1997–98 Utah Jazz season

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1997–98 Utah Jazz season
Conference champions
Division champions
Head coachJerry Sloan
General managerTim Howells
Owner(s)Larry H. Miller
ArenaDelta Center
Results
Record62–20 (.756)
PlaceDivision: 1st (Midwest)
Conference: 1st (Western)
Playoff finishNBA Finals
(lost to Bulls 2–4)

Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
Television
RadioKFNZ
< 1996–97 1998–99 >

The 1997–98 NBA season was the Jazz's 24th season in the National Basketball Association, and 19th season in Salt Lake City, Utah.[1] The Jazz entered the season as runner-ups in the 1997 NBA Finals, where they lost to the Chicago Bulls in six games. During the off-season, All-Star guard John Stockton sustained a knee injury and missed the first 18 games of the season,[2][3][4][5] as the Jazz slowly got off to an 11–7 start after losing three of their first four games. The team also changed their starting lineup, replacing Bryon Russell at small forward with Adam Keefe, and replacing Greg Ostertag at center with Greg Foster.[6][7][8] However, Stockton would eventually return as the Jazz held a 31–15 record at the All-Star break.[9]

At midseason, the team traded Foster and Chris Morris to the Orlando Magic in exchange for Rony Seikaly in an effort to bolster the team's depth.[10][11][12][13] However, Seikaly refused to report within the mandated 48 hours required by NBA rules. From there, the trade was called off, and the Jazz took Foster and Morris back. Rumors had it that Seikaly was out with a serious foot injury; however, Seikaly insisted the Jazz torpedoed the deal and that he wanted to play for them; however, Seikaly's refusal to report effectively killed the deal.[14][15][16][17] After the trade was off, Orlando pivoted and traded Seikaly to the New Jersey Nets,[18][19][20][21] where he would play a total of 18 games over the next 1 1/2 seasons before retiring from the NBA.[22] The Jazz won 31 of their final 36 games after the All-Star break, including an 11-game winning streak between February and March, finishing first place in the Midwest Division with a 62–20 record.[23] They made their fifteenth consecutive trip to the playoffs.[24]

The Jazz's top scorer Karl Malone, who averaged 27.0 points and 10.3 rebounds per game, was part of a Jazz offense that had two other players, Stockton and Jeff Hornacek, averaging double-digits in points. Malone was the only member of the team to play in the 1998 NBA All-Star Game,[25][26][27][28][29][30] while being named to the All-NBA First Team, and NBA All-Defensive First Team, and also finished in second place in Most Valuable Player voting behind Michael Jordan.[31][32][33] In addition, Hornacek averaged 14.2 points and 1.4 steals per game, while Stockton provided the team with 12.0 points, 8.5 assists and 1.4 steals per game in 64 games, and Russell played a sixth man role, averaging 9.0 points per game off the bench. Second-year guard Shandon Anderson contributed 8.3 points per game off the bench, while Keefe averaged 7.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, and Howard Eisley provided with 7.7 points and 4.2 assists per game. On the defensive side, Foster averaged 5.7 points and 3.5 rebounds per game, and Ostertag contributed 5.9 rebounds, and led the team with 2.1 blocks per game.[34] Hornacek also won the Three-Point Shootout during the All-Star Weekend in New York City, New York,[35][36][37] and head coach Jerry Sloan finished in second place in Coach of the Year voting.[38][39]

In the Western Conference First Round of the playoffs, the Jazz trailed 2–1 to the 8th-seeded Houston Rockets,[40][41][42] but managed to win the series in five games.[43][44][45][46] In the Western Conference Semi-finals, they defeated the San Antonio Spurs in five games.[47][48][49][50] After that, the Jazz swept the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference finals in four straight games to advance to the NBA Finals for the second consecutive year,[51][52][53][54] and once again, met the Chicago Bulls in a rematch of last year's NBA Finals, in which they lost to the Bulls in six games, just like last year's NBA Finals.[55][56][57][58][59] Following the season, Antoine Carr signed as a free agent with the Houston Rockets,[60] and Morris signed with the Phoenix Suns.[61]

This was the last season the Jazz earned the top seed in the league and in the conference until the 2020–21 season.

Offseason[edit]

NBA draft[edit]

Round Pick Player Position Nationality College
1 27 Jacque Vaughn[62] PG  United States Kansas
2 56 Nate Erdmann  United States Oklahoma

The Jazz used two picks; a first-round pick on point guard Jacque Vaughn and a second round pick on Nate Erdmann. Vaughn would play with the team for four seasons before going to the Atlanta Hawks and Erdmann was cut from the team right before regular season, therefore signing with Idaho Stampede in the CBA.

