|
1997–98 Boston Celtics Season
The 1997–98 NBA season was the 52nd season for the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association. In the 1997 NBA draft, the Celtics selected Chauncey Billups from the University of Colorado with the third overall pick, and selected Ron Mercer from the University of Kentucky with the sixth pick. Despite finishing with the NBA's second worst record in 1996–97, the Celtics were back in the headlines after hiring University of Kentucky head coach Rick Pitino as their new coach. In the off-season, the team signed free agent Chris Mills, but then sent him to the New York Knicks in exchange for second-year forward Walter McCarty in October, and also signed second-year center Travis Knight, Andrew DeClercq, Bruce Bowen and Tyus Edney. Pitino's Celtics career had an auspicious beginning on opening night when the Celtics upset Michael Jordan, and the 5-time defending NBA champion Chicago Bulls, 92–85 at the FleetCenter on October 31, 1997. After a 1–5 start to the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rick Pitino
Richard Andrew Pitino (born September 18, 1952) is an American college basketball coach who is the head coach for Iona College. He was also the head coach of 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 (1978–1983), Providence College (1985–1987), the New York Knicks (1987–1989), the University of Kentucky (1989–1997), the Boston Celtics (1997–2001), the University of Louisville (2001–2017), and Panathinaikos of the Greek Basket League and EuroLeague (2018–2020). Pitino led Kentucky to an NCAA championship in 1996. He is the only coach to lead three different schools (Providence, Kentucky, and Louisville) to a Final Four. In 2013, he was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. In June 2017, the NCAA suspended Pitino for five games of the 2017–18 season for his lack of oversight in an escort sex scandal at the University of Louisville involving r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Travis Knight (basketball)
Travis Knight (born September 13, 1974) is a retired American professional basketball player who played seven seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). A 7'0" center from the University of Connecticut, he played under Hall of Fame head coach Jim Calhoun. Career Knight was drafted with the 29th overall pick in the first round of the 1996 NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls. In July 1996, less than a month after drafting Knight, the Bulls renounced the rights to sign Knight rather than give him the required three-year contract for first-round picks. He then signed with the Los Angeles Lakers. After playing in 71 games with the Lakers, which included 14 starts, an appearance in the rookie all-star game and averages of 4.8 points and 4.5 rebounds in 16.3 minutes per game, Knight was once again a free agent and signed a 7-year contract worth $22 million with the Boston Celtics under new coach and general manager Rick Pitino. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Antoine Walker
Antoine Devon Walker (born August 12, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player. He was drafted with the sixth overall pick in the 1996 NBA draft out of the University of Kentucky and played in the NBA from 1996 to 2008. Walker played for the Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks, Atlanta Hawks, Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves, the BSN's Mets de Guaynabo and the NBA D-League's Idaho Stampede before retiring from basketball in 2012. Walker, a three-time NBA All-Star, won an NCAA championship with Kentucky in 1996 and an NBA championship with the Heat in 2006. Pre-NBA career Walker attended Mount Carmel High School, in Chicago, where he played with future NFL quarterback Donovan McNabb and attained all-state status as a senior, earning a full scholarship to play for Rick Pitino at the University of Kentucky. He was a starting forward on the Wildcats' 1996 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship Game-winning team. As a freshman at Kentucky he was na ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1998 NBA Playoffs
The 1998 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1997–98 season. The tournament concluded with the two-time defending NBA champion and Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls defeating the Western Conference champion Utah Jazz 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals. The Bulls also achieved a second three peat, a goal unrivaled since the Boston Celtics in 1966. The 1998 playoffs was the last involving the Jordan-led Bulls (Chicago didn't make the playoffs again until 2005). Michael Jordan was named NBA Finals MVP for the sixth and final time. The Indiana Pacers took the Bulls to the limit in the Eastern Conference Finals, becoming 1 of only 2 teams to force a Game 7 in the Bulls' title years (the Knicks achieved this in 1992). This team was later named by Pacers.com as the greatest in franchise history, even better than the 2000 team that won the Eastern Conference Title, primarily due to their record. The New Jersey Nets made the playof ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1997–98 Portland Trail Blazers Season
The 1997–98 NBA season was the 28th season for the Portland Trail Blazers in the National Basketball Association. During the off-season, the Blazers signed free agents Brian Grant, and Vincent Askew, and hired former Milwaukee Bucks General Manager and head coach Mike Dunleavy as their new coach. After losing their season opener, the Blazers went on a five-game winning streak, which ended with a 140–139 quadruple overtime home loss to the Phoenix Suns on November 14, 1997. The Blazers continued to play above .500 for the remainder of the season, holding a 26–20 record at the All-Star break. At midseason, the team traded Kenny Anderson along with Gary Trent, and rookie guard Alvin Williams to the 1997–98 Toronto Raptors season, Toronto Raptors in exchange for Damon Stoudamire, Carlos Rogers (basketball), Carlos Rogers and Walt Williams; Anderson never played for the Raptors, as he was soon traded to the 1997–98 Boston Celtics season, Boston Celtics. The Blazers lat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Žan Tabak
