1997–98 Miami Heat season

The 1997–98 Miami Heat season was the tenth season for the Miami Heat in the National Basketball Association.^[1] During the off-season, the Heat signed free agents Eric Murdock,^[2][3] three-point specialist Terry Mills,^[4][5] Todd Day,^[6][7] and acquired Duane Causwell from the Sacramento Kings.^[8][9] However, after only playing just five games for the Heat, Day was released to free agency after criticizing how head coach Pat Riley ran the team.^[10][11][12]

With the addition of Murdock and Mills, and despite Alonzo Mourning missing the first 22 games of the regular season due to an off-season knee injury,^[13][14][15] the Heat got off to a 14–5 start to the season, as backup center Isaac Austin filled in the void as the team's starting center in Mourning's absence. Mourning eventually returned as the team later on held a 30–17 record at the All-Star break.^[16] At mid-season, the Heat traded Austin to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for Brent Barry.^[17][18][19] Despite losing Jamal Mashburn to a thumb injury after 48 games,^[20][21][22] the team posted a 13–2 record in February, which included a 10-game winning streak between February and March, and then posted a seven-game winning streak in March. The Heat finished in first place in the Atlantic Division with a 55–27 record, and earned the second seed in the Eastern Conference.^[23]

Tim Hardaway averaged 18.9 points, 8.3 assists and 1.7 steals per game, led the Heat with 155 three-point field goals, and was named to the All-NBA Second Team, while Mourning averaged 19.2 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game, and Mashburn provided the team with 15.1 points per game. In addition, Voshon Lenard contributed 12.3 points per game and 153 three-point field goals, while P.J. Brown provided with 9.6 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. Off the bench, three-point specialist Dan Majerle contributed 7.2 points per game and 111 three-point field goals, while Mark Strickland averaged 6.8 points and 4.2 rebounds per game, Murdock provided with 6.2 points, 2.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game, and Mills contributed 4.2 points and 3.0 rebounds per game.^[24]

During the NBA All-Star weekend at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, Hardaway was selected for the 1998 NBA All-Star Game, as a member of the Eastern Conference All-Star team; it was his fifth and final All-Star appearance.^[25][26][27] Hardaway also finished in sixth place in Most Valuable Player voting,^[28][29] while Riley finished in fourth place in Coach of the Year voting.^[29] The Heat had the sixth best team defensive rating in the NBA.^[30]

In the Eastern Conference First Round of the 1998 NBA playoffs, the Heat faced off against the 7th–seeded New York Knicks for the second consecutive year; All-Star center Patrick Ewing was out due to a season-ending wrist injury, as the Knicks were led by Allan Houston, Larry Johnson, and sixth man John Starks. Despite losing Majerle for the remainder of the series to a groin injury in Game 2, in which the Heat lost to the Knicks at home, 96–86 at the Miami Arena,^[31][32] the Heat managed to win Game 3 on the road at Madison Square Garden, 91–85 to take a 2–1 series lead.^[33][34][35] However, in Game 4 at Madison Square Garden, Mourning and Johnson, both former teammates on the Charlotte Hornets, got into a brawl in the closing seconds as the Knicks won the game, 90–85 to tie the series at 2–2; Mourning and Johnson were both suspended for two games.^[36][37][38] Without Mourning, the Heat lost Game 5 to the Knicks at the Miami Arena, 98–81, thus losing in a hard-fought five-game series.^[39][40][41]

The Heat finished 23rd in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 614,861 at the Miami Arena during the regular season.^[24][42] Following the season, Barry, who did not participate in the NBA playoffs, due to a season-ending ankle injury after playing 17 games with the Heat,^[43][44] signed as a free agent with the Chicago Bulls,^[45][46][47] and Murdock signed with the New Jersey Nets.^[48][49]