1997–98 Atlanta Hawks season

1997–98 Atlanta Hawks season
Head coach	Lenny Wilkens
Arena	Georgia Dome, Alexander Memorial Coliseum
Results
Record	50–32 (.610)
Place	Division: 4th (Central) Conference: 5th (Eastern)
Playoff finish	East First Round (Eliminated 1–3)
Stats @ Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
Television	Fox Sports South, WTBS, WATL
Radio	WCNN

The 1997–98 NBA season was the Hawks' 49th season in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and 30th season in Atlanta.^[1] Due to the demolition of the The Omni, the Hawks played their home games at the Georgia Dome and their original home from 1968 to 1972, the Alexander Memorial Coliseum (known as McDonald's Center at the time). They finished fourth in the Central Division with a 50–32 record. Dikembe Mutombo was named Defensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive time, and forward Alan Henderson won the Most Improved Player of The Year award. Scoring leader Steve Smith was selected for the 1998 NBA All-Star Game along with Mutombo. In the first round of the playoffs, they lost in four games to the Charlotte Hornets.

On March 27, 1998, the Hawks set a single game regular season attendance record of 62,046 fans in a game against the Chicago Bulls at the Georgia Dome. However, the Hawks lost 89-74.

Offseason

Draft picks

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	College
1	22	Ed Gray	SG	United States	California
2	49	Alain Digbeu	SG/SF	France
2	50	Chris Crawford	SF	United States	Marquette

Roster

Atlanta Hawks roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB (YYYY–MM–DD) From C 0 Anderson, Greg 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Houston PG 11 Barry, Drew 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 191 lb (87 kg) Georgia Tech PG 10 Blaylock, Mookie 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Oklahoma SF 52 Brown, Chucky 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 214 lb (97 kg) North Carolina State SF 33 Corbin, Tyrone 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) DePaul PF 4 Crawford, Chris 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Marquette SG 22 Gray, Ed  (S) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 210 lb (95 kg) California PF 44 Henderson, Alan 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Indiana PF 32 Laettner, Christian 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Duke PG 7 Livingston, Randy 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 209 lb (95 kg) LSU PF 2 Miller, Anthony 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Michigan State C 55 Mutombo, Dikembe 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) 260 lb (118 kg) Georgetown SG 31 Oliver, Brian 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Georgia Tech PG 3 Recasner, Eldridge 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Washington SG 8 Smith, Steve 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Michigan State	Head coach Lenny Wilkens Legend (C) Team captain (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured Roster • Transactions

Roster Notes

• Guard Ed Gray was suspended indefinitely for missing medical appointments.

Regular season

Season standings

Central Division	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
y-Chicago Bulls	62	20	.756	–	37–4	25–16	21–7
x-Indiana Pacers	58	24	.707	4	32–9	26–15	19–9
x-Charlotte Hornets	51	31	.622	11	32–9	19–22	16–12
x-Atlanta Hawks	50	32	.610	12	29–12	21–20	19–9
x-Cleveland Cavaliers	47	35	.573	15	27–14	20–21	14–14
Detroit Pistons	37	45	.451	25	25–16	12–29	12–16
Milwaukee Bucks	36	46	.439	26	21–20	15–26	9–19
Toronto Raptors	16	66	.195	46	9–32	7–34	2–26

#	Eastern Conference
	Team	W	L	PCT	GB
1	c-Chicago Bulls	62	20	.756	–
2	y-Miami Heat	55	27	.671	7
3	x-Indiana Pacers	58	24	.707	4
4	x-Charlotte Hornets	51	31	.622	11
5	x-Atlanta Hawks	50	32	.610	12
6	x-Cleveland Cavaliers	47	35	.573	15
7	x-New York Knicks	43	39	.524	19
8	x-New Jersey Nets	43	39	.524	19
9	Washington Wizards	42	40	.512	20
10	Orlando Magic	41	41	.500	21
11	Detroit Pistons	37	45	.451	25
12	Boston Celtics	36	46	.439	26
12	Milwaukee Bucks	36	46	.439	26
14	Philadelphia 76ers	31	51	.378	31
15	Toronto Raptors	16	66	.195	46

