1998-99 Season - The Playoffs: Youth vs Experience
The Playoffs
(1E) Charlotte Hornets vs Detroit Pistons (8E)
(4E) Boston Celtics vs Cleveland Cavaliers (5E)
(3E) Indiana Pacers vs Washington Wizards (6E)
(2E) Philadelphia 76ers vs Atlanta Hawks (7E)
(1W) Denver Nuggets vs Sacramento Kings (8W)
(4W) Dallas Mavericks vs Minnesota Polars (5W)
(3W) Milwaukee Bucks vs Seattle SuperSonics (6W)
(2W) Los Angeles Lakers vs Utah Jazz (7W)
The first round of games for the 1999 playoffs passed without any surprises. The playoffs kicked off in Indiana, where the Pacers beat the Wizards 102-110, Billy Owens with 28 points and 10 rebounds. Boston beat Cleveland at home by a more comfortable 102-84 margin, Grant Hill with 25 and Chris Gatling with 21. Allan Houston was superb for Milwaukee in Game 1, scoring 39 as the Bucks thrashed Seattle 96-119. Charlie Ward had 16 assists for Milwaukee. Also making a good start to the playoffs was Joe Smith, who was the top scorer for Dallas in a very entertaining game against Minnesota. With the teams locked level at 114-114 after 48 minutes, two overtime periods were required before Dallas eventually won 136-140. Joe Smith had a 35/6/7 game, whilst Jason Kidd had 32/8/6 for Minnesota and Toni Kukoc was 1 rebound away from a triple double. Philadelphia had to come from behind to beat Atlanta, trailing by 6 going into the final quarter but eventually winning 103-107. Shaq had 33 points and 11 rebounds. No such worries for Charlotte, who led by 10 at half time and eventually cruised to a 95-114 win at home to Detroit to go 1-0 up in the series. Charles Barkley had 32, 23 for Michael Jordan. Kobe Bryant top scored for the Lakers with 26 as they beat Utah at home 87-108 and Denver made it a clean sweep for the higher seeds by beating Sacramento 108-120. Indiana moved to within one win of the semi finals with a narrow win over Washington in game two. The Pacers won 96-98 despite 26 points from Derrick Coleman. Boston were also in pole position to advance with a low scoring 82-86 win at home to Cleveland. Milwaukee went 2-0 up in their series against Seattle with a much more entertaining 112-133 victory. Glenn Robinson with 33/10/7 for the Bucks with Allan Houston backing up his 39 in game 1 with 32 in game 2. Minnesota almost became the first lower seed team to win a game this playoffs, but a late Dallas flurry gave them a 109-111 win. Dallas had trailed by 13 at the half, but a 19-40 third quarter gave them a healthy lead that Minnesota quickly overturned in the fourth, but Dallas roared back thanks to 22 from Joe Smith. Having threatened to do it in the first round of games, Atlanta became the first team to spring an upset as they levelled their series against Philadelphia up at 1-1. The Hawks won 102-99 in Philly, despite 33 from Shaq. Reggie Miller sunk 8 three pointers in a 35 point game for the 33 year old to give Hawks the shock win. Charlotte looked like they were in no mood to repeat their previous playoff experience against Detroit, as they moved 2-0 up in dominant fashion. The Hornets won 88-129 at home, with Barkley getting 43 points. A topsy-turvy battle in LA eventually ended with Utah moving level 1-1 with the Lakers. Utah raced into a 28-16 point lead after 12 minutes, before a 45 point 2nd Quarter gave the Lakers a nine point lead at the half. They led by thirteen with the final 12 minutes to go, but a 42-23 final quarter in favor of Utah gave the Jazz a 118-112 win. Jerry Stackhouse was the standout with 35 points. No such issues for Denver, who were 2-0 up in their series thanks to a 103-116 win at home to the Kings despite 31 from Drazen Petrovic. Indiana cruised into the semi finals thanks to a 109-97 win in Washington. The Pacers scored 40 in the first quarter and never looked back. They will play Philadelphia or Atlanta in the semi finals. Billy Owens had 40 for the Pacers. Also through with a clean sweep was Boston, who won 100-94 on the road to Cleveland. Mitch Richmond put up a fight with 33 but it wasn’t enough for the Cavs who are now without