Roster[edit]

1997–98 Utah Jazz roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB From
G 40 Anderson, Shandon 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 208 lb (94 kg) 1973–12–31 Georgia
F 55 Carr, Antoine 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1961–07–23 Wichita State
G 10 Eisley, Howard 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 177 lb (80 kg) 1972–12–04 Boston College
C 44 Foster, Greg 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1968–10–03 UTEP
G 14 Hornacek, Jeff 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1963–05–03 Iowa State
F/C 31 Keefe, Adam 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1970–02–22 Stanford
F 32 Malone, Karl (C) 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 250 lb (113 kg) 1963–07–24 Louisiana Tech
F 34 Morris, Chris 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1966–01–20 Auburn
C 00 Ostertag, Greg 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) 280 lb (127 kg) 1973–03–06 Kansas
F 3 Russell, Bryon 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1970–12–31 Long Beach State
G 12 Stockton, John (C) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1962–03–26 Gonzaga
G 11 Vaughn, Jacque 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1975–02–11 Kansas
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured Injured

Roster
Last transaction: February 14, 1998

Roster Notes[edit]

  • Rookie point guard Troy Hudson was waived on December 28.

Salaries[edit]

Player Salary
Karl Malone $5,118,578
John Stockton $5,000,000
Jeff Hornacek $4,195,000
Chris Morris $3,000,000
Bryon Russell $2,857,144
Adam Keefe $2,300,000
Antoine Carr $1,600,000
Howard Eisley $1,240,000
Shandon Anderson $1,200,000
Greg Ostertag $647,400
Jacque Vaughn $601,320
Greg Foster $504,000
Troy Hudson $242,000
Total $27,305,442

Regular season[edit]

Season standings[edit]

W L PCT GB Home Road Div
z-Utah Jazz 62 20 .756 36–5 26–15 22–2
x-San Antonio Spurs 56 26 .683 6 31–10 25–16 18–6
x-Minnesota Timberwolves 45 37 .549 17 26–15 19–22 14–10
x-Houston Rockets 41 41 .500 21 24–17 17–24 14–10
Dallas Mavericks 20 62 .244 42 13–28 7–34 9–15
Vancouver Grizzlies 19 63 .232 43 14–27 5–36 4–20
Denver Nuggets 11 71 .134 51 9–32 2–39 3–21
#
Team W L PCT GB
1 z-Utah Jazz 62 20 .756
2 y-Seattle SuperSonics 61 21 .744 1
3 x-Los Angeles Lakers 61 21 .744 1
4 x-Phoenix Suns 56 26 .683 6
5 x-San Antonio Spurs 56 26 .683 6
6 x-Portland Trail Blazers 46 36 .561 16
7 x-Minnesota Timberwolves 45 37 .549 17
8 x-Houston Rockets 41 41 .500 21
9 Sacramento Kings 27 55 .329 35
10 Dallas Mavericks 20 62 .244 42
11 Vancouver Grizzlies 19 63 .232 43
11 Golden State Warriors 19 63 .232 43
13 Los Angeles Clippers 17 65 .207 45
14 Denver Nuggets 11 71 .134 51

[63]

Record vs. opponents[edit]

