1997–98 NBA Season
The 1997–98 NBA season was the 52nd season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The season ended with the Chicago Bulls winning their third straight championship and sixth in the last eight years, beating the Utah Jazz 4 games to 2 in the 1998 NBA Finals. It also marked the departure of Michael Jordan and the end of the dynasty for the Chicago Bulls. This was the last time that both NBA and NHL regular seasons ended on the same day. Notable occurrences * The 1998 NBA All-Star Game was played at Madison Square Garden. However, the Slam Dunk Contest was not held, due to the risk of player injuries, lack of new dunking tricks and lack of big-name players in recent competitions. Instead, a 2Ball competition was held. Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant became the youngest All-Star starter at age 19. The East beat the West, 135–114 for the third consecutive year, as Michael Jordan won his third All-Star MVP. * The Washington Bullets were renamed the "Wizards". The ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada and is considered the premier professional basketball league in the world. The league is headquartered in Midtown Manhattan. The NBA was created on August 3, 1949, with the merger of the Basketball Association of America (BAA) and the National Basketball League (United States), National Basketball League (NBL). The league later adopted the BAA's history and considers its founding on June 6, 1946, as its own. In 1976, the NBA and the American Basketball Association (ABA) ABA–NBA merger, merged, adding four franchises to the NBA. The NBA's regular season runs from October to April, with each team playing 82 games. The NBA playoffs, league's playoff tournament extends into June, culminating with the NBA Finals championship series. The ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference. Since the 1991–92 season, the team has played its home games at the Delta Center, an arena they share with the Utah Mammoth of the National Hockey League (NHL). The franchise began as an expansion team in the 1974–75 season as the New Orleans Jazz, a tribute to New Orleans' history of originating jazz music. The Jazz relocated from New Orleans to Salt Lake City on June 8, 1979. The Jazz were one of the least successful teams in the league in their early years. Although 10 seasons elapsed before the Jazz qualified for their first playoff appearance in 1984, they did not miss the playoffs again until 2004. During the late 1980s, John Stockton and Karl Malone arose as the franchise players for the team and formed one of the most famed pick and roll duos in ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference. The franchise was established in 1989 as an Expansion team, expansion franchise. Notable NBA stars as Shaquille O'Neal, Penny Hardaway, Grant Hill, Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter and Dwight Howard, have played for the club throughout its history. , the franchise has played in the NBA playoffs 17 times in 35 seasons, and twice went to the NBA Finals, in 1995 NBA Finals, 1995 and 2009 NBA Finals, 2009, losing to the Houston Rockets and the Los Angeles Lakers, respectively. History 1985–1986: Team creation In September 1985, Orlando, Florida, Orlando businessman Jim L. Hewitt approached Philadelphia 76ers general manager Pat Williams (basketball), Pat Williams as they met in Texas on his idea of bringing an NBA team t ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Larry Bird
Larry Joe Bird (born December 7, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Hick from French Lick" and "Larry Legend" Bird is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time. He is the only person in NBA history to be named NBA Rookie of the Year Award, Rookie of the Year, NBA Most Valuable Player Award, Most Valuable Player, Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award, Finals MVP, 1982 NBA All-Star Game, All-Star MVP, NBA Coach of the Year Award, Coach of the Year, and NBA Executive of the Year Award, Executive of the Year. Growing up in French Lick, Indiana, Bird was a local basketball star. Highly college recruiting, recruited, he initially signed to play college basketball for coach Bob Knight of the Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball, Indiana Hoosiers. However, Bird dropped out after one month and returned to French Lick and attended a local colle ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Larry Brown (basketball)
Lawrence Harvey Brown (born September 14, 1940) is an American basketball coach and former player who last served as an assistant coach for the Memphis Tigers men's basketball, Memphis Tigers. Brown is the only coach in basketball history to win both an National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA 1988 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, national championship (Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball, Kansas Jayhawks, 1988) and an 2004 NBA Finals, NBA title (Detroit Pistons, 2004). He has a 1,275–965 lifetime professional coaching record in the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA) and is the only coach in NBA history to lead eight teams (differing franchises) to the playoffs. He also won an ABA championship as a player with the Oakland Oaks (ABA), Oakland Oaks in the 1968–69 season, and an Olympic gold medal in 1964. He is also the only person ever to coach two NBA franchises in the same season (San Antonio Spurs, Spurs and Los ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference. The team was founded in 1967 as an original member of the American Basketball Association (ABA) and became a member of the NBA in 1976 as a result of the ABA–NBA merger. They play their home games at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The team is named after the state of Indiana's history with the Indianapolis 500's Indianapolis 500 pace cars, pace cars and with the harness racing industry. The Pacers have won three championships, in 1970 ABA Playoffs, 1970, 1972 ABA Playoffs, 1972, and 1973 ABA Playoffs, 1973, all in the ABA. They also reached the ABA Finals in 1969 ABA Playoffs, 1969 and 1975 ABA Playoffs, 1975, and have also appeared in the NBA Finals in 2000 NBA Finals, 2000 and 2025 NBA Finals, 2025. The team has also won nine ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Rick Adelman
