1997–98 Utah Jazz season
The 1997–98 NBA season was the Jazz's 24th season in the National Basketball Association, and 19th season in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Jazz entered the season as runner-ups in the 1997 NBA Finals, where they lost to the Chicago Bulls in six games. Without John Stockton for the first 18 games due to a knee injury, the Jazz slowly got off to an 11–7 start to the season 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. However, Stockton would eventually return as the Jazz held a 31–15 record at the All-Star break. At midseason, the team traded Foster and Chris Morris to the Orlando Magic for Rony Seikaly in an effort to bolster the team's depth. 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. After the trade was off, Orlando pivoted and traded Seikaly to the New Jersey Nets, where he would play a total of 18 games over the next 1 1/2 seasons before retiring from the NBA.
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.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.
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