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 PHX POR SAC SAS SEA TOR UTA VAN WAS
Atlanta 2–1 4–0 1–3 4–0 2–0 2–0 2–2 2–0 1–1 1–3 2–0 0–2 1–3 3–1 0–2 1–2 2–2 2–2 3–1 0–2 1–1 2–0 1–1 1–1 4–0 0–2 2–0 4–0
Boston 1–2 1–2 1–3 1–3 1–1 1–1 2–2 1–1 1–1 0–4 2–0 1–1 0–4 2–2 1–1 2–2 2–2 2–2 3–1 0–2 1–1 1–1 0–2 1–1 3–0 0–2 2–0 3–2
Charlotte 0–4 2–1 1–3 2–2 2–0 2–0 3–1 1–1 2–0 3–1 2–0 1–1 3–1 3–1 1–1 2–2 1–3 3–1 2–1 1–1 2–0 1–1 1–1 1–1 4–0 1–1 2–0 2–2
Chicago 3–1 3–1 3–1 2–2 1–1 2–0 3–1 2–0 2–0 2–2 2–0 1–1 2–1 4–0 1–1 4–0 4–0 3–1 2–1 1–1 1–1 2–0 2–0 1–1 4–0 0–2 2–0 3–1
Cleveland 0–4 3–1 2–2 2–2 1–1 2–0 3–1 2–0 1–1 2–2 2–0 1–1 1–3 2–2 2–0 3–1 1–2 2–2 3–1 2–0 1–1 2–0 0–2 0–2 3–1 1–1 2–0 1–2
Dallas 0–2 1–1 0–2 1–1 1–1 3–1 0–2 1–3 0–4 1–1 1–3 0–4 0–2 0–2 2–2 0–2 1–1 0–2 0–2 0–4 0–4 0–4 0–4 2–2 1–1 0–4 4–0 1–1
Denver 0–2 1–1 0–2 0–2 0–2 1–3 0–2 1–3 0–4 0–2 2–2 0–4 0–2 0–2 1–3 0–2 0–2 0–2 0–2 0–4 2–2 1–3 0–4 0–4 0–2 0–4 1–3 1–1
Detroit 2–2 2–2 1–3 1–3 1–3 2–0 2–0 2–0 1–1 1–3 2–0 0–2 1–2 2–2 0–2 2–2 2–2 1–2 3–1 1–1 0–2 1–1 1–1 0–2 4–0 0–2 0–2 2–2
Golden State 0–2 1–1 1–1 0–2 0–2 3–1 3–1 0–2 1–3 0–2 1–3 1–3 0–2 0–2 0–4 0–2 1–1 1–1 0–2 0–4 1–3 2–2 1–3 1–3 0–2 0–4 1–3 0–2
Houston 1–1 1–1 0–2 0–2 1–1 4–0 4–0 1–1 3–1 1–1 4–0 1–3 0–2 1–1 1–3 1–1 1–1 0–2 1–1 1–3 1–3 4–0 2–2 1–3 2–0 0–4 3–1 1–1
Indiana 3–1 4–0 1–3 2–2 2–2 1–1 2–0 3–1 2–0 1–1 2–0 0–2 3–1 4–0 2–0 2–1 2–1 3–1 4–0 1–1 1–1 2–0 0–2 0–2 4–0 1–1 2–0 4–0
L.A. Clippers 0–2 0–2 0–2 0–2 0–2 3–1 2–2 0–2 3–1 0–4 0–2 0–4 0–2 0–2 0–4 1–1 0–2 0–2 1–1 0–4 0–4 3–1 1–3 0–4 1–1 1–3 1–3 0–2
L.A. Lakers 2–0 1–1 1–1 1–1 1–1 4–0 4–0 2–0 3–1 3–1 2–0 4–0 1–1 2–0 4–0 1–1 1–1 1–1 0–2 2–2 2–2 4–0 4–0 1–3 2–0 3–1 4–0 1–1
Miami 3–1 4–0 1–3 1–2 3–1 2–0 2–0 2–1 2–0 2–0 1–3 2–0 1–1 3–1 1–1 3–1 2–2 3–1 4–0 0–2 2–0 2–0 0–2 0–2 4–0 1–1 2–0 2–2
