1998 NBA playoffs

1998 NBA playoffs

Dates	April 23–June 14, 1998

The 1998 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1997–98 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls defeating the Western Conference champion Utah Jazz 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals. The Bulls also achieved a second three peat, a goal unrivaled since the Boston Celtics in 1966. The 1998 playoffs was the last involving the Jordan-led Bulls (Chicago didn't make the playoffs again until 2005). Michael Jordan was named NBA Finals MVP for the sixth and final time.

The Indiana Pacers took the Bulls to the limit in the Eastern Conference Finals, becoming 1 of only 2 teams to force a Game 7 in the Bulls' title years (the Knicks achieved this in 1992). This team was later named by Pacers.com as the greatest in franchise history, even better than the 2000 team that won the Eastern Conference Title, primarily due to their record.

The New Jersey Nets made the playoffs for the first time since 1994, but did not appear again until 2002. Their presence was a mere asterisk compared to what they accomplished in 2002, getting swept by the eventual champion Bulls.

The Cleveland Cavaliers lost to Indiana in the first round 3–1 and did not appear again until 2006.

The Los Angeles Lakers advanced to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 1991. They were ultimately swept by the Jazz.

Game 5 of the Jazz-Rockets series would be the final game of Clyde Drexler's career.

Playoff qualifying

Western Conference

Home court advantage

The Utah Jazz and Chicago Bulls tied for the best record in the NBA. However, Utah won the season series 2–0 and was awarded home court advantage throughout the playoffs.

Clinched a playoff berth

The following teams clinched a playoff berth in the West:

1. Utah Jazz (62-20, clinched Midwest division)
2. Seattle SuperSonics (61-21, clinched Pacific division)
3. Los Angeles Lakers (61-21)
4. Phoenix Suns (56-26)
5. San Antonio Spurs (56-26)
6. Portland Trail Blazers (46-36)
7. Minnesota Timberwolves (45-37)
8. Houston Rockets (41-41)

Eastern Conference

Best record in conference

The Chicago Bulls clinched the best record in the East, and earned home court advantage throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Clinched a playoff berth

The following teams clinched a playoff berth in the East:

1. Chicago Bulls (62-20, clinched Central division)
2. Miami Heat (55-27, clinched Atlantic division)
3. Indiana Pacers (58-24)
4. Charlotte Hornets (51-31)
5. Atlanta Hawks (50-32)
6. Cleveland Cavaliers (47-35)
7. New York Knicks (43-39)
8. New Jersey Nets (43-39)

Western Conference

Champion: Utah Jazz

First Round

(1) Utah Jazz vs. (8) Houston Rockets

Game	Date	Home	Score	Visitor	Score	Record (UTA-HOU)	Venue	Box score	Television
1	April 23	Utah	90	Houston	103	0–1	Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah	1	TBS 9:30et
2	April 25	Utah	105	Houston	90	1–1	Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah	2	TNT 10:30et
3	April 29	Houston	89	Utah	85	1–2	Compaq Center, Houston, Texas	3	TBS 9:30et
4	May 1	Houston	71	Utah	93	2–2	Compaq Center, Houston, Texas	4	TNT 9:30et
5	May 3	Utah	84	Houston	70	3–2	Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah	5	NBC 3:00et
Utah wins series 3–2

Game 5 is Clyde Drexler's final NBA game.

Regular-season series

Utah won 4–0 in the regular-season series
December 25, 1997 Recap Houston Rockets 103, Utah Jazz 107 Delta Center, Salt Lake City January 10, 1998 Recap Utah Jazz 111, Houston Rockets 84 The Summit, Houston, Texas March 1, 1998 Recap Utah Jazz 106, Houston Rockets 100 Compaq Center, Houston, Texas March 9, 1998 Recap Houston Rockets 93, Utah Jazz 100 Delta Center, Salt Lake City

This was the fifth playoff meeting between these two teams, with each team winning two series apiece.

