1997 NBA Playoffs

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
1997NBAPlayoffs.png

The 1997 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1996-97 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls winning the NBA championship by defeating the Western Conference champion Utah Jazz 4 games to 2. This was the Bulls' second championship in a row, and fifth overall (They would complete the three-peat by beating Utah again in 1998). Michael Jordan was named NBA Finals MVP for the fifth time.

This was the first Western Conference championship for the Jazz in their 22-year history.

The Heat's run to the Eastern Conference Finals marked the farthest the franchise had reached in the playoffs up to that point; they would not return to the East Finals until 2005, but would win the NBA Championship in 2006.

The Wolves made their playoff debut after failing to win more than 30 games in any of their first seven seasons. For them, it was also the first of seven consecutive seasons in which they would make the playoffs only to lose in the opening round.

This was the first (and, as of 2011, only) instance since the ABA–NBA merger prior to the 1976–77 season that none of the four former ABA teams (San Antonio, Denver, Indiana, New Jersey) managed to make the playoffs, even more remarkable considering the rarity with which the Spurs have missed the playoffs at all (as of 2011, only 4 times since the ABA–NBA merger).

It was also the first season in which all four of the 1988 and 1989 expansion teams (Minnesota, Miami, Orlando and Charlotte) made the playoffs. This would happen again in 2001.

The two #8 seeds in this tournament (the Washington Bullets and Los Angeles Clippers) broke long playoff droughts with their appearances in the 1997 playoffs. (The Bullets' last playoff appearance had been in 1988; the Clippers', in 1993). Unfortunately for both teams, it would be a long time before either would appear in the playoffs again; the renamed Wizards made their return in 2005; the Clippers in 2006.

The Bullets qualified by defeating the Cavs in a regular season finale game that saw both teams fighting for the #8 seed.[1]

Game 4 of the Bulls–Hawks series was the last game ever played at The Omni. The Hawks' home playoff games for 1998 and 1999 were played at the Georgia Dome while the Omni was demolished to make way for Philips Arena.

Game 3 of the Bulls–Bullets series was the last game ever played at the Capital Centre (was named USAir Arena at the time). As the Bullets also changed their name as well as their arena after this season, the same game also marks the last time the team was officially nicknamed the "Bullets."

Contents

[edit] Bracket

  First Round Conference Semifinals Conference Finals NBA Finals
                                     
1  Utah 3  
8  L.A. Clippers 0  
  1  Utah 4  
 
  4  L.A. Lakers 1  
4  L.A. Lakers 3
5  Portland 1  
  1  Utah 4  
Western Conference
  3  Houston 2  
3  Houston 3  
6  Minnesota 0  
  3  Houston 4
 
  2  Seattle 3  
2  Seattle 3
7  Phoenix 2  
  W1  Utah 2
  E1  Chicago 4
1  Chicago 3  
8  Washington 0  
  1  Chicago 4
 
  4  Atlanta 1  
4  Atlanta 3
5  Detroit 2  
  1  Chicago 4
Eastern Conference
  2  Miami 1  
3  New York 3  
6  Charlotte 0  
  3  New York 3
 
  2  Miami 4  
2  Miami 3
7  Orlando 2  

[edit] Playoff qualifying

[edit] Western Conference

[edit] Best record in conference

The Utah Jazz clinched the best record in the Western Conference, and had home court advantage throughout the Western Conference playoffs.

[edit] Clinched a playoff berth

The following teams clinched a playoff berth in the West:

  1. Utah Jazz (clinched Midwest division)
  2. Seattle SuperSonics (clinched Pacific division)
  3. Houston Rockets
  4. Los Angeles Lakers
  5. Portland Trail Blazers
  6. Minnesota Timberwolves
  7. Phoenix Suns
  8. Los Angeles Clippers

[edit] Eastern Conference

[edit] Best record in NBA

The Chicago Bulls clinched the best record in the NBA, and earned home court advantage throughout the entire playoffs.

[edit] Clinched a playoff berth

The following teams clinched a playoff berth in the East:

  1. Chicago Bulls (clinched Central division)
  2. Miami Heat (clinched Atlantic division)
  3. New York Knicks
  4. Atlanta Hawks
  5. Detroit Pistons
  6. Charlotte Hornets
  7. Orlando Magic
  8. Washington Wizards

[edit] Memorable moments

The 1997 NBA Playoffs featured several important clutch shots.

Scottie Pippen made the series-winning dunk with 7.4 seconds left as the Bulls sweep the Bullets 96–95 and advance to the semifinals.[2]

With his team trailing 107–104 in the final seconds, Phoenix guard Rex Chapman took the inbounds pass, launched a three-pointer while falling out of bounds, and converted it for the tie. However, the Sonics would go on to win in overtime 122-115.