Milwaukee 1–3 2–2 1–3 0–4 2–2 2–0 2–0 2–2 2–0 1–1 0–4 2–0 0–2 1–3 1–1 0–4 3–1 2–1 2–2 0–2 2–0 2–0 0–2 1–1 3–1 0–2 1–1 1–2
Minnesota 2–0 1–1 1–1 1–1 0–2 2–2 3–1 2–0 4–0 3–1 0–2 4–0 0–4 1–1 1–1 2–0 1–1 0–2 2–0 3–1 1–3 3–1 1–3 1–3 1–1 1–3 4–0 0–2
New Jersey 2–1 2–2 2–2 0–4 1–3 2–0 2–0 2–2 2–0 1–1 1–2 1–1 1–1 1–3 4–0 0–2 2–2 3–1 3–1 1–1 1–1 2–0 1–1 0–2 3–1 0–2 2–0 1–3
New York 2–2 2–2 3–1 0–4 2–1 1–1 2–0 2–2 1–1 1–1 1–2 2–0 1–1 2–2 1–3 1–1 2–2 4–0 2–2 2–0 1–1 1–1 0–2 1–1 3–1 0–2 2–0 1–3
Orlando 2–2 2–2 1–3 1–3 2–2 2–0 2–0 2–1 1–1 2–0 1–3 2–0 1–1 1–3 1–2 2–0 1–3 0–4 4–0 0–2 2–0 0–2 0–2 1–1 3–1 0–2 2–0 3–1
Philadelphia 1–3 1–3 1–2 1–2 1–3 2–0 2–0 1–3 2–0 1–1 0–4 1–1 2–0 0–4 2–2 0–2 1–3 2–2 0–4 1–1 1–1 1–1 0–2 0–2 2–2 0–2 2–0 3–1
Phoenix 2–0 2–0 1–1 1–1 0–2 4–0 4–0 1–1 4–0 3–1 1–1 4–0 2–2 2–0 2–0 1–3 1–1 0–2 2–0 1–1 2–2 3–1 3–1 2–2 2–0 1–3 4–0 1–1
Portland 1–1 1–1 0–2 1–1 1–1 4–0 2–2 2–0 3–1 3–1 1–1 4–0 2–2 0–2 0–2 3–1 1–1 1–1 0–2 1–1 2–2 3–1 2–2 0–4 2–0 3–1 2–2 1–1
Sacramento 0–2 1–1 1–1 0–2 0–2 4–0 3–1 1–1 2–2 0–4 0–2 1–3 0–4 0–2 0–2 1–3 0–2 1–1 2–0 1–1 1–3 1–3 0–4 1–3 1–1 2–2 2–2 1–1
San Antonio 1–1 2–0 1–1 0–2 2–0 4–0 4–0 1–1 3–1 2–2 2–0 3–1 0–4 2–0 2–0 3–1 1–1 2–0 2–0 2–0 1–3 2–2 4–0 2–2 2–0 1–3 4–0 1–1
Seattle 1–1 1–1 1–1 1–1 2–0 2–2 4–0 2–0 3–1 3–1 2–0 4–0 3–1 2–0 1–1 3–1 2–0 1–1 1–1 2–0 2–2 4–0 3–1 2–2 2–0 2–2 4–0 1–1
Toronto 0–4 0–3 0–4 0–4 1–3 1–1 2–0 0–4 2–0 0–2 0–4 1–1 0–2 0–4 1–3 1–1 1–3 1–3 1–3 2–2 0–2 0–2 1–1 0–2 0–2 0–2 1–1 0–3
Utah 2–0 2–0 1–1 2–0 1–1 4–0 4–0 2–0 4–0 4–0 1–1 3–1 1–3 1–1 2–0 3–1 2–0 2–0 2–0 2–0 3–1 1–3 2–2 3–1 2–2 2–0 4–0 0–2
Vancouver 0–2 0–2 0–2 0–2 0–2 0–4 3–1 2–0 3–1 1–3 0–2 3–1 0–4 0–2 1–1 0–4 0–2 0–2 0–2 0–2 0–4 2–2 2–2 0–4 0–4 1–1 0–4 1–1
Washington 0–4 2–3 2–2 1–3 2–1 1–1 1–1 2–2 2–0 1–1 0–4 2–0 1–1 2–2 2–1 2–0 3–1 3–1 1–3 1–3 1–1 1–1 1–1 1–1 1–1 3–0 2–0 1–1

