The 1997–98 NBA season was the 28th season of the National Basketball Association in Cleveland, Ohio.[1] In the 1997 NBA draft, the Cavaliers selected Derek Anderson from the University of Kentucky with the thirteenth overall pick, selected Brevin Knight out of Stanford University with the sixteenth overall pick, and selected Cedric Henderson from the University of Memphis with the 45th overall pick.[2][3][4][5] Lithuanian rookie center Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who was drafted by the Cavaliers with the 20th overall pick in the 1996 NBA draft, but missed all of the previous season due to a foot injury, would make his debut in the NBA this season. In the off-season, the team acquired All-Star forward Shawn Kemp from the Seattle SuperSonics in a three-team trade,[6][7][8][9][10] acquired Wesley Person from the Phoenix Suns in another three-team trade,[11][12][13][14] and signed free agent Mitchell Butler.
The Cavaliers struggled with a 4–6 start to the regular season, as Bob Sura went down with an ankle injury and only played just 46 games,[15][16] and Butler was out for the remainder of the season with a neck injury after 18 games.[17][18] However, the team posted a ten-game winning streak between November and December,[19] and later on held a 27–20 record at the All-Star break.[20] The Cavaliers played above .500 for the remainder of the season, finishing in fifth place in the Central Division with a 47–35 record, and qualifying for the playoffs after a one-year absence.[21] The Cavaliers had the best team defensive rating in the NBA.[22]
Kemp averaged 18.0 points, 9.3 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game, while Person averaged 14.7 points and 1.6 steals per game, and also led the league with 192 three-point field goals, and Ilgauskas provided the team with 13.9 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game. In addition, Knight contributed 9.0 points, 8.2 assists, and led the league with 196 total steals, averaging 2.5 steals per game, while Anderson provided with 11.7 points and 1.3 steals per game off the bench, playing 66 games due to a knee injury,[23][24][25] Henderson contributed 10.1 points per game, and second-year center Vitaly Potapenko averaged 7.1 points and 3.9 rebounds per game off the bench.[26]
During the All-Star Weekend in New York City, New York, Kemp was selected for the 1998 NBA All-Star Game, which would be his sixth and final All-Star appearance,[27][28][29][30][31] and Ilgauskas won the MVP award in the Rookie Game.[32][33][34][35] Both Ilgauskas and Knight were named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team, while Anderson and Henderson were both selected the NBA All-Rookie Second Team; Knight also finished tied in eleventh place in Defensive Player of the Year voting,[36][37] and head coach Mike Fratello finished in third place in Coach of the Year voting.[38][39][40][36][37]
However, in the Eastern Conference First Round of the playoffs, the Cavaliers would lose in four games to the Indiana Pacers,[41][42][43][44] and they would not make it back to the postseason until 2006. For the season, the team slightly redesigned their uniforms, which remained in use until 1999.[45][46]
Until 2023, this was the last time the Cavaliers made the playoffs without future All-Star LeBron James, who was selected by the team as the first overall pick in the 2003 NBA draft.
*1st round pick acquired from Phoenix in three-way Antonio McDyess deal.[47]
Roster Updated: February 22, 1998
Player Statistics Citation:[26]
Shawn Kemp – 1998 NBA All-Star Game