The

1997–98 NBA season The 1997–98 NBA season was the 52nd season of the National Basketball Association. 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 19 ...

was the Nets' 31st season in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...

, and 22nd season in

East Rutherford, New Jersey East Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the borough's population was 10,022, reflecting an increase of 1,109 (+12.4%) from the 8,913 counted in the 2010 census.

. The Nets had the seventh overall pick in the

1997 NBA draft The 1997 NBA draft took place on June 25, 1997, at Charlotte Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Vancouver Grizzlies had the highest probability to win the NBA draft lottery, but since they were an expansion team along with the Toronto ...

, and selected Tim Thomas out of

Villanova University Villanova University is a Private university, private Catholic church, Roman Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania. It was founded by the Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinians in 1842 and named after Thomas of Villanova, Sa ...

, but soon traded him to the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eas ...

in exchange for top draft pick

Keith Van Horn Keith Adam Van Horn (born October 23, 1975) is an American former professional basketball player. Van Horn played for the New Jersey Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, New York Knicks, Milwaukee Bucks, and the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball ...

from the

University of Utah The University of Utah (U of U, UofU, or simply The U) is a public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the flagship institution of the Utah System of Higher Education. The university was established in 1850 as the University of De ...

Lucious Harris Lucious H. Harris (born December 18, 1970) is an American former professional basketball player who was selected by the Dallas Mavericks in the second round (28th pick overall) of the 1993 NBA draft. Harris has played for the Mavericks, Philadelp ...

Michael Cage Michael Jerome Cage Sr. (born January 28, 1962) is an American former professional basketball player and current broadcast analyst for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Basketball career A 6'9" power forward/center from San Diego State, he is the Aztecs ...

and

Don MacLean Don Maclean (born 1942/1943) MBE KSS is an English actor and comedian, who appeared on the BBC television series '' Crackerjack'' with Michael Aspel, Peter Glaze and Jan Hunt in the 1970s. Born in Birmingham, he attended Clifton Road Schoo ...

, then signed free agent

Sherman Douglas Sherman Douglas (born September 15, 1966) is an American former professional basketball player from Syracuse University who played for the Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, New Jersey Nets and the Los Angeles Clippers from 1989 to 2001. ...

on the first day of the regular season, which began on October 31, 1997. The Nets had a new look as the team changed their primary logo, and added new uniforms adding dark navy to their color scheme. A youth movement began to pay off as the Nets won their first four games, and played above .500 for the entire season, holding a 27–21 record at the All-Star break. At midseason, the team traded David Benoit,

Kevin Edwards Kevin Durell Edwards (born October 30, 1965) is an American former professional basketball player who currently serves as DePaul University men's basketball team's director of community, corporate, and professional relations. Edwards was selecte ...

and

Yinka Dare Yinka Dare (October 10, 1972 – January 9, 2004) was a Nigerian professional basketball player. A , center, he played four seasons in the National Basketball Association. Early years Born in Kano, Dare was discovered by Nigerian-born lawyer Llo ...

to 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 exchange for

Rony Seikaly Rony is a given name. Notable people with the name include: * Ronielson da Silva Barbosa, Brazilian footballer better known as Rony *Rony Ahonen (born 1987), Finnish ice hockey defenceman *Rony Bakale (born 1987), Olympic swimmer from the Republ ...

and second-year forward Brian Evans. Despite a 7-game losing streak between February and March, the Nets made the playoffs by finishing third in the Atlantic Division with a 43–39 record. Van Horn shook off a preseason ankle injury, which cost him to miss the first month of the regular season, and averaged 19.7 points and 6.6 rebounds per game in 62 games, while being selected to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. He also finished in second place in Rookie of the Year voting behind

Tim Duncan Timothy Theodore Duncan (born April 25, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "the Big Fundamental", he is widely regarded as the greatest power forward of all time and one of the greatest players in NBA histor ...

of the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference Southwest Division ( ...

. In addition,

Sam Cassell Samuel James Cassell Sr. (born November 18, 1969) is an American professional basketball coach and former point guard who serves as an assistant coach for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Drafted 24th overall i ...

finished second on the team in scoring with 19.6 points, led them with 8.0 assists and contributed 1.6 steals per game, while second-year star

Kerry Kittles Kerry Kittles (born June 12, 1974) is an American professional basketball coach and former player. He was raised in New Orleans and attended St. Augustine High School (New Orleans), St. Augustine High School. He was an assistant coach at Princeton ...

provided the team with 17.2 points and 1.7 steals per game, and

Kendall Gill Kendall Cedric Gill (born May 25, 1968) is an American former professional basketball player who now works as a television basketball analyst. Early life Gill was born in Chicago and attended Rich Central High School in Olympia Fields, Illinois. ...

contributed 13.4 points and led the team with 1.9 steals per game.

