1997–98 Cleveland Cavaliers season

1997–98 Cleveland Cavaliers season
Head coach	Mike Fratello
Arena	Gund Arena
Results
Record	47–35 (.573)
Place	Division: 5th (Central) Conference: 6th (Eastern)
Playoff finish	First Round (Lost to Pacers 1–3)
Local media
Television	SportsChannel/Fox Sports Ohio · WUAB
Radio	WTAM

The 1997–98 NBA season was the 28th season of the National Basketball Association in Cleveland, Ohio. In the offseason, the Cavaliers acquired All-Star forward Shawn Kemp from the Seattle SuperSonics in a three-team trade, and Wesley Person from the Phoenix Suns in another three-team trade. After a 4–6 start to the season, the Cavs posted a ten-game winning streak between November and December, and played above .500 for the remainder of the season finishing 5th in the Central Division with a 47–35 record, qualifying for the playoffs after a one-year absence. Kemp led the team with 18.0 points and 9.3 rebounds per game, and was selected for the 1998 NBA All-Star Game, which would be his sixth and final All-Star appearance. Person averaged 14.7 points per game and led the league with 192 three-point field goals. The Cavaliers had the best team defensive rating in the NBA.

Last year's first round draft pick Zydrunas Ilgauskas from Lithuania, who missed the previous season with a foot injury, averaged 13.9 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game, while first round draft pick Brevin Knight led the league with 196 total steals. Both Ilgauskas and Knight were selected to the NBA All-Rookie First Team, while top draft pick Derek Anderson, and second round draft pick Cedric Henderson both made the NBA All-Rookie Second Team. However, the Cavaliers would lose in four games in the Eastern Conference First Round of the playoffs to the Indiana Pacers, and they would not make it back to the postseason until 2006.

Draft picks

Main article: 1997 NBA Draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	School/Club Team
1	13	Derek Anderson	SG	United States	Kentucky
1	16*	Brevin Knight	PG	United States	Stanford
2	45	Cedric Henderson	SF	United States	Memphis

^*1st round pick acquired from Phoenix in three-way Antonio McDyess deal.

Roster

Cleveland Cavaliers roster

Players

Coaches

Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB From SF 23 Anderson, Derek 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1974-07-18 Kentucky PG 2 Brooks, Scott 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 1965-07-31 UC Irvine SG 6 Butler, Mitchell  6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1970-12-15 UCLA SG 27 Dumas, Tony 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1972-08-25 UKMC PF 35 Ferry, Danny 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1966-10-17 Duke SF 45 Henderson, Cedric 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1975-03-11 Memphis C 11 Ilgauskas, Zydrunas 7 ft 3 in (2.21 m) 238 lb (108 kg) 1975-06-05 Lithuania PF 32 James, Henry  6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1965-07-29 St. Mary's (TX) PF 4 Kemp, Shawn (C) 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1969-11-26 Trinity Valley CC PG 12 Knight, Brevin 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1975-11-08 Stanford SG 1 Person, Wesley 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1971-03-28 Auburn C 52 Potapenko, Vitaly 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 280 lb (127 kg) 1975-03-21 Wright State C 44 Scott, Shawnelle 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 250 lb (113 kg) 1972-06-16 St. John's SG 3 Sura, Bob 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1973-03-25 Florida State SG 30 Thomas, Carl 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1969-10-03 Eastern Michigan

Head coach Mike Fratello Assistant coach(es) Marc Iavaroni Sidney Lowe Ron Rothstein Legend (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured Roster Last transaction: February 22, 1998

Regular season

Season standings

Central Division	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
y-Chicago Bulls	62	20	.756	–	37–4	25–16	21–7
x-Indiana Pacers	58	24	.707	4	32–9	26–15	19–9
x-Charlotte Hornets	51	31	.622	11	32–9	19–22	16–12
x-Atlanta Hawks	50	32	.610	12	29–12	21–20	19–9
x-Cleveland Cavaliers	47	35	.573	15	27–14	20–21	14–14
Detroit Pistons	37	45	.451	25	25–16	12–29	12–16
Milwaukee Bucks	36	46	.439	26	21–20	15–26	9–19
Toronto Raptors	16	66	.195	46	9–32	7–34	2–26

#	Eastern Conference
	Team	W	L	PCT	GB
1	c-Chicago Bulls	62	20	.756	–
2	y-Miami Heat	55	27	.671	7
3	x-Indiana Pacers	58	24	.707	4
4	x-Charlotte Hornets	51	31	.622	11
5	x-Atlanta Hawks	50	32	.610	12
6	x-Cleveland Cavaliers	47	35	.573	15
7	x-New York Knicks	43	39	.524	19
8	x-New Jersey Nets	43	39	.524	19
9	Washington Wizards	42	40	.512	20
10	Orlando Magic	41	41	.500	21
11	Detroit Pistons	37	45	.451	25
12	Boston Celtics	36	46	.439	26
12	Milwaukee Bucks	36	46	.439	26
14	Philadelphia 76ers	31	51	.378	31
15	Toronto Raptors	16	66	.195	46