Game log[edit]

1997–98 game log
Total: 62–20 (home: 36–5; road: 26–15)
October: 0–1 (home: 0–0; road: 0–1)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
1 October 31 @ L.A. Lakers L 87–104 Shandon Anderson (21) Karl Malone (14) Howard Eisley (6) Great Western Forum
16,234
0–1
November: 9–5 (home: 6–2; road: 3–3)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
2 November 1 Denver W 102–84 Karl Malone (24) Greg Ostertag (11) Eisley, Hornacek (6) Delta Center
19,911
1–1
3 November 3 Washington L 86–90 Karl Malone (21) Karl Malone (16) Hornacek, Vaughn (6) Delta Center
19,911
1–2
4 November 4 @ Phoenix L 84–106 Karl Malone (22) Malone, Ostertag (11) Jeff Hornacek (4) America West Arena
19,023
1–3
5 November 7 @ Denver W 91–89 Karl Malone (20) Karl Malone (11) Howard Eisley (6) McNichols Sports Arena
10,317
2–3
6 November 8 @ San Antonio L 80–87 Karl Malone (26) Hornacek, Malone (7) Howard Eisley (6) Alamodome
19,100
2–4
7 November 12 Vancouver W 98–90 Karl Malone (26) Keefe, Ostertag (9) Howard Eisley (10) Delta Center
19,851
3–4
8 November 14 Seattle W 110–104 Hornacek, Malone (23) Karl Malone (12) Howard Eisley (6) Delta Center
19,830
4–4
9 November 15 @ Dallas W 85–77 Karl Malone (26) Karl Malone (10) Jeff Hornacek (10) Reunion Arena
14,323
5–4
10 November 18 L.A. Lakers L 92–97 Karl Malone (26) Karl Malone (9) Howard Eisley (7) Delta Center
19,911
5–5
11 November 20 @ Sacramento L 95–97 Karl Malone (32) Karl Malone (9) Howard Eisley (8) ARCO Arena
14,648
5–6
12 November 22 San Antonio W 103–74 Karl Malone (20) Karl Malone (11) Hornacek, Malone (7) Delta Center
19,911
6–6
13 November 24 Minnesota W 133–124 (OT) Karl Malone (33) Foster, Malone (9) Howard Eisley (10) Delta Center
19,911
7–6
14 November 28 Golden State W 111–82 Karl Malone (21) Greg Ostertag (10) Jacque Vaughn (8) Delta Center
19,911
8–6
15 November 29 @ L.A. Clippers W 94–91 Karl Malone (42) Karl Malone (18) Jeff Hornacek (7) Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena
14,956
9–6
December: 10–5 (home: 5–1; road: 5–4)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
16 December 1 New Jersey W 100–95 Karl Malone (19) Karl Malone (14) Howard Eisley (7) Delta Center
19,911
10–6
17 December 3 Toronto W 115–98 Karl Malone (23) Karl Malone (15) Eisley, Hornacek (8) Delta Center
19,590
11–6
18 December 5 @ Portland L 77–94 Karl Malone (24) Karl Malone (12) Jeff Hornacek (8) Rose Garden Arena
19,545
11–7
19 December 8 Indiana W 106–97 Karl Malone (31) Greg Ostertag (9) John Stockton (7) Delta Center
19,911
12–7
20 December 9 @ Sacramento L 101–113 Karl Malone (34) Karl Malone (10) John Stockton (5) ARCO Arena
13,624
12–8
21 December 12 Dallas W 68–66 Karl Malone (23) Adam Keefe (11) Malone, Stockton (4) Delta Center
19,911
13–8
22 December 15 @ Washington L 86–88 Karl Malone (26) Karl Malone (13) Eisley, Malone (6) MCI Center
18,756
13–9
23 December 16 @ Miami W 103–95 Karl Malone (29) Antoine Carr (7) Howard Eisley (6) Miami Arena
15,200
14–9
24 December 18 @ Orlando W 85–73 Karl Malone (30) Greg Ostertag (10) Malone, Stockton (5) Orlando Arena
17,258
15–9
25 December 21 @ Cleveland L 101–106 Karl Malone (24) Karl Malone (13) Hornacek, Stockton (6) Gund Arena
19,178
15–10
26 December 22 @ Atlanta W 101–99 Karl Malone (27) Adam Keefe (10) John Stockton (8) Georgia Dome
28,371
16–10
27 December 25 Houston W 107–103 John Stockton (24) Karl Malone (10) Jeff Hornacek (9) Delta Center
19,911
17–10
28 December 27 Portland L 91–102 Karl Malone (24) Karl Malone (11) John Stockton (9) Delta Center
19,911
17–11
29 December 28 @ Vancouver W 89–88 Karl Malone (26) Karl Malone (13) John Stockton (7) General Motors Place
16,488
18–11
30 December 30 @ Denver W 132–99 Greg Ostertag (21) Karl Malone (10) John Stockton (9) McNichols Sports Arena
14,230
19–11
January: 10–3 (home: 8–1; road: 2–2)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
31 January 3 Atlanta W 97–82 Karl Malone (20) Greg Ostertag (10) John Stockton (12) Delta Center
19,911
20–11
32 January 6 Philadelphia W 98–95 (OT) Hornacek, Malone (21) Greg Ostertag (9) John Stockton (14) Delta Center
19,911
21–11
33 January 8 Milwaukee W 116–109 Karl Malone (39) Greg Ostertag (10) John Stockton (13) Delta Center
19,911
22–11
34 January 10 @ Houston W 111–84 Karl Malone (24) Karl Malone (9) Anderson, Eisley (7) The Summit
16,285
23–11
35 January 12 Cleveland W 106–99 Jeff Hornacek (23) Karl Malone (11) John Stockton (12) Delta Center
19,911
24–11
36 January 16 @ Portland L 86–96 Karl Malone (23) Karl Malone (15) John Stockton (6) Rose Garden Arena
21,538
24–12
37 January 17 Orlando W 107–93 Karl Malone (32) Keefe, Malone (9) John Stockton (10) Delta Center
19,911
25–12
38 January 19 Detroit W 98–89 Karl Malone (30) Karl Malone (15) John Stockton (13) Delta Center
19,911
26–12
39 January 21 Golden State W 98–85 Karl Malone (27) Adam Keefe (8) John Stockton (13) Delta Center
19,911
27–12
40 January 23 @ Indiana L 102–106 Karl Malone (26) Greg Ostertag (11) John Stockton (11) Market Square Arena
16,670
27–13