Jayson Williams Jayson Williams (born February 22, 1968) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 11 seasons, primarily with the New Jersey Nets. He played his first three seasons with the ...

averaged 12.9 points, led the Nets with 13.6 rebounds per game, and was selected for the

1998 NBA All-Star Game The 1998 NBA All-Star Game was the 48th edition of the National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star Game. The event was held at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The East won the game 135–114. Besides the NBA All-Star game, there were t ...

. Off the bench, sixth man

Chris Gatling Chris Raymond Gatling (born September 3, 1967) is an American former professional basketball player. Gatling played for many National Basketball Association (NBA) teams from 1991 to 2002. He played for the US national team in the 1990 FIBA Worl ...

provided with 11.5 points and 5.9 rebounds per game, and Douglas contributed 8.0 points and 4.0 assists per game. In the Eastern Conference First Round of the

playoffs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

, the Nets faced off against

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 ...

Scottie Pippen Scotty Maurice Pippen Sr. (born September 25, 1965), usually spelled Scottie Pippen, is an American former professional basketball player. He played 17 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), winning six NBA championships with the ...

, and the 2-time defending champion

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January 1 ...

. However, due to injuries to Cassell (groin), Williams (thumb), and Van Horn (stomach virus), the Nets were swept by the Bulls in three straight games. The Bulls would go on to defeat the

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 league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference, Northwest Division (NBA), ...

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 ...

for their third consecutive championship, and sixth overall in eight years. Following the season, Douglas signed as a free agent with the

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...

, while Cage and MacLean were both traded to the

Seattle SuperSonics The Seattle SuperSonics (commonly known as the Seattle Sonics) were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The SuperSonics competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member club of the league's Western Confe ...

, whom Cage used to play for, and

Xavier McDaniel Xavier Maurice McDaniel (born June 4, 1963), nicknamed "X-Man", is an American retired professional basketball player who, at 6 ft 7 in, played both small forward and power forward. He played in college at Wichita State University. Hi ...

retired, although he was released to free agency in January. The Nets new primary logo and home uniforms both remained in use until 2012, while the road jerseys lasted until 2009.

Off-season

NBA draft

Roster

;Roster notes * Small forward

was waived on January 24.

Regular season

The Nets began the season by winning their first four games, and maintained a winning record through all 82 games for the first time in the franchise's NBA history. The Nets clinched a playoff berth with a victory over the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at Li ...

on the final day of the season. It was the Nets first postseason appearance since 1994, and the season brought excitement back to the Meadowlands. The heart and soul of the Nets was center

, who averaged 13.6 rebounds, (2nd in the NBA), and 12.9 points per game.NETS: New Jersey Nets History
Williams became the first Net to appear in an

All-Star Game An all-star game is an exhibition game that purports to showcase the best players (the "stars") of a sports league. The exhibition is between two teams organized solely for the event, usually representing the league's teams based on region or div ...

since 1994. After missing the first 17 games of the season due to a leg injury, rookie

quickly acclimated himself to the NBA game and led the Nets in scoring at 19.7 points per game. Another strong presence in the frontcourt was forward

, who averaged 13.4 points per game. The Nets backcourt consisted of

and

in the backcourt. Cassell ranked second on the team in scoring, behind Van Horn at 19.6 ppg, and led the Nets in assists with 8.0 apg. Kittles was in his second NBA season, and was third on the team in scoring with 17.2 ppg. The Nets bench included

(8.0 ppg, 4.0 apg) and

(11.5 ppg, 5.9 rpg). Late in the season, the Nets added depth with the trade for

, who joined the Nets in a five-player trade with the

on Feb. 19. Seikaly played in only nine games for New Jersey, because of a nagging injury to his right foot.

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Schedule

Playoffs

Injuries would become a problem in the playoffs for the Nets. In Game 1 against Chicago, Cassell nursed a strained groin and Williams played despite a broken thumb. Williams would manage to get 21 rebounds in the game. The Nets forced overtime at the United Center before falling by a score of 96-93. The Bulls ultimately swept the series, but the Nets' effort suggested that the team had a bright future. , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 1 , April 24 , @

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

L 93–96 (OT)
,

(24) ,

(21) ,

(5) ,

United Center United Center is an indoor arena on the Near West Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. It is home to the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). It is named ...

23,844 , 0–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 2 , April 26 , @

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

L 91–96
,

(23) ,

(11) ,

(12) ,

23,844 , 0–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 3 , April 29 ,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

L 101–116
,

(19) ,

(10) ,

(8) ,

Continental Airlines Arena Meadowlands Arena (formerly Brendan Byrne Arena, Continental Airlines Arena and Izod Center) is a closed indoor arena facility located in the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States. The arena is located on N ...