z - clinched division title

y - clinched division title

x - clinched playoff spot

Record vs. opponents

1997-98 NBA Records
Team	ATL	BOS	CHA	CHI	CLE	DAL	DEN	DET	GSW	HOU	IND	LAC	LAL	MIA	MIL	MIN	NJN	NYK	ORL	PHI	PHO	POR	SAC	SAS	SEA	TOR	UTA	VAN	WAS
Atlanta	—	2–1	4–0	1–3	4–0	2–0	2–0	2–2	2–0	1–1	1–3	2–0	0–2	1–3	3–1	0–2	1–2	2–2	2–2	3–1	0–2	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	4–0	0–2	2–0	4–0
Boston	1–2	—	1–2	1–3	1–3	1–1	1–1	2–2	1–1	1–1	0–4	2–0	1–1	0–4	2–2	1–1	2–2	2–2	2–2	3–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	3–0	0–2	2–0	3–2
Charlotte	0–4	2–1	—	1–3	2–2	2–0	2–0	3–1	1–1	2–0	3–1	2–0	1–1	3–1	3–1	1–1	2–2	1–3	3–1	2–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	4–0	1–1	2–0	2–2
Chicago	3–1	3–1	3–1	—	2–2	1–1	2–0	3–1	2–0	2–0	2–2	2–0	1–1	2–1	4–0	1–1	4–0	4–0	3–1	2–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–0	1–1	4–0	0–2	2–0	3–1
Cleveland	0–4	3–1	2–2	2–2	—	1–1	2–0	3–1	2–0	1–1	2–2	2–0	1–1	1–3	2–2	2–0	3–1	1–2	2–2	3–1	2–0	1–1	2–0	0–2	0–2	3–1	1–1	2–0	1–2
Dallas	0–2	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	—	3–1	0–2	1–3	0–4	1–1	1–3	0–4	0–2	0–2	2–2	0–2	1–1	0–2	0–2	0–4	0–4	0–4	0–4	2–2	1–1	0–4	4–0	1–1
Denver	0–2	1–1	0–2	0–2	0–2	1–3	—	0–2	1–3	0–4	0–2	2–2	0–4	0–2	0–2	1–3	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–4	2–2	1–3	0–4	0–4	0–2	0–4	1–3	1–1
Detroit	2–2	2–2	1–3	1–3	1–3	2–0	2–0	—	2–0	1–1	1–3	2–0	0–2	1–2	2–2	0–2	2–2	2–2	1–2	3–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	0–2	4–0	0–2	0–2	2–2
Golden State	0–2	1–1	1–1	0–2	0–2	3–1	3–1	0–2	—	1–3	0–2	1–3	1–3	0–2	0–2	0–4	0–2	1–1	1–1	0–2	0–4	1–3	2–2	1–3	1–3	0–2	0–4	1–3	0–2
Houston	1–1	1–1	0–2	0–2	1–1	4–0	4–0	1–1	3–1	—	1–1	4–0	1–3	0–2	1–1	1–3	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–3	1–3	4–0	2–2	1–3	2–0	0–4	3–1	1–1
Indiana	3–1	4–0	1–3	2–2	2–2	1–1	2–0	3–1	2–0	1–1	—	2–0	0–2	3–1	4–0	2–0	2–1	2–1	3–1	4–0	1–1	1–1	2–0	0–2	0–2	4–0	1–1	2–0	4–0
L.A. Clippers	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	3–1	2–2	0–2	3–1	0–4	0–2	—	0–4	0–2	0–2	0–4	1–1	0–2	0–2	1–1	0–4	0–4	3–1	1–3	0–4	1–1	1–3	1–3	0–2
L.A. Lakers	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	4–0	4–0	2–0	3–1	3–1	2–0	4–0	—	1–1	2–0	4–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	0–2	2–2	2–2	4–0	4–0	1–3	2–0	3–1	4–0	1–1
Miami	3–1	4–0	1–3	1–2	3–1	2–0	2–0	2–1	2–0	2–0	1–3	2–0	1–1	—	3–1	1–1	3–1	2–2	3–1	4–0	0–2	2–0	2–0	0–2	0–2	4–0	1–1	2–0	2–2
Milwaukee	1–3	2–2	1–3	0–4	2–2	2–0	2–0	2–2	2–0	1–1	0–4	2–0	0–2	1–3	—	1–1	0–4	3–1	2–1	2–2	0–2	2–0	2–0	0–2	1–1	3–1	0–2	1–1	1–2
Minnesota	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	0–2	2–2	3–1	2–0	4–0	3–1	0–2	4–0	0–4	1–1	1–1	—	2–0	1–1	0–2	2–0	3–1	1–3	3–1	1–3	1–3	1–1	1–3	4–0	0–2
New Jersey	2–1	2–2	2–2	0–4	1–3	2–0	2–0	2–2	2–0	1–1	1–2	1–1	1–1	1–3	4–0	0–2	—	2–2	3–1	3–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	0–2	3–1	0–2	2–0	1–3
New York	2–2	2–2	3–1	0–4	2–1	1–1	2–0	2–2	1–1	1–1	1–2	2–0	1–1	2–2	1–3	1–1	2–2	—	4–0	2–2	2–0	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	3–1	0–2	2–0	1–3
Orlando	2–2	2–2	1–3	1–3	2–2	2–0	2–0	2–1	1–1	2–0	1–3	2–0	1–1	1–3	1–2	2–0	1–3	0–4	—	4–0	0–2	2–0	0–2	0–2	1–1	3–1	0–2	2–0	3–1
Philadelphia	1–3	1–3	1–2	1–2	1–3	2–0	2–0	1–3	2–0	1–1	0–4	1–1	2–0	0–4	2–2	0–2	1–3	2–2	0–4	—	1–1	1–1	1–1	0–2	0–2	2–2	0–2	2–0	3–1
Phoenix	2–0	2–0	1–1	1–1	0–2	4–0	4–0	1–1	4–0	3–1	1–1	4–0	2–2	2–0	2–0	1–3	1–1	0–2	2–0	1–1	—	2–2	3–1	3–1	2–2	2–0	1–3	4–0	1–1
Portland	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	4–0	2–2	2–0	3–1	3–1	1–1	4–0	2–2	0–2	0–2	3–1	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	2–2	—	3–1	2–2	0–4	2–0	3–1	2–2	1–1
Sacramento	0–2	1–1	1–1	0–2	0–2	4–0	3–1	1–1	2–2	0–4	0–2	1–3	0–4	0–2	0–2	1–3	0–2	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–3	1–3	—	0–4	1–3	1–1	2–2	2–2	1–1
San Antonio	1–1	2–0	1–1	0–2	2–0	4–0	4–0	1–1	3–1	2–2	2–0	3–1	0–4	2–0	2–0	3–1	1–1	2–0	2–0	2–0	1–3	2–2	4–0	—	2–2	2–0	1–3	4–0	1–1
Seattle	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–2	4–0	2–0	3–1	3–1	2–0	4–0	3–1	2–0	1–1	3–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–2	4–0	3–1	2–2	—	2–0	2–2	4–0	1–1
Toronto	0–4	0–3	0–4	0–4	1–3	1–1	2–0	0–4	2–0	0–2	0–4	1–1	0–2	0–4	1–3	1–1	1–3	1–3	1–3	2–2	0–2	0–2	1–1	0–2	0–2	—	0–2	1–1	0–3
Utah	2–0	2–0	1–1	2–0	1–1	4–0	4–0	2–0	4–0	4–0	1–1	3–1	1–3	1–1	2–0	3–1	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–0	3–1	1–3	2–2	3–1	2–2	2–0	—	4–0	0–2
Vancouver	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–4	3–1	2–0	3–1	1–3	0–2	3–1	0–4	0–2	1–1	0–4	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–4	2–2	2–2	0–4	0–4	1–1	0–4	—	1–1
Washington	0–4	2–3	2–2	1–3	2–1	1–1	1–1	2–2	2–0	1–1	0–4	2–0	1–1	2–2	2–1	2–0	3–1	3–1	1–3	1–3	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	3–0	2–0	1–1	—

