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1998–99 NBA season

 

 

The1999 NBA seasonwas the 53rd season of theNational Basketball Association(NBA). Due to alockout, the season did not start until February 5, 1999, after a new six-year Collective Bargaining Agreement was reached between the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association. All 29 teams played a shortened 50-game regular season schedule and the 16 teams who qualified for the playoffs played a full post-season schedule. That season’s All-Star Game was also canceled. The season ended with the San Antonio Spurs winning the franchise’s first NBA championship, beating the New York Knicks 4 games to 1 in the 1999 NBA Finals. This was the 50th season since the BAA and NBL had merged into the NBA.

 

 

 
1999 NBA season
League National Basketball Association
Sport Basketball
Duration February 5 – May 5, 1999
May 8 – June 11, 1999 (Playoffs)
June 16 – 25, 1999 (Finals)
Number of games 50
Number of teams 29
TV partner(s) NBC, TBS, TNT
Draft
Top draft pick Michael Olowokandi
Picked by Los Angeles Clippers
Regular season
Top seed San Antonio Spurs
Season MVP Karl Malone (Utah)
Top scorer Allen Iverson (Philadelphia)
Playoffs
Eastern champions New York Knicks
  Eastern runners-up Indiana Pacers
Western champions San Antonio Spurs
  Western runners-up Portland Trail Blazers
Finals
Champions San Antonio Spurs
  Runners-up New York Knicks
Finals MVP Tim Duncan (San Antonio)

 

Lockout

 

 

The second lockout in the history of the NBA lasted from July 1, 1998 to January 20, 1999. NBA owners were seeking changes to the league’s salary cap system and a ceiling on individual player salaries. The National Basketball Players Association opposed the owners’ plans and wanted raises for players who earned the league’s minimum salary.

 

 

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 All-Star Game, which had been scheduled to be played on February 14, 1999. The preseason was canceled as well.

 

 

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

 

Coaching changes
Offseason
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 John Calipari Don Casey
Washington Wizards Bernie Bickerstaff Jim Brovelli
  • Michael Jordanannounced 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 2001–2003.
  • The New York Knicks became only the second #8 seed to advance in the playoffs by defeating a #1 seed. As of 2018, they remain the only #8 seed to have advanced to the NBA Finals.
  • TheLos Angeles Lakersplayed their final season at the Great Western Forum. Because the Great Western Bank ceased to exist two seasons prior, the arena name was replaced by the team name on center court, in anticipation of the move to theStaples Center.
  • The Los Angeles Clippers played their final season at the Los Angeles Sports Arena.
  • 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 Miami Heat played their final full season at the Miami Arena, although they still played the first two months of thefollowing seasonat this arena before moving to the American Airlines Arena in January 2000.
  • The Toronto Raptors played their first game in Air Canada Centre on February 21.
  • The San Antonio Spurs became the first former ABA team to win a championship. (As of October 2018, they are still the only ABA franchise with a title; the Nets and Pacers have not won a title, and the Nuggets have never played an NBA Finals game.)
  • The Atlanta Hawks played another season in the Georgia Dome while Philips Arena was constructed for the1999–2000 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 theSacramento Kings. In December 2009, this record was broken by the New Jersey Nets who lost the first eighteen games of the season.
  • 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 1969–70Boston Celtics.

1998–99 NBA changes

 

  • The Indiana Pacers added new gold pinstripe alternate uniforms.
  • The Minnesota Timberwolves added new black alternate uniforms.
  • The New Jersey Nets added new gray alternate uniforms.
  • The Orlando Magic changed their uniforms, replacing the pinstripes with slightly visible stars on their jerseys.
  • TheSacramento Kingsadded new purple alternate uniforms.
  • The Toronto Raptors moved into Air Canada Centre during the regular season.
  • The Utah Jazz added new black uniforms.

