NBA: The Difference a Trade Makes

[HB62]

1996-97 Season Part 2: No Pippen No Party

It would have taken a number of guesses to predict the form team for February and March, as the Indiana Pacers lost just 5 times combined for both months. The form lifted them up into the conversation for a top 4 seed, and included two wins of Charlotte. Billy Owens was the in form man for Indiana through the superb run of form. Charlotte and Philadelphia both continued their strong form through February and March, both losing just 6 times across the two months. Perhaps the only concern for Charlotte was that all 6 of those losses came against teams in their own conference, giving teams a potential confidence boost ahead of any playoff series matchups. In the game between the two sides, it was Philly that came out on top 97-108 thanks to 41 points from Shaq. The good news for Charlotte was that Jordan was averaging 29 points per game, with Barkley just behind on 28 as the duo continued to dominate. Both dropped a 49 point game in the period, Jordan against Montreal and Barkley against Utah.

The only other two sides not to lose a double digit number of games for the two months were both in the Western Conference, where it was the Milwaukee Bucks and the season’s surprise team Utah Jazz with the best form. Utah maintained their standing it what continued to be a ridiculously close conference with some impressive wins including a back to back double over Houston. Donyell Marshall was developing into a strong forward for the Jazz. Glenn Robinson’s numbers were ever improving for the Bucks, helping them jump up into a top 4 spot in the conference. Robinson had 39 in a win over Houston as part of 10 separate 30+ point games through February and March.

Back in the East, Tampa Bay and Boston were showing their credentials as potential champions with good form to remain inside the top 4. In the game against each other, Tampa prevailed 110-106 in Boston thanks to 47 from Shawn Kemp. Although Boston had their own superb performance of their own as Grant Hill posted an incredible 56 against Charlotte of all teams, in a 123-119 win on the road. Hill also had 4 other 40+ point games in a productive period for the 24 year old who was fast becoming a superstar.

Surprisingly, one of the teams to post a negative record through February and March were the Houston Rockets, who lost top spot in the West to the Lakers right at the end of March. The Rockets suffered against teams trying to catch them in the West, losing twice to Utah and Milwaukee and also going down 84-86 in LA against the Lakers. The Lakers themselves were still inconsistent although had managed to take advantage of the Rockets’ poor form to go top. Alonzo Mourning was proving to be a decent signing, although was still yet to produce the numbers he had at Portland. The two rookies, Peja Stojakovic and Kobe Bryant were both averaging 17 points per game as part of the starting 5. Down the road the Clippers , who had started the season with so much expectation after adding John Stockton and Allen Iverson were starting to look over their shoulders following the devastating news that Scottie Pippen would miss the rest of the season following a spinal injury. The two teams with the worst forms were Phoenix and Montreal who had 5 and 6 wins respectively to show for the whole two months. Perhaps not surprisingly both were cut adrift at the bottom of each conference.

Conference Standings (1st April 1997)
East:
1. Charlotte Hornets - 62-11
2. Philadelphia 76ers - 50-19
3. Tampa Bay Bandits - 48-24
4. Boston Celtics - 47-25
5. Indiana Pacers - 47-25
6. Toronto Huskies - 42-29
7. Miami Heat - 41-32
8. Cleveland Cavaliers - 37-34
----------------------------------------
9. Detroit Pistons - 35-37
10. Atlanta Hawks - 34-37
11. New Jersey Nets - 29-44
12. Washington Bullets - 25-46
13. Louisville Brawlers - 24-47
14. New York Knicks - 23-49
15. Montreal Royals - 18-54
*Charlotte Hornets have clinched the Central Division and a playoff spot
**Philadelphia 76ers, Tampa Bay Bandits, Boston Celtics & Indiana Pacers have clinched a playoff spot

West:
1. Los Angeles Lakers - 44-29
2. Houston Rockets - 43-28
3. Utah Jazz - 42-30
4. Milwaukee Bucks - 40-32
5. Los Angeles Clippers - 38-34
6. Denver Nuggets - 36-34
7. Dallas Mavericks - 36-35
8. Golden State Warriors - 36-36
-------------------------------------------
9. Minnesota Polars - 35-37
10. Portland Trail Blazers - 32-39
11. Sacramento Kings - 31-40
12. Seattle SuperSonics - 26-46
13. Chicago Bulls - 21-50
14. Phoenix Suns - 16-55

April - Selected Results
April 1st
(Skiles 17) (35-38) Detroit Pistons 86-128 Golden State Warriors (37-36) (Wallace 36)
(Bryant 24) (44-30) Los Angeles Lakers 100-103 Minnesota Polars (36-37) (Kidd 21)
(Houston 19) (40-33) Milwaukee Bucks 82-84 Utah Jazz (43-30) (Williams 23)
(Elliot 22) (51-19) Philadelphia 76ers 103-94 Tampa Bay Bandits (48-25) (Curry 23)
(Coleman 12) (25-47) Washington Bullets 60-93 Dallas Mavericks (37-35) (Benjamin, Sura 18)

April 2nd
(Hardaway 40) (37-35) Denver Nuggets 127-115 Chicago Bulls (22-51) (Schintzius 18)
(Iverson 24) (38-35) Los Angeles Clippers 86-123 Charlotte Hornets (64-11) (Barkley 35)
*Charlotte Hornets clinch Eastern Conference
(Robinson 27) (41-33) Milwaukee Bucks 103-102 Houston Rockets (43-29) (Chapman, Olajuwon 18)

April 3rd
(Gills 25) (38-35) Dallas Mavericks 108-102 Phoenix Suns (16-57) (Smith 34)
(Webber 16) (32-41) Portland Trail Blazers 93-111 Golden State Warriors (38-36) (Wallace 20)
(Kemp 32) (48-26) Tampa Bay Bandits 104-106 Utah Jazz (44-30) (Stackhouse 34)

April 4th
(Hill 34) (48-26) Boston Celtics 101-102 Milwaukee Bucks (42-33) (Tyler 25)
(Barkley 29) (64-12) Charlotte Hornets 94-100 Toronto Huskies (44-29) (N Anderson 20)
*Toronto Huskies clinch playoff spot
(Olajuwon 20) (44-29) Houston Rockets 112-87 Miami Heat (41-34) (Strickland 18)
(Iverson 22) (38-36) Los Angeles Clippers 97-105 Denver Nuggets (38-35) (Hardaway 24)
(Fresh 23) (19-56) Montreal Royals 103-113 Minnesota Polars (37-38) (Radja 26)

April 6th
(Richmond 29) (39-36) Cleveland Cavaliers 92-90 Indiana Pacers (50-26) (Owens 20)
(Mills 26) (43-33) Milwaukee Bucks 125-96 Phoenix Suns (16-59) (Smith 28)
(Radja 26) (38-38) Minnesota Polars 117-95 Los Angeles Clippers (38-37) (Iverson 35)
*Los Angeles Lakers clinch playoff spot

April 7th
(Gill 21) (40-35) Dallas Mavericks 97-87 Portland Trail Blazers (33-42) (Webber 18)
(O'Neal 29) (53-21) Philadelphia 76ers 115-118 Los Angeles Lakers (46-31) (Stojakovic 23)

April 8th
(Jordan 21) (65-13) Charlotte Hornets 83-105 Milwaukee Bucks (44-33) (Mills 26)
*Milwaukee Bucks clinch playoff spot
(Price 16) (24-52) Chicago Bulls 98-89 Los Angeles Clippers (38-38) (Iverson 39)
(Chapman, Olajuwon 16) (44-31) Houston Rockets 95-113 Philadelphia 76ers (54-21) (O'Neal 27)
(Radja 28) (38-39) Minnesota Polars 105-112 Miami Heat (43-34) (Johnson 24)
*Miami Heat & Houston Rockets clinch playoff spot
(Stackhouse 25) (45-31) Utah Jazz 106-94 Washington Bullets (28-49) (Coleman 28)
*Utah Jazz clinch playoff spot

April 9th
(Gatling 25) (49-27) Boston Celtics 94-Indiana Pacers (51-27) (Owens 24)
(Hardaway 17) (39-37) Denver Nuggets 100-104 Cleveland Cavaliers (40-36) (Richmond 35)
(Wilkins 18) (44-32) Houston Rockets 79-105 Portland Trail Blazers (34-42) (Webber 21)
(Robinson 23) (50-27) Tampa Bay Bandits 84-103 Golden State Warriors (40-36) (Wallace 39)
(Marshall 29) (46-21) Utah Jazz 103-99 Minnesota Polars (38-40) (Kidd 30)