Game log

1997–98 Game Log Total: 47–35 (Home: 27–14; Road: 20–21)
October: 0-1 (Home: 0–0; Road: 0–1) Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record
November: 9-5 (Home: 4–3; Road: 5–2) Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record
December: 8-5 (Home: 4–3; Road: 4–2) Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record
January: 9-7 (Home: 5–3; Road: 4–4) Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record
February: 4-9 (Home: 2–3; Road: 2–6) Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record
March: 11-4 (Home: 7–1; Road: 4–3) Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record
April: 6-4 (Home: 5–1; Road: 1–3) Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record

Playoffs

1998 playoff game log
First Round: 1–3 (home: 1–1; road: 0–2) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 April 23 @ Indiana L 77–106 Shawn Kemp (25) Shawn Kemp (13) Brevin Knight (5) Market Square Arena 16,644 0–1 2 April 25 @ Indiana L 86–92 Shawn Kemp (27) Zydrunas Ilgauskas (10) Brevin Knight (7) Market Square Arena 16,617 0–2 3 April 27 Indiana W 86–77 Shawn Kemp (31) Kemp, Knight (7) three players tied (5) Gund Arena 17,495 1–2 4 April 30 Indiana L 74–80 Shawn Kemp (21) Shawn Kemp (12) Brevin Knight (6) Gund Arena 18,188 1–3
1998 schedule

Player stats

Note: GP= Games played; GS = Games started; MIN= Minutes; FG% = field goal %, FT% = free throw %, 3FG% = 3 point % STL= Steals; BLK = Blocks; AST = Assists; REB = Rebounds; PTS = Points

Regular Season

Playoffs

References

• Cleveland Cavaliers on Database Basketball
• Cleveland Cavaliers on Basketball Reference