The

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 ...

was the 30th season for the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA), We ...

in the

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 Ca ...

. During the off-season, the Suns acquired Antonio McDyess from the

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), W ...

in a three-team trade, and signed free agents Clifford Robinson, and George McCloud. The team also signed former Suns, and All-Star forward Tom Chambers, who played for the team from 1988 to 1993, and also appeared in the 1993 NBA Finals; however, he was out with a lower strained back injury before the regular season began. In November, Chambers got into trouble after punching Suns strength and conditioning coach Robin Pound during an altercation, and was soon traded to the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially 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 Atlan ...

in exchange for Slovenian rookie forward Marko Milič; Chambers would play one game for the 76ers before retiring from the NBA in December.

Danny Ainge Daniel Ray Ainge ( ; born March 17, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and professional baseball player who serves as the chief executive officer for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NB ...

returned for his first full season as the Suns

head coach A head coach, senior coach, or manager is a professional responsible for training and developing athletes within a sports team. This role often has a higher public profile and salary than other coaching positions. In some sports, such as associat ...

, as the team won nine of their first eleven games, which included a 140–139 quadruple overtime road win over the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (N ...

on November 14, 1997. The Suns continued to play competitive basketball holding a 31–15 record at the All-Star break. At mid-season, the team traded Cedric Ceballos 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 Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Divisi ...

in exchange for three-point specialist Dennis Scott, as they posted a ten-game winning streak between March and April, winning eleven of their final twelve games of the season. The Suns finished in third place in the Pacific Division with a 56–26 record, and earned the #4 seed in the Western Conference. All home games were played in America West Arena. The team's top scorer Rex Chapman led the Suns with 15.9

points A point is a small dot or the sharp tip of something. Point or points may refer to: Mathematics * Point (geometry), an entity that has a location in space or on a plane, but has no extent; more generally, an element of some abstract topologica ...

per game, and 120 three-point field goals, while McDyess averaged 15.1 points, 7.6

rebounds 'Rebound' is a term used in sports to describe the ball (or puck or other object of play) becoming available for possession by either opponent after an attempt to put the ball or puck into the goal has been unsuccessful. Rebounds are generally ...

and 1.7 blocks per game, and Robinson provided the team with 14.2 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. In addition,

Jason Kidd Jason Frederick Kidd (born March 23, 1973) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the List of current NBA head coaches, head coach for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Widely regar ...

contributed 11.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, 9.1 assists and 2.0 steals per game; he also finished second in the league in assists, while sixth man

Danny Manning Danny is a masculine given name. It is related to and short for the male name Daniel.🖾🖾 People *Danny Altmann, British immunologist * Danny Antonucci, Canadian animator, director, producer, and writer * Danny Baker (born 1957), English j ...

averaged 13.5 points and 5.6 rebounds per game off the bench, and was named the

NBA Sixth Man of the Year The National Basketball Association's Sixth Man of the Year (colloquially known as the 6MOY) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1982–83 NBA season to the league's best performing player for his team coming ...

, but did not play in any of the Suns'

NBA playoff The NBA playoffs is the annual postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association (NBA) held to determine the league champion. Since 1949, the four-round, best-of-seven tournament is held after the league's regular season and its pr ...

games due to a knee ligament. Meanwhile, Kevin Johnson only played in just 50 games, starting in just 12 of them due to tendinitis in his right knee, as he averaged 9.5 points and 4.9 assists per game, while also off the bench, second-year guard

Steve Nash Stephen John Nash (born 7 February 1974) is a Canadian professional basketball coach and former player who most recently served as head coach of the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played 18 seasons in the NBA, ...

contributed 9.1 points and 3.4 assists per game, and McCloud contributed 7.2 points per game. Kidd was the team's sole member to be 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 ...

New York City, New York New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on New York Harbor, one of the world's largest natural harb ...

, which was his second All-Star appearance; Kidd also finished tied in thirteenth place in

Most Valuable Player In team sports, a most valuable player (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 particular competition, or ...

voting, while Ainge finished tied in fifth place in

Coach of the Year Many sports leagues, sportswriting associations, and other organizations confer "Coach of the Year" awards. In some sports — including baseball and association football — the award is called the "Manager of the Year" award. Some of the ...

voting. The Suns would make their tenth consecutive playoff appearance; in the Western Conference First Round of the 1998 NBA playoffs, they faced off against the 5th-seeded

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 Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

, who were led by David Robinson, and Rookie of the Year,

Tim Duncan Timothy Theodore Duncan (born April 25, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. He List of NBA players who have spent their entire career with one franchise, spent his entire 19-year career with the San Antonio Sp ...

. Despite having home-court advantage in the series, the Suns would lose to the Spurs, three games to one. Following the season, McDyess re-signed as a free agent with his former team, the

, while Johnson retired after eleven seasons in the NBA, but would make a comeback late during the 1999–2000 season, Nash was traded to the

, Hot Rod Williams signed as a free agent with the Mavericks, Scott signed with 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 Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...

, and Mark Bryant was traded to the

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 Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...

Offseason

NBA draft

The Suns used their only draft pick to select future star Stephen Jackson, who was waived before the start of the season. The Suns traded their first-round pick to the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers, often referred to as the Cavs, are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Divis ...

in 1995 when they dealt Dan Majerle and Antonio Lang for John "Hot Rod" Williams.

Roster

Roster Notes

* Center Mike Brown did not play in any regular season games with the Suns this season, due to previously playing overseas in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. However, he was re-signed by the team on April 18, 1998, just one day before the final day of the regular season, and only played in one playoff game. * Center Loren Meyer was on the

injured reserve list The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in t ...

due to a back injury, and missed the entire regular season.