April 10th
(Hancock, Schintzius 15) (24-53) Chicago Bulls 98-101 Dallas Mavericks (42-35) (Smith 25)
(Houston 22) (44-34) Milwaukee Bucks 98-100 Los Angeles Clippers (39-38) (Iverson 31)

April 11th
(Roberts 16) (40-37) Denver Nuggets 98-93 Utah Jazz (46-32) (Marshall 29)
(Wilkins 21) (44-33) Houston Rockets 99-109 Sacramento Kings (33-44) (Petrovic 34)
(Davis 21) (51-28) Indiana Pacers 89-92 Los Angeles Lakers (47-31) (Hardaway, Mourning 20)
*Los Angeles Lakers clinch Pacific Division
(Kidd 25) (39-40) Minnesota Polars 101-99 Louisville Brawlers (25-51) (Garnett 38)

April 12th
(Wallace 34) (41-37) Golden State Warriors 114-73 Phoenix Suns (16-62) (Stoudamire, Burton 15)
(Coleman 19) (28-51) Washington Bullets 82-106 Detroit Pistons (38-40) (W Anderson 21)
(Marbury 19) (37-41) Atlanta Hawks 103-104 Milwaukee Bucks (45-34) (Houston 23)
(Ewing 20) (33-45) Sacramento Kings 96-120 Dallas Mavericks (43-35) (Smith 26)
*Dallas Mavericks clinch playoff spot
(Iverson 30) (40-38) Los Angeles Clippers 116-105 Chicago Bulls (24-54) (Rose 16)

April 13th
(Richmond 24) (40-38) Cleveland Cavaliers 93-122 Detroit Pistons (39-40) (Webb 22)
(Rice 18) (41-37) Denver Nuggets 103-97 Seattle SuperSonics (30-48) (Abdul-Rauf 29)
(Mourning 20) (48-31) Los Angeles Lakers 96-94 Houston Rockets (44-34) (Chapman 20)
(Williams 40) (57-21) Philadelphia 76ers 155-152 Tampa Bay Bandits (51-28) (Kemp 39)

April 14th
(Garnett 44) (26-52) Louisville Brawlers 96-145 Los Angeles Clippers (41-38) (Iverson 33)

April 15th
(Ellis 27) (42-37) Golden State Warriors 106-91 Los Angeles Lakers (48-32) (Bryant 19)
(Owens 23) (51-29) Indiana Pacers 92-103 Denver Nuggets (42-37) (Rice 25)
(Ewing 21) (33-46) Sacramento Kings 87-116 Milwaukee Bucks (46-34) (Robinson 24)
(N Anderson 27) (45-34) Toronto Huskies 96-108 Cleveland Cavaliers (41-38) (Richmond 24)
(Marshall 23) (46-33) Utah Jazz 108-120 Portland Trail Blazers (35-44) (Webber 21)

April 16th
(T Hardaway 19) (42-38) Denver Nuggets 94-96 Sacramento Kings (34-46) (Petrovic 21)
(P Hardaway 20) (49-32) (Los Angeles Lakers 89-78 Dallas Mavericks (43-37) (Gill19)
*Los Angeles Lakers clinch Western Conference
(Robinson 32) (47-34) Milwaukee Bucks 105-100 Chicago Bulls (24-56) (Thomas 18)
(Liberty 19) (40-40) Minnesota Polars 89-86 Houston Rockets (45-35) (Chapman 22)
(Smits 17) (35-45) Portland Trail Blazers 102-111 Detroit Pistons (40-40) (Skiles 21)
(Abdul-Rauf 18) (32-48) Seattle SuperSonics 84-83 Cleveland Cavaliers (41-39) (Richmond 35)
(Marshall 32) (46-34) Utah Jazz 102-120 Golden State Warriors (43-37) (Camby 22)
*Golden Statw Warriors clinch playoff spot

April 17th
(Iverson 33) (41-40) Los Angeles Clippers 96-116 New York Knicks (28-53) (K Johnson 34)

April 18th
(Hill 26) (52-29) Boston Celtics 99-116 Utah Jazz (47-34) (Marshall 24)
(Rice 19) (42-39) Denver Nuggets 102-114 Dallas Mavericks (44-37) (Gill, Smith 17)
(Skiles 22) (41-40) Detroit Pistons 106-96 Los Angeles Lakers (49-33) (Mourning 24)
(Johnson 23) (45-36) Miami Heat 88-87 Cleveland Cavaliers (41-40) (Richmond 26)
(Kidd 30) (41-40) Minnesota Polars 108-93 Chicago Bulls (24-57) (Price 17)

April 19th
(Ewing 24) (36-46) Sacramento Kings 120-105 Milwaukee Bucks (47-35) (Robinson 31)

April 20th
(Kukoc 23) (45-37) Dallas Mavericks 119-98 Denver Nuggets (42-40) (Rice 25)
(Walker 19) (41-41) Detroit Pistons 104-106 Charlotte Hornets (69-13) (Barkley 31)
(Ellis 18) (45-37) Golden State Warriors 100-93 Houston Rockets (45-37) (White 22)
(Daugherty 21) (41-41) Los Angeles Clippers 87-96 Utah Jazz (48-34) (Marshall 27)
*Utah Jazz clinch Midwest Division
**Denver Nuggets & Minnesota Polars clinch playoff spot
(Johnson 21) (28-54) New York Knicks 80-114 Minnesota Polars (42-40) (Kidd, Radja 30)
(Robinson 26) (52-30) Tampa Bay Bandits 116-90 Cleveland Cavaliers (41-41) (Richmond 27)
*Detroit Pistons clinch playoff spot

Final Standings:
Eastern Conference
1. Charlotte Hornets - 69-13
2. Philadelphia 76ers - 61-21
3. Boston Celtics - 53-29
4. Tampa Bay Bandits - 52-30
5. Indiana Pacers - 52-30
6. Toronto Huskies - 47-35
7. Miami Heat - 45-37
8. Detroit Pistons - 41-41
----------------------------------------
9. Cleveland Cavaliers - 41-41
10. Atlanta Hawks - 38-44
11. New Jersey Nets - 33-49
12. Washington Bullets - 29-53
13. New York Knicks - 28-54
14. Louisville Brawlers - 27-55
15. Montreal Royals - 23-59

Western Conference:
1. Los Angeles Lakers - 49-33
2. Utah Jazz - 48-34
3. Milwaukee Bucks - 47-35
4. Dallas Mavericks - 45-37
5. Golden State Warriors - 45-37
6. Houston Rockets - 45-37
7. Denver Nuggets - 42-40
8. Minnesota Polars - 42-40
---------------------------------------------
9. Los Angeles Clippers - 41-41
10. Portland Trail Blazers - 37-45
11. Sacramento Kings - 36-46
12. Seattle SuperSonics - 32-50
13. Chicago Bulls - 24-58
14. Phoenix Suns - 17-65

​

The Stats:

• Charlotte Hornets had their best regular season in franchise history, and also became the first of the 1980's expansion teams to win either a Conference or Division​
• Philadelphia 76ers secured a fourth straight 60+ win season​
• Boston Celtics had their best season since 1991​
• Tampa Bay Bandits qualified for the playoffs for the 10th consecutive season, keeping up their record of making the post season in every year since relocating to Tampa​
• Indiana Pacers will make a 6th consecutive playoff appearance after a 5th place finish in the East​
• Toronto Huskies had their best season as a franchise​
• Miami Heat qualified for the playoffs for the 4th consecutive season​
• Detroit Pistons made the playoffs for the first time since 1991, overhauling Cleveland on the last couple of games​
• Cleveland Cavaliers missed out on the playoffs for the first time since 1990​
• Atlanta Hawks are now without a playoff appearance since 1994​
• New Jersey Nets had their best season since 1992, although still missed out on the playoffs​
• Washington Bullets had their worst season as a franchise since 1967​
• New York Knicks had a 2nd consecutive 28 win season, and are now without a playoff appearance since 1994​
• Louisville Brawlers had a worse campaign than their debut season, with 3 less wins despite having two players make the All Teams​
• Montreal Royals had their best season as a franchise, increasing their win total to 23 from their debut season's 14​
• Los Angeles Lakers had their best season since 1991, and finished as No 1 seed for the first time since 1987​
• Utah Jazz had their best season since 1985, and qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 1992​
• Milwaukee Bucks made the playoffs for the third straight season​
• Dallas Mavericks made it back to back playoff appearances after missing out in 1995​
• Golden State Warriors made the playoffs for the first time since 1993 and only the second time in eleven years​
• Houston Rockets qualified for the playoffs for the 11th consecutive season, the new longest streak in the NBA​
• Denver Nuggets made it three straight playoff appearances​
• Minnesota Polars had their best ever season as a franchise and made the playoffs for the second time​
• Los Angeles Clippers miss out on the playoffs for the first time since 1993​
• Portland Trail Blazers' long playoff streak ends, missing out on the playoffs for the first time since 1982​
• Sacramento Kings miss the playoffs for back to back years​
• Seattle SuperSonics have their worst season since 1991​
• Chicago Bulls have their joint worst season as a franchise, equalling the tally of 1976​
• Phoenix Suns have their worst season since their debut season of 1969​

