1997–98 Milwaukee Bucks season

1997–98 Milwaukee Bucks season
1997–98 Milwaukee Bucks season
Head coach	Chris Ford
Owners	Herb Kohl
Arena	Bradley Center
Results
Record	36–46 (.439)
Place	Division: 7th (Central); Conference: 13th (Eastern)
Playoff finish	Did not qualify
	Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
< 1996–97	1998–99 >

The 1997–98 NBA season was the Bucks' 30th season in the National Basketball Association.^[1] In the offseason, the Bucks acquired All-Star guard Terrell Brandon and Tyrone Hill from the Cleveland Cavaliers in a three-team trade. Other offseason acquisitions included acquiring Ervin Johnson from the Denver Nuggets, signing free agent Michael Curry, and re-signing former Bucks star Ricky Pierce. The Bucks hovered around .500 for the first half of the season as Glenn Robinson averaged a career high of 23.4 points per game. However, with Robinson out for the remainder of the season with a knee injury after 56 games, the Bucks struggled and went on a nine-game losing streak in March.^[2] Brandon played just 50 games due to an ankle injury, and Hill played 57 games due to a strained back.

Despite a stellar season from second-year star Ray Allen, who averaged 19.5 points per game, the Bucks finished seventh in the Central Division with a 36–46 record after starting the season with a 9-6 record, missing the playoffs in seven straight seasons. Following the season, Pierce retired after making his second stint with the Bucks, Andrew Lang was released and head coach Chris Ford was fired.

Draft picks

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	College
1	10	Danny Fortson	PF	United States	Cincinnati
2	38	Jerald Honeycutt	SF	United States	Tulane

Roster

Players

Coaches

Pos.	No.	Height	Weight	DOB
SG	34	Allen, Ray	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	Connecticut
PG	7	Brandon, Terrell	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Oregon
SG	12	Curry, Michael	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	Georgia Southern
C	11	Feick, Jamie	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	255 lb (116 kg)	Michigan State
PG	9	Green, Litterial	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Georgia
PF	10	Gilliam, Armen	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	230 lb (104 kg)	UNLV
PF	42	Hill, Tyrone	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	240 lb (109 kg)	Xavier
SF	25	Honeycutt, Jerald	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	245 lb (111 kg)	Tulane
C	40	Johnson, Ervin	6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)	245 lb (111 kg)	New Orleans
C	28	Lang, Andrew	6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)	245 lb (111 kg)	Arkansas
F	6	Nordgaard, Jeff	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	Green Bay
PG	5	Perry, Elliot	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	150 lb (68 kg)	Memphis
SG	22	Pierce, Ricky	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	Rice
SF	13	Robinson, Glenn	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	240 lb (109 kg)	Purdue

Head coach

Chris Ford (Villanova)

Assistant coach(es)

Legend

(DP) Unsigned draft pick
(FA) Free agent
(S) Suspended
Injured

Roster

Regular season

Season standings

Central Division v t e	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 v t e
#	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: 36–46 (Home: 3–1; Road: 2–1)

October: 1–0 (home: 0–0; road: 1–0)

Game	Date	Team	Score	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Location Attendance	Record
1	October 31, 1997	@ Philadelphia	W 103–88	Ray Allen (29)			CoreStates Center	1–0

November: 8–6 (home: 5–2; road: 3–4)

Game	Date	Team	Score	High points	Location Attendance	Record
2	November 1, 1997	New Jersey	L 109–113		Bradley Center 18,717	1–1
3	November 4, 1997	Orlando	W 110–76	Ray Allen (20)	Bradley Center 12,764	2–1
4	November 6, 1997	Philadelphia	W 100–93		Bradley Center 13,851	3–1
5	November 8, 1997	Boston	W 105–96		Bradley Center 17,653	4–1
6	November 12, 1997	@ Phoenix	L 95–103		America West Arena 19,023	4–2
7	November 13, 1997	@ L. A. Clippers	W 102–94		Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena 4,300	5–2
8	November 15, 1997	@ Vancouver	L 94–109		General Motors Place 17,666	5–3
9	November 16, 1997	@ Seattle	L 99–119		Key Arena 17,072	5–4
10	November 18, 1997	Detroit	W 87–79		Bradley Center 13,065	6–4
11	November 20, 1997	Indiana	L 83–109		Bradley Center 14,106	6–5
12	November 22, 1997	@ Dallas	W 104–109		Reunion Arena 11,425	7–5
13	November 26, 1997	Vancouver	W 101–82		Bradley Center 15,126	8–5
14	November 28, 1997	@ Orlando	L 95–103		Orlando Arena 17,070	8–6
15	November 29, 1997	@ Miami	W 93–87		Miami Arena 14,897	9–6