Previous playoff series

Tied 2–2 in all-time playoff series
1985 Houston Rockets 2, Utah Jazz 3 1985 Western Conference First Round 1994 Houston Rockets 4, Utah Jazz 1 1994 Western Conference Finals 1995 Houston Rockets 3, Utah Jazz 2 1995 Western Conference First Round 1997 Houston Rockets 2, Utah Jazz 4 1997 Western Conference Finals

(4) Phoenix Suns vs. (5) San Antonio Spurs

Game	Date	Home	Score	Visitor	Score	Record (PHO-SAS)	Venue	Box score	Television
1	April 23	Phoenix	96	San Antonio	102	0–1	America West Arena, Phoenix, Arizona	1	TNT 10:30et
2	April 25	Phoenix	108	San Antonio	101	1–1	America West Arena, Phoenix, Arizona	2	NBC 3:30et
3	April 27	San Antonio	100	Phoenix	88	1–2	Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas	3	TNT 9:30et
4	April 29	San Antonio	99	Phoenix	80	1–3	Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas	4	TBS 8:00et
San Antonio wins series 3–1

Regular-season series

Phoenix won 3–1 in the regular-season series
January 9, 1998 Recap San Antonio Spurs 79, Phoenix Suns 100 America West Arena, Phoenix, Arizona February 14, 1998 Recap Phoenix Suns 94, San Antonio Spurs 81 Alamodome, San Antonio February 22, 1998 Recap San Antonio Spurs 79, Phoenix Suns 97 America West Arena, Phoenix, Arizona March 22, 1998 Recap Phoenix Suns 83, San Antonio Spurs 93 Alamodome, San Antonio

This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Suns winning two of the first three meetings.

Previous playoff series

Phoenix leads 2–1 in all-time playoff series
1992 Phoenix Suns 3, San Antonio Spurs 0 1992 Western Conference First Round 1993 Phoenix Suns 4, San Antonio Spurs 2 1993 Western Conference Semifinals 1996 Phoenix Suns 1, San Antonio Spurs 3 1996 Western Conference First Round

(2) Seattle SuperSonics vs. (7) Minnesota Timberwolves

Game	Date	Home	Score	Visitor	Score	Record (SEA-MIN)	Venue	Box score	Television
1	April 24	Seattle	108	Minnesota	83	1–0	KeyArena, Seattle, Washington	1	TBS 9:30et
2	April 26	Seattle	93	Minnesota	98	1–1	KeyArena, Seattle, Washington	2	TNT 9:00et
3	April 28	Minnesota	98	Seattle	90	1–2	Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota	3	TBS 9:30et
4	April 30	Minnesota	88	Seattle	92	2–2	Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota	4	TBS 9:30et
5	May 2	Seattle	97	Minnesota	84	3–2	KeyArena, Seattle, Washington	5	NBC 3:30et
Seattle wins series 3–2

Regular-season series

Seattle won 3–1 in the regular-season series
December 9, 1997 Recap Seattle SuperSonics 108, Minnesota Timberwolves 99 Target Center, Minneapolis December 23, 1997 Recap Minnesota Timberwolves 112, Seattle SuperSonics 103 KeyArena, Seattle March 8, 1998 Recap Seattle SuperSonics 99, Minnesota Timberwolves 98 (OT) Target Center, Minneapolis March 14, 1998 Recap Minnesota Timberwolves 80, Seattle SuperSonics 114 KeyArena, Seattle

This was the first playoff meeting between the Timberwolves and the SuperSonics.

(3) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (6) Portland Trail Blazers

Game	Date	Home	Score	Visitor	Score	Record (LAL-POR)	Venue	Box score	Television
1	April 24	Los Angeles	104	Portland	102	1–0	Great Western Forum, Los Angeles, California	1	TNT 10:30et
2	April 26	Los Angeles	108	Portland	99	2–0	Great Western Forum, Los Angeles, California	2	NBC 3:00et
3	April 28	Portland	99	Los Angeles	94	2–1	Rose Garden, Portland, Oregon	3	TNT 10:30et
4	April 30	Portland	99	Los Angeles	110	3–1	Rose Garden, Portland, Oregon	4	TNT 10:30et
Los Angeles wins series 3–1

Regular-season series

Tied 2–2 in the regular-season series

December 8, 1997 Recap Los Angeles Lakers 99, Portland Trail Blazers 105 Rose Garden, Portland, Oregon February 4, 1998 Recap Portland Trail Blazers 115, Los Angeles Lakers 122 Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California February 10, 1998 Recap Los Angeles Lakers 105, Portland Trail Blazers 117 Rose Garden, Portland, Oregon March 11, 1998 Recap Portland Trail Blazers 107, Los Angeles Lakers 121 Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California

This was the eighth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning five of the first seven meetings.

