1998–99 NBA season

1999 NBA season
League	National Basketball Association
Sport	Basketball
Duration	February 5 – May 5, 1999 May 8 – June 11, 1999 (Playoffs) June 16 – 25, 1999 (Finals)
TV partner/s	NBC, TBS, TNT
Draft
Top draft pick	Michael Olowokandi
Picked by	Los Angeles Clippers
Regular season
Top seed	San Antonio Spurs
Season MVP	Karl Malone (Utah)
Top scorer	Allen Iverson (Philadelphia)
Playoffs
Eastern champions	New York Knicks
Eastern runners-up	Indiana Pacers
Western champions	San Antonio Spurs
Western runners-up	Portland Trail Blazers
Finals
Finals champions	San Antonio Spurs
Runners-up	New York Knicks
Finals MVP	Tim Duncan (San Antonio)
NBA seasons
← 1997–98	1999–2000 →

The 1999 NBA season was the 53rd season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Due to a lockout, the season did not start until February 5, 1999 after a new six year Collective Bargaining Agreement was reached between the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association. All 29 teams played a shortened 50-game regular season schedule- 61% of the regular 82 games- and the 16 teams who qualified for the playoffs played a full post-season schedule. That season's All-Star Game was also canceled. The season ended with the San Antonio Spurs winning the franchise's first NBA championship, beating the New York Knicks 4 games to 1 in the 1999 NBA Finals.

Contents 1 Lockout 2 Notable occurrences 3 Final standings 3.1 By division 3.2 By conference 4 Playoffs 5 Statistics leaders 6 NBA awards 6.1 Players of the month 6.2 Rookies of the month 6.3 Coaches of the month 7 References

Lockout

The third lockout in the history of the NBA lasted from July 1, 1998 to January 20, 1999. NBA owners were seeking changes to the league's salary cap system and a ceiling on individual player salaries. The National Basketball Players Association opposed the owners' plans and wanted raises for players who earned the league's minimum salary.

As the labor dispute continued into September, the preseason was shortened to just two games instead of the normal eight, and training camps were postponed indefinitely.^[1] By October, it became the first time in NBA history that games were canceled due to a labor dispute.^[2] Further games were canceled by November and December, including the All-Star Game, which had been scheduled to be played on February 14, 1999. The preseason also got cancelled as well.

An agreement between the owners and players was eventually reached on January 18, 1999. When play resumed, the regular season was shortened to 50 games per team, as opposed to the normal 82. As a result, some teams did not meet each other at all during the course of the shortened season. In addition, to preserve games between teams in the same conference, much of the time missed was made up for by skipping well over half of the games played between teams in the opposite conference.

Notable occurrences

Coaching changes

Offseason
Team	1997-98 coach	1998-99 coach
Chicago Bulls	Phil Jackson	Tim Floyd
Denver Nuggets	Bill Hanzlik	Mike D'Antoni
Los Angeles Clippers	Bill Fitch	Chris Ford
Milwaukee Bucks	Chris Ford	George Karl
Sacramento Kings	Eddie Jordan	Rick Adelman
Seattle SuperSonics	George Karl	Paul Westphal
In-season
Team	Outgoing coach	Incoming coach
Charlotte Hornets	Dave Cowens	Paul Silas
Los Angeles Lakers	Del Harris	Bill Bertka
	Bill Bertka	Kurt Rambis
New Jersey Nets	John Calipari	Don Casey
Washington Wizards	Bernie Bickerstaff	Jim Brovelli

• 1998–99 was the first season following the departure of Michael Jordan before he returned to play for the Washington Wizards.
• The New York Knicks became only the second #8 seed to advance in the playoffs by defeating a #1 seed. As of 2011 they remain the only #8 seed to have advanced to the NBA Finals.
• The Los Angeles Lakers played their final season at the Great Western Forum.
• The Los Angeles Clippers played their final season at the Los Angeles Sports Arena.
• The Indiana Pacers played their final season at the Market Square Arena.
• The Denver Nuggets played their final season at the McNichols Sports Arena.
• The Miami Heat played their final season at the Miami Arena, although they still played the first two months of the following season at this arena before moving to the American Airlines Arena in January 2000.
• The Toronto Raptors played their first game in Air Canada Centre.
• The San Antonio Spurs became the first former ABA team to win a championship. (As of November 2011, they are still the only ABA franchise with a title; the Nets and Pacers have not won a title, and the Nuggets have never played an NBA Finals game.)
• The Atlanta Hawks played in the Georgia Dome while Philips Arena was constructed for the 1999–2000 season. This season would be the Hawks' last playoff appearance until the 2007–08 season.
• The Clippers tied the 1988-89 Miami Heat for the longest losing streak to start the season (17) from February 5 till March 11 when they defeated the Sacramento Kings. In December 2009, this record was broken by the New Jersey Nets who lost the first eighteen games of the season.
• Hall of Fame coach Red Holzman died on November 13, 1998 at age 78.