a semi final appearance since 1994. The young Seattle side was also swept, as the Bucks won 109-86 in Seattle. Allan Houston again the man for Milwaukee, with 38. Minnesota however were in no mood to crash out too early, as they eased to a win over Dallas to force a fourth game. The Polars won 96-111 at home with Jason Kidd bagging 41. Low scoring Philadelphia again had to come from behind as they ground out a win in Atlanta. The 76ers trailed by 6 again going into the final quarter, but dominated the last twelve minutes 29-10, to eventually win 85-72 and go 2-1 up in the series. The reigning champions were safely through, winning 127-114 in Detroit to set up a tough semi final clash with Boston. Charles Barkley again top scoring with 32, Jordan with 28. The Lakers, desperate to avoid another early elimination were on good form as they won 113-92 in Utah to move 2-1 up in their series. Another good performance from Jerry Stackhouse was canceled out by 29 points from the continually impressive Kobe Bryant. Denver clinched victory in the game and the series over Sacramento on the buzzer, with a late Allen Iverson bucket giving the Nuggets a 104-103 win. Iverson top scored for the Nuggets with 22, backed up by 18 from Tim Hardaway and Glen Rice. And Denver would play Dallas in the semi finals, as the Mavericks won game four in Minnesota. 35 points from Jason Kidd wasn’t enough for the Polars, who were beaten 113-98 thanks to impressive double doubles from Joe Smith and Benoit Benjamin. Atlanta were still in contention to cause a big upset, as they forced a game five with a fourth quarter comeback against the 76ers. Atlanta won 102-107 with Cliff Robinson having 25 points and 13 rebounds as the game was tied 2-2. Not going to a game five was the Lakers / Utah matchup. The Lakers won game four 90-82 to win the series 3-1. Peja Stojakovic on form the Lakers with 20 whilst Alonzo Mourning had another double double. The final match of the first round was the game five in Philadelphia. Atlanta did all they could, and were up narrowly at half time but Philly stepped it up a gear and eventually won 99-107 to avoid a surprise. The result meant for the second consecutive season all eight higher seeded teams made it through to the semi finals.
(1E) Charlotte Hornets 3 vs 0 Detroit Pistons (8E)
(4E) Boston Celtics 3 vs 0 Cleveland Cavaliers (5E)
(3E) Indiana Pacers 3 vs 0 Washington Wizards (6E)
(2E) Philadelphia 76ers 3 vs 2 Atlanta Hawks (7E)
(1W) Denver Nuggets 3 vs 0 Sacramento Kings (8W)
(4W) Dallas Mavericks 3 vs 1 Minnesota Polars (5W)
(3W) Milwaukee Bucks 3 vs 0 Seattle SuperSonics (6W)
(2W) Los Angeles Lakers 3 vs 1 Utah Jazz (7W)
Semi Finals
(1E) Charlotte Hornets vs Boston Celtics (4E)
(2E) Philadelphia 76ers vs Indiana Pacers (3E)
(1W) Denver Nuggets vs Dallas Mavericks (4W)
(2W) Los Angeles Lakers vs Milwaukee Bucks (3W)
The semi finals kicked off in Los Angeles, with the Lakers looking for a return to the NBA final. For the Bucks, they were looking just for a first Conference final since 1983. Game one was all about the Lakers though, who dominated throughout and won 110-132. Peja Stojakovic had 34 for the Lakers who went 1-0 up in the series. Philadelphia, perhaps unsurprisingly after their performances against Atlanta, suffered defeat in game one to Indiana. The 76ers led by eight after the first quarter but after that it was all about Indiana who controlled the rest of the game and eventually won 122-103. Shaq’s 36 points not enough for Philly, with Billy Owens going toe to toe with Shaq scoring 34 himself. Denver won an incredible first game over Dallas. The Mavericks were in front by twenty after the first twelve minutes after a 40-20 first quarter. Denver slowly knocked away the advantage though, and were in front by one with twelve minutes to go. The Nuggets continued to edge out the points and eventually won 111-116. Allen Iverson had 46 for the Nuggets. Charlotte had a comfortable game one win, beating Boston 74-108. The game was the Michael Jordan show, with Jordan getting 36 for