Richard Leonard Adelman (born June 16, 1946) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. He coached 23 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Adelman served as head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings, Houston Rockets and Minnesota Timberwolves.Rick Adelman to announce retirement ESPN.com He was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in the class of 2021. Early life and playing career ![]() [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. Founded in 1946 in Philadelphia, the Warriors moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1962 and took the city's name before changing its geographic moniker to Golden State in 1971. The team plays its home games at Chase Center. The Warriors won the inaugural Basketball Association of America (BAA) championship in 1947, and won again in 1956, led by Hall of Fame trio Paul Arizin, Tom Gola, and Neil Johnston. After the trade of star Wilt Chamberlain in January 1965, the team finished the 1964–65 season with the NBA's worst record (17–63). Their rebuilding period was brief, however, as they drafted Rick Barry four months after the trade. Barry, along with Jamaal Wilkes, powered the Warriors to their third championship in 1975, widely considered o ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Bill Hanzlik
William Henry Hanzlik (born December 6, 1957) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. College career A 6'7" guard, Hanzlik played college basketball at the University of Notre Dame. He was selected for the 1980 US Men's Olympic Team, which did not compete due to the US's boycott of the Moscow Games. However, in 2007 he did receive one of 461 Congressional Gold Medals created especially for the spurned athletes. Professional career He was selected with the 20th pick of the 1980 NBA draft by the Seattle SuperSonics. A defensive specialist, at the time of his selection Hanzlik had the lowest college scoring average (7.2 ppg) for any player selected in the first round of the draft. Hanzlik played in the NBA for ten years – two with the Sonics and eight with the Denver Nuggets. He was a 1986 All-Defense second team selection. Coach Doug Moe often assigned Hanzlik to the opposing team's toughest player to guard, regardless of position, even once defend ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Dick Motta
John Richard Motta (born September 3, 1931) is an American former basketball coach whose career in the National Basketball Association (NBA) spanned 25 years. Motta coached the Washington Wizards, Washington Bullets to the 1978 NBA Finals, 1978 NBA Championship, and he won the 1971 NBA Coach of the Year Award with the Chicago Bulls. Motta is eighth all-time with 1,952 games as coach, while ranking 13th in wins and fourth in losses; he has the most wins of eligible coaches not currently inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. In 25 seasons as a coach, he reached the postseason fourteen times. Known as a strict disciplinarian with high expectations for his players, Motta developed a reputation for putting together well-conditioned, tough, physical teams. He was known for his eccentric personality and fiery temper, which included infamously throwing his jacket at a referee, kicking a basketball into the stands and throwing a dollar bill onto the court and demanding it to play aft ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference. The team was originally founded as the Denver Larks in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association (ABA), but changed their name to the Rockets before the first season began due to a swift ownership change that came from the owners of the local Ringsby Rocket Truck Lines company. The Rockets then changed their name to the Nuggets on August 7, 1974 as a precautionary measure for their franchise to move from the ABA to the NBA. After the name change, the Nuggets played for the final List of ABA champions, ABA Championship title in 1976, losing to the Brooklyn Nets, New York Nets. The team has had some periods of success, qualifying for the ABA playoffs in all but two seasons of the ABA's existence. T ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Rick Pitino
Richard Andrew Pitino (; born September 18, 1952) is an American basketball coach who is the head men's basketball coach at St. John's University (New York City), St. John's University. He was also the head coach of Greece national basketball team, Greece's senior national team. He has been the head coach of several teams in NCAA Division I and in the NBA, including Boston University Terriers men's basketball, Boston University (1978–1983), Providence Friars men's basketball, Providence College (1985–1987), the New York Knicks (1987–1989), the Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball, University of Kentucky (1989–1997), the Boston Celtics (1997–2001), the Louisville Cardinals men's basketball, University of Louisville (2001–2017), Panathinaikos B.C., Panathinaikos of the Greek Basket League and EuroLeague (2018–2020), and Iona Gaels men's basketball, Iona University (2020–2023). Pitino led Kentucky to an NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, NCAA championship in ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |