- The Atlanta Hawks played another season in the Georgia Dome while Philips Arena was constructed for the 1999–2000 season. This season would be the Hawks' last playoff appearance until the 2007–08 season.
- The Clippers tied the 1988–89 Miami Heat for the longest losing streak to start the season (17) from February 5 until March 11 when they defeated the Sacramento Kings. In December 2009, this record was broken by the New Jersey Nets who lost the first eighteen games of the season.
- Detroit Pistons guard Joe Dumars retired after fourteen years in the NBA, all of which he spent playing with the Pistons.
- Hall of Fame coach Red Holzman died on November 13, 1998, at age 78.
- For the first time in 15 seasons, the Chicago Bulls missed the playoffs. They would also become the second defending champion in NBA history that failed to make the playoffs, joining the 1969–70 Boston Celtics.
- Karl Malone of the Utah Jazz wins his second MVP award in three years and became the oldest MVP award in NBA history as of today.
1998–99 NBA changes
- The Indiana Pacers added new gold pinstripe alternate uniforms with dark navy blue side panels to their jerseys and shorts.
- The Minnesota Timberwolves added new black alternate uniforms.
- The New Jersey Netsadded new gray alternate uniforms with dark navy blue side panels to their jerseys and shorts.
- The Orlando Magic changed their uniforms, replacing the pinstripes with slightly visible stars on their jerseys.
- The Sacramento Kings added new purple alternate uniforms with black side panels to their shorts.
- The Air Canada Centreduring the regular season.
- The Utah Jazz added new black alternate uniforms with brown side panels to their jerseys and shorts.
Final standings
By division
Atlantic Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | GP |
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c-Miami Heat | 33 | 17 | .660 | – | 18–7 | 15–10 | 12–8 | 50 |
x-Orlando Magic | 33 | 17 | .660 | – | 21–4 | 12–13 | 12–6 | 50 |
x-Philadelphia 76ers | 28 | 22 | .560 | 5.0 | 17–8 | 11–14 | 9–10 | 50 |
x-New York Knicks | 27 | 23 | .540 | 6.0 | 19–6 | 8–17 | 12–8 | 50 |
Boston Celtics | 19 | 31 | .380 | 14.0 | 10–15 | 9–16 | 10–9 | 50 |
Washington Wizards | 18 | 32 | .360 | 15.0 | 13–12 | 5–20 | 6–13 | 50 |
New Jersey Nets | 16 | 34 | .320 | 17.0 | 12–13 | 4–21 | 6–13 | 50 |
Central Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | GP |
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y-Indiana Pacers | 33 | 17 | .660 | – | 18–7 | 15–10 | 15–7 | 50 |
x-Atlanta Hawks | 31 | 19 | .620 | 2.0 | 16–9 | 15–10 | 15–8 | 50 |
x-Detroit Pistons | 29 | 21 | .580 | 4.0 | 17–8 | 12–13 | 13–8 | 50 |
x-Milwaukee Bucks | 28 | 22 | .560 | 5.0 | 17–8 | 11–14 | 13–11 | 50 |
Charlotte Hornets | 26 | 24 | .520 | 7.0 | 16–9 | 10–15 | 12–10 | 50 |
Toronto Raptors | 23 | 27 | .460 | 10.0 | 14–11 | 9–16 | 9–14 | 50 |
Cleveland Cavaliers | 22 | 28 | .440 | 11.0 | 15–10 | 7–18 | 9–13 | 50 |
Chicago Bulls | 13 | 37 | .260 | 20.0 | 8–17 | 5–20 | 4–19 | 50 |
W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | |
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y-San Antonio Spurs | 37 | 13 | .740 | – | 21–4 | 16–9 | 17–4 |
x-Utah Jazz | 37 | 13 | .740 | – | 22–3 | 15–10 | 15–3 |
x-Houston Rockets | 31 | 19 | .620 | 6 | 19–6 | 12–13 | 12–9 |
x-Minnesota Timberwolves | 25 | 25 | .500 | 12 | 18–7 | 7–18 | 11–9 |
Dallas Mavericks | 19 | 31 | .380 | 18 | 15–10 | 4–21 | 8–12 |
Denver Nuggets | 14 | 36 | .280 | 23 | 12–13 | 2–23 | 5–16 |
Vancouver Grizzlies | 8 | 42 | .160 | 29 | 7–18 | 1–24 | 3–18 |
W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | |
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y-Portland Trail Blazers | 35 | 15 | .700 | – | 22–3 | 13–12 | 15–7 |
x-Los Angeles Lakers | 31 | 19 | .620 | 4 | 18–7 | 13–12 | 14–8 |
x-Sacramento Kings | 27 | 23 | .540 | 8 | 16–9 | 11–14 | 11–9 |
x-Phoenix Suns | 27 | 23 | .540 | 8 | 15–10 | 12–13 | 9–10 |
Seattle SuperSonics | 25 | 25 | .500 | 10 | 17–8 | 8–17 | 11–10 |
Golden State Warriors | 21 | 29 | .420 | 14 | 13–12 | 8–17 | 8–11 |
Los Angeles Clippers | 9 | 41 | .180 | 26 | 6–19 | 3–22 | 3–16 |
By conference
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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 | Miami* | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
E8 | New York | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
E8 | New York | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
E4 | Atlanta | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
E4 | Atlanta | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
