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The 1997–98 NBA season was the tenth season for the Charlotte Hornets in the National Basketball Association.[1] During the off-season, the Hornets signed free agents David Wesley,[2][3][4] and Bobby Phills,[5][6][7] while re-signing former Hornets forward J.R. Reid.[8][9] Early into the season, the team traded long-time Hornets guard Muggsy Bogues, along with second-year guard Tony Delk to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for B. J. Armstrong, who won three championships with the Chicago Bulls in the early 1990s.[10][11][12][13]

Quick Facts Charlotte Hornets season, Head coach ...
1997–98 Charlotte Hornets season
Head coachDave Cowens
General managerBob Bass
Owner(s)George Shinn
ArenaCharlotte Coliseum
Results
Record51–31 (.622)
PlaceDivision: 3rd (Central)
Conference: 4th (Eastern)
Playoff finishConference semifinals
(lost to Bulls 1–4)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
Television
RadioWBT
< 1996–97 1998–99 >
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At mid-season, the team signed free agent Vernon Maxwell, who was previously released by the Orlando Magic,[14] as the Hornets held a 29–18 record at the All-Star break.[15] Despite injuries to Phills, Vlade Divac and long-time original Hornet Dell Curry, the Hornets had another stellar season posting a ten-game winning streak between February and March, winning 15 of 16 games between February 21 and March 26, 1998. The Hornets finished the season third in the Central Division with a 51–31 record, and qualified for their fourth playoff appearance.[16]

Glen Rice led the team in scoring with 22.3 points per game, and was named to the All-NBA Third Team, and selected for the 1998 NBA All-Star Game,[17][18][19][20] while Wesley averaged 13.0 points, 6.5 assists and 1.7 steals per game, and Anthony Mason provided the team with 12.8 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. In addition, Phills contributed 10.4 points per game, while Divac averaged 10.4 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game, Matt Geiger provided with 11.3 points and 6.7 rebounds per game, and Curry contributed 9.4 points per game off the bench in only 52 games.[21]

In the playoffs, the Hornets defeated the Atlanta Hawks, 3–1 in the Eastern Conference First Round,[22][23][24][25] but were eliminated 1–4 by Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and the 2-time defending champion Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference Semi-finals,[26][27][28][29] despite winning Game 2 at the United Center, 78–76.[30][31][32] The Bulls went on to reach the NBA Finals, where they defeated the Utah Jazz in six games to win their sixth championship in eight years.[33][34][35][36][37]

The Hornets finished second in the NBA in home-game attendance for the season behind the Bulls. On November 25, 1997, the team's sellout streak would end at 364 consecutive games (371 including post-season contests); this was the second longest active sell-out streak at the time, behind the Bulls' 465.[38][39]

Following the season, Divac and Maxwell both signed as free agents with the Sacramento Kings,[40][41][42][43] while Curry signed with the Milwaukee Bucks,[42][44][45][46] and Geiger signed with the Philadelphia 76ers.[47][48][49] For the season, the Hornets added side panels and additional pinstripes to their uniforms, which remained in use until 2002.[50][51]

Offseason

NBA draft

Main article: 1997 NBA draft

The Hornets had no draft picks in 1997.

Roster

More information Players, Coaches ...
1997–98 Charlotte Hornets roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB From
G 10 Armstrong, B. J. 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1967–09–09 Iowa
G 15 Beck, Corey 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1971–05–27 Arkansas
G 30 Curry, Dell 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1964–06–25 Virginia Tech
C 12 Divac, Vlade 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 243 lb (110 kg) 1968–02–03 Yugoslavia
C 52 Geiger, Matt 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 243 lb (110 kg) 1969–09–10 Georgia Tech
F 14 Mason, Anthony 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 250 lb (113 kg) 1966–12–14 Tennessee State
G 11 Maxwell, Vernon 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1965–09–12 Florida
C 42 McDonald, Michael 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 232 lb (105 kg) 1969–02–13 New Orleans
G 13 Phills, Bobby 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1969–12–20 Southern
F 7 Reid, J.R. 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 247 lb (112 kg) 1968–03–31 North Carolina
F 41 Rice, Glen 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1967–05–28 Michigan
F 5 Royal, Donald 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1966–05–22 Notre Dame
G 4 Wesley, David 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1970–11–14 Baylor
F 32 Williams, Travis 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1969–05–27 South Carolina State
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured Injured