Previous playoff series

Los Angeles leads 5–2 in all-time playoff series

1977 Los Angeles Lakers 0, Portland Trail Blazers 4 1977 Western Conference Finals 1983 Los Angeles Lakers 4, Portland Trail Blazers 1 1983 Western Conference Semifinals 1985 Los Angeles Lakers 4, Portland Trail Blazers 1 1985 Western Conference Semifinals 1989 Los Angeles Lakers 3, Portland Trail Blazers 0 1989 Western Conference First Round 1991 Los Angeles Lakers 4, Portland Trail Blazers 2 1991 Western Conference Finals 1992 Los Angeles Lakers 1, Portland Trail Blazers 3 1992 Western Conference First Round 1997 Los Angeles Lakers 3, Portland Trail Blazers 1 1997 Western Conference First Round

Conference Semifinals

(1) Utah Jazz vs. (5) San Antonio Spurs

Game	Date	Home	Score	Visitor	Score	Record (UTA-SAS)	Venue	Box score	Television
1	May 5	Utah	83	San Antonio	82	1–0	Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah	1	TNT 10:30et
2	May 7	Utah	109	San Antonio	106	2–0	Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah	2	TNT 10:30et
3	May 9	San Antonio	86	Utah	64	2–1	Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas	3	NBC 3:30et
4	May 10	San Antonio	73	Utah	82	3–1	Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas	4	TNT 9:00et
5	May 12	Utah	87	San Antonio	77	4–1	Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah	5	TNT 8:00et
Utah wins series 4–1

Regular-season series

Utah won 3–1 in the regular-season series
November 8, 1997 Recap Utah Jazz 80, San Antonio Spurs 87 Alamodome, San Antonio November 22, 1997 Recap San Antonio Spurs 74, Utah Jazz 103 Delta Center, Salt Lake City February 21, 1998 Recap Utah Jazz 79, San Antonio Spurs 77 Alamodome, San Antonio April 8, 1998 Recap San Antonio Spurs 88, Utah Jazz 98 Delta Center, Salt Lake City

This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Jazz winning the first two meetings.

Previous playoff series

Utah leads 2–0 in all-time playoff series
1994 San Antonio Spurs 1, Utah Jazz 3 1994 Western Conference First Round 1996 San Antonio Spurs 2, Utah Jazz 4 1996 Western Conference Semifinals

(2) Seattle SuperSonics vs. (3) Los Angeles Lakers

Game	Date	Home	Score	Visitor	Score	Record (SEA-LAL)	Venue	Box score	Television
1	May 4	Seattle	106	Los Angeles	92	1–0	KeyArena, Seattle	1	TNT 9:00et
2	May 6	Seattle	68	Los Angeles	92	1–1	KeyArena, Seattle, Washington	2	TNT 10:30et
3	May 8	Los Angeles	119	Seattle	103	1–2	Great Western Forum, Los Angeles	3	TNT 10:30et
4	May 10	Los Angeles	112	Seattle	100	1–3	Great Western Forum, Los Angeles, California	4	NBC 3:00et
5	May 12	Seattle	95	Los Angeles	110	1–4	KeyArena, Seattle, Washington	5	TNT 10:30et
Los Angeles wins series 4–1

Regular-season series

Seattle won 3–1 in the regular-season series

January 24, 1998 Recap Los Angeles Lakers 95, Seattle SuperSonics 101 KeyArena, Seattle February 13, 1998 Recap Seattle SuperSonics 113, Los Angeles Lakers 108 (OT) Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California March 16, 1998 Recap Los Angeles Lakers 89, Seattle SuperSonics 101 KeyArena, Seattle March 20, 1998 Recap Seattle SuperSonics 80, Los Angeles Lakers 93 Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California

This was the seventh playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning four of the first six meetings.

Previous playoff series

Los Angeles leads 4–2 in all-time playoff series

1978 Los Angeles Lakers 1, Seattle SuperSonics 2 1978 Western Conference First Round 1979 Los Angeles Lakers 1, Seattle SuperSonics 4 1979 Western Conference Semifinals 1980 Los Angeles Lakers 4, Seattle SuperSonics 1 1980 Western Conference Finals 1987 Los Angeles Lakers 4, Seattle SuperSonics 0 1987 Western Conference Finals 1989 Los Angeles Lakers 4, Seattle SuperSonics 0 1989 Western Conference Semifinals 1995 Los Angeles Lakers 3, Seattle SuperSonics 1 1995 Western Conference First Round