E5 | Detroit | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
E8 | New York | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
Eastern Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
E2 | Indiana* | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
E3 | Orlando | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
E6 | Philadelphia | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
E6 | Philadelphia | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
E2 | Indiana* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
E2 | Indiana* | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
E7 | Milwaukee | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
E8 | New York | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
W1 | San Antonio* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
W1 | San Antonio* | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
W8 | Minnesota | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
W1 | San Antonio* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
W4 | LA Lakers | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
W4 | LA Lakers | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
W5 | Houston | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
W1 | San Antonio* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
Western Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
W2 | Portland* | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
W3 | Utah | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
W6 | Sacramento | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
W3 | Utah | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
W2 | Portland* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
W2 | Portland* | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
W7 | Phoenix | 0 |
- * Division winner
- Bold Series winner
- Italic Team with home-court advantage
Statistics leaders
Category | Player | Team | Stat |
---|---|---|---|
Points per game | Allen Iverson | Philadelphia 76ers | 26.8 |
Rebounds per game | Chris Webber | Sacramento Kings | 13.0 |
Assists per game | Jason Kidd | Phoenix Suns | 10.8 |
Steals per game | Kendall Gill | New Jersey Nets |
2.68 |
Blocks per game | Alonzo Mourning | Miami Heat | 3.91 |
FG% | Shaquille O'Neal | Los Angeles Lakers | .576 |
FT% | Reggie Miller | Indiana Pacers | .915 |
3FG% | Dell Curry | Milwaukee Bucks | .476 |
NBA awards
- Most Valuable Player: Karl Malone, Utah Jazz
- Rookie of the Year: Vince Carter, Toronto Raptors
- Defensive Player of the Year: Alonzo Mourning, Miami Heat
- Sixth Man of the Year: Darrell Armstrong, Orlando Magic
- Most Improved Player: Darrell Armstrong, Orlando Magic
- Mike Dunleavy, Portland Trail Blazers
- Executive of the Year: Geoff Petrie, Sacramento Kings
- Sportsmanship Award: Hersey Hawkins, Seattle SuperSonics
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Players of the month
The following players were named the Players of the Month.
Month | Player |
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February | Allen Iverson (Philadelphia 76ers) |
March | Tim Duncan (San Antonio Spurs) |
April | Jason Kidd (Phoenix Suns) |
Rookies of the month
The following players were named the Rookies of the Month.
Month | Player |
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February | Paul Pierce (Boston Celtics) |
March | Vince Carter (Toronto Raptors) |
April | Vince Carter (Toronto Raptors) |
Coaches of the month
The following coaches were named Coaches of the Month.
Month | Coach |
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February | Jerry Sloan (Utah Jazz) |
March | Mike Dunleavy, Sr. (Portland Trail Blazers )
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April | Gregg Popovich (San Antonio Spurs) |
See also
References
- ^ "Lockout cuts into preseason schedule". The San Diego Union-Tribune. September 25, 1998. p. D11.
- ^ Wise, Mike (October 15, 1998). "Pro Basketball; N.B.A. Owners Cool To Players' Proposal". The New York Times. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
- ^ Reynolds, Tim (December 24, 2018). "NBA's Christmas lineup headlined by LeBron vs. Warriors". ABC News. Associated Press. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
Further reading
- Golianopoulos, Thomas (February 14, 2019). ""It Was All About Money": An Oral History of the 1998-99 NBA Lockout [Part 1]". The Ringer. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
- Golianopoulos, Thomas (February 19, 2019). ""An Unmitigated Disaster": An Oral History of the Lockout-Shortened 1999 NBA Season [Part 2]". The Ringer. Retrieved October 4, 2023.