Scottie Pippen broke a tie game at 97 by hitting a 3 with 43.9 seconds left. Neither team scored after that, and the Bulls beat Atlanta 100–97.

Houston's Eddie Johnson nailed a three-pointer at the buzzer to tie the series at 2.

Utah's John Stockton capped off a spectacular 4th quarter performance by hitting a 3 at the buzzer to send his team to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history.

With the game tied at 82 with 9.2 seconds left, Jazz forward Karl Malone missed two crucial free throws. Chicago regained possession and Michael Jordan hit a jumper at the buzzer to give his team the victory.

With most viewers (and Utah defenders) thinking Jordan would take the last shot with the game tied at 86, Jordan instead passed to Steve Kerr who sank a 15-foot jump shot with 5 seconds remaining. On the next play, Scottie Pippen stole Bryon Russell's inbound pass and rolled the ball to Toni Kukoc, who clinched the title with a dunk.

[edit] Notes

  • For the first time since 1992, a #5 seed did not beat their #4 seeded opponent in the first round.

[edit] Western Conference

Champion: Utah Jazz

[edit] First Round

[edit] (1) Utah Jazz vs. (8) Los Angeles Clippers

Last Playoff Meeting: 1992 Western Conference First Round (Utah won 3–2)

Game Date Home Score Visitor Score Record

(UTAH-LAC)

 Venue Recap
1 April 24 Utah 106 L.A. Clippers 86 1-0 Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah 1
2 April 26 Utah 105 L.A. Clippers 99 2-0 Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah 2
3 April 28 L.A. Clippers 92 Utah 104 3-0 Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, California 3
Utah wins series 3–0

[edit] (4) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (5) Portland Trail Blazers

Last Playoff Meeting: 1992 Western Conference First Round (Portland won 3–1)

Game Date Home Score Visitor Score Record

(LAL-POR)

 Venue Recap Television
1 April 25 L.A. Lakers 95 Portland 77 1-0 Great Western Forum, Los Angeles, California 1 TNT
2 April 27 L.A. Lakers 107 Portland 93 2-0 Great Western Forum, Los Angeles, California 2 NBC
3 April 30 Portland 98 L.A. Lakers 90 2-1 Rose Garden Arena, Portland, Oregon 3 TNT
4 May 2 Portland 91 L.A. Lakers 95 3-1 Rose Garden Arena, Portland, Oregon 4 TNT
L.A. Lakers win series 3–1

[edit] (2) Seattle SuperSonics vs. (7) Phoenix Suns

Last Playoff Meeting: 1993 Western Conference Finals (Phoenix won 4–3)

Game Date Home Score Visitor Score Record

(SEA-PHO)

 Venue Recap Television
1 April 25 Seattle 101 Phoenix 106 0-1 KeyArena, Seattle, Washington 1
2 April 27 Seattle 122 Phoenix 78 1-1 KeyArena, Seattle, Washington 2
3 April 29 Phoenix 110 Seattle 103 1-2 America West Arena, Phoenix, Arizona 3
4 May 1 Phoenix 115 Seattle 122 2-2 America West Arena, Phoenix, Arizona 4 TNT
5 May 3 Seattle 116 Phoenix 92 3-2 KeyArena, Seattle, Washington 5 NBC
Seattle wins series 3–2

[edit] (3) Houston Rockets vs. (6) Minnesota Timberwolves

Last Playoff Meeting: Not available (first playoff series)

Game Date Visitor Score Home Score Record

(HOU-MIN)

 Venue Recap Television
1 April 24 Houston 112 Minnesota 95 1-0 The Summit, Houston, Texas 1
2 April 26 Houston 96 Minnesota 84 2-0 The Summit, Houston, Texas 2 NBC
3 April 29 Minnesota 120 Houston 125 3-0 Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota 3
Houston wins series 3–0

[edit] Conference Semifinals

[edit] (1) Utah Jazz vs. (4) Los Angeles Lakers

Last Playoff Meeting: 1988 Western Conference Semifinals (Los Angeles won 4-3)

Game Date Home Score Visitor Score Record

(UTAH-LAL)

 Venue Recap Television
1 May 4 Utah 93 Los Angeles 77 1-0 Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah 1 NBC
2 May 6 Utah 103 Los Angeles 101 2-0 Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah 2
3 May 8 Los Angeles 104 Utah 84 2-1 Great Western Forum, Los Angeles, California 3
4 May 10 Los Angeles 95 Utah 110 3-1 Great Western Forum, Los Angeles, California 4 NBC
5 May 12 Utah 98 Los Angeles 93 4-1 Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah 5 TNT
Utah wins series 4–1

[edit] (2) Seattle SuperSonics vs. (3) Houston Rockets

Last Playoff Meeting: 1996 Western Conference Semifinals (Seattle won 4-0)