Žan Tabak (born 15 June 1970) is a Croatian professional basketball coach and former player who last served as the head coach for San Pablo Burgos of the Liga ACB. His basketball career, spanning twenty years, was marked by several notable achievements, despite injuries. He was the first international player to play in the NBA Finals for two teams. Žan Tabak averaged 5.0 points in his 6-year NBA career. Early career Born in Split, SR Croatia, SFR Yugoslavia, Tabak's father-in-law Ratomir Tvrdić was a top European basketball player, his wife played first-division basketball for Croatia, and his younger brother played professionally in Croatia. Tabak began his basketball career in 1985, at the age of fifteen, making his debut with the Jugoplastika Split organization. Only a few years later, he and Split teammates Dino Rađa and Toni Kukoč led the club to three consecutive European Championships (1989–91), a feat only equaled in EuroLeague's storied history by its first ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Popeye Jones
Ronald Jerome "Popeye" Jones (born June 17, 1970) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who serves as an assistant coach for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). College career Born in Dresden, Tennessee, Jones played college basketball for Murray State University. He finished his college career as a three-time All-Ohio Valley Conference selection, a two-time honorable mention All-America and was named OVC Player of the Year in 1990 and 1991. Jones was honored as the OVC's Athlete of the Year in 1991 and 1992. He is one of only ten MSU men's basketball players to have his jersey retired, his #54 hangs in the rafters of the CFSB Center in Murray, Kentucky. Jones ranks fourth on Murray State's all-time scoring list with 2,057 points. He is also Murray State's all-time leader in rebounds with 1,374, and led the nation in that category in the 1990–91 season. He is the only player in Murray State history to record more than 2,00 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kenny Anderson (basketball)
Kenneth Anderson (born October 9, 1970) is an American former professional basketball player. After a college career at Georgia Tech, he played point guard professionally from 1991 to 2006, mostly in the National Basketball Association. Early life Anderson was born in Queens, New York City. As a 16-year-old high school sophomore, the LeFrak City, Queens native who attended academic and athletic powerhouse Archbishop Molloy High School in Briarwood, Queens, was considered one of the best basketball prospects in America. Collegiate recruiters began scouting Anderson in sixth grade and he was on the front page of the New York City sports section when he was 14. By the end of his high school career, he was a four-time '' Parade'' All-American, a feat not accomplished since Lew Alcindor, and the first player to be named All-City four times. He was a McDonald's All-American, was named New York State Mr. Basketball by the New York State Coaches Organization, and named High School ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1997–98 Toronto Raptors Season
The 1997–98 NBA season was the Raptors' third season in the National Basketball Association. In the 1997 NBA draft, the Raptors selected high school basketball star Tracy McGrady with the ninth overall pick, and acquired second-year forward John Wallace from the New York Knicks during the off-season. In November, Isiah Thomas resigned as the team's General Manager, and later took up a job as color analyst for the '' NBA on NBC''. After a 1–2 start, the Raptors struggled posting a 17-game losing streak leading to a dreadful 1–19 start. The team later on improved in January with a 6–8 record, including a four-game winning streak. At midseason, scoring leader Damon Stoudamire was traded along with Walt Williams, and Carlos Rogers to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for Kenny Anderson, Gary Trent and rookie guard Alvin Williams, as head coach Darrell Walker resigned with a 11–38 record at the All-Star break. However, Anderson refused to play for the Canadian team ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dee Brown (basketball, Born 1968)
DeCovan Kadell "Dee" Brown (born November 29, 1968) is an American retired professional basketball player who spent thirty years in the NBA including twelve seasons as a player (1990–2002) in the National Basketball Association (NBA), playing for the Boston Celtics, Toronto Raptors, and Orlando Magic, and as an executive with the Orlando Magic, Detroit Pistons, Sacramento Kings, and as Vice President of Holistic Player Performance with the Los Angeles Clippers. His daughter Lexie Brown plays for the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Playing career A 6'1" (1.85 m) guard from Jacksonville University, Brown was selected by the Celtics with the 19th pick of the 1990 NBA draft. He was a member of the NBA All-Rookie Team in his first year, when he played in all 82 games and averaged 8.7 points per game. One of the highlights of his career occurred in 1991, when he won the NBA Slam Dunk Contest with a no look slam dunk. He was a starter for B ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1997–98 Chicago Bulls Season
The 1997–98 NBA season was the Bulls' 32nd season in the National Basketball Association. The Bulls entered the season as the two-time defending NBA champions, and in the Finals, they met the Utah Jazz in a rematch from the prior year's NBA Finals and just like that year, they would go on to defeat the Jazz in six games to win their sixth championship in eight years and complete the franchise's second "3-peat". During the off-season, the Bulls acquired Scott Burrell from the 1996–97 Golden State Warriors season, Golden State Warriors, and signed free agent Joe Kleine. However, All-Star forward Scottie Pippen would miss the first half of the season due to an injured toe on his left foot sustained from the 1997 NBA Playoffs. Without Pippen, the Bulls started with a slow 9–7 record in November, but then would go on a 15–4 record until he returned in January. However, three-point specialist Steve Kerr went down with a knee injury in January, and only played just 50 games. Despite ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Michael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. His biography on the official NBA website states: "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time." He played fifteen seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), winning six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls. Jordan is the principal owner and chairman of the Charlotte Hornets of the NBA and of 23XI Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series. He was integral in popularizing the NBA around the world in the 1980s and 1990s,Markovits and Rensman, p. 89. becoming a global cultural icon in the process. Jordan played college basketball for three seasons under coach Dean Smith with the North Carolina Tar Heels. As a freshman, he was a member of the Tar Heels' national championship team in 1982. Jordan joined the Bulls in 1984 as the third overall draft pick, and quickly emerged as a league st ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