z - clinched division title

y - clinched division title

x - clinched playoff spot

Game log

1997–98 Game log Total: 50–32 (Home: 29–12; Road: 21–20)
October: (1–0) (Home: 0–0; Road: 1–0) Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 1 October 31 at Orlando Magic W 105–99 Orlando Arena 1–0
November: (13-2) (Home: 9–1; Road: 4–1) Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 2 November 1 vs Toronto Raptors W 90-85 Alexander Memorial Coliseum 2-0 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 3 November 4 vs Detroit Pistons W 82-71 Georgia Dome 3-0 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 4 November 5 at Philadelphia 76ers W 93-88 CoreStates Center 4-0 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 5 November 7 vs Chicago Bulls W 80-78 Georgia Dome 5-0 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 6 November 8 at Cleveland Cavaliers W 99-97 (OT) Gund Arena 6-0 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 7 November 11 vs Seattle SuperSonics W 89-87 Georgia Dome 7-0 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 8 November 12 at Indiana Pacers W 89-86 Market Square Arena 8-0 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 9 November 14 vs Sacramento Kings W 104-103 Georgia Dome 9-0 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 10 November 16 vs Los Angeles Clippers W 89-83 Alexander Memorial Coliseum 10-0 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 11 November 18 vs Washington Wizards W 98-89 (OT) Georgia Dome 11-0 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 12 November 20 vs New York Knicks L 79-100 Georgia Dome 11-1 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 13 November 22 at Detroit Pistons L 85-87 The Palace of Auburn Hills 11-2 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 14 November 26 at Toronto Raptors W 109-104 (2OT) SkyDome 12-2 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 15 November 29 vs Charlotte Hornets W 98-80 Georgia Dome 13-2 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 16 November 30 vs San Antonio Spurs W 108-96 Georgia Dome 14-2
December: (5-8) (Home: 1–3; Road: 4–5) Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 17 December 2 at Dallas Mavericks W 112-79 Reunion Arena 15-2 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 18 December 4 at Houston Rockets L 87-94 The Summit 15-3 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 19 December 9 vs Miami Heat L 81-97 Georgia Dome 15-4 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 20 December 11 at Phoenix Suns L 78-94 America West Arena 15-5 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 21 December 12 at Los Angeles Clippers W 83-74 Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena 16-5 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 22 December 14 at Sacramento Kings W 93-89 ARCO Arena 17-5 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 23 December 15 at Portland TrailBlazers W 99-90 Rose Garden 18-5 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 24 December 17 vs Cleveland Cavaliers W 94-83 Georgia Dome 19-5 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 25 December 19 vs Los Angeles Lakers L 96-98 Georgia Dome 19-6 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 26 December 20 at Miami Heat L 92-99 Miami Arena 19-7 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 27 December 22 vs Utah Jazz L 99-101 Georgia Dome 19-8 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 28 December 26 at Milwaukee Bucks L 94-99 (OT) Bradley Center 19-9 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 29 December 27 at Chicago Bulls L 90-97 United Center 19-10
January: (9-8) (Home: 5–3; Road: 4–5) Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 30 January 2 at Los Angeles Lakers L 106-116 Great Western Forum 19-11 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 31 January 3 at Utah Jazz L 82-97 Delta Center 19-12 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 32 January 7 at Golden State Warriors W 106-86 Oakland Arena 20-12 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 33 January 9 vs Washington Wizards W 82-77 Alexander Memorial Coliseum 21-12 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 34 January 11 at Washington Wizards W 107-102 (OT) MCI Center 22-12 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 35 January 13 at New York Knicks W 91-89 Madison Square Garden 23-12 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 36 January 14 vs Dallas Mavericks W 108-82 Alexander Memorial Coliseum 24-12 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 37 January 16 vs Golden State Warriors W 102-89 Alexander Memorial Coliseum 25-12 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 38 January 17 at New Jersey Nets L 81-97 Continental Airlines Arena 25-13 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 39 January 20 vs Milwaukee Bucks W 103-89 Georgia Dome 26-13 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 40 January 21 at San Antonio Spurs L 76-90 Alamodome 26-14 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 41 January 23 vs Boston Celtics L 85-89 Georgia Dome 26-15 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 42 January 24 vs Portland TrailBlazers L 77-92 Georgia Dome 26-16 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 43 January 26 vs Phoenix Suns L 91-96 Georgia Dome 26-17 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 44 January 27 at Minnesota Timberwolves L 96-113 Target Center 26-18 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 45 January 29 vs Philadelphia 76ers W 109-99 (OT) Alexander Memorial Coliseum 27-18 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 46 January 31 at Charlotte Hornets W 103-83 Charlotte Coliseum 28-18