Final standings

By division

Atlantic Division	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
y-Miami Heat	33	17	.660	–	18–7	15–10	12–8
x-Orlando Magic	33	17	.660	–	21–4	12–13	12–6
x-Philadelphia 76ers	28	22	.560	5	17–8	11–14	9–10
x-New York Knicks	27	23	.540	6	19–6	8–17	12–8
Boston Celtics	19	31	.380	14	10–15	9–16	10–9
Washington Wizards	18	32	.360	15	13–12	5–20	6–13
New Jersey Nets	16	34	.320	17	12–13	4–21	6–13

Central Division	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
y-Indiana Pacers	33	17	.660	–	18–7	15–10	15–7
x-Atlanta Hawks	31	19	.620	2	16–9	15–10	15–8
x-Detroit Pistons	29	21	.580	4	17–8	12–13	13–8
x-Milwaukee Bucks	28	22	.560	5	17–8	11–14	13–11
Charlotte Hornets	26	24	.520	7	16–9	10–15	12–10
Toronto Raptors	23	27	.460	10	14–11	9–16	9–14
Cleveland Cavaliers	22	28	.440	11	15–10	7–18	9–13
Chicago Bulls	13	37	.260	20	8–17	5–20	4–19

Midwest Division	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
y-San Antonio Spurs	37	13	.740	–	21–4	16–9	17–4
x-Utah Jazz	37	13	.740	–	22–3	15–10	15–3
x-Houston Rockets	31	19	.620	6	19–6	12–13	12–9
x-Minnesota Timberwolves	25	25	.500	12	18–7	7–18	11–9
Dallas Mavericks	19	31	.380	18	15–10	4–21	8–12
Denver Nuggets	14	36	.280	23	12–13	2–23	5–16
Vancouver Grizzlies	8	42	.160	29	7–18	1–24	3–18

Pacific Division	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
y-Portland Trail Blazers	35	15	.700	–	22–3	13–12	15–7
x-Los Angeles Lakers	31	19	.620	4	18–7	13–12	14–8
x-Sacramento Kings	27	23	.540	8	16–9	11–14	11–9
x-Phoenix Suns	27	23	.540	8	15–10	12–13	9–10
Seattle SuperSonics	25	25	.500	10	17–8	8–17	11–10
Golden State Warriors	21	29	.420	14	13–12	8–17	8–11
Los Angeles Clippers	9	41	.180	26	6–19	3–22	3–16

By conference

#	Eastern Conference
	Team	W	L	PCT	GB
1	z-Miami Heat	33	17	.660	–
2	y-Indiana Pacers	33	17	.660	–
3	x-Orlando Magic	33	17	.660	–
4	x-Atlanta Hawks	31	19	.620	2
5	x-Detroit Pistons	29	21	.580	4
6	x-Philadelphia 76ers	28	22	.560	5
7	x-Milwaukee Bucks	28	22	.560	5
8	x-New York Knicks	27	23	.540	6
9	Charlotte Hornets	26	24	.520	7
10	Toronto Raptors	23	27	.460	10
11	Cleveland Cavaliers	22	28	.440	11
12	Boston Celtics	19	31	.380	14
13	Washington Wizards	18	32	.360	15
14	New Jersey Nets	16	34	.320	17
15	Chicago Bulls	13	37	.260	20

#	Western Conference
	Team	W	L	PCT	GB
1	z-San Antonio Spurs	37	13	.740	–
2	y-Portland Trail Blazers	35	15	.700	2
3	x-Utah Jazz	37	13	.740	–
4	x-Los Angeles Lakers	31	19	.620	6
5	x-Houston Rockets	31	19	.620	6
6	x-Sacramento Kings	27	23	.540	10
7	x-Phoenix Suns	27	23	.540	10
8	x-Minnesota Timberwolves	25	25	.500	12
9	Seattle SuperSonics	25	25	.500	12
10	Golden State Warriors	21	29	.420	16
11	Dallas Mavericks	19	31	.380	18
12	Denver Nuggets	14	36	.280	23
13	Los Angeles Clippers	9	41	.180	28
14	Vancouver Grizzlies	8	42	.160	29

Notes

• y, z – clinched division title
• x – clinched playoff spot

Playoffs

Teams in bold advanced to the next round. The numbers to the left of each team indicate the team's seeding in its conference, and the numbers to the right indicate the number of games the team won in that round. The division champions are marked by an asterisk. Home court advantage does not necessarily belong to the higher-seeded team, but instead the team with the better regular season record; teams enjoying the home advantage are shown in italics.

