NBA 1996/97
National Basketball Association | |||
◄ previous | 1996/97 season | next ► | |
Duration | November 1996 - June 1997 |
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Season games per team | 82 | ||
Number of teams | 29 | ||
Regular season | |||
Best record | Chicago Bulls | ||
Season MVP | Karl Malone | ||
Top scorer | Michael Jordan | ||
Playoffs | |||
Eastern - Champion | Chicago Bulls | ||
Runner-up team | Miami Heat | ||
Western - Champion | Utah Jazz | ||
Runner-up team | Houston Rockets | ||
Finals | |||
NBA champions | Chicago Bulls | ||
Runner-up | Utah Jazz | ||
Finals MVP | Michael Jordan |
The 1996–97 NBA season marked the National Basketball Association's 51st season . Therefore, this season celebrated the 50th anniversary of the NBA and announced the team of the 50 best NBA players . It was also the debut season of Allen Iverson , Ray Allen , Kobe Bryant , Steve Nash and Jermaine O'Neal . At the end of the season, the Chicago Bulls were 4-2 in the finals against the Utah Jazz Masters.
Season Notes
- With a record of 69-13, the Chicago Bulls narrowly missed out on two seasons in a row with 70 wins, but still had the second-best record (along with the Los Angeles Lakers ) ever.
- The Philadelphia 76ers played their first season at the Core States Center (now the Wells Fargo Center )
- Allen Iverson became the first rookie to score 40 points in five games in a row.
- Because of the renovation of the Oakland Arena , the Golden State Warriors played their home games in the San Jose Arena (now renamed the HP Pavilion).
- Dennis Rodman was suspended for 11 games for kicking a cameraman during the away game against the Minnesota Timberwolves .
- With a three-point throw in the last second by John Stockton in game 6 of the Western Conference Finals, the Utah Jazz reached the finals for the first time.
- In Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Los Angeles Lakers , Karl Malone set a record as he converted all of his 18 free throws. This record was later broken by Paul Pierce .
- After seven seasons, the Minnesota Timberwolves reached the playoffs for the first time, making them the last team of the NBA expansion in the 1980s to reach the playoffs.
- The Atlanta Hawks played their final season at the Omni Coliseum .
- The season was the 50th anniversary of the NBA. Therefore, the teams mostly wore retro jerseys and the NBA logo on the jerseys was decorated with gold. Furthermore, the team of the 50 best players in NBA history was announced at halftime of the All-Star Games.
Final results
S = wins, N = defeats, PCT = percentage of wins, P = deficit on division leaders
The placements in the seed lists of the respective conference playoffs are listed in brackets.
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Honors
- Most Valuable Player : Karl Malone , Utah Jazz
- Rookie of the Year : Allen Iverson , Philadelphia 76ers
- Defensive Player of the Year : Dikembe Mutombo , Atlanta Hawks
- Sixth Man of the Year : John Starks , New York Knicks
- Most Improved Player : Isaac Austin , Miami Heat
- Coach of the Year : Pat Riley , Miami Heat
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All-NBA First Team :
- F - Karl Malone , Utah Jazz
- F - Grant Hill , Detroit Pistons
- C - Hakeem Olajuwon , Houston Rockets
- G - Michael Jordan , Chicago Bulls
- G - Tim Hardaway , Miami Heat
- All-NBA Second Team:
- All-NBA Third Team:
- NBA All-Defensive First Team :
- NBA All-Defensive Second Team:
- All-NBA Rookie First Team :
- All-NBA Rookie Second Team:
Play-offs
The first play-off round was played in the best-of-five format. All other rounds were best-of-seven series. After seven years in the NBA, the Minnesota Timberwolves started for the first time in the postseason.
First round | Conference semifinals | Conference Finals | NBA finals | |||||||||||||||
1 | Utah | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
8th | LA Clippers | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
1 | Utah | 4th | ||||||||||||||||
4th | LA Lakers | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
4th | LA Lakers | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
5 | Portland | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
1 | Utah | 4th | ||||||||||||||||
Western Conference | ||||||||||||||||||
3 | Houston | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
3 | Houston | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
6th | Minnesota | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
3 | Houston | 4th | ||||||||||||||||
2 | Seattle | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
2 | Seattle | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
7th | Phoenix | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
W 1 | Utah | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
E 1 | Chicago | 4th | ||||||||||||||||
1 | Chicago | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
8th | Washington | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
1 | Chicago | 4th | ||||||||||||||||
4th | Atlanta | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
4th | Atlanta | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
5 | Detroit | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
1 | Chicago | 4th | ||||||||||||||||
Eastern Conference | ||||||||||||||||||
2 | Miami | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
3 | new York | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
6th | Charlotte | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
3 | new York | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
2 | Miami | 4th | ||||||||||||||||
2 | Miami | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
7th | Orlando | 2 |