1997 Overview
From Hoopedia
1996-97 NBA Season
This was the year of the $100 million contracts and the upset stomachs, although the two weren’t necessarily related.
The upset stomachs came in the NBA Finals, which matched Phil Jackson’s Chicago Bulls against Jerry Sloan’s Utah Jazz. In Game 4 at Utah’s Delta Center, a Bulls assistant mistakenly substituted a high-calorie supplement for the regular sports drink.
The result was like the Bulls having 10 baked potatoes in their bellies, explained Chicago trainer Chip Schaefer. Suddenly, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman, who never asked out of games, were signaling Jackson to take them out because of upset stomachs. Late in the game, the Bulls were dragging so badly they uncharacteristically blew a five-point lead and lost.
Then, with the series tied at two all, Jordan became afflicted with stomach flu on the eve of Game 5 and spent all night and the next day fighting off waves of nausea. He managed to score 38 points anyway and secure the key win, which allowed the Bulls to claim their fifth title when the series returned to Chicago for Game 6.
Any other nausea may have come from the dizzying escalation of free agent contracts above $100 million, a condition that would lead to hard-fought labor negotiations in 1998-99. Leading the lottery was center Shaquille O'Neal, who departed the Orlando Magic to join the Lakers as a free agent in a deal worth more than $120 million.
Beyond that, 1996-97 marked the changing of the guard in the NBA with the arrival of rookies Allen Iverson in Philadelphia, Kobe Bryant in Los Angeles, Shareef Abdur-Rahim in Vancouver, Ray Allen in Milwaukee, Antoine Walker in Boston and Stephon Marbury in Minnesota.
Utah’s Karl Malone tallied 27.4 ppg to finish second to Jordan in the scoring race (29.6 ppg), but Malone was voted the league’s MVP. His effort was rewarded by Utah’s first trip to the Finals.
The Jazz emerged from a Western Conference bracket that found rebuilding Phoenix pushing defending finalist Seattle to the brink. Houston finished off the Sonics in the second round while Utah’s experience helped deflate playoff hopes in Los Angeles.
In the East, the Knicks went for a new look, signing free agents Chris Childs and Allan Houston and trading for Larry Johnson. And Atlanta moved into the league’s elite with the acquisition of center Dikembe Mutombo. Miami, in particular, turned in a stellar regular season, with 61 wins. “It’s all because of Pat Riley,” guard Tim Hardaway said of his coach. “He’s got everybody thinking big thoughts.”
But in the playoffs, Miami and Atlanta struggled in the First Round. The Heat, though, managed to reach the Conference Finals for the first time in their history but couldn’t generate enough offense to overcome Chicago.
Jordan’s team ran into some low moments, Rodman’s suspension for kicking a courtside cameraman being one of them. But the Bulls found a way to answer all challenges, beginning in October with a win at the McDonald’s Championship in Paris and carrying right through to those stomach-churning moments against the Jazz in the Finals.
With Jackson, Rodman and Jordan working under contracts about to expire, Jordan used his media interview after winning the title to lobby Bulls Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf to bring the team and its coach back for another title run in 1998.
“Well, I think this team is entitled to an opportunity to continue to be successful…” Jordan said. “We’re entitled to defend what we have until we lose it.”
Ultimately, Reinsdorf decided to keep a payroll that ran slightly above $60 million, which allowed Chicago’s fairy tale to live for yet another season, upset stomachs or not.
