The 1996–97 NBA season was the ninth season for the Miami Heat in the National Basketball Association. During the off-season, the Heat signed free agents, All-Star guard and three-point specialist Dan Majerle, P.J. Brown, and Isaac Austin. The team also signed All-Star forward Juwan Howard to a 7-year $100 million contract, but was voided by the league claiming that Miami exceeded their salary cap; Howard then quickly re-signed with the Washington Bullets. At midseason, the team traded second-year guard Sasha Danilovic, and second-year forward Kurt Thomas to the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference (NBA), Western Conferenc ...

in exchange for

Jamal Mashburn Jamal Mashburn Sr. (born November 29, 1972) is an American entrepreneur and former professional basketball player. Nicknamed the "Monster Mash", Mashburn was a prolific scorer as a small forward in his 12 seasons in the National Basketball Assoc ...

. After a 5–4 start to the season, the Heat went on a nine-game winning streak, then won eleven straight games between January and February, held a 36–12 record at the All-Star break, and won eight straight in March, as they won their first Division title with a record of 61 wins and 21 losses, which stood as the franchise mark until the 2012–13 season. The team also posted the league's best road record at 32–9, while posting a 29–12 record at home. Head coach Pat Riley was named Coach of the Year for the third time. The Heat had the best team defensive rating in the NBA. Tim Hardaway had a career season with the Heat as he led the team with 20.3 points, 8.6 assists and 1.9 steals per game, while

Alonzo Mourning Alonzo Harding Mourning Jr. (born February 8, 1970) is an American former professional basketball player who has served as vice president of player programs and development for the Miami Heat since June 2009. Mourning played most of his 15-year ...

averaged 19.8 points, 9.9 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game. Hardaway and Mourning were both selected for the

1997 NBA All-Star Game The 1997 NBA All-Star Game was the 47th edition of the All-Star Game and commemorated the 50th anniversary of NBA. The game was played on February 9, 1997, at Gund Arena (now known as Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse) in Cleveland. The winner of the M ...

,Miami Heat (1988-Present)
/ref> although Mourning did not play due to a foot injury, where he missed 16 games this season. Hardaway was named to the All-NBA First Team, and finished in fourth place in

Most Valuable Player In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

voting behind Karl Malone,

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 g ...

and

Grant Hill Grant Henry Hill (born October 5, 1972) is an American former professional basketball player who is a co-owner and executive of the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He attended Duke University and is widely considere ...

. On the defensive side, Mourning and Brown both provided leadership, while on the offensive side, Mashburn gave the team a spark. In addition, second-year guard Voshon Lenard showed improvement becoming the team's starting shooting guard midway through the season, averaging 12.3 points per game, as Majerle only played just 36 games due to a back injury. Majerle contributed 10.8 points per game, while Brown provided the team with 9.5 points and 8.4 rebounds per game, and was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team. Off the bench, Austin, who played as backup center, averaged 9.7 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, and Keith Askins contributed 4.9 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. Austin was honored with the NBA Most Improved Player of the Year Award, while Lenard finished in fourth place in Most Improved Player voting. In the Eastern Conference First Round of the playoffs, the Heat won their first ever playoff series by defeating their in-state rivals, the

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 league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The franchise was establ ...

in five games. In the Eastern Conference Semi-finals, they faced the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...

, who took a 3–1 series lead over the Heat. Game 5 of that series featured a brawl, which involved Brown throwing Knicks guard Charlie Ward off the court, and with several Knicks players coming off the bench during the altercation, receiving automatic one-game suspensions while Brown was suspended for two games. The Heat managed to defeat the Knicks in seven games, but would lose in five games to the defending champion Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Bulls would go on to defeat the Utah Jazz in six games in the

NBA Finals The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is awa ...

, winning their fifth championship in seven years.

Off-season

NBA draft

The Heat did not have any draft picks in 1996.