the Hornets, 20 points more than any other player on the home side. The Lakers went 2-0 up in game two over Milwaukee. The Bucks won the first quarter 32-14 but after that it was all LA. The Lakers eventually won 97-104 to extend their advantage in the series. Also going 2-0 up in their series was Indiana, who made it back to back wins in Philadelphia with a 122-119 win. Shaq had 35, but this time was outdone by Billy Owens who had 41 to leave Philly in big trouble. Denver were looking super strong against Dallas, winning game two 102-125 despite being beaten by 17 in the final quarter. Tim Hardaway had 28 points and 11 assists for Denver who were really rolling along nicely. Charlotte were in cruise control in their game two, with another comfortable win. The Hornets won 83-111, with 29 points and 11 assists for Jordan and 24 points and 10 rebounds for Barkley. The Bucks fought their way back into the series with the Lakers in game three, with the result swinging from one side to the other in the final quarter. Eventually the Bucks won out 112-115, thanks to a 40 point game from Glenn Robinson. Philadelphia finally came to life in their series, just a couple of minutes from going 3-0 down a late flurry gave them a 98-95 win in Indiana. Shaq had 34 points and 15 rebounds. Denver had no such problems going 3-0 up in their series, with a 99-87 win in Dallas. Iverson going 23/7/10 for the ever impressive Nuggets. The other top seed was faring equally as well, as Charlotte had another comfortable win over Boston. This time the Hornets won 109-84 in Boston to go 3-0 up. Pundits were already talking about how their excitement over the prospect of another Charlotte / Denver final. The Lakers may have something to say about that however, as they moved within a win of the Western Conference final with a 114-107 win in Milwaukee. Stojakovic, Bryant and Penny Hardaway all with 20+ point games. Philly again ground out another win in Indiana to level the series 2-2. It was another low scoring affair, 96-88 to the 76ers but it was just the result that mattered at this stage for Philly. Denver became the first team through to the Conference Finals after winning 110-107 in Dallas. The Nuggets were yet to drop a game in their charge through the West side of the playoffs. Allen Iverson with a 28/6/12 game. Charlotte also made their conference final without dropping a game, winning 89-84 in Boston to advance 4-0. Michael Jordan top scored in all 4 games, this time with 26. The Lakers were made to work for their West Conference final place, with the Bucks forcing them all the way to overtime in game five. It was the Lakers who prevailed at home however, with a 102-108 win after the first overtime period. Kobe Bryant had 28, whilst there were double doubles for Stojakovic and P.J. Brown. For the fifth game in a row, the away side won the match in the Philadelphia / Indiana series. And it was an absolute thrashing for the away side, as Indiana won all four quarters to eventually win 122-83 in Philly. Billy Owens had 34 whilst there was 32 for B.J. Tyler in the only matchup to reach a sixth game. The series would go all the way to game seven as well, as Philly kept their playoffs and championship hopes alive with a 116-106 win in game six. Shaq had 37 but Philly would have to hope the road team streak came to an end in the crucial decider. Philly started game 7 well, leading 28-35 after the first twelve minutes. Indiana kept themselves in the game though, and won the second quarter by a point to trail by six at half time. A 27-20 third quarter in favour of the Pacers gave them a one point lead with twelve minutes to go. With the Philadelphia crowd nervy, the final quarter went back and fourth, with Philly taking a lead late on. The lead was slender though, and two late baskets including an Antonio Davis field goal right on the buzzer gave the Pacers a dramatic 109-108 win to break the hearts of the Philadelphia crowd. Indiana won the series 4-3, with the road team winning all seven games in an incredible series.