20,049 , 0–3

Player statistics

Regular season

, - ,

, 62 , 62 , 37.5 , .426 , .308 , .846 , 6.6 , 1.7 , 1.0 , 0.4 , 19.7 , - ,

, 75 , 72 , 34.7 , .441 , .188 , .860 , 3.0 , 8.0 , 1.6 , 0.3 , 19.6 , - ,

, 77 , 76 , 36.5 , .440 , .418 , .808 , 4.7 , 2.3 , 1.7 , 0.5 , 17.2 , - ,

, 81 , 81 , 33.7 , .429 , .257 , .688 , 4.8 , 2.5 , 1.9 , 0.8 , 13.4 , - ,

, 65 , 65 , 36.0 , .498 , .000 , .666 , 13.6 , 1.0 , 0.7 , 0.8 , 12.9 , - ,

, 57 , 16 , 23.8 , .455 , .250 , .600 , 5.9 , 0.9 , 0.9 , 0.5 , 11.5 , - ,

, 80 , 11 , 21.2 , .495 , .304 , .669 , 1.7 , 4.0 , 0.7 , 0.1 , 8.0 , - , David Benoit , 53 , 0 , 15.1 , .379 , .345 , .841 , 2.7 , 0.3 , 0.5 , 0.3 , 5.3 , - ,

, 9 , 2 , 16.9 , .317 , , .593 , 4.0 , 0.9 , 0.3 , 0.4 , 4.7 , - , Brian Evans , 28 , 1 , 11.9 , .434 , .405 , .667 , 1.9 , 0.9 , 0.3 , 0.2 , 4.1 , - ,

, 50 , 0 , 13.4 , .390 , .308 , .745 , 1.0 , 0.8 , 0.8 , 0.1 , 3.8 , - ,

, 27 , 5 , 13.0 , .349 , .364 , .867 , 1.3 , 1.0 , 0.8 , 0.0 , 3.4 , - , David Vaughn , 15 , 2 , 10.7 , .576 , , .667 , 3.3 , 0.1 , 0.3 , 0.3 , 2.9 , - ,

Jack Haley John Joseph Haley Jr. (August 10, 1897 – June 6, 1979) was an American actor, comedian, dancer, radio host, singer and vaudevillian. He was best known for his portrayal of the Tin Man and his farmhand counterpart Hickory in the 1939 Metro-G ...

, 16 , 0 , 3.2 , .278 , .000 , .571 , 0.9 , 0.0 , 0.0 , 0.1 , 1.4 , - ,

, 79 , 17 , 15.2 , .512 , .000 , .556 , 3.9 , 0.4 , 0.6 , 0.6 , 1.3 , - ,

, 20 , 0 , 9.0 , .333 , , .625 , 1.6 , 0.5 , 0.2 , 0.1 , 1.3 , - ,

, 10 , 0 , 6.0 , .222 , , .500 , 1.7 , 0.1 , 0.0 , 0.2 , 1.2 , - ,

, 9 , 0 , 4.7 , .100 , .500 , , 0.6 , 0.0 , 0.0 , 0.0 , 0.3

Playoffs

, - ,

, 3 , 2 , 41.7 , .523 , .400 , .700 , 2.7 , 8.3 , 2.0 , 0.0 , 18.3 , - ,

, 3 , 3 , 42.0 , .425 , .385 , .909 , 5.0 , 2.7 , 1.3 , 0.7 , 16.3 , - ,

, 3 , 1 , 27.0 , .500 , , .667 , 3.3 , 0.7 , 0.7 , 0.7 , 15.3 , - ,

, 3 , 3 , 33.3 , .450 , , .875 , 4.3 , 1.0 , 1.3 , 0.3 , 14.3 , - ,

, 3 , 3 , 25.7 , .448 , .000 , .800 , 3.0 , 0.3 , 0.0 , 0.0 , 12.7 , - ,

, 3 , 2 , 38.7 , .429 , , .500 , 14.0 , 1.7 , 0.7 , 1.0 , 7.0 , - ,

, 3 , 0 , 12.3 , .778 , , .667 , 3.0 , 0.0 , 0.3 , 0.0 , 6.0 , - ,

, 3 , 0 , 17.3 , .333 , .000 , .833 , 2.7 , 0.3 , 0.7 , 0.0 , 3.0 , - ,

, 3 , 1 , 8.7 , .333 , , , 1.0 , 1.7 , 0.0 , 0.3 , 2.0 , - , Brian Evans , 3 , 0 , 1.3 , , , , 0.3 , 0.0 , 0.0 , 0.0 , 0.0 , - , David Vaughn , 1 , 0 , 1.0 , , , , 0.0 , 0.0 , 0.0 , 1.0 , 0.0 Player Statistics Citation:

Awards, Records and Honors

, NBA All-Star Game *

NBA All-Rookie Team The NBA All-Rookie Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1962–63 NBA season to the top rookies during the regular season. Voting is conducted by the NBA head coaches who are not allowed to vote for playe ...

1st Team

Transactions

References

New Jersey Nets on Database Basketball

{{DEFAULTSORT:1997-98 New Jersey Nets season New Jersey Nets season New Jersey Nets seasons

New Jersey Nets New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

20th century in East Rutherford, New Jersey Meadowlands Sports Complex