Roster

Regular season

Season standings

:z – clinched division title :y – clinched division title :x – clinched playoff spot

Record vs. opponents

Schedule

Playoffs

In the first round of the playoffs, the Heat confronted their in-state rivals, the

. The Heat won the first two games. In Orlando, the Magic defeated the Heat to force a fifth game. The Heat won the decisive Game 5 at home, 91–83. Winning their first ever playoff series. In the following round, the Heat were matched up against Pat Riley's former team, the

. After the first four games, the Knicks had a 3–1 series lead. The Heat won Game 5 although the game was remembered for P. J. Brown fighting with Heisman Trophy winner Charlie Ward. Some Knicks players came off the bench and earned automatic suspensions, and Brown was suspended for the rest of the series. The Heat players stayed on the bench and gained an advantage for the rest of the series. The Heat eliminated the undermanned Knicks in seven games and one of the most heated rivalries in the NBA was born. In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Heat were defeated by the eventual NBA champion Chicago Bulls in five games. , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 1 , April 24 , Orlando
W 99–64
, Voshon Lenard (24) ,

P. J. Brown Collier "P. J." Brown Jr. (born October 14, 1969) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The , center/ power forward was selected out of Louisiana Tech University by the N ...

(12) , Tim Hardaway (11) , Miami Arena
15,200 , 1–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 2 , April 27 , Orlando
W 104–87
, Tim Hardaway (20) ,

(9) , Tim Hardaway (11) , Miami Arena
15,200 , 2–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 3 , April 29 , @ Orlando
L 75–88
,

(17) ,

(17) , Tim Hardaway (8) , Orlando Arena
17,248 , 2–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 4 , May 1 , @ Orlando
L 91–99
,

(23) , Mourning, Brown (13) , Tim Hardaway (8) , Orlando Arena
16,555 , 2–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 5 , May 4 , Orlando
W 91–83
,

(22) ,

(14) , Tim Hardaway (11) , Miami Arena
15,200 , 3–2 , - , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 1 , May 7 ,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

L 79–88
, Tim Hardaway (21) ,

(12) , Tim Hardaway (6) , Miami Arena
14,870 , 0–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 2 , May 9 ,

W 88–84
, Tim Hardaway (34) ,

(13) , Hardaway, Majerle (4) , Miami Arena
14,870 , 1–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 3 , May 11 , @

L 73–77
, Voshon Lenard (22) ,

(10) , Tim Hardaway (8) ,

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...

19,763 , 1–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 4 , May 12 , @

L 76–89
, Tim Hardaway (14) ,

(12) , Willie Anderson (4) ,

19,763 , 1–3 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 5 , May 14 ,

W 96–81
, Voshon Lenard (21) ,

(12) , Tim Hardaway (6) , Miami Arena
14,782 , 2–3 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 6 , May 16 , @

W 95–90
,

(28) ,

(9) , Tim Hardaway (8) ,

19,763 , 3–3 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 7 , May 18 ,

W 101–90
, Tim Hardaway (38) ,

(12) , Tim Hardaway (7) , Miami Arena
14,870 , 4–3 , - , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 1 , May 20 , @ Chicago
L 77–84
,

(21) , Mourning,

Austin Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

(8) , Tim Hardaway (9) , United Center
24,544 , 0–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 2 , May 22 , @ Chicago
L 68–75
, Tim Hardaway (15) ,

(8) , Tim Hardaway (5) , United Center
24,544 , 0–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 3 , May 24 , Chicago
L 74–98
, Voshon Lenard (14) ,

(9) ,

John Crotty John Kevin Crotty (born July 15, 1969) is an American former professional basketball player. A 6'1" point guard from the University of Virginia, Crotty was undrafted, but played in 11 National Basketball Association (NBA) seasons from 1992 to 2003 ...

(5) , Miami Arena
14,720 , 0–3 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 4 , May 26 , Chicago
W 87–80
, Tim Hardaway (25) ,

(14) , Tim Hardaway (7) , Miami Arena
14,720 , 1–3 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 5 , May 28 , @ Chicago
L 87–100
, Tim Hardaway (27) ,

(8) , Lenard, Hardaway (5) , United Center
24,544 , 1–4 , -

Player statistics

NOTE: Please write the players statistics in alphabetical order by last name.

Season

Playoffs

Awards

* Tim Hardaway, All NBA First Team *

, All NBA Defensive Second Team * Pat Riley, Coach of the Year * Isaac Austin, NBA Most Improved Player Award

Transactions

References

External links

Heat on Database Basketball

{{DEFAULTSORT:1996-97 Miami Heat Season Miami Miami Heat Miami Heat