Roster
Last transaction: March 24, 1998

Close

Regular season

Season standings

More information W, L ...
Central Division
 W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-Chicago Bulls 6220.756–37–425–1621–7
x-Indiana Pacers 5824.707432–926–1519–9
x-Charlotte Hornets 5131.6221132–919–2216–12
x-Atlanta Hawks 5032.6101229–1221–2019–9
x-Cleveland Cavaliers 4735.5731527–1420–2114–14
Detroit Pistons 3745.4512525–1612–2912–16
Milwaukee Bucks 3646.4392621–2015–269–19
Toronto Raptors 1666.195469–327–342–26
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More information #, Team ...
#
Eastern Conference
Team W L PCT GB
1 c-Chicago Bulls6220.756–
2 y-Miami Heat5527.6717
3 x-Indiana Pacers5824.7074
4 x-Charlotte Hornets5131.62211
5 x-Atlanta Hawks5032.61012
6 x-Cleveland Cavaliers4735.57315
7 x-New York Knicks4339.52419
8 x-New Jersey Nets4339.52419
9 Washington Wizards4240.51220
10 Orlando Magic4141.50021
11 Detroit Pistons3745.45125
12 Boston Celtics3646.43926
12 Milwaukee Bucks3646.43926
14 Philadelphia 76ers3151.37831
15 Toronto Raptors1666.19546
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Record vs. opponents

