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1997–98 Phoenix Suns season

NBA team season

Field	Value
team	Phoenix Suns
end_year	1998
wins	56
losses	26
division	pacific
division_place	3rd
conf_place	4th
coach	Danny Ainge
gm	Bryan Colangelo
owner	Jerry Colangelo
arena	America West Arena
television	KUTP
Fox Sports Arizona
Cox Sports
radio	KTAR
playoffs	[First round](1998-nba-playoffs-bracket)
(lost to [Spurs](1997-98-san-antonio-spurs-season) 1–3)
bbr_team	PHO

Fox Sports Arizona Cox Sports (lost to Spurs 1–3)

The 1997–98 Phoenix Suns season was the 30th season for the Phoenix Suns in the National Basketball Association. During the off-season, the Suns acquired Antonio McDyess from the Denver Nuggets in a three-team trade, and signed free agents Clifford Robinson, and George McCloud.

The team also signed former Suns, and All-Star forward Tom Chambers, who played for the team from 1988 to 1993, and also appeared in the 1993 NBA Finals; however, he was out with a lower strained back injury before the regular season began. In November, Chambers got into trouble after punching Suns strength and conditioning coach Robin Pound during an altercation, and was soon traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Slovenian rookie forward Marko Milič; Chambers would play one game for the 76ers before retiring from the NBA in December.

Danny Ainge returned for his first full season as the Suns head coach, as the team won nine of their first eleven games, which included a 140–139 quadruple-overtime road win over the Portland Trail Blazers, at the Rose Garden Arena on November 14, 1997. The Suns continued to play competitive basketball holding a 31–15 record at the All-Star break. At mid-season, the team traded Cedric Ceballos to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for three-point specialist Dennis Scott, as they posted a ten-game winning streak between March and April, winning eleven of their final twelve games of the season. The Suns finished in third place in the Pacific Division with a 56–26 record, earned the fourth seed in the Western Conference, and qualified for the NBA playoffs for the tenth consecutive year.

The team's top scorer Rex Chapman led the Suns with 15.9 points per game, and 120 three-point field goals, while McDyess averaged 15.1 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game, and Robinson provided the team with 14.2 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. In addition, Jason Kidd contributed 11.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, 9.1 assists and 2.0 steals per game, while sixth man Danny Manning averaged 13.5 points and 5.6 rebounds per game off the bench, and was named the NBA Sixth Man of the Year, and Kevin Johnson averaged 9.5 points and 4.9 assists per game, but only played just 50 games, starting in just 12 of them due to tendinitis in his right knee. Meanwhile, second-year guard Steve Nash provided with 9.1 points and 3.4 assists per game, McCloud contributed 7.2 points and 3.5 rebounds per game, Scott contributed 6.2 points per game in 29 games after the trade, Mark Bryant averaged 4.2 points and 3.5 rebounds per game, and Hot Rod Williams provided with 3.6 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.

During the NBA All-Star weekend at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, Kidd was selected for the 1998 NBA All-Star Game, as a member of the Western Conference All-Star team. Meanwhile, Nash participated in the inaugural NBA 2Ball Competition, along with Michele Timms of the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury. Kidd also finished tied in 13th place in Most Valuable Player voting, while Ainge finished tied in fifth place in Coach of the Year voting.

In the Western Conference First Round of the 1998 NBA playoffs, the Suns faced off against the 5th–seeded San Antonio Spurs, a team that featured All-Star center David Robinson, All-Star forward and Rookie of the Year, Tim Duncan, and Avery Johnson. Despite both teams finishing with the same record during the regular season, the Suns had home-court advantage in the series; however, the team was without Manning, who was out due to a season-ending knee injury. With the series tied at 1–1, the Suns lost the next two games to the Spurs on the road, losing Game 4 at the Alamodome, 99–80, as the team lost the series in four games.

The Suns finished ninth in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 779,943 at the America West Arena during the regular season. Following the season, McDyess re-signed as a free agent with his former team, the Denver Nuggets, while Kevin Johnson retired after eleven seasons in the NBA, but would make a comeback late during the 1999–2000 season, Nash was traded to the Dallas Mavericks, Williams signed as a free agent with the Mavericks, Scott signed with the New York Knicks, and Bryant was traded to the Chicago Bulls.

Offseason

NBA draft

Main article: 1997 NBA draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	College
2	43	Stephen Jackson	SF/SG	United States	Butler CC

The Suns used their only draft pick to select future star Stephen Jackson, who was waived before the start of the season. The Suns traded their first-round pick to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1995 when they dealt Dan Majerle and Antonio Lang for John "Hot Rod" Williams.