The Awards:

• Michael Jordan won the MVP award, his 5th in total
• Allen Iverson won the Rookie of the Year award, averaging 27.2 points per game
• Donyell Marshall of the Utah Jazz won the Len Bias Sixth Man of the Year Award
• Hakeem Olajuwon won the Defensive Player of the Year award for the sixth year in a row, and tenth time in total.
• All-NBA 1st Team: Michael Jordan (Hornets), Jason Kidd (Polars), Kevin Garnett (Brawlers), Charles Barkley (Hornets), Shaquille O'Neal (76ers)
• All-NBA 2nd Team: Allen Iverson (Clippers), Tim Hardaway (Nuggets), Vin Baker (Nets), Shawn Kemp (Bandits), David Robinson (Bandits)
• All-NBA 3rd Team: Mitch Richmond (Cavaliers), Steve Nash (Brawlers), Glenn Robinson (Bucks), Grant Hill (Celtics), Hakeem Olajuwon (Rockets)
• All-Defensive 1st Team: Michael Jordan (Hornets), Jason Kidd (Polars), Kevin Garnett (Brawlers), Charles Barkley (Hornets), Hakeem Olajuwon (Rockets)
• All-Rookie 1st Team: Allen Iverson (Clippers), Steve Nash (Brawlers), Stephon Marbury (Hawks), Shareef Abdur-Rahim (Heat), Marcus Camby (Warriors)

League Leaders:

• PPG: 1. Michael Jordan (28.8) 2. Charles Barkley (28.1) 3. Mitch Richmond (27.8)
• RPG: 1. Charles Barkley (13.7) 2. Kevin Garnett (13.7) 3. David Robinson (12.7)
• APG: 1. Tim Hardaway (10.2) 2. Jason Kidd (9.1) 3. Scott Skiles (8.6)
• SPG: 1. Allen Iverson (2.3) 2. Gary Payton (2.3) 3. Jason Kidd (2.1)
• BPG: 1. Dikembe Mutombo (3.4) 2. David Robinson (3.1) 3. Benoit Benjamin (3.0)

Injury Report:

• Eddie Jones (Warriors) and Christian Laettner (Jazz) will miss the playoffs through injury
• Dominique Wilkins (Rockets) and Vlade Divac (Celtics) will miss at least the first two rounds through injury
• Grant Hill (Celtics) is a doubt for the opening game of the playoffs

Other League News:

• Larry Brown was instantly fired as Los Angeles Clippers Head Coach after six years in charge following their failure to make the playoffs. Owner Donald Sterling reportedly confronted the team himself after the last game of the season.
• Rookie Allen Iverson accuses owner Donald Sterling of using racist remarks following the Clippers failure to make the playoffs. Iverson says he won't play for the team again.
• Jerry Sloan is another coach to lose his job at the end of the season, departing from the Washington Bullets

The Playoffs:
(1E) Charlotte Hornets vs Detroit Pistons (8E)
(4E) Tampa Bay Bandits vs Indiana Pacers (5E)
(3E) Boston Celtics vs Toronto Huskies (6E)
(2E) Philadelphia 76ers vs Miami Heat (7E)

(1W) Los Angeles Lakers vs Minnesota Polars (8W)
(4W) Dallas Mavericks vs Golden State Warriors (5W)
(3W) Milwaukee Bucks vs Houston Rockets (6W)
(2W) Utah Jazz vs Denver Nuggets (7W)











​

 

[Nivek]

following a spinal injury

Those are the trickier injury and the clippers just collapse without him

 

[Unknown]

If Iverson manages to leave the Clippers, and goes to the Lakers, with Kobe Bryant hitting his prime--talk about a dynasty that would rival the 1950s and 1960s Celtics...

 

[HB62]

If Iverson manages to leave the Clippers, and goes to the Lakers, with Kobe Bryant hitting his prime--talk about a dynasty that would rival the 1950s and 1960s Celtics...

Do you think that would be a likely move?

 

[Unknown]

I don't know, @HB62, but it is a possibility, IMO...

 

[HB62]

I don't know, @HB62, but it is a possibility, IMO...

I guess we will see how it plays out after the playoffs. Another possibility, is that it isn't the player that moves..

 

[Nivek]

I guess we will see how it plays out after the playoffs. Another possibility, is that it isn't the player that moves..

Iverson would prefer to stay, also the vagabound clippers strike back(PUT THEM BACK IN SAN DIEGO)

 

[Stark]

If Iverson manages to leave the Clippers, and goes to the Lakers, with Kobe Bryant hitting his prime--talk about a dynasty that would rival the 1950s and 1960s Celtics...

Why would you think of Lakers, of all teams? Anyone could trade for him. And do you really think Sterling will send AI to its city rivals? Lakers are the least probable future AI team.

If Philly has enough picks/players to offer, AI and Shaq would be a dream scenario. And since Clippers probably want to contend, not rebuild, they'll want players - Sixers can probably offer better package than Lakers. Sending them something like Oakley and Phills (both good defensive players) would complement Clippers rotation quite nicely. Throw some additional picks in and that might be a winning bid. Hell, perhaps they can be persuaded to accept only Phills and picks, if AI is to adamant about leaving.

And Michael Williams (all D guard) and AI would fit in backcourt much better than Kobe and AI (which sounds like an explosion waiting to happen - two legendary score first guards in same backcourt?).

EDIT: Wait, Lakers have Penny as well? Well if they would offer him they probably have the better offer, but why would they do that? Penny is more proven star at this stage.

EDIT EDIT: jesus, Lakers starting five (PG: Penny Hardaway / SG: Kobe Bryant / SF: Peja Stojakowvic / PF: Horace Grant / C: Alonzo Mourning) is beastly, they really have no need for AI

 

[HB62]

1996-97 Season - The Playoffs: All Aboard the Polar Express

The Playoffs:
(1E) Charlotte Hornets vs Detroit Pistons (8E)
(4E) Tampa Bay Bandits vs Indiana Pacers (5E)
(3E) Boston Celtics vs Toronto Huskies (6E)
(2E) Philadelphia 76ers vs Miami Heat (7E)

(1W) Los Angeles Lakers vs Minnesota Polars (8W)
(4W) Dallas Mavericks vs Golden State Warriors (5W)
(3W) Milwaukee Bucks vs Houston Rockets (6W)
(2W) Utah Jazz vs Denver Nuggets (7W)
​

---

First Round:
(1E) Charlotte Hornets vs Detroit Pistons (8E)

(Skiles 23) Detroit Pistons 96 - 91 Charlotte Hornets (Jordan 22)
21-26 / 30-27 / 28-20 / 17-18
Double Doubles:
Charles Barkley (18pts / 12reb)

Detroit Pistons lead series 1-0

(Skiles 27) Detroit Pistons 103 - 114 Charlotte Hornets (Jordan 37)
16-24 / 37-21 / 20-37 / 30-32
Double Doubles:
Scott Skiles (27pts / 10ast)
Charles Barkley (23pts / 18reb)
Muggsy Bogues (11pts / 12ast)

Series tied at 1-1

(Barkley 28) Charlotte Hornets 106 - 94 Detroit Pistons (Skiles 19)
30-29 / 22-15 / 20-28 / 34-22
Double Doubles:
Charles Barkley (28pts / 13reb)
Scott Skiles (19pts / 10ast)

Charlotte Hornets lead series 2-1

(Jordan 23) Charlotte Hornets 86 - 92 Detroit Pistons (Skiles 31)
16-13 / 30-31 / 17-16 / 23-32
Double Doubles:
Michael Jordan (23pts / 11reb)
Charles Barkley (16pts / 16reb)
Antonio McDyess (12pts / 10reb)

Series tied at 2-2

(Christie 17) Detroit Pistons 106 - 100 Charlotte Hornets (Barkley 27)
32-23 / 19-28 / 28-20 / 27-29
Double Doubles:
Charles Barkley (27pts / 15reb)
Antonio McDyess (15pts / 10reb)

Detroit Pistons win series 3-2
​

---

(4E) Tampa Bay Bandits vs Indiana Pacers (5E)