Game Date Home Score Visitor Score Record

(HOU-SEA)

 Venue Recap Television
1 May 5 Houston 112 Seattle 102 1-0 The Summit, Houston, Texas 1
2 May 7 Houston 101 Seattle 106 1-1 The Summit, Houston, Texas 2
3 May 9 Seattle 93 Houston 97 2-1 KeyArena, Seattle, Washington 3
4 May 11 Seattle 106 Houston 110 3-1 KeyArena, Seattle, Washington 4 NBC
5 May 13 Houston 94 Seattle 100 3-2 The Summit, Houston, Texas 5
6 May 15 Seattle 99 Houston 96 3-3 KeyArena, Seattle, Washington 6 TNT
7 May 17 Houston 96 Seattle 91 4-3 The Summit, Houston, Texas 7 NBC
Houston wins series 4–3

[edit] Conference Finals

[edit] (1) Utah Jazz vs. (3) Houston Rockets

Last Playoff Meeting: 1995 Western Conference First Round (Houston won 3-2)

Game Date Home Score Visitor Score Record

(UTAH-HOU)

 Venue Recap Television
1 May 19 Utah 101 Houston 86 1-0 Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah 1 NBC
2 May 21 Utah 104 Houston 92 2-0 Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah 2 NBC
3 May 23 Houston 118 Utah 100 2-1 The Summit, Houston, Texas 3 NBC
4 May 25 Houston 95 Utah 92 2-2 The Summit, Houston, Texas 4 NBC
5 May 27 Utah 96 Houston 91 3-2 Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah 5 NBC
6 May 29 Houston 100 Utah 103 4-2 The Summit, Houston, Texas 6 NBC
Utah wins series 4–2

[edit] Eastern Conference

Champion: Chicago Bulls

[edit] First Round

[edit] (1) Chicago Bulls vs. (8) Washington Bullets

Last Playoff Meeting: Not available (first playoff series)

Game Date Home Score Visitor Score Record

(CHI-WAS)

 Venue Recap Television
1 April 25 Chicago 98 Washington 86 1-0 United Center, Chicago, Illinois 1 TNT
2 April 27 Chicago 109 Washington 104 2-0 United Center, Chicago, Illinois 2 NBC
3 April 30 Washington 95 Chicago 96 3-0 US Airways Arena, Landover, Maryland 3 TNT
Chicago wins series 3–0

[edit] (4) Atlanta Hawks vs. (5) Detroit Pistons

Last Playoff Meeting: 1991 Eastern Conference First Round (Detroit won 3-2)

Game Date Home Score Visitor Score Record

(ATL-DET)

 Venue Recap Television
1 April 25 Atlanta 89 Detroit 75 1-0 Omni Coliseum, Atlanta, Georgia 1
2 April 27 Atlanta 80 Detroit 93 1-1 Omni Coliseum, Atlanta, Georgia 2
3 April 29 Detroit 99 Atlanta 91 1-2 The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan 3
4 May 2 Detroit 82 Atlanta 94 2-2 Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan 4
5 May 4 Atlanta 84 Detroit 79 3-2 Omni Coliseum, Atlanta, Georgia 5 NBC
Atlanta wins series 3–2

[edit] (2) Miami Heat vs. (7) Orlando Magic

Last Playoff Meeting: Not available (first playoff series)

Game Date Home Score Visitor Score Record

(MIA-ORL)

 Venue Recap Television
1 April 24 Miami 99 Orlando 64 1-0 Miami Arena, Miami, Florida 1
2 April 27 Miami 104 Orlando 87 2-0 Miami Arena, Miami, Florida 2 NBC
3 April 29 Orlando 88 Miami 75 2-1 Amway Arena, Orlando, Florida 3 TBS
4 May 1 Orlando 99 Miami 91 2-2 Amway Arena, Orlando, Florida 4 TNT
5 May 4 Miami 91 Orlando 83 3-2 Miami Arena, Miami, Florida 5 NBC
Miami wins series 3–2

[edit] (3) New York Knicks vs. (6) Charlotte Hornets

Last Playoff Meeting: 1993 Eastern Conference Semifinals (New York won 4-1)

Game Date Home Score Visitor Score Record

(NYK-CHA)

 Venue Recap Television
1 April 24 New York 109 Charlotte 99 1-0 Madison Square Garden, New York, New York 1 MSG
2 April 26 New York 100 Charlotte 93 2-0 Madison Square Garden, New York, New York 2 NBC
3 April 28 Charlotte 95 New York 104 3-0 Charlotte Coliseum, Charlotte, North Carolina 3 TNT
New York wins series 3–0

[edit] Conference Semifinals

[edit] (1) Chicago Bulls vs. (4) Atlanta Hawks

Last Playoff Meeting: 1993 Eastern Conference First Round (Chicago won 3-0)