Roster

Danny Ainge
Frank Johnson
Roger Reid
Scott Skiles
Joe Proski
Aaron Nelson
Robin Pound

Roster Notes

Center Mike Brown did not play in any regular season games with the Suns this season, due to previously playing overseas in Italy. However, he was re-signed by the team on April 18, 1998, just one day before the final day of the regular season, and only played in one playoff game.
Center Loren Meyer was on the injured reserve list due to a back injury, and missed the entire regular season.

Salaries

Player	Salary
Kevin Johnson	$8,000,000
Danny Manning	$6,833,333
Jason Kidd	$5,223,333
Hot Rod Williams	$4,550,000
Antonio McDyess	$2,876,640
Cedric Ceballos	$2,605,000
Mark Bryant	$2,250,000
Steve Nash	$1,053,360
Clifford Robinson	$1,000,000
Loren Meyer	$722,760
Mario Bennett	$630,000
Rex Chapman	$326,700
Tom Chambers	$272,250
George McCloud	$272,250
Horacio Llamas	$272,250
William Cunningham	$50,000
Total	$36,937,876

Regular season

Standings

Playoffs

Even with a 56–26 record, the Suns were the fourth seed in the West heading into the Playoffs. They would face the fifth-seeded San Antonio Spurs, headlined by star center David Robinson and Rookie of the Year forward Tim Duncan. Duncan led the Spurs to a game one upset in Phoenix, scoring 28 second-half points in a 102–96 victory. The Suns recovered to win game two 108–101. Antonio McDyess led the Suns with 21 points and 11 rebounds, while holding Duncan to 16 points with six turnovers. On the night he received the Rookie of the Year Award, Duncan again led the Spurs with 22 points, 14 rebounds and 3 blocks. Despite 26 points and 17 rebounds from McDyess, the Suns fell 88–100 and into a 1–2 series hole. The Spurs would clinch the series 3–1 in San Antonio, behind 30 points from Avery Johnson, 21 rebounds from Robinson, and 6 blocks from Duncan. McDyess pulled down 19 rebounds for the Suns, but shot only 5 of 14 from the field, while Kevin Johnson led the team with 18 points.

Game log

1–3

Awards and honors

Week/Month

Jason Kidd was named Player of the Week for games played March 8 through March 14.
Jason Kidd was named Player of the Week for games played April 12 through April 18.

All-Star

Jason Kidd was selected as a reserve for the Western Conference in the All-Star Game. It was his second All-Star selection. Kidd finished fifth in voting among Western Conference guards with 305,834 votes.

Season

Danny Manning was awarded the Sixth Man of the Year Award.
Jason Kidd finished in 13th place in MVP voting.

Injuries/Missed games

10/28/97: George McCloud: Deep knee bruise; did not play
10/30/97: Loren Meyer: Lumbar spine surgery; placed on injured reserve for season
10/30/97: Tom Chambers; Strained lower back; placed on injured list until November 21
10/31/97: George McCloud: Concussion; did not play
11/20/97: Horacio Llamas: Strained lower back; placed on injured list until January 30
12/02/97: Kevin Johnson: Right knee tendinitis; out until December 11
12/09/97: George McCloud: Flu; did not play
12/09/97: Rex Chapman: Strained left hamstring; out until December 16
12/11/97: Kevin Johnson: Right knee tendinitis; placed on injured list until January 31
12/26/97: George McCloud: Thigh bruise; did not play
12/26/97: Brooks Thompson: Ill; did not play
12/29/97: Danny Manning: Abdominal strain; out until January 12
01/04/98: Jason Kidd: Sprained right ankle; left game
01/18/98: Hot Rod Williams; Flu, did not play
01/30/98: Cedric Ceballos: Strained right calf; placed on injured list until February 12
02/12/98: Horacio Llamas: Bruised left heel; placed on injured list until April 9
02/17/98: Rex Chapman: Sprained left ankle; did not play
02/22/98: Steve Nash: Did not play
03/05/98: Rex Chapman: Sore right foot; out until March 13
03/09/98: Antonio McDyess: Suspended one game for fighting Hakeem Olajuwon on March 7; did not play
03/13/98: Mark Bryant: Flu; out until March 17
03/25/98: Rex Chapman: Pulled right groin; out until April 4
04/06/98: Steve Nash: Did not play
04/09/98: Danny Manning: Injured right ACL; placed on injured list, out for season
04/18/98: Rex Chapman: Aggravated left hamstring; placed on injured reserve until April 23
04/23/98: Rex Chapman: Aggravated left hamstring; did not play
04/29/98: Rex Chapman: Aggravated left hamstring; did not play