Conference Finals

(1) Utah Jazz vs. (3) Los Angeles Lakers

Game	Date	Home	Score	Visitor	Score	Record (UTA-LAL)	Venue	Box score	Television
1	May 16	Utah	112	Los Angeles	77	1–0	Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah	1	NBC 3:00et
2	May 18	Utah	99	Los Angeles	95	2–0	Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah	2	TNT 8:30et
3	May 22	Los Angeles	98	Utah	109	3–0	Great Western Forum, Los Angeles	3	TNT 10:30et
4	May 24	Los Angeles	92	Utah	96	4–0	Great Western Forum, Los Angeles, California	4	NBC 3:30et
Utah wins series 4–0

Regular-season series

Los Angeles won 3–1 in the regular-season series
October 31, 1997 Recap Utah Jazz 87, Los Angeles Lakers 104 Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California November 18, 1997 Recap Los Angeles Lakers 97, Utah Jazz 92 Delta Center, Salt Lake City March 28, 1998 Recap Los Angeles Lakers 91, Utah Jazz 106 Delta Center, Salt Lake City April 19, 1998 Recap Utah Jazz 98, Los Angeles Lakers 102 Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California

This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with each team winning one series apiece.

Previous playoff series

Tied 1–1 in all-time playoff series
1988 Los Angeles Lakers 4, Utah Jazz 3 1988 Western Conference Semifinals 1997 Los Angeles Lakers 1, Utah Jazz 4 1997 Western Conference Semifinals

Eastern Conference

Champion: Chicago Bulls

First Round

(1) Chicago Bulls vs. (8) New Jersey Nets

Game	Date	Home	Score	Visitor	Score	Record (CHI-NJN)	Venue	Box score	Television
1*	April 24	Chicago	96	New Jersey	93	1–0	United Center, Chicago	1	TNT 8:00et
2	April 26	Chicago	96	New Jersey	91	2–0	United Center, Chicago, Illinois	2	NBC 5:30et
3	April 29	New Jersey	101	Chicago	116	3–0	Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey	3	TNT 7:00et
Chicago wins series 3–0

Regular-season series

Chicago won 4–0 in the regular-season series

November 8, 1997 Recap New Jersey Nets 86, Chicago Bulls 99 United Center, Chicago, Illinois December 20, 1997 Recap Chicago Bulls 100, New Jersey Nets 92 Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey January 23, 1998 Recap Chicago Bulls 100, New Jersey Nets 98 (OT) Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey March 16, 1998 Recap New Jersey Nets 72, Chicago Bulls 88 United Center, Chicago, Illinois

This was the first playoff meeting between the Bulls and the Nets.

(4) Charlotte Hornets vs. (5) Atlanta Hawks

Game	Date	Home	Score	Visitor	Score	Record (CHA-ATL)	Venue	Box score	Television
1	April 23	Charlotte	97	Atlanta	87	1–0	Charlotte Coliseum, Charlotte, North Carolina	1	TBS 7:00et
2	April 25	Charlotte	92	Atlanta	85	2–0	Charlotte Coliseum, Charlotte, North Carolina	2	TNT 8:00et
3	April 28	Atlanta	96	Charlotte	64	2–1	Georgia Dome, Atlanta	3	TNT 8:00et
4	May 1	Atlanta	82	Charlotte	91	3–1	Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia	4	TNT 7:00et
Charlotte wins series 3–1

Regular-season series

Atlanta won 4–0 in the regular-season series
November 29, 1997 Recap Charlotte Hornets 80, Atlanta Hawks 98 Georgia Dome, Atlanta January 31, 1998 Recap Atlanta Hawks 103, Charlotte Hornets 83 Charlotte Coliseum, Charlotte, North Carolina April 10, 1998 Recap Atlanta Hawks 99, Charlotte Hornets 87 Charlotte Coliseum, Charlotte, North Carolina April 17, 1998 Recap Charlotte Hornets 104, Atlanta Hawks 121 Georgia Dome, Atlanta

This was the first playoff meeting between the Hawks and the Hornets.

(2) Miami Heat vs. (7) New York Knicks

Game	Date	Home	Score	Visitor	Score	Record (MIA-NYK)	Venue	Box score	Television
1	April 24	Miami	94	New York	79	1–0	Miami Arena, Miami, Florida	1	TBS 7:00et
2	April 26	Miami	86	New York	96	1–1	Miami Arena, Miami, Florida	2	NBC 12:30et
3	April 28	New York	85	Miami	91	2–1	Madison Square Garden, New York City	3	TBS 7:00et
4	April 30	New York	90	Miami	85	2–2	Madison Square Garden, New York	4	TNT 8:00et
5	May 3	Miami	81	New York	98	2–3	Miami Arena, Miami, Florida	5	NBC 12:30et
New York wins series 3–2

Mourning-Johnson fight in Game 4.