Final standings

 

By division

 

 
Atlantic Division

 W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-Miami Heat 33 17 .660 – 18–7 15–10 12–8
x-Orlando Magic 33 17 .660 – 21–4 12–13 12–6
x-Philadelphia 76ers 28 22 .560 5 17–8 11–14 9–10
x-New York Knicks 27 23 .540 6 19–6 8–17 12–8
Boston Celtics 19 31 .380 14 10–15 9–16 10–9
Washington Wizards 18 32 .360 15 13–12 5–20 6–13
New Jersey Nets 16 34 .320 17 12–13 4–21 6–13
 
Central Division

 W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-Indiana Pacers 33 17 .660 – 18–7 15–10 15–7
x-Atlanta Hawks 31 19 .620 2 16–9 15–10 15–8
x-Detroit Pistons 29 21 .580 4 17–8 12–13 13–8
x-Milwaukee Bucks 28 22 .560 5 17–8 11–14 13–11
Charlotte Hornets 26 24 .520 7 16–9 10–15 12–10
Toronto Raptors 23 27 .460 10 14–11 9–16 9–14
Cleveland Cavaliers 22 28 .440 11 15–10 7–18 9–13
Chicago Bulls 13 37 .260 20 8–17 5–20 4–19
 
Midwest Division

 W L PCT GB Home Road Div
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
 
Pacific Division

 W L PCT GB Home Road Div
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

 

 
 

 

 Eastern Conference
Team W L PCT GB
1 c-Miami Heat 33 17 .660 –
2 y-Indiana Pacers 33 17 .660 –
3 x-Orlando Magic 33 17 .660 –
4 x-Atlanta Hawks 31 19 .620 2
5 x-Detroit Pistons 29 21 .580 4
6 x-Philadelphia 76ers 28 22 .560 5
7 x-Milwaukee Bucks 28 22 .560 5
8 x-New York Knicks 27 23 .540 6
9 Charlotte Hornets 26 24 .520 7
10 Toronto Raptors 23 27 .460 10
11 Cleveland Cavaliers 22 28 .440 11
12 Boston Celtics 19 31 .380 14
13 Washington Wizards 18 32 .360 15
14 New Jersey Nets 16 34 .320 17
15 Chicago Bulls 13 37 .260 20
 
 

 

 Western Conference
Team W L PCT GB
1 z-San Antonio Spurs 37 13 .740 –
2 y-Portland Trail Blazers 35 15 .700 2
3 x-Utah Jazz 37 13 .740 –
4 x-Los Angeles Lakers 31 19 .620 6
5 x-Houston Rockets 31 19 .620 6
6 x-Sacramento Kings 27 23 .540 10
7 x-Phoenix Suns 27 23 .540 10
8 x-Minnesota Timberwolves 25 25 .500 12
9 Seattle SuperSonics 25 25 .500 12
10 Golden State Warriors 21 29 .420 16
11 Dallas Mavericks 19 31 .380 18
12 Denver Nuggets 14 36 .280 23
13 Los Angeles Clippers 9 41 .180 28
14 Vancouver Grizzlies 8 42 .160 29

 

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. Home court advantage does not necessarily belong to the higher-seeded team, but instead the team with the better regular season record; teams enjoying the home advantage are shown in italics.

 

 
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 winnerBoldSeries winnerItalicTeam 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
  • Coach of the Year:Mike Dunleavy, Portland Trail Blazers
  • Executive of the Year:Geoff Petrie,Sacramento Kings
  • Sportsmanship Award:Hersey Hawkins, Seattle SuperSonics

Players of the month

 

 

The following players were named the Players of the Month.

 

 
Month Player
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
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
February Jerry Sloan(Utah Jazz)
March Mike Dunleavy, Sr.(Portland Trail Blazers)
April Gregg Popovich(San Antonio Spurs)

References

[1]

Citation Linkopenlibrary.org“Lockout cuts into preseason schedule”.The San Diego Union-Tribune. September 25, 1998. p. D11.

Sep 30, 2019, 11:05 AM

[2]

Citation Linkwww.nytimes.comWise, Mike (October 15, 1998). “Pro Basketball; N.B.A. Owners Cool To Players’ Proposal”.The New York Times. Retrieved April 22, 2009.

Sep 30, 2019, 11:05 AM

[3]

Citation Linkwww.nytimes.com“Pro Basketball; N.B.A. Owners Cool To Players’ Proposal”

Sep 30, 2019, 11:05 AM

[4]

Citation Linken.wikipedia.orgThe original version of this page is from Wikipedia, you can edit the page right here on Everipedia.Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Additional terms may apply.See everipedia.org/everipedia-termsfor further details.Images/media credited individually (click the icon for details).

Sep 30, 2019, 11:05 AM