(Barros 19) Indiana Pacers 97 - 106 Tampa Bay Bandits (Kemp 21)
15-29 / 27-31 / 31-25 / 24-21
Double Doubles:
Shawn Kemp (21pts / 13reb)
Danny Manning (10pts / 10reb)

Tampa Bay Bandits lead series 1-0

(Barros 24) Indiana Pacers 107 - 100 Tampa Bay Bandits (Kemp 27
25-35 / 32-18 / 21-26 / 29-20
Double Doubles:
Shawn Kemp (27pts / 10reb)
Dana Barros (24pts / 10ast)
David Robinson (16pts / 15reb)

Series tied at 1-1

(Kemp 20) Tampa Bay Bandits 90 - 83 Indiana Pacers (Barros 23)
18-18 / 22-20 / 25-25 / 25-20
Double Doubles:
Shawn Kemp (20pts / 14reb)
David Robisnon (19pts / 12reb)

Tampa Bay Bandits lead series 2-1

(Kemp 22) Tampa Bay Bandits 90 - 109 Indiana Pacers (Owens 28)
25-32 / 16-22 / 26-26 / 23-29
Double Doubles:
Shawn Kemp (22pts / 19reb)
David Robinson (18pts / 15reb)

Series tied at 2-2

(Barros, Owens 20) Indiana Pacers 92 - 108 Tampa Bay Bandits (Robinson 29)
14-30 / 29-35 / 30-30 / 19-13
Double Doubles:
David Robinson (29pts / 18reb)
Dana Barros (20pts / 13ast)
Shawn Kemp (14pts / 11reb)
Rony Seikaly (12pts / 11reb)

Tampa Bay Bandits win series 3-2
​

---

(3E) Boston Celtics vs Toronto Huskies (6E)

(N Anderson 25) Toronto Huskies 102 - 95 Boston Celtics (Hill 20)
21-30 / 26-27 / 29-19 / 26-19
Double Doubles:
Chris Gatling (18pts / 18reb)

Toronto Huskies lead series 1-0

(K Anderson 32) Toronto Huskies 126 - 103 Boston Celtics (Scott 20)
30-19 / 34-34 / 25-22 / 37-28
Double Doubles:
Juwan Howard (22pts / 14reb)

Toronto Huskies lead series 2-0

(Hill 25) Boston Celtics 95 - 88 Toronto Huskies (K Anderson 26)
19-15 / 26-19 / 35-29 / 15-25
Double Doubles:
Chris Gatling (18pts / 14reb)
Noel Teague (12pts / 10reb)

Toronto Huskies lead series 2-1

(Hill 24) Boston Celtics 107 - 103 Toronto Huskies (K Anderson 28)
17-29 / 20-26 / 35-17 / 35-31
Double Doubles:

Series tied at 2-2

(N Anderson 21) Toronto Huskies 113 - 105 Boston Celtics (Hill 23)
28-31 / 27-26 / 29-22 / 29-26
Double Doubles:
Juwan Howard (18pts / 10reb)

Toronto Huskies win series 3-2
​

---

(2E) Philadelphia 76ers vs Miami Heat (7E)

(Johnson 20) Miami Heat 97 - 107 Philadelphia 76ers (O’Neal 37)
23-27 / 26-34 / 25-21 / 23-25
Double Doubles:
Shaquille O’Neal (37pts / 13reb)
Armen Gilliam (17pts / 10reb)

Philadelphia 76ers lead series 1-0

(Johnson 20) Miami Heat 92 - 124 Philadelphia 76ers (O’Neal 37)
21-22 / 26-35 / 25-31 / 20-36
Double Doubles:
Shaquille O’Neal (37pts / 11reb)

Philadelphia 76ers lead series 2-0

(O’Neal 26) Philadelphia 76ers 91 - 103 Miami Heat (Johnson 18)
14-30 / 24-27 / 28-24 / 25-22
Double Doubles:
Shaquill O’Neal (26pts / 11reb)
Rod Strickland (16pts / 15ast)
Michael Williams (11pts / 11ast)

Philadelphia 76ers lead series 2-1

(Graham 24) Philadelphia 76ers 104 - 112 Miami Heat (Johnson 28)
25-24 / 23-31 / 32-35 / 24-22
Double Doubles:
Shaquille O’Neal (14pts / 16reb)

Series tied at 2-2

(Johnson 23) Miami Heat 111 - 112 Philadelphia 76ers (O’Neal 26)
28-30 / 21-26 / 28-15 / 34-41
Triple Doubles:
Larry Johnson (23pts / 11reb / 11ast)
Double Doubles:
Shaquille O’Neal (26pts / 13reb)
Rod Strickland (18pts / 12ast)

Philadelphia 76ers win series 3-2

​

---

(1W) Los Angeles Lakers vs Minnesota Polars (8W)

(Radja 31) Minnesota Polars 94 - 99 Los Angeles Lakers (Hardaway 18)
21-29 / 27-25 / 30-21 / 16-24
Double Doubles:
Dino Radja (31pts / 13reb)
Kobe Bryant (12pts / 10ast)
Alonzo Mourning (10pts / 19reb)

Los Angeles Lakers lead series 1-0

(Kidd 28) Minnesota Polars 113 - 92 Los Angeles Lakers (Mourning 17)
27-18 / 26-21 / 26-26 / 34-27
Double Doubles:
Jason Kidd (28pts / 15ast)
Dino Radja (27pts / 10reb)
Marcus Liberty (27pts / 10reb)
Horace Grant (12pts / 11reb)

Series tied at 1-1

(Worthy 15) Los Angeles Lakers 76 - 121 Minnesota Polars (Liberty 26)
18-27 / 23-30 / 12-28 / 23-36
Double Doubles:
Dino Radja (18pts / 15reb)
Clifford Rozier (10pts / 11reb)

Minnesota Polars lead series 2-1

(Hardaway 19) Los Angeles Lakers 97 - 88 Minnesota Polars (Kidd 29)
25-23 / 21-20 / 21-23 / 30-22
Double Doubles:
Dino Radja (16pts / 15reb)
Alonzo Mourning (14pts / 14reb)

Series tied at 2-2

(Radja 35) Minnesota Polars 95 - 90 Los Angeles Lakers (Mourning 15)
26-21 / 23-24 / 16-18 / 30-27
Double Doubles:
Dino Radja (35pts / 10reb)
Jason Kidd (19pts / 10reb)
Alonzo Mourning (15pts / 14reb)
Lamond Murray (11pts / 10reb)

Minnesota Polars win series 3-2
​

---

(4W) Dallas Mavericks vs Golden State Warriors (5W)

(Camby 32) Golden State Warriors 112 - 116 Dallas Mavericks (Kukoc 21)
27-32 / 36-33 / 28-24 / 21-27
Double Doubles:
Marcus Camby (32pts / 15reb)

Dallas Mavericks lead series 1-0

(Wallace 37) Golden State Warriors 106 - 113 Dallas Mavericks (Sura 18)
22-28 / 25-25 / 31-29 / 28-31
Double Doubles:
Joe Smith (17pts / 10reb)
Benoit Benjamin (17pts / 11reb)

Dallas Mavericks lead series 2-0

(Benjamin 24) Dallas Mavericks 111 - 97 Golden State Warriors (Camby 20)
23-29 / 30-15 / 19-28 / 39-25
Double Doubles:
Marcus Camby (20pts / 12reb)
Kendall Gill (19pts / 11reb)
Chris Morris (12pts / 10reb)

Dallas Mavericks win series 3-0
​

---

(3W) Milwaukee Bucks vs Houston Rockets (6W)

(Chapman 23) Houston Rockets 106 - 89 Milwaukee Bucks (Robinson 24)
28-17 / 22-22 / 18-25 / 38-25
Double Doubles:
Hakeem Olajuwon (18pts / 10reb)
Terry Mills (14pts / 10reb)

Houston Rockets lead series 1-0

(Chapman 26) Houston Rockets 119 - 102 Milwaukee Bucks (Robinson 32)
38-25 / 23-31 / 29-28 / 29-18
Double Doubles:
Glenn Robinson (32pts / 12reb)
Hakeem Olajuwon (16pts / 13reb)

Houston Rockets lead series 2-0

(Robinson 31) Milwaukee Bucks 103 - 108 Houston Rockets (White 22)
37-30 / 20-18 / 24-31 / 22-29
Double Doubles:
Randy White (22pts / 10reb)
Mookie Blaylock (16pts / 13reb)
Terry Mills (14pts / 10reb)