Regular-season series

Tied 2–2 in the regular-season series
January 28, 1998 Recap New York Knicks 82, Miami Heat 86 Miami Arena, Miami February 1, 1998 Recap Miami Heat 83, New York Knicks 89 Madison Square Garden, New York City April 8, 1998 Recap Miami Heat 80, New York Knicks 83 Madison Square Garden, New York City April 12, 1998 Recap New York Knicks 81, Miami Heat 82 Miami Arena, Miami

This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Heat winning the first meeting.

Previous playoff series

Miami leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series
1997 Miami Heat 4, New York Knicks 3 1997 Eastern Conference Semifinals

(3) Indiana Pacers vs. (6) Cleveland Cavaliers

Game	Date	Home	Score	Visitor	Score	Record (IND-CLE)	Venue	Box score	Television
1	April 23	Indiana	106	Cleveland	77	1–0	Market Square Arena, Indianapolis, Indiana	1	TNT 8:00et
2	April 25	Indiana	92	Cleveland	86	2–0	Market Square Arena, Indianapolis, Indiana	2	NBC 1:00et
3	April 27	Cleveland	86	Indiana	77	2–1	Gund Arena, Cleveland, Ohio	3	TNT 7:00et
4	April 30	Cleveland	74	Indiana	80	3–1	Gund Arena, Cleveland, Ohio	4	TBS 7:00et
Indiana wins series 3–1

Regular-season series

Tied 2–2 in the regular-season series
November 4, 1997 Recap Indiana Pacers 77, Cleveland Cavaliers 80 Gund Arena, Cleveland, Ohio January 30, 1998 Recap Cleveland Cavaliers 83, Indiana Pacers 89 Market Square Arena, Indianapolis April 7, 1998 Recap Cleveland Cavaliers 80, Indiana Pacers 82 Market Square Arena, Indianapolis April 18, 1998 Recap Indiana Pacers 92, Cleveland Cavaliers 96 Gund Arena, Cleveland

This was the first playoff meeting between the Cavaliers and the Pacers.

Conference Semifinals

(1) Chicago Bulls vs. (4) Charlotte Hornets

Game	Date	Home	Score	Visitor	Score	Record (CHI-CHA)	Venue	Box score	Television
1	May 3	Chicago	83	Charlotte	70	1–0	United Center, Chicago	1	NBC 5:30et
2	May 6	Chicago	76	Charlotte	78	1–1	United Center, Chicago, Illinois	2	TNT 8:00et
3	May 8	Charlotte	89	Chicago	103	2–1	Charlotte Coliseum, Charlotte, North Carolina	3	TNT 8:00et
4	May 10	Charlotte	80	Chicago	94	3–1	Charlotte Coliseum, Charlotte, North Carolina	4	NBC 5:30et
5	May 13	Chicago	93	Charlotte	84	4–1	United Center, Chicago, Illinois	5	TNT 9:30et
Chicago wins series 4–1

Regular-season series

Chicago won 3–1 in the regular-season series

November 14, 1997 Recap Charlotte Hornets 92, Chicago Bulls 105 United Center, Chicago, Illinois December 12, 1997 Recap Chicago Bulls 77, Charlotte Hornets 79 Charlotte Coliseum, Charlotte, North Carolina January 21, 1998 Recap Charlotte Hornets 79, Chicago Bulls 110 United Center, Chicago, Illinois February 11, 1998 Recap Chicago Bulls 92, Charlotte Hornets 90 Charlotte Coliseum, Charlotte, North Carolina

This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Bulls winning the first meeting.

Previous playoff series

Chicago leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series
1995 Charlotte Hornets 1, Chicago Bulls 3 1995 Eastern Conference First Round

(3) Indiana Pacers vs. (7) New York Knicks

Game	Date	Home	Score	Visitor	Score	Record (IND-NYK)	Venue	Box score	Television
1	May 5	Indiana	93	New York	83	1–0	Market Square Arena, Indianapolis, Indiana	1	TNT 8:00et
2	May 7	Indiana	85	New York	77	2–0	Market Square Arena, Indianapolis, Indiana	2	TNT 8:00et
3	May 9	New York	83	Indiana	76	2–1	Madison Square Garden, New York City	3	NBC 1:00et
4*	May 10	New York	107	Indiana	118	3–1	Madison Square Garden, New York	4	NBC 12:30et
5	May 13	Indiana	99	New York	88	4–1	Market Square Arena, Indianapolis, Indiana	5	TNT 7:00et
Indiana wins series 4–1

In Game 4, Reggie Miller hits the game-tying 3 with 5.1 seconds left to force OT.