	First Round					Conference Semifinals					Conference Finals					NBA Finals
	1	San Antonio	3
	8	Minnesota	1
						1	San Antonio	4
						4	L.A. Lakers	0
	4	L.A. Lakers	3
	5	Houston	1
											1	San Antonio	4
	Western Conference
										2	Portland	0
	3	Utah	3
	6	Sacramento	2
						3	Utah	2
						2	Portland	4
	2	Portland	3
	7	Phoenix	0
																W1	San Antonio	4
															E8	New York	1
	1	Miami	2
	8	New York	3
						8	New York	4
						4	Atlanta	0
	4	Atlanta	3
	5	Detroit	2
											8	New York	4
	Eastern Conference
										2	Indiana	2
	3	Orlando	1
	6	Philadelphia	3
						6	Philadelphia	0
						2	Indiana	4
	2	Indiana	3
	7	Milwaukee	0

Statistics leaders

Category	Player	Team	Stat
Points per game	Allen Iverson	Philadelphia 76ers	26.8
Rebounds per game	Chris Webber	Sacramento Kings	13.0
Assists per game	Jason Kidd	Phoenix Suns	10.8
Steals per game	Kendall Gill	New Jersey Nets	2.7
Blocks per game	Alonzo Mourning	Miami Heat	3.9
FG%	Shaquille O'Neal	Los Angeles Lakers	57.6
FT%	Reggie Miller	Indiana Pacers	91.5
3FG%	Dell Curry	Milwaukee Bucks	47.6

NBA awards

• Most Valuable Player: Karl Malone, Utah Jazz
• Rookie of the Year: Vince Carter, Toronto Raptors
• Defensive Player of the Year: Alonzo Mourning, Miami Heat
• Sixth Man of the Year: Darrell Armstrong, Orlando Magic
• Most Improved Player: Darrell Armstrong, Orlando Magic
• Coach of the Year: Mike Dunleavy, Portland Trail Blazers
• Executive of the Year: Geoff Petrie, Sacramento Kings
• Sportsmanship Award: Hersey Hawkins, Seattle SuperSonics

All-NBA First Team: F - Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs F - Karl Malone, Utah Jazz C - Alonzo Mourning, Miami Heat G - Allen Iverson, Philadelphia 76ers G - Jason Kidd, Phoenix Suns

All-NBA Second Team: F - Chris Webber, Sacramento Kings F - Grant Hill, Detroit Pistons C - Shaquille O'Neal, Los Angeles Lakers G - Gary Payton, Seattle SuperSonics G - Tim Hardaway, Miami Heat

All-NBA Third Team: F - Kevin Garnett, Minnesota Timberwolves F - Antonio McDyess, Denver Nuggets C - Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston Rockets G - Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers G - John Stockton, Utah Jazz

NBA All-Defensive First Team: F - Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs F - Karl Malone, Utah Jazz F - Scottie Pippen, Houston Rockets C - Alonzo Mourning, Miami Heat G - Gary Payton, Seattle SuperSonics G - Jason Kidd, Phoenix Suns

NBA All-Defensive Second Team: F - P.J. Brown, Miami Heat F - Theo Ratliff, Philadelphia 76ers C - Dikembe Mutombo, Atlanta Hawks G - Eddie Jones, Los Angeles Lakers/Charlotte Hornets G - Mookie Blaylock, Atlanta Hawks

NBA All-Rookie First Team: Vince Carter, Toronto Raptors Paul Pierce, Boston Celtics Jason Williams, Sacramento Kings Mike Bibby, Vancouver Grizzlies Matt Harpring, Orlando Magic

All-NBA Rookie Second Team: Antawn Jamison, Golden State Warriors Michael Doleac, Orlando Magic Michael Olowokandi, Los Angeles Clippers Michael Dickerson, Houston Rockets Cuttino Mobley, Houston Rockets

Players of the month

The following players were named the Players of the Month.

Month	Player
4February	Iverson, AllenAllen Iverson (Philadelphia 76ers)
5March	Duncan, TimTim Duncan (San Antonio Spurs)
6April	Kidd, JasonJason Kidd (Phoenix Suns)

Rookies of the month

The following players were named the Rookies of the Month.

Month	Player
4February	Pierce, PaulPaul Pierce (Boston Celtics)
5March	Carter, VinceVince Carter (Toronto Raptors)
6April	Carter, VinceVince Carter (Toronto Raptors)

Coaches of the month

The following coaches were named Coaches of the Month.

Month	Coach
4February	Sloan, JerryJerry Sloan (Utah Jazz)
5March	Dunleavy, Sr., MikeMike Dunleavy, Sr. (Portland Trail Blazers)
5April	Popovich, GreggGregg Popovich (San Antonio Spurs)

References

NBA seasons Also this year: 1998 Draft • 1999 Playoffs • 1999 Finals  • 1999 All-Star Game  • 1999 WNBA season 1940s 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1950s 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1960s 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1970s 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1980s 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1990s 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 2000s 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2010s 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12

1998–99 NBA season by team 1998 NBA Draft • Playoffs • Finals • Transactions Eastern Atlantic Boston • Miami • New Jersey • New York • Orlando • Philadelphia • Washington Central Atlanta • Charlotte • Chicago • Cleveland • Detroit • Indiana • Milwaukee • Toronto Western Midwest Dallas • Denver • Houston • Minnesota • San Antonio • Utah • Vancouver Pacific Golden State • L.A. Clippers • L.A. Lakers • Phoenix • Portland • Sacramento • Seattle