More information Team, ATL ...
1997-98 NBA Records
Team ATL BOS CHA CHI CLE DAL DEN DET GSW HOU IND LAC LAL MIA MIL MIN NJN NYK ORL PHI PHO POR SAC SAS SEA TOR UTA VAN WAS
Atlanta —2–14–01–34–02–02–02–22–01–11–32–00–21–33–10–21–22–22–23–10–21–12–01–11–14–00–22–04–0
Boston 1–2—1–21–31–31–11–12–21–11–10–42–01–10–42–21–12–22–22–23–10–21–11–10–21–13–00–22–03–2
Charlotte 0–42–1—1–32–22–02–03–11–12–03–12–01–13–13–11–12–21–33–12–11–12–01–11–11–14–01–12–02–2
Chicago 3–13–13–1—2–21–12–03–12–02–02–22–01–12–14–01–14–04–03–12–11–11–12–02–01–14–00–22–03–1
Cleveland 0–43–12–22–2—1–12–03–12–01–12–22–01–11–32–22–03–11–22–23–12–01–12–00–20–23–11–12–01–2
Dallas 0–21–10–21–11–1—3–10–21–30–41–11–30–40–20–22–20–21–10–20–20–40–40–40–42–21–10–44–01–1
Denver 0–21–10–20–20–21–3—0–21–30–40–22–20–40–20–21–30–20–20–20–20–42–21–30–40–40–20–41–31–1
Detroit 2–22–21–31–31–32–02–0—2–01–11–32–00–21–22–20–22–22–21–23–11–10–21–11–10–24–00–20–22–2
Golden State 0–21–11–10–20–23–13–10–2—1–30–21–31–30–20–20–40–21–11–10–20–41–32–21–31–30–20–41–30–2
Houston 1–11–10–20–21–14–04–01–13–1—1–14–01–30–21–11–31–11–10–21–11–31–34–02–21–32–00–43–11–1
Indiana 3–14–01–32–22–21–12–03–12–01–1—2–00–23–14–02–02–12–13–14–01–11–12–00–20–24–01–12–04–0
L.A. Clippers 0–20–20–20–20–23–12–20–23–10–40–2—0–40–20–20–41–10–20–21–10–40–43–11–30–41–11–31–30–2
L.A. Lakers 2–01–11–11–11–14–04–02–03–13–12–04–0—1–12–04–01–11–11–10–22–22–24–04–01–32–03–14–01–1
Miami 3–14–01–31–23–12–02–02–12–02–01–32–01–1—3–11–13–12–23–14–00–22–02–00–20–24–01–12–02–2
Milwaukee 1–32–21–30–42–22–02–02–22–01–10–42–00–21–3—1–10–43–12–12–20–22–02–00–21–13–10–21–11–2
Minnesota 2–01–11–11–10–22–23–12–04–03–10–24–00–41–11–1—2–01–10–22–03–11–33–11–31–31–11–34–00–2
New Jersey 2–12–22–20–41–32–02–02–22–01–11–21–11–11–34–00–2—2–23–13–11–11–12–01–10–23–10–22–01–3
New York 2–22–23–10–42–11–12–02–21–11–11–22–01–12–21–31–12–2—4–02–22–01–11–10–21–13–10–22–01–3
Orlando 2–22–21–31–32–22–02–02–11–12–01–32–01–11–31–22–01–30–4—4–00–22–00–20–21–13–10–22–03–1
Philadelphia 1–31–31–21–21–32–02–01–32–01–10–41–12–00–42–20–21–32–20–4—1–11–11–10–20–22–20–22–03–1
Phoenix 2–02–01–11–10–24–04–01–14–03–11–14–02–22–02–01–31–10–22–01–1—2–23–13–12–22–01–34–01–1
Portland 1–11–10–21–11–14–02–22–03–13–11–14–02–20–20–23–11–11–10–21–12–2—3–12–20–42–03–12–21–1
Sacramento 0–21–11–10–20–24–03–11–12–20–40–21–30–40–20–21–30–21–12–01–11–31–3—0–41–31–12–22–21–1
San Antonio 1–12–01–10–22–04–04–01–13–12–22–03–10–42–02–03–11–12–02–02–01–32–24–0—2–22–01–34–01–1
Seattle 1–11–11–11–12–02–24–02–03–13–12–04–03–12–01–13–12–01–11–12–02–24–03–12–2—2–02–24–01–1
Toronto 0–40–30–40–41–31–12–00–42–00–20–41–10–20–41–31–11–31–31–32–20–20–21–10–20–2—0–21–10–3
Utah 2–02–01–12–01–14–04–02–04–04–01–13–11–31–12–03–12–02–02–02–03–11–32–23–12–22–0—4–00–2
Vancouver 0–20–20–20–20–20–43–12–03–11–30–23–10–40–21–10–40–20–20–20–20–42–22–20–40–41–10–4—1–1
Washington 0–42–32–21–32–11–11–12–22–01–10–42–01–12–22–12–03–13–11–31–31–11–11–11–11–13–02–01–1—
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Game log

Playoffs

More information 1998 playoff game log Total: 4–5 (home: 2–2; road: 2–3), Game ...
1998 playoff game log
Total: 4–5 (home: 2–2; road: 2–3)
First Round: 3–1 (home: 2–0; road: 1–1)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Series
1 April 23 Atlanta W 97–87 Glen Rice (34) Divac, Mason (7) David Wesley (12) Charlotte Coliseum
19,176		 1–0
2 April 25 Atlanta W 92–85 Anthony Mason (25) Glen Rice (13) Divac, Wesley (6) Charlotte Coliseum
20,390		 2–0
3 April 28 @ Atlanta L 64–96 Anthony Mason (12) Vlade Divac (7) Divac, Wesley (5) Georgia Dome
19,745		 2–1
4 May 1 @ Atlanta W 91–82 Anthony Mason (29) Anthony Mason (14) David Wesley (10) Georgia Dome
22,074		 3–1
Conference semifinals: 1–4 (home: 0–2; road: 1–2)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Series
1 May 3 @ Chicago L 70–83 Glen Rice (25) Vlade Divac (14) David Wesley (9) United Center
23,844		 0–1
2 May 6 @ Chicago W 78–76 Mason, Curry (15) Vlade Divac (19) Mason, Rice (4) United Center
23,844		 1–1
3 May 8 Chicago L 89–103 Glen Rice (31) Vlade Divac (13) David Wesley (8) Charlotte Coliseum
23,799		 1–2
4 May 10 Chicago L 80–94 Vlade Divac (15) Glen Rice (9) Anthony Mason (5) Charlotte Coliseum
23,799		 1–3
5 May 13 @ Chicago L 84–93 Glen Rice (30) Vlade Divac (15) three players tied (5) United Center
23,844		 1–4
1998 schedule
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Player statistics