41 January 25 @ Chicago W 101–94 Karl Malone (35) Karl Malone (11) John Stockton (10) United Center
24,361
28–13
42 January 28 Seattle L 93–101 Karl Malone (27) Karl Malone (15) John Stockton (14) Delta Center
19,911
28–14
43 January 30 Dallas W 104–94 Karl Malone (29) Greg Ostertag (12) Eisley, Stockton (10) Delta Center
19,911
29–14
February: 9–2 (home: 6–1; road: 3–1)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
44 February 1 @ Golden State W 115–88 Karl Malone (20) Karl Malone (8) Karl Malone (9) The Arena In Oakland
11,269
30–14
45 February 3 @ L.A. Clippers L 102–111 Karl Malone (23) Karl Malone (7) John Stockton (10) Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena
13,553
30–15
46 February 4 Chicago W 101–93 Karl Malone (30) Karl Malone (8) John Stockton (18) Delta Center
19,911
31–15
47 February 10 L.A. Clippers W 106–98 Karl Malone (29) Karl Malone (14) John Stockton (10) Delta Center
19,911
32–15
48 February 12 Boston W 118–100 Karl Malone (31) Karl Malone (12) Howard Eisley (10) Delta Center
19,911
33–15
49 February 14 @ Seattle W 111–91 Karl Malone (34) Karl Malone (8) John Stockton (12) KeyArena
17,072
34–15
50 February 16 Charlotte W 96–90 Karl Malone (23) Adam Keefe (12) John Stockton (9) Delta Center
19,911
35–15
51 February 18 New York W 94–78 Karl Malone (25) Adam Keefe (12) Jeff Hornacek (6) Delta Center
19,911
36–15
52 February 21 @ San Antonio W 79–77 Karl Malone (24) Karl Malone (13) John Stockton (6) Alamodome
26,572
37–15
53 February 24 Miami L 102–104 Karl Malone (26) Karl Malone (11) John Stockton (10) Delta Center
19,911
37–16
54 February 26 Phoenix W 108–97 Karl Malone (28) Karl Malone (17) Howard Eisley (10) Delta Center
19,911
38–16
March: 15–2 (home: 5–0; road: 10–2)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
55 March 1 @ Houston W 106–100 Karl Malone (21) Karl Malone (9) John Stockton (14) The Summit
16,285
39–16
56 March 3 @ Toronto W 108–93 Shandon Anderson (26) Karl Malone (10) John Stockton (11) SkyDome
16,448
40–16
57 March 4 @ Boston W 110–94 Karl Malone (32) Karl Malone (15) John Stockton (9) FleetCenter
18,624
41–16
58 March 6 @ New Jersey W 122–115 Karl Malone (32) Karl Malone (12) John Stockton (9) Continental Airlines Arena
20,049
42–16
59 March 7 @ Milwaukee W 110–92 Karl Malone (40) Karl Malone (8) John Stockton (7) Bradley Center
18,717
43–16
60 March 9 Houston W 100–93 Karl Malone (29) Karl Malone (21) Karl Malone (6) Delta Center
19,911
44–16
61 March 11 Sacramento W 110–95 Karl Malone (25) Karl Malone (9) Karl Malone (9) Delta Center
19,911
45–16
62 March 13 Vancouver W 110–101 Karl Malone (30) Adam Keefe (11) John Stockton (11) Delta Center
19,911
46–16
63 March 15 @ Detroit W 109–98 Karl Malone (28) Karl Malone (9) Eisley, Stockton (7) The Palace of Auburn Hills
22,076
47–16
64 March 16 @ Minnesota W 102–96 Karl Malone (29) Greg Foster (10) three players tied (8) Target Center
17,333
48–16
65 March 18 @ Charlotte L 85–111 Karl Malone (17) Malone, Russell (9) John Stockton (7) Charlotte Coliseum
23,305
48–17
66 March 20 @ Philadelphia W 91–79 Karl Malone (23) Karl Malone (16) Howard Eisley (7) CoreStates Center
20,832
49–17
67 March 22 @ New York W 124–119 (2OT) Karl Malone (30) Karl Malone (14) John Stockton (14) Madison Square Garden
19,763
50–17
68 March 24 Phoenix W 92–73 Karl Malone (19) Greg Foster (15) John Stockton (11) Delta Center
19,911
51–17
69 March 27 @ Dallas W 99–90 Karl Malone (33) Karl Malone (14) Jeff Hornacek (8) Reunion Arena
13,763
52–17
70 March 28 L.A. Lakers W 106–91 Karl Malone (31) Keefe, Malone (8) John Stockton (9) Delta Center
19,911
53–17
71 March 31 @ Seattle L 86–88 Karl Malone (20) Karl Malone (10) Jeff Hornacek (7) KeyArena
17,072
53–18
April: 9–2 (home: 6–0; road: 3–2)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
72 April 1 Portland W 98–89 Jeff Hornacek (31) Greg Ostertag (9) John Stockton (9) Delta Center
19,911
54–18
73 April 3 Denver W 97–75 Karl Malone (22) Greg Ostertag (8) Howard Eisley (9) Delta Center
19,911
55–18
74 April 5 @ Vancouver W 99–93 Karl Malone (25) Greg Ostertag (9) John Stockton (8) General Motors Place
18,068
56–18
75 April 7 @ Golden State W 101–99 Karl Malone (56) Foster, Malone (9) John Stockton (14) The Arena In Oakland
14,430
57–18
76 April 8 San Antonio W 98–88 Karl Malone (32) Karl Malone (10) John Stockton (9) Delta Center
19,911
58–18
77 April 10 L.A. Clippers W 126–109 Jeff Hornacek (23) Greg Foster (10) Jeff Hornacek (6) Delta Center
19,911
59–18
78 April 11 @ Minnesota L 103–110 Karl Malone (37) Karl Malone (12) Jeff Hornacek (8) Target Center
20,051
59–19
79 April 14 Minnesota W 126–109 Karl Malone (44) Karl Malone (14) Malone, Stockton (6) Delta Center
19,911
60–19
80 April 16 Sacramento W 99–86 Karl Malone (21) Karl Malone (8) Jeff Hornacek (11) Delta Center
19,911
61–19
81 April 17 @ Phoenix W 102–99 Karl Malone (29) Karl Malone (9) Howard Eisley (10) America West Arena
19,023
62–19
82 April 19 @ L.A. Lakers L 98–102 Karl Malone (27) Karl Malone (9) Howard Eisley (4) Great Western Forum
17,505
62–20
1997–98 schedule