Houston Rockets win series 3-0
​

---

(2W) Utah Jazz vs Denver Nuggets (7W)

(Mashburn 23) Denver Nuggets 110 - 108 Utah Jazz (Marshall 29)
25-23 / 21-15 / 27-22 / 23-36 / 14-12
Double Doubles:
Donyell Marshall (29pts / 11reb)
Tim Hardaway (22pts / 12ast)
Karl Malone (22pts / 10reb)

Denver Nuggets lead series 1-0

(Rice 22) Denver Nuggets 113 - 90 Utah Jazz (Williams 27)
30-18 / 27-22 / 28-28 / 28-22
Double Doubles:
Tim Hardaway (16pts / 10ast)

Denver Nuggets lead series 2-0

(Marshall 23) Utah Jazz 99 - 98 Denver Nuggets (Rice 24)
26-25 / 21-22 / 28-23 / 24-28
Double Doubles:
Donyell Marshall (23pts / 14reb)
Jamal Mashburn (14pts / 12reb)
Karl Malone (14pts / 13ast)

Denver Nuggets lead series 2-1

(Williams 18) Utah Jazz 94 - 102 Denver Nuggets (Hardaway 25)
29-20 / 16-18 / 19-35 / 30-29
Double Doubles:
Tim Hardaway (25pts / 11ast)
Shawn Bradley (12pts / 10reb)

Denver Nuggets win series 3-1

(1E) Charlotte Hornets 2 vs 3 Detroit Pistons (8E)
(4E) Tampa Bay Bandits 3 vs 2 Indiana Pacers (5E)
(3E) Boston Celtics 2 vs 3 Toronto Huskies (6E)
(2E) Philadelphia 76ers 3 vs 2 Miami Heat (7E)

(1W) Los Angeles Lakers 2 vs 3 Minnesota Polars (8W)
(4W) Dallas Mavericks 3 vs 0 Golden State Warriors (5W)
(3W) Milwaukee Bucks 0 vs 3 Houston Rockets (6W)
(2W) Utah Jazz 1 vs 3 Denver Nuggets (7W)

(4E) Tampa Bay Bandits vs Detroit Pistons (8E)
(2E) Philadelphia 76ers vs Toronto Huskies (6E)

(4W) Dallas Mavericks vs Minnesota Polars (8W)
(6W) Houston Rockets vs Denver Nuggets (7W)
​

---

Semi Finals:

(4E) Tampa Bay Bandits vs Detroit Pistons (8E)

(Skiles 22) Detroit Pistons 96 - 103 Tampa Bay Bandits (Kemp 23)
24-25 / 27-30 / 26-28 / 19-20
Double Doubles:
Shawn Kemp (23pts / 10reb)
Scott Skiles (22pts / 11ast)
David Robinson (15pts / 10reb)

Tampa Bay Bandits lead series 1-0

(Skiles 27) Detroit Pistons 118 - 98 Tampa Bay Bandits (Kemp 19)
25-30 / 33-21 / 35-15 / 25-32
Double Doubles:
Scott Skiles (27pts / 15ast)
Antonio McDyess (26pts / 12reb)
David Robinson (17pts / 11reb)

Series tied at 1-1

(Robinson 23) Tampa Bay Bandits 104 - 112 Detroit Pistons (McDyess 26)
24-18 / 21-29 / 32-35 / 27-30
Double Doubles:
Antonio McDyess (26pts / 10reb)
Scott Skiles (24pts / 15ast)
David Robinson (23pts / 13reb)
Shawn Kemp (16pts / 18reb)

Detroit Pistons lead series 2-1

(Robinson 31) Tampa Bay Bandits 121 - 89 Detroit Pistons (Skiles 18)
34-23 / 20-23 / 39-24 / 28-19
Double Doubles:
David Robinson (31pts / 19reb)
Shawn Kemp (21pts / 13reb)
Antonio McDyess (14pts / 11reb)

Series tied at 2-2

(Skiles 21) Detroit Pistons 98 - 91 Tampa Bay Bandits (Robinson 21)
26-22 / 20-17 / 18-27 / 34-25
Double Doubles:
David Robinson (21pts / 11reb)
Scott Skiles (21pts / 11ast)
Shawn Kemp (17pts / 16reb)

Detroit Pistons lead series 3-2

(Kemp 23) Tampa Bay Bandits 91 - 96 Detroit Pistons (Skiles 23)
22-16 / 28-31 / 16-28 / 25-21
Double Doubles:
Scott Skiles (23pts / 10ast)
Shawn Kemp (23pts / 11reb)
Antonio McDyess (18pts / 12reb)
David Robinson (17pts / 16reb)
Willie Anderson (15pts / 10reb)

Detroit Pistons win series 4-2
​

---

(2W) Philadelphia 76ers vs Toronto Huskies (6E)

(N Anderson 24) Toronto Huskies 102 - 100 Philadelphia 76ers (O’Neal 25)
30-27 / 24-25 / 27-18 / 21-30
Double Dobules:
Sean Elliot (23pts / 11reb)

Toronto Huskies lead series 1-0

(N Anderson 22) Toronto Huskies 95 - 102 Philadelphia 76ers (O’Neal 31)
23-24 / 17-25 / 29-33 / 26-20
Double Doubles:
Shaquille O’Neal (31pts / 17reb)
Kenny Anderson (21pts / 10ast)

Series tied at 1-1

(O’Neal 27) Philadelphia 76ers 136 - 109 Toronto Huskies (K Anderson 37)
35-23 / 27-36 / 39-21 / 35-29
Double Doubles:
Shaquille O’Neal (27pts / 10reb)

Philadelphia 76ers lead series 2-1

(O’Neal 25) Philadelphia 76ers 104 - 97 Toronto Huskies (K Anderson 30)
22-26 / 19-22 / 26-23 / 23-19 / 14-7
Double Doubles:
Shaquille O’Neal (25pts / 26reb)

Philadelphia 76ers lead series 3-1

(K Anderson 25) Toronto Huskies 87 - 99 Philadelphia 76ers (O’Neal 29)
21-31 / 24-29 / 17-19 / 25-20
Double Doubles:
Shaquille O’Neal (29pts / 22reb)

Philadelphia 76ers win series 4-1
​

---

(4W) Dallas Mavericks vs Minnesota Polars (8W)

(Kidd 36) Minnesota Polars 105 - 103 Dallas Mavericks (Kukoc 21)
29-28 / 23-19 / 28-23 / 25-33
Double Doubles:
Dino Radja (10pts / 15reb)

Minnesota Polars lead series 1-0

(Radja 28) Minnesota Polars 110 - 99 Dallas Mavericks (Smith 28)
27-18 / 28-31 / 26-21 / 29-28
Double Doubles:
Dino Radja (28pts / 13reb)
Joe Smith (28pts / 11reb)
Jason Kidd (27pts / 15ast)

Minnesota Polars lead series 2-0

(Gill 20) Dallas Mavericks 101 - 112 Minnesota Polars (Kidd 28)
33-23 / 16-24 / 27-34 / 25-31
Double Doubles:
Dino Radja (16pts / 14reb)
Joe Smith (16pts / 11reb)

Minnesota Polars lead series 3-0

(Benjamin 25) Dallas Mavericks 108 - 94 Minnesota Polars (Radja 28)
30-24 / 32-17 / 15-30 / 31-23
Double Doubles:
Benoit Benjamin (25pts / 11reb)

Minnesota Polars lead series 3-1

(Kidd 22) Minnesota Polars 97 - 105 Dallas Mavericks (Sura 20)
28-27 / 22-25 / 20-25 / 27-28
Double Doubles:
Dino Radja (14pts / 14reb)
Benoit Benjamin (11pts / 13reb)

Minnesota Polars lead series 3-2

(Smith 23) Dallas Mavericks 103 - 118 Minnesota Polars (Kidd 25)
22-28 / 34-32 / 25-19 / 22-39
Double Doubles:
Jason Kidd (25pts / 12ast)
Dino Radja (24pts / 12reb)

Minnesota Polars win series 4-2
​

---

(6W) Houston Rockets vs Denver Nuggets (7W)

(Mashburn 21) Denver Nuggets 93 - 119 Houston Rockets (Chapman, Olajuwon 27)
33-32 / 19-31 / 22-28 / 19-28
Double Doubles:
Hakeem Olajuwon (27pts / 19reb)
Mookie Blaylock (17pts / 10ast)

Houston Rockets lead series 1-0

(Hardaway 29) Denver Nuggets 94 - 113 Houston Rockets (Olajuwon 29)
34-38 / 18-19 / 23-20 / 19-36
Double Doubles:
Hakeem Olajuwon (29pts / 12reb)
Randy White (20pts / 13reb)
Mookie Blaylock (16pts / 15ast)
Tim Perry (14pts / 19reb)