Regular-season series

Indiana won 2–1 in the regular-season series
December 17, 1997 Recap New York Knicks 80, Indiana Pacers 87 Market Square Arena, Indianapolis January 21, 1998 Recap Indiana Pacers 89, New York Knicks 97 Madison Square Garden, New York City March 15, 1998 Recap Indiana Pacers 91, New York Knicks 86 Madison Square Garden, New York City

This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Knicks winning two of the first three meetings.

Previous playoff series

New York leads 2–1 in all-time playoff series
1993 Indiana Pacers 1, New York Knicks 3 1993 Eastern Conference First Round 1994 Indiana Pacers 3, New York Knicks 4 1994 Eastern Conference Finals 1995 Indiana Pacers 4, New York Knicks 3 1995 Eastern Conference Semifinals

Conference Finals

(1) Chicago Bulls vs. (3) Indiana Pacers

Game	Date	Home	Score	Visitor	Score	Record (CHI-IND)	Venue	Box score	Television
1	May 17	Chicago	85	Indiana	79	1–0	United Center, Chicago	1	NBC 3:30et
2	May 19	Chicago	104	Indiana	98	2–0	United Center, Chicago, Illinois	2	TNT 8:30et
3	May 23	Indiana	107	Chicago	105	2–1	Market Square Arena, Indianapolis, Indiana	3	NBC 3:30et
4	May 25	Indiana	96	Chicago	94	2–2	Market Square Arena, Indianapolis, Indiana	4	NBC 3:30et
5	May 27	Chicago	106	Indiana	87	3–2	United Center, Chicago, Illinois	5	NBC 9:00et
6	May 29	Indiana	92	Chicago	89	3–3	Market Square Arena, Indianapolis, Indiana	6	NBC 9:00et
7	May 31	Chicago	88	Indiana	83	4–3	United Center, Chicago, Illinois	7	NBC 7:00et
Chicago wins series 4–3

In Game 4, Reggie Miller hits the game-winning 3 with 7 tenths left.

Regular-season series

Tied 2–2 in the regular-season series
November 28, 1997 Recap Chicago Bulls 83, Indiana Pacers 94 Market Square Arena, Indianapolis February 17, 1998 Recap Indiana Pacers 97, Chicago Bulls 105 United Center, Chicago, Illinois March 17, 1998 Recap Chicago Bulls 90, Indiana Pacers 84 Market Square Arena, Indianapolis April 13, 1998 Recap Indiana Pacers 114, Chicago Bulls 105 United Center, Chicago, Illinois

This was the first playoff meeting between the Bulls and the Pacers.

NBA Finals

Chicago Bulls vs. Utah Jazz

Main article: 1998 NBA Finals

Game	Date	Home	Score	Visitor	Score	Venue	Box score	Television
1*	June 3	Utah	88	Chicago	85	Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah	1	NBC 9:00et
2	June 5	Utah	88	Chicago	93	Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah	2	NBC 9:00et
3	June 7	Chicago	96	Utah	54	United Center, Chicago, Illinois	3	NBC 8:30et
4	June 10	Chicago	86	Utah	82	United Center, Chicago, Illinois	4	NBC 8:30et
5	June 12	Chicago	81	Utah	83	United Center, Chicago, Illinois	5	NBC 8:30et
6	June 14	Utah	86	Chicago	87	Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah	6	NBC 9:00et
Chicago wins NBA Championship series 4–2

• In Game 1, Luc Longley hits the game-tying shot with 14.3 seconds left to force O.T.
• In Game 3, Utah scores the fewest points in any playoff game in NBA history (54) and loses by the biggest margin in NBA Finals history (42).
• In Game 6, Michael Jordan hits the game-winning shot with 5.2 seconds left. Game 6 was Jordan's final NBA game with the Bulls.

Regular-season series

Utah won 2–0 in the regular-season series
January 25, 1998 Recap Utah Jazz 101, Chicago Bulls 94 United Center, Chicago, Illinois February 4, 1998 Recap Chicago Bulls 93, Utah Jazz 101 Delta Center, Salt Lake City

This was the second NBA Finals meeting between these two teams, with the Bulls winning the first meeting.

Previous playoff series

Chicago leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series
1997 Chicago Bulls 4, Utah Jazz 2 1997 NBA Finals

External links

• Basketball – Reference.com's 1998 Playoffs section