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 Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls defeating the Western Conference champion Utah Jazz 4 games to 2. The Bulls also achieved a second 3-peat, a feat unrivaled since the Boston Celtics in 1966. The 1998 playoffs was the last involving the Jordan-led Bulls (They did not return until 2005). Michael Jordan was named NBA Finals MVP for the 6th and final time in his career.

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' championship 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.

The New Jersey Nets appeared in the playoffs for the first time since 1994, but did not appear again until 2002. Their presence was a mere asterisk compared to what they accomplished in 2002, getting swept by the eventual champion Bulls.

The Cleveland Cavaliers made their last playoff appearance (3-1 loss to the Pacers in the first round) and did not appear again until 2006.

Bracket

Playoff qualifying

Western Conference

Home Court Advantage

The Utah Jazz and Chicago Bulls tied for the best record in the NBA. However, the Jazz won the season series 2-0, which serves as a tiebreaker, and therefore Utah was awarded home court advantage throughout the playoffs.

Clinched a playoff berth

The following teams clinched a playoff berth in the West:

1. Utah Jazz (clinched Midwest division)
2. Seattle SuperSonics (clinched Pacific division)
3. Los Angeles Lakers
4. Phoenix Suns
5. San Antonio Spurs
6. Portland Trail Blazers
7. Minnesota Timberwolves
8. Houston Rockets

Eastern Conference

Best record in conference

The Chicago Bulls clinched the best record in the Eastern Conference, and earned home court advantage throughout the entire Eastern Conference playoffs.

Clinched a playoff berth

The following teams clinched a playoff berth in the East:

1. Chicago Bulls (clinched Central division)
2. Miami Heat (clinched Atlantic division)
3. Indiana Pacers
4. Charlotte Hornets
5. Atlanta Hawks
6. Cleveland Cavaliers
7. New York Knicks
8. New Jersey Nets

Western Conference

Champion: Utah Jazz

First Round

(1) Utah Jazz vs. (8) Houston Rockets

Last Playoff Meeting: 1997 Western Conference Finals (Utah won 4-2)

Game 5 is Clyde Drexler's final NBA game.

(4) Phoenix Suns vs. (5) San Antonio Spurs

Last Playoff Meeting: 1996 Western Conference First Round (San Antonio won 3-1)

(2) Seattle SuperSonics vs. (7) Minnesota Timberwolves

Last Playoff Meeting: This is the first meeting between the SuperSonics and Timberwolves.

(3) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (6) Portland Trail Blazers

Last Playoff Meeting: 1997 Western Conference First Round (Los Angeles won 3-1)

Conference Semifinals

(1) Utah Jazz vs. (5) San Antonio Spurs

Last Playoff Meeting: 1996 Western Conference Semifinals (Utah won 4-2)

(2) Seattle SuperSonics vs. (3) Los Angeles Lakers

Last Playoff Meeting: 1995 Western Conference First Round (Los Angeles won 3-1)

Conference Finals

(1) Utah Jazz vs. (3) Los Angeles Lakers

Last Playoff Meeting: 1997 Western Conference Semifinals (Utah won 4-1)

Eastern Conference

Champion: Chicago Bulls

First Round

(1) Chicago Bulls vs. (8) New Jersey Nets

Last Playoff Meeting: This is the first meeting between the Bulls and Nets.

(4) Charlotte Hornets vs. (5) Atlanta Hawks

Last Playoff Meeting: This is the first meeting between the Hornets and Hawks.

(2) Miami Heat vs. (7) New York Knicks

Last Playoff Meeting: 1997 Eastern Conference Semifinals (Miami won 4-3)

Mourning-Johnson fight in Game 4.

(3) Indiana Pacers vs. (6) Cleveland Cavaliers

Last Playoff Meeting: This is the first meeting between the Pacers and Cavaliers.

Conference Semifinals

(1) Chicago Bulls vs. (4) Charlotte Hornets

Last Playoff Meeting: 1995 Eastern Conference First Round (Chicago won 3-1)

(3) Indiana Pacers vs. (7) New York Knicks

Last Playoff Meeting: 1995 Eastern Conference Semifinals (Indiana won 4-3)

Conference Finals

(1) Chicago Bulls vs. (3) Indiana Pacers

Last Playoff Meeting: This is the first meeting between the Bulls and Pacers.

In Game 4, Reggie Miller hits the game-winning 3 with 7 tenths left.

NBA Finals

Chicago Bulls vs. Utah Jazz

In Game 3, Utah scores the fewest amount of points scored in any playoff game in NBA history (54). The amount that the Bulls won by (42) is also a Finals record. In Game 6, Michael Jordan hits the series-winning shot with 5.2 seconds left.

External links

• Basketball – Reference.com's 1998 Playoffs section