December: 5–9 (home: 5–4; road: 0–5)

Game	Date	Team	Score	Location Attendance	Record
16	December 2, 1997	Phoenix	L 86–90	Bradley Center 13,131	9–7
17	December 4, 1997	Charlotte	W 102–92	Bradley Center 13,898	10–7
18	December 5, 1997	@ Chicago	L 62–84	United Center 24,041	10–8
19	December 7, 1997	Seattle	W 97–91	Bradley Center 15,806	11–8
20	December 10, 1997	@ Boston	L 91–96	Fleet Center 17,012	11–9
21	December 11, 1997	Cleveland	L 77–79	Bradley Center 13,105	11–10
22	December 13, 1997	Miami	L 87–87	Bradley Center 15,803	11–11
23	December 17, 1997	@ Charlotte	L 90–99	Charlotte Coliseum 20,691	11–12
24	December 19, 1997	@ Toronto	L 91–92	SkyDome 15,076	11–13
25	December 20, 1997	New York	W 98–78	Bradley Center 15,955	12–13
26	December 22, 1997	Washington	L 79–110	Bradley Center 14,442	12–14
27	December 26, 1997	Atlanta	W 99–94	Bradley Center 17,038	13–14
28	December 27, 1997	@ New Jersey	L 104–112	Meadowlands Arena 16,351	13–15
29	December 30, 1997	Dallas	W 105–98	Bradley Center 14,948	14–15

January: 1–3 (home: 0–1; road: 1–2)

Game	Date	Team	Score	Location Attendance	Record
30	January 2, 1998	@ Chicago	L 100–114	United Center 23,897	14–16
31	January 3, 1998	Boston	L 99–106	Bradley Center 16,211	14–17
32	January 5, 1998	@ Portland	W 98–92	Rose Garden Arena 19,215	15–17
33	January 7, 1998	@ L. A. Lakers	L 98–92	Great Western Forum 15,483	15–18

February: 0–0 (home: 0–0; road: 0–0)

Game	Date	Team	Score	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Location Attendance	Record

March: 0–0 (home: 0–0; road: 0–0)

Game	Date	Team	Score	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Location Attendance	Record

April: 0–0 (home: 0–0; road: 0–0)

Game	Date	Team	Score	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Location Attendance	Record

1997–98 schedule

Player statistics

Legend
GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field-goal percentage	3P%	3-point field-goal percentage	FT%	Free-throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game

Player	GP	PPG
Ray Allen	82	19.5
Terrell Brandon	50	16.8
Tim Breaux	6	1.7
Michael Curry	82	6.6
Jamie Feick	45	2.3
Armen Gilliam	82	11.2
Litterial Green	21	1.2
Tyrone Hill	57	10.0
Jerald Honeycutt	38	6.4
Ervin Johnson	81	8.0
Andrew Lang	57	2.7
Jeff Nordgaard	13	1.4
Elliot Perry	81	7.3
Glenn Robinson	56	23.4
Kevin Salvadori
Tony Smith	7	2.3

Awards and records

Transactions

Trades

June 25, 1997	To Milwaukee Bucks---- Ervin Johnson	To Denver Nuggets---- Danny Fortson Johnny Newman Joe Wolf
September 25, 1997	To Milwaukee Bucks Terrell Brandon Tyrone Hill	To Cleveland Cavaliers Sherman Douglas Shawn Kemp To Seattle SuperSonics Vin Baker

Free agents

Player	Signed	Former team
Michael Curry	July 30, 1997	Detroit Pistons
Tim Breaux	August 6, 1997	Rockford Lightning
Jamie Feick	October 2, 1997	San Antonio Spurs
Ricky Pierce	December 4, 1997	Charlotte Hornets

References

^ 1997-98 Milwaukee Bucks
^ "Talent-depleted Bucks Playing Out The String". Chicago Tribune. March 30, 1998. Retrieved July 17, 2017.

v t e Milwaukee Bucks
Founded in 1968 Based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Franchise	All-time roster Draft history 1968 Records Head coaches Seasons Current season
Arenas	MECCA Arena Bradley Center Fiserv Forum
Personnel	Owner(s) Wes Edens Jimmy Haslam Jamie Dinan Mike Fascitelli Junior Bridgeman President Peter Feigin General manager Jon Horst Head coach Doc Rivers
G League affiliate	Wisconsin Herd
Retired numbers	1 2 4 8 10 14 16 32 33
NBA championships	1971 2021
Culture and lore	Radio network Bally Sports Wisconsin The Big O Bango 1970–71 championship season 1974 NBA Finals MECCA Court Fear the Deer Herb Kohl

Draft picks

Roster

Regular season

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Game log

Player statistics

Awards and records

Transactions

Trades

Free agents

References

See also