Salaries

Regular season

Standings

Record vs. opponents

Playoffs

Even with a 56–26 record, the Suns were the fourth seed in the West heading into 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 ...

. They would face the fifth-seeded

, headlined by star center David Robinson and Rookie of the Year forward

. Duncan led the Spurs to a game one upset in Phoenix, scoring 28 second-half points in a 102–96 victory. The Suns recovered to win game two 108–101. Antonio McDyess led the Suns with 21 points and 11 rebounds, while holding Duncan to 16 points with six turnovers. On the night he received the Rookie of the Year Award, Duncan again led the Spurs with 22 points, 14 rebounds and 3 blocks. Despite 26 points and 17 rebounds from McDyess, the Suns fell 88–100 and into a 1–2 series hole. The Spurs would clinch the series 3–1 in San Antonio, behind 30 points from Avery Johnson, 21 rebounds from Robinson, and 6 blocks from Duncan. McDyess pulled down 19 rebounds for the Suns, but shot only 5 of 14 from the field, while Kevin Johnson led the team with 18 points.

Game log

, - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 1 , April 23 ,

San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

L 96–102
, Kevin Johnson (18) , George McCloud (9) ,

(11) , America West Arena
19,023 , 0–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 2 , April 25 ,

W 108–101
, George McCloud (22) , Antonio McDyess (11) ,

(10) , America West Arena
19,023 , 1–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 3 , April 27 , @

L 88–100
, Antonio McDyess (26) , Antonio McDyess (17) ,

Johnson Johnson may refer to: People and fictional characters *Johnson (surname), a common surname in English * Johnson (given name), a list of people * List of people with surname Johnson, including fictional characters *Johnson (composer) (1953–2011) ...

Kidd Kidd may refer to: Places * Kidd (railway point), British Columbia, a former Canadian settlement * Kidd's Beach, a coastal town in the Eastern Cape, South Africa * Kidd Islands, Antarctic island grouping * Mount Kidd, a peak in the Canadian ...

(6) ,

Alamodome The Alamodome is a 64,000-seat domed indoor multi-purpose stadium in San Antonio, Texas. It is located on the southeastern fringe of downtown San Antonio. The facility opened on May 15, 1993, having been constructed at a cost of $186 milli ...

20,486 , 1–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 4 , April 29 , @

L 80–99
, Kevin Johnson (18) , Antonio McDyess (19) ,

(5) ,

27,528 , 1–3 , -

Awards and honors

Week/Month

was named Player of the Week for games played March 8 through March 14. *

was named Player of the Week for games played April 12 through April 18.

All-Star

was selected as a reserve for the Western Conference in the

All-Star Game An all-star game is an exhibition game that showcases 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 division, bu ...

. It was his second All-Star selection. Kidd finished fifth in voting among Western Conference guards with 305,834 votes.

Season

was awarded the Sixth Man of the Year Award. *

finished in 13th place in

MVP MVP most commonly refers to: * Most valuable player, an award, typically for the best performing player in a sport or competition * Minimum viable product, a concept for feature estimating used in business and engineering MVP may also refer to: ...

voting.

Injuries/Missed games

* 10/28/97: George McCloud: Deep knee bruise; did not play * 10/30/97: Loren Meyer: Lumbar spine surgery; placed on injured reserve for season * 10/30/97: Tom Chambers; Strained lower back; placed on injured list until November 21 * 10/31/97: George McCloud: Concussion; did not play * 11/20/97: Horacio Llamas: Strained lower back; placed on injured list until January 30 * 12/02/97: Kevin Johnson: Right knee tendinitis; out until December 11 * 12/09/97: George McCloud: Flu; did not play * 12/09/97: Rex Chapman: Strained left hamstring; out until December 16 * 12/11/97: Kevin Johnson: Right knee tendinitis; placed on injured list until January 31 * 12/26/97: George McCloud: Thigh bruise; did not play * 12/26/97: Brooks Thompson: Ill; did not play * 12/29/97:

: Abdominal strain; out until January 12 * 01/04/98:

: Sprained right ankle; left game * 01/18/98: Hot Rod Williams; Flu, did not play * 01/30/98: Cedric Ceballos: Strained right calf; placed on injured list until February 12 * 02/12/98: Horacio Llamas: Bruised left heel; placed on injured list until April 9 * 02/17/98: Rex Chapman: Sprained left ankle; did not play * 02/22/98:

: Did not play * 03/05/98: Rex Chapman: Sore right foot; out until March 13 * 03/09/98: Antonio McDyess: Suspended one game for fighting

Hakeem Olajuwon Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon ( ; ; born January 21, 1963), nicknamed "the Dream", is a Nigerian and American former professional basketball player. From 1984 to 2002, he played Center (basketball), center in the National Basketball Association (NB ...

on March 7; did not play * 03/13/98: Mark Bryant: Flu; out until March 17 * 03/25/98: Rex Chapman: Pulled right groin; out until April 4 * 04/06/98:

: Did not play * 04/09/98:

: Injured right ACL; placed on injured list, out for season * 04/18/98: Rex Chapman: Aggravated left hamstring; placed on injured reserve until April 23 * 04/23/98: Rex Chapman: Aggravated left hamstring; did not play * 04/29/98: Rex Chapman: Aggravated left hamstring; did not play

Player statistics

Season

* – Stats with the Suns.
† – Minimum 300 field goals made.
^ – Minimum 55 three-pointers made.

Playoffs

† – Minimum 20 field goals made.
^ – Minimum 10 free throws made.

Transactions

Trades

Free agents

Additions

Subtractions

Player Transactions Citation:

References

External links

Pacific Division standings on Basketball Reference
{{DEFAULTSORT:1997-98 Phoenix Suns season Phoenix Suns seasons