Playoffs[edit]

1998 playoff game log
First Round: 3–2 (home: 2–1; road: 1–1)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Series
1 April 23 Houston L 90–103 Karl Malone (25) Karl Malone (11) John Stockton (8) Delta Center
19,911
0–1
2 April 25 Houston W 105–90 Karl Malone (29) Greg Ostertag (11) John Stockton (10) Delta Center
19,911
1–1
3 April 29 @ Houston L 85–89 Malone, Russell (19) Karl Malone (14) Stockton, Eisley (6) Compaq Center
16,285
1–2
4 May 1 @ Houston W 93–71 Karl Malone (29) Karl Malone (13) John Stockton (7) Compaq Center
16,285
2–2
5 May 3 Houston W 84–70 Karl Malone (31) Karl Malone (15) John Stockton (10) Delta Center
19,911
3–2
Conference semifinals: 4–1 (home: 3–0; road: 1–1)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Series
1 May 5 San Antonio W 83–82 Karl Malone (25) Karl Malone (8) John Stockton (8) Delta Center
19,911
1–0
2 May 7 San Antonio W 109–106 Karl Malone (22) Karl Malone (12) John Stockton (12) Delta Center
19,911
2–0
3 May 9 @ San Antonio L 64–86 Karl Malone (18) Greg Ostertag (9) Hornacek, Vaughn (3) Alamodome
26,086
2–1
4 May 10 @ San Antonio W 82–73 Karl Malone (34) Karl Malone (12) John Stockton (7) Alamodome
28,587
3–1
5 May 12 San Antonio W 87–77 Karl Malone (24) Karl Malone (13) Howard Eisley (7) Delta Center
19,911
4–1
Conference finals: 4–0 (home: 2–0; road: 2–0)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Series
1 May 16 L.A. Lakers W 112–77 Karl Malone (29) Shandon Anderson (11) Stockton, Eisley (9) Delta Center
19,911
1–0
2 May 18 L.A. Lakers W 99–95 Karl Malone (33) Malone, Russell (7) John Stockton (6) Delta Center
19,911
2–0
3 May 22 @ L.A. Lakers W 109–98 Karl Malone (26) Karl Malone (10) John Stockton (8) Great Western Forum
17,505
3–0
4 May 24 @ L.A. Lakers W 96–92 Karl Malone (32) Karl Malone (14) John Stockton (8) Great Western Forum
17,505
4–0
NBA Finals: 2–4 (home: 1–2; road: 1–2)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Series
1 June 3 Chicago W 88–85 (OT) John Stockton (24) Karl Malone (14) John Stockton (8) Delta Center
19,911
1–0
2 June 5 Chicago L 88–93 Jeff Hornacek (20) Karl Malone (12) Eisley, Stockton (7) Delta Center
19,911
1–1
3 June 7 @ Chicago L 54–96 Karl Malone (22) Greg Ostertag (9) John Stockton (7) United Center
23,844
1–2
4 June 10 @ Chicago L 82–86 Karl Malone (21) Karl Malone (14) John Stockton (13) United Center
23,844
1–3
5 June 12 @ Chicago W 83–81 Karl Malone (39) Karl Malone (9) John Stockton (12) United Center
23,844
2–3
6 June 14 Chicago L 86–87 Karl Malone (31) Karl Malone (11) Karl Malone (7) Delta Center
19,911
2–4
1998 schedule