(1E) Charlotte Hornets 4 vs 0 Boston Celtics (4E)
(2E) Philadelphia 76ers 3 vs 4 Indiana Pacers (3E)
(1W) Denver Nuggets 4 vs 0 Dallas Mavericks (4W)
(2W) Los Angeles Lakers 4 vs 1 Milwaukee Bucks (3W)
Conference Finals
(1E) Charlotte Hornets vs Indiana Pacers (3E)
(1W) Denver Nuggets vs Los Angeles Lakers (2W)
The Conference Finals got underway in Charlotte, with big favorites Charlotte Hornets hosting the Indiana Pacers. The Hornets made a slow start, scoring just 18 points in the first quarter and trailing by 10. Charlotte would turn the game around however, an incredible defensive performance from Charles Barkley helping the Hornets to a 72-88 win, with Indiana scoring just 44 points in the final 36 minutes. Denver were the favorites in the West final, hosting the LA Lakers in game one. That game did not go to the expected script however, with the Lakers running riot in the second half and eventually winning 127-95 in Denver. Peja Stojakovic had 30 points and 10 rebounds whilst Kobe Bryant combined 29 points with 8 assists to give the Lakers a 1-0 lead. Game two in Charlotte was similarly low scoring to game one, but with a different result. Charlotte again started poorly, and trailed by 12 at half time. They improved after the break, but Indiana held on to level the series with a 92-87 win. Michael Jordan top scored the game with 26, Steve Smith with 23 for Indiana. The Denver / Lakers matchup was proving to be the much more entertaining of the two, with another high scoring match in game two. The Lakers started fast, 36 points in the first twelve minutes enough for a ten point lead. Denver came back to trail by just one at half time but a controlled second half from the Lakers gave them a 121-110 win and a 2-0 lead to take back to Los Angeles. Bryant had 28, Stojakovic 27 and Penny Hardaway 22 for the high scoring Lakers. With the series evenly balanced in the East, the shackles were taken off both teams a little in game 3. It was Indiana who prevailed, 110-115 at home to take a 2-1 lead. Billy Owens was the start, 40 points including 7 from 7 at the free throw line. Barkley had 26 points and 17 rebounds but it wasn’t enough for the Hornets who trailed in the final. Denver needed a win in LA to keep the series alive, but a 21-32 first quarter in favor of the Lakers was not the start they imagined. The Lakers would hold onto that advantage, eventually winning 100-112 to move into a 3-0 lead and one win from a return to the final. Glen Rice had 29 points in his best performance of the playoffs but it wasn’t enough for Denver. Certainly the matchup in the East was proving much closer, although game four was not a close affair. Charlotte, not in the mood to let go of their title just yet, romped to victory in Indiana to level the series up at 2-2. The Hornets won 120-78, despite leading by just three at half time. Charles Barkley had 44 points and 13 rebounds, whilst Jordan had 28 points and 14 assists. The Nuggets looked set to force a game five back in Denver after leading by 8 with twelve minutes to go in game four. The Lakers had other ideas however, staging a late comeback to win 96-98 and sweep the number one seeds on their way to a second final in four years. Charlotte, now back at home, looked incredibly determined to set up a repeat of the 1996 final. The Hornets were as dominant as they were in game four, winning 94-133 at home. Jordan with a 40/5/10 game whilst Barkley went 39/7/7 to leave the Hornets one win from the NBA final. And that win would follow a game later, as the Pacers simply ran out of ideas on how to stop the Hornets. Having led the series 2-1, three dominant wins for Charlotte saw them through to the final. Game six was a 105-82 win in Indiana for the Hornets, with 46 this time from Michael Jordan to set up a final with the Lakers. Jordan was now averaging 28.4 points per game for the playoffs despite a slow start, with Barkley not far behind on 26.8. For the Lakers, both youngsters Bryant and Stojakovic led the way for their points, both averaging 22.5 points per game so far.