Player statistics

Season

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
	70	22	15.9	.484	.000	.768	3.5	0.7	.5	.2	4.2
*	35	16	17.9	.500	.300	.714	4.3	1.0	.6	.2	9.5
****	68	67	33.3	.427	.386	.781	2.5	3.0	1.0	.2	15.9
	50	12	25.8	.447	.154	.871	3.3	4.9	.5	.2	9.5
****	82	82	38.0	.416	.313	.799	6.2	9.1	2.0	.3	11.6
	8	0	5.3	.381	.333	.700	2.3	0.1	.1	.4	3.0
	70	11	25.6	.516	.000	.739	5.6	2.0	1.0	.7	13.5
	63	13	19.3	.405	.341	.765	3.5	1.3	.9	.2	7.2
****	81	81	30.1	.536†	.000	.702	7.6	1.3	1.2	1.7	15.1
	33	0	4.9	.609†	.500^	.647	0.8	0.4	.3	.0	2.8
	76	9	21.9	.459	.415^	.860	2.1	3.4	.8	.1	9.1
****	80	64	29.5	.479	.321	.689	5.1	2.1	1.2	1.1	14.2
*	29	3	17.0	.438	.449^	.667	1.7	0.8	.3	.2	6.2
*	13	0	3.5	.370	.313	.333	0.4	0.2	.3	.0	2.0
****	71	30	18.8	.470	.	.699	4.4	0.7	.5	.8	3.6

– Stats with the Suns.

† – Minimum 300 field goals made.

^ – Minimum 55 three-pointers made.

Playoffs

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
	1	0	1.0	.	.	.	0.0	0.0	.0	.0	0.0
****	4	1	23.3	.500	.	.500	5.8	0.3	1.0	.5	10.0
****	2	2	29.0	.261	.000	.857^	0.0	2.0	1.0	.0	9.0
	4	1	30.5	.548†	.250	.667	2.3	4.8	.5	.2	13.8
****	4	4	42.8	.379	.000	.813^	5.8	7.8	4.0	.5	14.3
	4	3	31.5	.512	.571	.750	4.8	2.0	.2	.2	14.3
****	4	4	36.8	.477	.	.643	13.3	1.0	.5	1.5	17.8
	2	0	2.0	.667†	.	.	0.5	0.0	.5	.0	2.0
	4	1	12.8	.444	.200	.625	2.5	1.8	.5	.0	5.5
****	4	4	23.0	.273	.000	.778	3.0	0.8	.7	.5	6.3
	4	0	15.5	.412	.375	.	2.0	0.3	.2	.0	4.3
	3	0	11.0	.286	.	.667	1.3	0.3	.0	.7	2.0

† – Minimum 20 field goals made.

^ – Minimum 10 free throws made.

Transactions

Trades

Free agents

Additions

Date	Player	Contract	Former Team
June 23, 1997	Kevin Johnson	Signed one-year contract for $8,000,000	Phoenix Suns
July 1, 1997	Mark Bryant	Signed two-year contract for $4,300,000	Phoenix Suns
July 8, 1997	John "Hot Rod" Williams	Signed one-year contract for $4,550,000	Phoenix Suns
July 8, 1997	Rex Chapman	Signed one-year contract for $326,700	Phoenix Suns
July 8, 1997	Horacio Llamas	Signed one-year contract for $272,250	Sioux Falls Skyforce
August 22, 1997	Tom Chambers	Signed one-year contract for $272,250	Charlotte Hornets
August 22, 1997	William Cunningham	Undisclosed	n/a
August 25, 1997	Clifford Robinson	Signed one-year contract for $1 million	Portland Trail Blazers
September 2, 1997	George McCloud	Signed one-year contract for $272,250	Los Angeles Lakers
December 11, 1997	Brooks Thompson	Undisclosed	Denver Nuggets
January 9, 1998	Brooks Thompson	Signed two 10-day contracts	Phoenix Suns
April 18, 1998	Mike Brown	Signed for rest of season	Viola Reggio Calabria (Italy)

Subtractions

Date	Player	Reason left	New team
May 3, 1997	Kevin Johnson	Retired	Phoenix Suns
July 1, 1997	Wayman Tisdale	Free agent	n/a
July 1, 1997	Mike Brown	Free agent	Viola Reggio Calabria (Italy)
September 29, 1997	Ben Davis	Free agent	Miami Heat
October 13, 1997	William Cunningham	Waived	Utah Jazz
October 30, 1997	Stephen Jackson	Waived	La Crosse Bobcats (CBA)
January 7, 1998	Brooks Thompson	Waived	Phoenix Suns
January 29, 1998	Brooks Thompson	10-day contract expired	New York Knicks

Player Transactions Citation:

References

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(October 2, 1997). "PLUS: IN THE NEWS -- PRO BASKETBALL; McDyess to Suns in Three-Team Deal". The New York Times.
(October 2, 1997). "Suns Make Trade for McDyess". Los Angeles Times.
(August 26, 1997). "Robinson Joins Suns". The New York Times.
(August 26, 1997). "Robinson Takes Pay Cut to Sign with Suns". Los Angeles Times.
Thompson, Jack. (August 26, 1997). "Suns Sign Clifford Robinson". Chicago Tribune.
Smith, Sam. (October 5, 1997). "Suns' Fortunes on the Rise". Chicago Tribune.
Springer, Steve. (October 31, 1997). "Season's Greetings". Los Angeles Times.
(August 24, 1997). "Transactions". The Beaver County Times.
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(December 12, 1997). "Chambers Retires From Sixers, Eyes Possible Post with Suns". Deseret News.
(November 24, 1997). "Chambers' Punch". Deseret News.
Robinson, Doug. (January 1, 1998). "A Year of Living Boorishly". Deseret News.
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(November 23, 1997). "Suns Trade Chambers". Today's News-Herald.
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(November 15, 1997). "Hawks Remain Unbeaten". The Spokesman-Review.
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"NBA Games Played on February 5, 1998". Basketball-Reference.
Gardner, Kris. (February 18, 1998). "Dennis Scott Goes to Phoenix". The Houston Roundball Review.
(February 19, 1998). "Celtics Land Anderson in Deal with Raptors". Los Angeles Times.
Heisler, Mark. (February 20, 1998). "It's a Big Deal for Clippers: There Are No Slam Dunks in the Flurry of NBA Deals". Los Angeles Times.
"1997–98 Phoenix Suns Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference.
"1997–98 Phoenix Suns Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference.
Howard-Cooper, Scott. (April 24, 1998). "Bryant Second to Manning in Voting for Sixth Man". Los Angeles Times.
(April 24, 1998). "Suns Player Wins NBA Sixth "Manning" Award". Deseret News.
"NBA & ABA Sixth Man of the Year Award Winners". Basketball-Reference.
(December 12, 1997). "Kevin Johnson Undergoes Knee Surgery". Associated Press.
(December 13, 1997). "Suns' Johnson to Miss at Least Six Weeks". Tampa Bay Times.
(February 1, 1998). "Welcome Back". Orlando Sentinel.
Howard-Cooper, Scott. (January 28, 1998). "Lakers Get Four-Star Rating as Van Exel, Jones Honored". Los Angeles Times.
(September 13, 2021). "1998 NBA All-Star Recap". NBA.com.
"1998 NBA All-Star Game: East 135, West 114". Basketball-Reference.
Withers, Tom. (February 8, 1998). "Cooper, Drexler Win 2Ball Contest". The Day.
Bender, Patricia. "1997–98 All-Star Events and Contestants - in New York". Eskimo.com.
"1997–98 NBA Awards Voting". Basketball-Reference.
(April 8, 1998). "Suns Top Kings; Lose Manning". Deseret News.
(April 30, 1998). "Jordan Finishes Off the Nets; Rockets Put Jazz on the Ropes". Los Angeles Times.
(April 30, 1998). "Spurs' Johnson Soars in Game of "Small Ball"". Deseret News.
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Heisler, Mark. (January 22, 1999). "McDyess, Nuggets Hit a Snag". Los Angeles Times.
(January 22, 1999). "McDyess, Nuggets Agree to $67.5-Million Deal; Spurned Suns Now Expected to Turn Their Attention to Gugliotta". Deseret News.
(January 23, 1999). "NBA DEALINGS: McDyess, Divac and Smith Sign". Kitsap Sun.
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Buckley, Tim. (April 6, 2000). "KJ's Back: Johnson Is a Sun Again After a 2-Year Hiatus". Deseret News.
(March 24, 2000). "Suns Tap Johnson to Replace Kidd". Los Angeles Times.
(June 24, 1998). "Clippers Pick Olowokandi No. 1". CBS News.
Gardner, Kris. (June 24, 1998). "Steve Nash Dealt to Dallas". The Houston Roundball Review.
Wise, Mike. (June 25, 1998). "PRO BASKETBALL; 7 Feet 1 Inch of Potential at No. 1". The New York Times.
(January 23, 1999). "Mavericks Sign Hot Rod Williams". United Press International.
Povtak, Tim. (January 23, 1999). "Scott Accepts Deal to Play for Knicks". Orlando Sentinel.
Lewis, Brian. (January 25, 1999). "Scott's Debut Breathtaking". New York Post.
(January 23, 1999). "Suns Sign Ex-Bull Luc Longley". CBS News.
Wise, Mike. (February 4, 1999). "PRO BASKETBALL; A Scrum for the Title". The New York Times.
(October 30, 1997). "Suns Release Stephen Jackson". Associated Press.
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