1997–98 New Jersey Nets season

The 1997–98 New Jersey Nets season was the Nets' 31st season in the National Basketball Association, and 22nd season in East Rutherford, New Jersey.^[1] The Nets received the seventh overall pick in the 1997 NBA draft, and selected small forward Tim Thomas out of Villanova University,^[2][3][4] but soon traded him to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for rookie power forward, and first-round draft pick Keith Van Horn from the University of Utah, Lucious Harris, Michael Cage and Don MacLean.^[5][6][7] On the first day of the regular season, which began on October 31, 1997, the team signed free agent Sherman Douglas.^[8][9]

With the addition of Van Horn and Douglas, and despite Van Horn missing the first month of the regular season due to a preseason ankle injury,^[10][11][12] the Nets won their first four games, and played above .500 in winning percentage for the entire season, holding a 27–21 record at the All-Star break.^[13] At mid-season, the team traded David Benoit, Kevin Edwards and Yinka Dare to the Orlando Magic in exchange for Rony Seikaly, and second-year forward Brian Evans.^[14][15][16] Despite a seven-game losing streak between February and March, the Nets showed improvement by finishing in third place in the Atlantic Division with a 43–39 record, which earned them the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference, as the team qualified for the NBA playoffs.^[17][18]

Van Horn averaged 19.7 points and 6.6 rebounds per game in 62 games, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team, while Sam Cassell averaged 19.6 points, 8.0 assists and 1.6 steals per game, and second-year star Kerry Kittles provided the team with 17.2 points and 1.7 steals per game, and led them with 110 three-point field goals. In addition, Kendall Gill contributed 13.4 points and 1.9 steals per game, while Jayson Williams provided with 12.9 points and 13.6 rebounds per game. Off the bench, sixth man Chris Gatling averaged 11.5 points and 5.9 rebounds per game, while Douglas contributed 8.0 points and 4.0 assists per game, Seikaly provided with 4.7 points and 4.0 rebounds per game in nine games after the trade, and Cage averaged 1.3 points and 3.9 rebounds per game.^[19]

During the NBA All-Star weekend at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, Williams was selected for the 1998 NBA All-Star Game, as a member of the Eastern Conference All-Star team; it was his first and only All-Star appearance.^[20][21][22] Meanwhile, Van Horn was selected for the NBA Rookie Game, as a member of the Eastern Conference Rookie team; Van Horn scored 17 points along with 10 rebounds, as the Eastern Conference defeated the Western Conference, 85–80.^[23][24][25] Van Horn also finished in second place in Rookie of the Year voting, behind Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs,^[26][27] while Gill finished tied in eleventh place in Defensive Player of the Year voting, and head coach John Calipari finished tied in ninth place in Coach of the Year voting.^[27]

In the Eastern Conference First Round of the 1998 NBA playoffs, the Nets faced off against the top–seeded, and 2-time defending NBA champion Chicago Bulls, who won the Central Division title, and were led by the trio of All-Star guard, and Most Valuable Player of the Year, Michael Jordan, All-Star forward Scottie Pippen, and rebound-specialist Dennis Rodman. However, the Nets dealt with injuries as Cassell had a strained groin, Williams had a broken thumb, and Van Horn had the stomach virus.^[28][29][30] The Nets lost Game 1 to the Bulls on the road in overtime, 96–93 at the United Center, before losing Game 2 on the road by a score of 96–91, in which the Bulls took a 2–0 series lead.^[31][32] The Nets lost Game 3 to the Bulls at home, 116–101 at the Continental Airlines Arena, thus losing the series in a three-game sweep.^[33][34][35] The Bulls would go on to defeat the Utah Jazz in six games in the 1998 NBA Finals for their third consecutive NBA championship, and sixth overall in eight years.^[36][37][38]

The Nets finished twelfth in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 718,514 at the Continental Airlines Arena during the regular season.^[19][39] Following the season, Douglas signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Clippers,^[40][41] while Cage and MacLean were both traded to the Seattle SuperSonics, whom Cage used to play for,^[42][43] and Xavier McDaniel retired, although he was released to free agency in January.^[44]

For the season, the Nets changed their primary logo,^[45] and added new uniforms, replacing the color blue with dark navy to their color scheme of red;^[46][47] the team's new primary logo and home uniforms would both remain in use until 2012, while the road jerseys would last until 2009.