Game Date Home Score Visitor Score Record

(CHI-ATL)

 Venue Recap Television
1 May 6 Chicago 100 Atlanta 97 1-0 United Center, Chicago, Illinois 1 TNT
2 May 8 Chicago 95 Atlanta 103 1-1 United Center, Chicago, Illinois 2 TNT
3 May 10 Atlanta 80 Chicago 100 2-1 Omni Coliseum, Atlanta, Georgia 3 NBC
4 May 11 Atlanta 80 Chicago 89 3-1 Omni Coliseum, Atlanta, Georgia 4 NBC
5 May 13 Chicago 107 Atlanta 92 4-1 United Center, Chicago, Illinois 5 TNT
Chicago wins series 4–1

[edit] (2) Miami Heat vs. (3) New York Knicks

Last Playoff Meeting: Not available (first playoff series)

Game Date Home Score Visitor Score Record

(MIA-NYK)

 Venue Recap Television
1 May 7 Miami 79 New York 88 0-1 Miami Arena, Miami, Florida 1 TNT
2 May 9 Miami 88 New York 84 1-1 Miami Arena, Miami, Florida 2 TNT
3 May 11 New York 77 Miami 73 1-2 Madison Square Garden, New York, New York 3 NBC
4 May 12 New York 89 Miami 76 1-3 Madison Square Garden, New York, New York 4 TNT
5 May 14 Miami 96 New York 81 2-3 Miami Arena, Miami, Florida 5 TNT
6 May 16 New York 90 Miami 95 3-3 Madison Square Garden, New York, New York 6 TNT
7 May 18 Miami 101 New York 90 4-3 Miami Arena, Miami, Florida 7 NBC
Miami wins series 4–3

[edit] Conference Finals

[edit] (1) Chicago Bulls vs. (2) Miami Heat

Last Playoff Meeting: 1996 Eastern Conference First Round (Chicago won 3-0)

Game Date Home Score Visitor Score Record

(CHI-MIA)

 Venue Recap Television
1 May 20 Chicago 84 Miami 77 1-0 United Center, Chicago, Illinois 1 TNT
2 May 22 Chicago 75 Miami 68 2-0 United Center, Chicago, Illinois 2 TNT
3 May 24 Miami 74 Chicago 98 3-0 Miami Arena, Miami, Florida 3 NBC
4 May 26 Miami 87 Chicago 80 3-1 Miami Arena, Miami, Florida 4 NBC
5 May 28 Chicago 100 Miami 87 4-1 United Center, Chicago, Illinois 5 NBC
Chicago wins series 4–1

[edit] NBA Finals

Main article: 1997 NBA Finals

[edit] Chicago Bulls vs. Utah Jazz

Game Date Home Score Visitor Score Record

(CHI-UTAH)

 Venue Recap Television
1 June 1 Chicago 84 Utah 82 1-0 United Center, Chicago, Illinois 1 NBC
2 June 4 Chicago 97 Utah 85 2-0 United Center, Chicago, Illinois 2 NBC
3 June 6 Utah 104 Chicago 93 2-1 Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah 3 NBC
4 June 8 Utah 78 Chicago 73 2-2 Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah 4 NBC
5 June 11 Utah 88 Chicago 90 3-2 Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah 5 NBC
6 June 13 Chicago 90 Utah 86 4-2 United Center, Chicago, Illinois 6 NBC
Chicago wins NBA Championship series 4–2
  • In Game 1, Michael Jordan hit the game-winning shot at the buzzer.
  • In Game 3, Scottie Pippen tied a then-Finals record with 7 3-pointers.
  • In Game 4, John Stockton threw a full-court pass over Michael Jordan to Karl Malone to give Utah the lead for good.
  • In Game 5 (The Flu Game), Michael Jordan plays 44 minutes and scores 38 points despite being visibly weak.
  • In Game 6, Steve Kerr hits the game-winner with 5 seconds left, then Scottie Pippen steals Bryon Russell's inbounds pass and rolls the ball to Toni Kukoč, who dunks it with 6 tenths left to bring the Finals to a close.

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Bullets Beat Cavs, Earn Playoff Berth". Eugene Register-Guard. 21 April 1997. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=WYAzAAAAIBAJ&sjid=2esDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5384,5460039. Retrieved 15 June 2011. 
  2. ^ Roberts, Selena (1 May 1997). "Bulls Prevail, but Bullets Go Out Fighti". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1997/05/01/sports/bulls-prevail-but-bullets-go-out-fighting.html. Retrieved 20 July 2010. 

[edit] External links
1940s
1950s
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1997_NBA_Playoffs&oldid=478002864"
Personal tools
Namespaces
Variants
Actions
Navigation
Interaction
Toolbox
Print/export
Languages