Houston Rockets lead series 2-0

(Olajuwon 22) Houston Rockets 104 - 86 Denver Nuggets (Malone 21)
27-27 / 27-24 / 25-25 / 25-10
Double Doubles:
Karl Malone (21pts / 11reb)
Tim Hardaway (14pts / 11ast)

Houston Rockets lead series 3-0

(Olajuwon 24) Houston Rockets 102 - 101 Denver Nuggets (Hardaway 27)
22-26 / 21-19 / 34-30 / 25-26
Double Doubles:
Tim Hardaway (27pts / 11ast)
Hakeem Olajuwon (24pts / 16reb)

Houston Rockets win series 4-0


(4E) Tampa Bay Bandits 2 vs 4 Detroit Pistons (8E)
(2E) Philadelphia 76ers 4 vs 1 Toronto Huskies (6E)

(4W) Dallas Mavericks 2 vs 4 Minnesota Polars (8W)
(6W) Houston Rockets 4 vs 0 Denver Nuggets (7W)

(2E) Philadelphia 76ers vs Detroit Pistons (8E)

(6W) Houston Rockets vs Minnesota Polars (8W)
​

---

Conference Finals:

(2E) Philadelphia 76ers vs Detroit Pistons (8E)

(Skiles 21) Detroit Pistons 107 - 121 Philadelphia 76ers (O’Neal 23)
20-21 / 25-31 / 29-36 / 33-33
Double Doubles:
Shaquille O’Neal (23pts / 12reb)
Sean Elliot (21pts / 10reb)
Scott Skiles (21pts / 10ast)

Philadelphia 76ers lead series 1-0

(Skiles 20) Detroit Pistons 110 - 101 Philadelphia 76ers (Graham, O’Neal 23)
28-28 / 21-27 / 32-20 / 29-26
Double Doubles:
Shaquille O’Neal (23pts / 14reb)

Series tied at 1-1

(O’Neal 37) Philadelphia 76ers 104 - 95 Detroit Pistons (Skiles 20)
20-16 / 24-16 / 30-35 / 30-28
Double Doubles:
Shaquille O’Neal (37pts / 10ast)
Antonio McDyess (16pts / 14reb)
Gheorghe Muresan (11pts / 13reb)

Philadelphia 76ers lead series 2-1

(O’Neal 30) Philadelphia 76ers 129 - 108 Detroit Pistons (Walker 19)
44-25 / 26-27 / 23-28 / 36-28
Double Doubles:
Shaquille O’Neal (30pts / 14reb)

Philadelphia 76ers lead series 3-1

(Skiles 22) Detroit Pistons 108 - 124 Philadelphia 76ers (Elliot 28)
25-29 / 35-27 / 27-34 / 21-34
Double Doubles:
Shaquille O’Neal (23pts / 12reb)
Scott Skiles (22pts / 11ast)
Michael Williams (14pts / 10ast)

Philadelphia 76ers win series 4-1
​

---

(6W) Houston Rockets vs Minnesota Polars (8W)

(Radja 33) Minnesota Polars 97 - 94 Houston Rockets (Graham 20)
31-23 / 20-22 / 19-27 / 27-22
Double Doubles:
Dino Radja (33pts / 11reb)
Jason Kidd (16pts / 12ast)
Hakeem Olajuwon (12pts / 16reb)

Minnesota Polars lead series 1-0

(Liberty 17) Minnesota Polars 95 - 115 Houston Rockets (Chapman 23)
18-28 / 36-31 / 21-36 / 20-20
Double Doubles:
Dino Radja (16pts / 16reb)
Mookie Blaylock (10pts / 12ast)

Series tied at 1-1

(Chapman 24) Houston Rockets 99 - 78 Minnesota Polars (Kidd 25)
23-20 / 25-21 / 28-18 / 23-19
Double Doubles:
Hakeem Olajuwon (21pts / 19reb)

Houston Rockets lead series 2-1

(Olajuwon 33) Houston Rockets 98 - 112 Minnesota Polars (Radja 25)
23-30 / 27-24 / 22-35 / 26-23
Double Doubles:
Hakeem Olajuwon (33pts / 15reb)
Brian Shaw (17pts / 12ast)

Series tied at 2-2

(Kidd 23) Minnesota Polars 107 - 106 Houston Rockets (Chapman 23)
25-21 / 30-26 / 25-33 / 27-26
Double Doubles:
Dino Radja (22pts / 12reb)
Hakeem Olajuwon (17pts / 16reb)

Minnesota Polars lead series 3-2

(Olajuwon 20) Houston Rockets 114 - 100 Minnesota Polars (Kidd, Radja 25)
37-17 / 32-28 / 22-28 / 23-27
Double Doubles:
Dino Radja (25pts / 11reb)
Hakeem Olajuwon (20pts / 18reb)

Series tied at 3-3

(Kidd 24) Minnesota Polars 87 - 88 Houston Rockets (Blaylock 24)
22-22 / 22-16 / 26-26 / 17-24
Double Doubles:
Hakeem Olajuwon (14pts / 11reb)
Dino Radja (12pts / 11reb)

Houston Rockets win series 4-3

(2E) Philadelphia 76ers 4 vs 1 Detroit Pistons (8E)

(6W) Houston Rockets 4 vs 3 Minnesota Polars (8W)
​

---

NBA Championship Final:
Philadelphia 76ers vs Houston Rockets

Road to the Final
Philadelphia 76ers
Head Coach: Lenny Wilkens
Regular Season: 61-21
Conference Rank: 2nd
Playoff Run:
First Round - Miami Heat (3-2)
Semi Final - Toronto Huskies (4-1)
East Final - Detroit Pistons (4-1)
Starting 5: Michael Williams, Bobby Phills, Sean Elliot, Charles Oakley, Shaquille O’Neal

Houston Rockets:
Head Coach: Bill Fitch
Regular Season: 45-37
Conference Rank: 6th
Playoff Run:
First Round - Milwaukee Bucks (3-0)
Semi Final - Denver Nuggets (4-0)
West Final - Minnesota Polars (4-3)
Starting 5: Mookie Blaylock, Rex Chapman, Ken Norman, Randy White, Hakeem Olajuwon

Regular Season Matchups:
Philadelphia 76ers 107-113 Houston Rockets
Houston Rockets 95-113 Philadelphia 76ers

Game 1:
(Chapman 17) Houston Rockets 90 - 113 Philadelphia 76ers (Graham 28)
22-25 / 28-21 / 20-37 / 20-30
Blaylock (11/5/6) - Williams (17/2/6)
Chapman (17/2/1) - Phills (8/4/4)
Norman (6/2/2) - Elliot (20/6/2)
White (8/3/3) - Oakley (2/8/2)
Olajuwon (11/11/2) - O’Neal (27/13/2)

Philadelphia 76ers lead series 1-0

Game 2:
(Chapman 25) Houston Rockets 85 - 104 Philadelphia 76ers (O’Neal 38)
14-22 / 18-26 / 27-20 / 26-36
Blaylock (12/3/10) - Williams (12/4/8)
Chapman (25/3/2) - Phills (15/5/1)
Norman (7/4/0) - Elliot (10/2/4)
White (4/4/0) - Oakley (2/8/3)
Olajuwon (12/17/4) - O’Neal (38/15/3)

Philadelphia 76ers lead series 2-0

Game 3:
(O’Neal 39) Philadelphia 76ers 102 - 78 Houston Rockets (Vandeweghe 17)
32-23 / 29-17 / 22-20 / 19-18
Williams (12/4/5) - Blaylock (7/2/3)
Phills (4/5/4) - Chapman (11/4/2)
Elliott (16/5/2) - Norman (8/3/2)
Oakley (1/12/3) - White (4/17/3)
O’Neal (39/13/0) - Olajuwon (9/11/2)

Philadelphia 76ers lead series 3-0

(O’Neal 34) Philadelphia 76ers 113 - 107 Houston Rockets (Chapman, Perry 16)
17-26 / 33-21 / 18-26 / 32-27 / 13-7
Williams (22/3/5) - Blaylock (4/1/1)
Phills (12/4/5) - Chapman (16/5/5)
Elliott (20/6/5) - Norman (6/5/2)
Oakley (3/9/4) - White (13/5/0)
O’Neal (34/17/2) - Olajuwon (14/12/4)

Philadelphia 76ers win series 4-0

NBA Championship Final:
Philadelphia 76ers 4-0 Houston Rockets

Finals MVP:
Shaquille O’Neal

Shaq with one of the greatest playoff performances in history, averaging 29 points for the whole playoffs and nearly 35 points for the Finals against Houston. He also had 18 double doubles in 19 games.