Player statistics[edit]

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game

Season[edit]

Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Shandon Anderson 82 2 19.5 .538 .219 .735 2.8 1.1 .8 .2 8.3
Antoine Carr 66 8 16.5 .465 . .776 2.0 .7 .2 .8 5.7
William Cunningham 6 2 6.3 .444 . . 1.3 .2 .3 .0 1.3
Howard Eisley 82 18 21.0 .441 .407 .852 2.0 4.2 .7 .2 7.7
Greg Foster 78 49 18.5 .445 .222 .770 3.5 .7 .2 .4 5.7
Jeff Hornacek 80 80 30.8 .482 .441 .885 3.4 4.4 1.4 .2 14.2
Troy Hudson 8 0 2.9 .429 .000 . .3 .5 .3 .0 1.5
Adam Keefe 80 75 25.6 .540 . .810 5.5 1.1 .7 .3 7.8
Karl Malone 81 81 37.4 .530 .333 .761 10.3 3.9 1.2 .9 27.0
Chris Morris 54 1 10.0 .411 .306 .721 2.1 .4 .5 .3 4.3
Greg Ostertag 63 23 20.4 .481 . .479 5.9 .4 .4 2.1 4.7
Bryon Russell 82 7 27.1 .430 .341 .766 4.0 1.2 1.1 .4 9.0
John Stockton 64 64 29.0 .528 .429 .827 2.6 8.5 1.4 .2 12.0
Jacque Vaughn 45 0 9.3 .361 .375 .706 .8 1.9 .2 .0 3.1

[64]

Playoffs[edit]

Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Shandon Anderson 20 0 18.9 .515 .273 .676 3.2 1.0 .3 .1 6.7
Antoine Carr 20 0 14.6 .456 . .750 2.1 .6 .1 .6 4.4
Howard Eisley 20 0 18.3 .368 .296 .923 2.0 4.1 .6 .3 5.6
Greg Foster 20 16 16.8 .453 .500 .600 3.4 .3 .1 .3 4.1
Jeff Hornacek 20 20 31.8 .416 .467 .846 2.5 3.2 1.0 .2 10.9
Adam Keefe 15 10 10.3 .345 . .647 2.3 .1 .3 .1 2.1
Karl Malone 20 20 39.8 .471 .000 .788 10.9 3.4 1.1 1.0 26.3
Chris Morris 17 0 14.1 .406 .304 .700 2.8 .6 .3 .2 4.5
Greg Ostertag 19 1 17.7 .565 . .480 4.3 .3 .4 1.9 3.4
Bryon Russell 20 13 34.9 .469 .365 .716 4.7 1.1 1.1 .3 11.0
John Stockton 20 20 29.8 .494 .346 .718 3.0 7.8 1.6 .2 11.1
Jacque Vaughn 7 0 3.4 .200 .500 1.000 .4 .6 . . 1.0

Awards and records[edit]

Transactions[edit]

Trades[edit]

Free agents[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

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  55. ^ Araton, Harvey (June 15, 1998). "Sports of the Times; At the End, Jordan Lifts Bulls to Their Sixth N.B.A. Title". The New York Times. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
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