Ragular season

More information Player, POS ...
Player POS GP GS MP REB AST STL BLK PTS MPG RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Glen RiceSF 82823,29535318277221,82640.24.32.2.9.322.3
David WesleyPG 81812,845213529140301,05435.12.66.51.7.413.0
Anthony MasonPF 81803,14882634268181,03938.910.24.2.8.212.8
J. R. ReidPF 7911,10921051351938414.02.7.6.4.24.9
Matt GeigerC 78421,83952178688788523.66.71.0.91.111.3
Vlade DivacC 64411,805518172839466728.28.12.71.31.510.4
Bobby PhillsSG 62611,887216187811864230.43.53.01.3.310.4
B. J. Armstrong†PG 6207726914425024412.51.12.3.4.03.9
Corey BeckPG 5914738909833719112.51.51.7.6.13.2
Dell CurrySG 5219711016931449018.71.91.3.6.19.4
Travis WilliamsSF 39036592201851369.42.4.5.5.13.5
Vernon Maxwell†SG 310467444014321015.11.41.3.5.16.8
Donald Royal†SF 2953053716617410.51.3.6.2.02.6
Tony FarmerC 272169325104676.31.2.2.4.12.5
Tony Delk†PG 30342300811.3.71.0.0.02.7
Muggsy Bogues†PG 2016142068.0.52.01.0.03.0
Jeff Grayer†SG 10110100011.0.01.0.0.0.0
Michael McDonaldC 104100004.01.0.0.0.0.0
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  • † Denotes player spent time with another team in the season. Stats reflect time with the Hornets only.

Playoffs

More information Player, POS ...
Player POS GP GS MP REB AST STL BLK PTS MPG RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Glen RiceSF 9936951135320541.05.71.4.6.322.8
Anthony MasonPF 9936771318013940.87.93.4.9.015.4
Vlade DivacC 99345983171410438.310.93.4.81.611.6
David WesleyPG 992851860709031.72.06.7.8.010.0
Bobby PhillsSG 9926923241025729.92.62.71.1.26.3
Dell CurrySG 901711910735219.02.11.1.8.35.8
B. J. ArmstrongPG 901461018603716.21.12.0.7.04.1
J. R. ReidPF 90114202323012.72.2.2.3.23.3
Corey BeckPG 60261040154.3.2.0.7.02.5
Donald RoyalSF 4028410097.01.0.3.0.02.3
Matt GeigerC 4022510025.51.3.3.0.0.5
Travis WilliamsSF 4018501154.51.3.0.3.31.3
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Awards and records

Transactions

  • July 1, 1997

Released Rafael Addison.

Signed David Wesley as a free agent.

  • July 16, 1997

Signed J.R. Reid as a free agent.

  • August 19, 1997

Signed Bobby Phills as a free agent.

Released Malik Rose.

Waived Ricky Pierce.

  • September 10, 1997

Signed Tony Farmer as a free agent.

Signed Travis Williams as a free agent.

  • October 2, 1997

Signed Corey Beck as a free agent.

  • November 7, 1997

Traded Muggsy Bogues and Tony Delk to the Golden State Warriors for B. J. Armstrong.

  • January 16, 1998

Signed Donald Royal to the first of two 10-day contracts.

  • January 22, 1998

Signed Michael McDonald as a free agent.

  • February 2, 1998

Signed Jeff Grayer to a 10-day contract.

Signed Vernon Maxwell to a 10-day contract.

  • February 4, 1998

Signed Donald Royal to a contract for the rest of the season.

  • February 13, 1998

Signed Vernon Maxwell to a contract for the rest of the season.

  • March 24, 1998

Waived Tony Farmer.

Player Transactions Citation:[52]

References

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