ITL Championships:
3 - Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks
2 - New York Knicks, Houston Rockets, Philadelphia 76ers
1 - Tampa Bay Bandits, Charlotte Hornets

All Time Championships
14 - Boston Celtics
11 - Los Angeles Lakers
5 - Philadelphia 76ers
4 - New York Knicks
3 - Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors
2 - Houston Rockets
1 - Atlanta Hawks, Sacramento Kings, Milwaukee Bucks, Portland Trail Blazers, Tampa Bay Bandits, Seattle SuperSonics, Washington Bullets, Charlotte Hornets
0 - Everyone else
​

 

[Don Corleone]

Minnesota Polars win series 3-2

:rotflmao: :double bird: :spank:

Suck it Fakers.

This update warmed my heart.

 

[Unknown]

And Michael Williams (all D guard) and AI would fit in backcourt much better than Kobe and AI (which sounds like an explosion waiting to happen - two legendary score first guards in same backcourt?).

I'd forgotten about that--yeah, Kobe and AI would eventually fall out, just like Kobe and Shaq did...

 

[Stark]

Wow baby, two titles in three years. What a nice timeline to be a Philly fan.

 

[Nivek]

Wow baby, two titles in three years. What a nice timeline to be a Philly fan.

And Shaq being the philly hero(otl Barkley was great but he's haunted as being ringless)

 

[DTF955Baseballfan]

Shaq versus Hakeem seems like a dream centermatchup - though admittedly the latter is a decade older - the Shaq's club dominated.

The MInnesota upset reminds me of what a friend told me about how he always rooted for the Mets versus the Dodgers. I imagine a lot of Minnesota fans were very excited to see the Lakers go down.

(My friend was a Giants fan when little but he knew Dodger fans in Brooklyn who felt the same way.)

Dolan's spat with Oakley is pretty famous OTL, with Oakley in Philly I wonder if there's any player he has a huge beef with TTL. I mean, he's already traded Jordan and it's going to be very hard for fans to forgive him for that.If he ever tries to ban Michael JOrdan, fans might rise up and prevent *Dolan* from entering his own arena.

 

[farmerted555]

It seem that there's a rule where the Sonics can never win more than one championship.

 

[HB62]

1997 Offseason

In the 1997 draft lottery, there were mixed fortunes for the four teams all with an equal best chance of winning that coveted number one pick. This year, the consensus pick would be Tim Duncan who was regarded as the star of the draft by some considerable distance. The four teams with the worst records from last season and therefore the best chance of picking up Duncan were the Montreal Royals, Louisville Brawlers, Chicago Bulls and Phoenix Suns. However, Phoenix and already traded this years pick away, meaning the New Jersey Nets were alongside the other aforementioned three teams for a good chance at the number one pick. The Nets also had the fifth best odds pick, via neighbours the New York Knicks as well as their own draft pick which was stationed at number eight on the odds list, giving them three chances at a number one pick. Washington and Seattle had the sixth and seventh best odds respectively. Whilst after New Jersey's own eighth pick, the rest of the lottery was rounded out by Toronto (via Sacramento) , Golden State (via Portland), Atlanta, Cleveland and the Los Angeles Clippers.

1997 Draft Lottery Results
1. Chicago Bulls
2. Washington Bullets
3. Seattle SuperSonics
4. Louisville Brawlers
5. New Jersey Nets (Via Knicks)
6. Golden State Warriors (Via Trail Blazers)
7. Toronto Huskies (Via Kings)
8. Montreal Royals
9. New Jersey Nets
10. New Jersey Nets (Via Suns)
11. Atlanta Hawks
12. Cleveland Cavaliers
13. Los Angeles Clippers

1997 Draft - 1st Round Picks
1. Chicago Bulls - Tim Duncan
2. Washington Bullets - Tony Battie
3. Seattle SuperSonics - Tracey McGrady
4. Louisville Brawlers - Ron Mercer
5. New Jersey Nets (Via Knicks) - Chauncey Billups
6. Golden State Warriors (Via Trail Blazers) - Antonio Daniels
7. Toronto Huskies (Via Kings) - Keith Van Horn
8. Montreal Royals - Tim Thomas
9. New Jersey Nets - Adonal Foyle
10. New Jersey Nets (Via Suns) - Tariq Abdul-Wahad
11. Atlanta Hawks - Danny Fortson
12. Cleveland Cavaliers - Austin Croshere
13. Los Angeles Clippers - Maurice Taylor
14. Sacramento Kings (Via Pistons) - Scott Pollard
15. New York Knicks (Via Nuggets) - Derek Anderson
16. Minnesota Polars - Kelvin Cato
17. Miami Heat - Brevin Knight
18. Golden State Warriors - Anthony Parker
19. New Jersey Nets (Via Mavericks) - Bobby Jackson
20. Houston Rockets - Charles Smith
21. Toronto Huskies - Jacque Vaughn
22. Milwaukee Bucks - Damon Jones
23. Utah Jazz - Pat Burke
24. Los Angeles Lakers - John Thomas
25. Indiana Pacers - Marc Jackson
26. Tampa Bay Bandits - Stephen Jackson
27. Boston Celtics - God Shammgod
28. Charlotte Hornets - Alvin Williams
29. Philadelphia 76ers - Predrag Drobnjak

Around the League​

• The Allen Iverson saga continued as Scottie Pippen spoke out in defense of his teammate, alleging he too had heard and been subjected to remarks with racial undertones by owner Donald Sterling. With neither player likely to play for the Clippers again, they were both eventually traded to the Denver Nuggets with Jamal Mashburn, Hersey Hawkins and draft picks sent in return. The NBA investigated and requested statements from all involved, but in the end declined to pursue the matter any further, causing discontent amongst many fans and players. ​
• 3 x NBA Championship winning coach Dick Motta left the Miami Heat after more playoff disappointment, and announced his retirement from the NBA. His replacement was the former Clippers' Head Coach Larry Brown. ​
• Phil Jackson left the Tampa Bay Bandits after five seasons that included one NBA Championship. Jackson was replaced by Atlanta legend Mike Fratello, whilst Jackson himself replaced Larry Bird at Boston who departed after four seasons. Bird would end up at the Chicago Bulls for the start of the season.​
• The Phoenix Suns traded Steve Smith in an attempt to start rebuilding the team after a dismal 1996-97 season. Smith left for Boston, with Theo Ratliff and Shawn Respert heading the other way to Phoenix. ​
• The Bandits, with a team that was showing signs of aging, started the process of energising the side as they traded Chris Mullin to the Louisville Brawlers alongside B.J. Armstrong. Doug Overton, Tom Gugliotta and a 1998 draft pick were sent in the opposite direction.​
• The Washington Bullets become the Washington Wizards for the 1997-98 season and beyond at the direction of owner Abe Pollin. Pollin was concerned at the rising negative connotations surrounding the name Bullets especially after the death of his friend Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, who was shot in the back.​
• Tampa Bay Bandits' stars David Robinson and Shawn Kemp both signed contract extensions with the team that now ran until the new millennium. Also signing new contracts was Derrick Coleman with Washington and Nick Anderson with Toronto. ​

How the Teams Line up

Atlanta Hawks
Coach: Garry St Jean
Line Up: Derek Harper, Stephon Marbury, Byron Russell, Cliff Robinson, Nick Vanos

Boston Celtics
Coach: Phil Jackson
Line Up: Eric Murdock, Steve Smith, Grant Hill, Chris Gatling, Vlade Divac

Charlotte Hornets
Coach: Pat Riley
Line Up: Tony Delk, Michael Jordan, Calbert Cheaney, Charles Barkley, Dikembe Mutombo

Chicago Bulls
Coach: Larry Bird
Line Up: Damon Stoudamire, Dan Mejerle, Toni Kukoc, Tim Duncan, Kevin Duckworth

Cleveland Cavaliers
Coach: Rick Pitino
Line Up: Gary Payton, Mitch Richmond, Chuck Person, A.C. Green, Pervis Ellison

Dallas Mavericks
Coach: Don Nelson
Line Up: Isiah Thomas, Jeff Hornacek, Joe Smith, Dale Davis, Benoit Benjamin

Denver Nuggets
Coach: Rick Adelman
Line Up: Tim Hardaway, Allen Iverson, Scottie Pippen, Glen Rice, Stanley Roberts