February: (5-6) (Home: 2–2; Road: 3–4) Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 47 February 2 at Miami Heat L 83-90 Miami Arena 28-19 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 48 February 3 at Orlando Magic L 90-91 Orlando Arena 28-20 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 49 February 5 at Cleveland Cavaliers W 108-94 Gund Arena 29-20 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 50 February 10 at Milwaukee Bucks W 108-100 Bradley Center 30-20 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 51 February 13 at Chicago Bulls L 110-112 United Center 30-21 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 52 February 14 vs Indiana Pacers L 92-96 Georgia Dome 30-22 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 53 February 16 vs Orlando Magic L 81-85 Georgia Dome 30-23 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 54 February 18 vs New Jersey Nets W 114-104 Alexander Memorial Coliseum 31-23 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 55 February 20 vs Vancouver Grizzlies W 115-92 Alexander Memorial Coliseum 32-23 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 56 February 25 at Denver Nuggets W 112-88 McNichols Arena 33-23 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 57 February 27 at Seattle SuperSonics L 88-90 KeyArena at Seattle Center 33-24
March: (9-5) (Home: 6–1; Road: 3–4) Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 58 March 1 at Vancouver Grizzlies W 101-76 General Motors Place 34-24 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 59 March 6 vs Denver Nuggets W 115-94 Alexander Memorial Coliseum 35-24 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 60 March 8 vs Cleveland Cavaliers W 101-96 Alexander Memorial Coliseum 36-24 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 61 March 11 at Boston Celtics W 110-105 FleetCenter 37-24 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 62 March 13 at Philadelphia 76ers L 86-107 CoreStates Center 37-25 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 63 March 15 vs Boston Celtics W 93-77 Alexander Memorial Coliseum 38-25 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 64 March 17 at Toronto Raptors W 117-105 SkyDome 39-25 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 65 March 19 vs Milwaukee Bucks W 84-81 Alexander Memorial Coliseum 40-25 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 66 March 20 at New York Knicks L 108-109 Madison Square Garden 40-26 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 67 March 22 at Detroit Pistons L 98-105 The Palace of Auburn Hills 40-27 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 68 March 24 vs Orlando Magic W 85-73 Georgia Dome 41-27 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 69 March 27 vs Chicago Bulls L 74-89 Georgia Dome 41-28 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 70 March 29 vs Detroit Pistons W 118-95 Georgia Dome 42-28 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 71 March 31 at New Jersey Nets W 90-105 Continental Airlines Arena 42-29
April: (8-3) (Home: 6–2; Road: 2–1) Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 72 April 1 vs Toronto Raptors W 105-91 Georgia Dome 43-29 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 73 April 3 vs Houston Rockets W 107-87 Georgia Dome 44-29 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 74 April 5 vs Minnesota Timberwolves L 96-97 Georgia Dome 44-30 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 75 April 7 vs New York Knicks W 92-79 Georgia Dome 45-30 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 76 April 9 vs Indiana Pacers L 102-105 (OT) Georgia Dome 45-31 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 77 April 10 at Charlotte Hornets W 99-87 Charlotte Coliseum 46-31 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 78 April 12 at Washington Wizards W 91-81 MCI Center 47-31 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 79 April 14 vs Philadelphia 76ers W 95-94 Georgia Dome 48-31 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 80 April 15 at Indiana Pacers L 70-82 Market Square Arena 48-32 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 81 April 17 vs Charlotte Hornets W 121-104 Georgia Dome 49-32 Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 82 April 19 vs Miami Heat W 101-89 Georgia Dome 50-32

Playoffs

East first round

(4) Charlotte Hornets vs. (5) Atlanta Hawks Last playoff meeting: This was the first meeting between the Hornets and Hawks.