(1E) Charlotte Hornets 4 vs 2 Indiana Pacers (3E)
(1W) Denver Nuggets 0 vs 4 Los Angeles Lakers (2W)
NBA Championship Final:
Charlotte Hornets vs Los Angeles Lakers
Road to the Final
Charlotte Hornets:
Head Coach: Pat Riley
Regular Season: 69-13
Conference Rank: 1st
Playoff Run:
First Round - Detroit Pistons (3-0)
Semi Final - Boston Celtics (4-0)
East Final - Indiana Pacers (4-2)
Starting 5: Tony Delk, Michael Jordan, John Williams, Charles Barkley, Dikembe Mutobmo
Los Angeles Lakers:
Head Coach: Rudy Tomjanovich
Regular Season: 53-29
Conference Rank: 2nd
Playoff Run:
First Round - Utah Jazz (4-1)
Semi Final - Milwaukee Bucks (4-1)
West Final - Denver Nuggets (4-0)
Starting 5: Penny Hardaway, Kobe Bryant, Peja Stojakovic, James Worthy, Alonzo Mourning
Regular Season Matchups:
Los Angeles Lakers 92-101 Charlotte Hornets
Charlotte Hornets 111-126 Los Angeles Lakers
Game 1:
Los Angeles Lakers 129 - 136 Charlotte Hornets
25-28 / 32-31 / 32-28 / 30-32 / 10-17
P Hardaway (14/2/12) - Delk (12/4/8)
Bryant (24/1/3) - Jordan (36/8/5)
Stojakovic (27/5/1) - Williams (8/6/4)
Worthy (21/5/5) - Barkley (33/10/8)
Mourning (15/5/0) - Mutombo (5/12/1)
Charlotte Hornets lead series 1-0
Game 2:
Los Angeles Lakers 86 - 105 Charlotte Hornets
26-31 / 14-16 / 21-27 / 25-31
P Hardaway (13/1/7) - Delk (7/0/3)
Bryant (17/5/5) - Jordan (28/5/9)
Stojakovic (23/2/0) - Williams (7/1/2)
Worthy (4/10/2) - Barkley (27/13/6)
Mourning (4/15/0) - Mutombo (3/5/1)
Charlotte Hornets lead series 2-0
Game 3:
Charlotte Hornets 94 - 118 Los Angeles Lakers
32-27 / 25-31 / 18-33 / 19-27
Delk (13/2/1) - P Hardaway (15/3/5)
Jordan (22/7/7) - Bryant (20/5/8)
Williams (6/5/4) - Stojakovic (28/3/3)
Barkley (25/11/6) - Worthy (22/7/2)
Mutombo (4/7/2) - Mourning (12/11/2)
Charlotte Hornets lead series 2-1
Game 4:
Charlotte Hornets 101 - 87 Los Angeles Lakers
27-19 / 22-22 / 30-31 / 22-15
Delk (8/3/3) - P Hardaway (28/3/3)
Jordan (21/6/3) - Bryant (9/3/3)
Williams (18/6/8) - Stojakovic (28/3/3)
Barkley (28/11/5) - Worthy (8/5/2)
Mutombo (0/7/0) - Mourning (6/14/0)
*A freak collision between Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant just before the end of the second quarter after a basket by Jordan leaves both out for the remainder of the playoffs. Jordan with a torn calf muscle sustained whilst scoring the basket and Bryant with a hand fracture sustained in the collision.
Charlotte Hornets lead series 3-1
Game 4:
Los Angeles Lakers 100 - 111 Charlotte Hornets
33-26 / 18-18 / 19-34 / 30-33
P Hardaway (13/4/4) - Delk (8/5/5)
Harris (12/3/6) - Barry (10/4/2)
Stojakovic (30/4/3) - Williams (14/7/9)
Worthy (8/6/2) - Barkley (38/17/1)
Mourning (14/8/1) - Mutombo (6/4/2)
Charlotte Hornets win series 4-1
NBA Championship Final:
Charlotte Hornets 4-1 Los Angeles Lakers
Finals MVP:
Charles Barkley
ITL Championships:
3 - Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks, Charlotte Hornets
2 - New York Knicks, Houston Rockets, Philadelphia 76ers
1 - Tampa Bay Bandits
All Time Championships
14 - Boston Celtics
11 - Los Angeles Lakers
5 - Philadelphia 76ers
4 - New York Knicks
3 - Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors, Charlotte Hornets
2 - Houston Rockets
1 - Atlanta Hawks, Sacramento Kings, Milwaukee Bucks, Portland Trail Blazers, Tampa Bay Bandits, Seattle SuperSonics, Washington Wizards
0 - Everyone else