Detroit Pistons
Coach: Doug Collins
Line Up: Scott Skiles, Willie Anderson, Antoine Walkers, Antonio McDyess, Ghoerghe Muresan

Golden State Warriors
Coach: Paul Westphal
Line Up: Aaron McKie, Eddie Jones, Dale Ellis, Rasheed Wallace, Shawn Bradley

Houston Rockets
Coach: Bill Fitch
Line Up: Mookie Blaylock, Rex Chapman, Dominique Wilkins, Randy White, Hakeem Olajuwon

Indiana Pacers
Coach: Bob Hill
Line Up: Dana Barros, Shandon Anderson, Billy Owens, Antonio Davis, Doug Smith

Louisville Brawlers
Coach: Gregg Popovich
Line Up: Steve Nash, Ron Mercer, Chris Mullin, Kevin Garnett, George Zidek

Los Angeles Clippers
Coach: Chris Ford
Line Up: John Stockton, Hersey Hawkins, Jamal Mashburn, Antoine Carr, Brad Daugherty

Los Angeles Lakers:
Coach: Mike Dunleavy
Line Up: Penny Hardaway, Kobe Bryant, Peja Stojakowvic, Horace Grant, Alonzo Mourning

Miami Heat:
Coach: Larry Brown
Line Up: Rod Strickland, Clyde Drexler, Armen Gilliam, Larry Johnson, Erick Dampier

Milwaukee Bucks
Coach: Brian Hill
Line Up: B.J. Tyler, Allan Houston, Glenn Robinson, Terry Mills, Jermaine O'Neal

Minnesota Polars
Coach: Eddie Jordan
Line Up: Jason Kidd, Jim Jackson, Marcus Liberty, Dino Radja, Dwayne Schintzius

Montreal Royals
Coach: Bernie Bickerstaff
Line Up: Chucky Atkins, Ray Allen, Scott Burrell, Tim Thomas, Tyrone Hills

New Jersey Nets
Coach: John Calipari
Line Up: Chauncey Billups, Isiah Rider, Robert Horry, Vin Baker, Stacey King

New York Knicks
Coach: Allan Bristow
Line Up: Dee Brown, Kerry Kittles, Terry Cummings, LaPhonson Ellis, Bison Dele

Philadelphia 76ers
Coach: Lenny Wilkens
Line Up: Michael Williams, Bobby Phills, Sean Elliot, Charles Oakley, Shaquille O'Neal

Phoenix Suns
Coach: Bill Hanzlik
Line Up: Brooks Thompson, Shawn Respert, Jalen Rose, Kurt Thomas, Theo Ratliff

Portland Trail Blazers
Coach: P.J Carlesimo
Line Up: Terrell Brandon, Lancaster Gordon, Latrell Sprewell, Chris Webber, Rik Smits

Sacramento Kings
Coach: Rudy Tomjanovich
Line Up: Randy Brown, Drazen Petrovic, Clarence Weatherspoon, Danny Manning, Patrick Ewing

Seattle SuperSonics
Coach: Bob Weiss
Line Up: Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, Tracy McGrady, Dennis Scott, Rodney Rogers, Zydrunas Ilgauskas

Tampa Bay Bandits
Coach: Mike Fratello
Line Up: Sherman Douglas, Dell Curry, Kenneth Griffith, Shawn Kemp, David Robinson

Toronto Huskies
Coach: Alvin Gentry
Line Up: Kenny Anderson, Nick Anderson, Blue Edwards, Juwan Howard, Elden Campbell

Utah Jazz
Coach: George Karl
Line Up: Muggsy Bogues, Jerry Stackhouse, Walt Williams, Donyell Marshall, Christian Laettner

Washington Wizards
Coach: John Lucas II
Line Up: Nick Van Exel, Vinny Del Negro, Brent Barry, Derrick Coleman, Olden Polynice


1997-98 Betting Odds:
Philadelphia 76ers +350
Charlotte Hornets +400
Denver Nuggets +800
Boston Celtics +1000
Tampa Bay Bandits +1000
Los Angeles Lakers +1000
Houston Rockets +1000
Utah Jazz +1200
Dallas Mavericks +1400
Toronto Huskies +1400
Minnesota Polars +1500
Milwaukee Bucks +1500
Miami Heat +1800
Detroit Pistons +2000
Cleveland Cavaliers +2000
Golden State Warriors +2500
Los Angeles Clippers +2500
Indiana Pacers +3000
Sacramento Kings +6000
Washington Wizards +8000
Atlanta Hawks +8000
Portland Trail Blazers +10000
Seattle SuperSonics +10000
New Jersey Nets +12000
New York Knicks +150000
Louisville Brawlers +20000
Chicago Bulls +25000
Phoenix Suns +50000
Montreal Royals +100000

1997-98 Season - Opening Week Results:
October 31st
Atlanta Hawks 100-129 Dallas Mavericks
Chicago Bulls 115-119 Sacramento Kings
Denver Nuggets 80-107 Indiana Pacers
Golden State Warriors 122-80 Phoenix Suns
Houston Rockets 99-119 Toronto Huskies
Los Angeles Clippers 105-104 Seattle SuperSonics
Louisville Brawlers 98-122 Miami Heat
New Jersey Nets 106-109 Boston Celtics
New York Knicks 121-98 Los Angeles Lakers
Tampa Bay Bandits 87-111 Philadelphia 76ers
Utah Jazz 110-111 Minnesota Polars

November 1st
Boston Celtics 110-108 New Jersey Nets
Charlotte Hornets 116-119 Tampa Bay Bandits
Dallas Mavericks 104-101 Los Angeles Clippers
Golden State Warriors 101-104 Portland Trail Blazers
Houston Rockets 112-96 Atlanta Hawks
Indiana Pacers 92-112 Cleveland Cavaliers
Miami Heat 107-77 Montreal Royals
New York Knicks 87-113 Phoenix Suns
Sacramento Kings 102-109 Chicago Bulls
Seattle SupersSonics 98-104 Milwaukee Bucks
Washington Wizards 77-93 Detroit Pistons

November 2nd
Los Angeles Lakers 115-131 Philadelphia 76ers
Louisville Brawlers 81-106 Denver Nuggets

November 4th
Boston Celtics 99-90 Louisville Brawlers
Chicago Bulls 103-106 Toronto Huskies
Cleveland Cavaliers 98-97 Detroit Pistons
Golden State Warriors 101-102 New Jersey Nets
Indiana Pacers 91-112 Los Angeles Lakers
Minnesota Polars 110-95 Seattle SuperSonics
Philadelphia 76ers 104-77 Denver Nuggets
Portland Trail Blazers 105-118 Houston Rockets
Sacramento Kings 90-129 Dallas Mavericks
Utah Jazz 111-102 Milwaukee Bucks
Washington Wizards 89-96 Charlotte Hornets

November 5th
Atlanta Hawks 111-101 Montreal Royals
Charlotte Hornets 96-101 Miami Heat
Detroit Pistons 85-110 Philadelphia 76ers
Golden State Warriors 92-100 Denver Nuggets
New York Knicks 94-87 Los Angeles Clippers
Utah Jazz 113-110 Phoenix Suns

November 6th
Boston Celtics 94-97 Milwaukee Bucks
Dallas Mavericks 90-104 Houston Rockets
New Jersey Nets 96-94 Washington Wizards
Portland Trail Blazers 71-98 Seattle SuperSonics
Toronto Huskies 88-96 Cleveland Cavaliers

November 7th
Charlotte Hornets 113-74 Montreal Royals
Chicago Bulls 92-122 Golden State Warriors
Detroit Pistons 82-74 New York Knicks
Los Angeles Clippers 65-102 Indiana Pacers
Miami Heat 114-115 Louisville Brawlers
Philadelphia 76ers 121-108 Utah Jazz
Tampa Bay Bandits 87-96 Minnesota Polars

​

 

[Inferno60]

Wouldn’t Thomas and Wilkins be moved to the bench considering their ages? Also LOL Clippers, that trade looks lopsided as hell.

 

[HB62]

Wouldn’t Thomas and Wilkins be moved to the bench considering their ages? Also LOL Clippers, that trade looks lopsided as hell.

The Rockets back up small forward is Charles Smith, who is 32 anyway and not on the level of even a 37 year old Wilkins.

For Dallas yes Bob Sura has been starting over Thomas mostly this season.

And yeah, not great for the Clippers but better than losing both to free agency. Sterling was always going to find away to blow up a potentially title winning roster though!

 

[Stark]

Wow, Denver. Since my wife roots for Denver and I for Sixers this timeline sounds great 😂

 

[thekingsguard]

And Shaq gets ring number 2! May they be the first of many.