Game	Date	Home	Score	Visitor	Score	Record (CHA-ATL)	Venue	Box score
1	April 23	Charlotte	97	Atlanta	87	1–0	Charlotte Coliseum, Charlotte, North Carolina	1	TBS 7:00 et
2	April 25	Charlotte	92	Atlanta	85	2–0	Charlotte Coliseum, Charlotte, North Carolina	2	TNT 8:00 et
3	April 28	Atlanta	96	Charlotte	64	2–1	Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia	3	TNT 8:00 et
4	May 1	Atlanta	82	Charlotte	91	3–1	Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia	4	TNT 7:00 et
Charlotte wins series 3–1

Player statistics

Legend
GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field-goal percentage	3P%	3-point field-goal percentage	FT%	Free-throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game

Season

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3FG%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Greg Anderson	50	0	8.0	.444	.000	.390	2.4	.3	.4	.2	1.8
Drew Barry	27	0	9.5	.474	.429	.846	1.3	1.8	.4	.0	2.1
Mookie Blaylock	70	69	38.6	.392	.269	.709	4.9	6.7	2.6	.3	13.2
Chucky Brown	77	8	15.6	.433	.250	.724	2.4	.7	.3	.2	5.0
Tyrone Corbin	79	79	34.2	.439	.348	.789	4.6	2.2	1.3	.1	10.2
Chris Crawford	40	0	6.4	.418	.333	.838	1.0	.2	.3	.2	3.8
Ed Gray	30	3	15.7	.381	.391	.846	1.5	1.1	.5	.4	7.6
Alan Henderson	69	33	29.0	.485	.500	.652	6.4	1.1	.6	.5	14.3
Christian Laettner	74	49	30.8	.485	.222	.864	6.6	2.6	1.0	1.0	13.8
Randy Livingston	12	0	6.8	.250	.	.800	.5	.4	.6	.2	.8
Anthony Miller	37	0	6.2	.558	.	.538	1.9	.1	.4	.1	2.1
Dikembe Mutombo	82	82	35.6	.537	.	.670	11.4	1.0	.4	3.4	13.4
Brian Oliver	5	0	12.2	.368	.	.250	1.8	.4	.2	.0	3.0
Eldridge Recasner	59	14	24.6	.456	.419	.937	2.4	2.0	.7	.0	9.3
Steve Smith	73	73	39.1	.444	.351	.855	4.2	4.0	1.0	0.4	20.1
Donald Whiteside	3	0	5.3	.500	.	.	.3	.3	.0	.0	.7

Playoffs

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3FG%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Greg Anderson	1	0	4.0	.	.	.000	2.0	.	.	1.0	.
Drew Barry	2	0	2.5	.000	.000	.	.5	.	.	.	.
Mookie Blaylock	4	4	38.3	.415	.296	.583	5.0	8.3	2.3	.3	14.8
Chucky Brown	4	0	12.5	.467	.500	.500	1.5	1.0	.	.	4.0
Tyrone Corbin	4	4	28.3	.280	.167	.	3.8	1.0	1.5	.3	3.8
Chris Crawford	1	0	4.0	.	.	1.000	2.0	.	.	1.0	2.0
Alan Henderson	4	4	31.5	.526	.000	.611	5.5	1.0	.8	.3	12.8
Christian Laettner	4	0	21.8	.343	.000	.882	4.3	1.0	1.5	.3	9.8
Anthony Miller	4	0	8.3	.375	.	1.000	2.3	.3	.5	.3	2.0
Dikembe Mutombo	4	4	34.0	.458	.	.625	12.8	.3	.3	2.3	8.0
Eldridge Recasner	4	0	22.3	.400	.583	1.000	1.0	2.0	.5	.	7.3
Steve Smith	4	4	40.0	.574	.500	.688	2.8	2.3	.5	.8	24.8

Awards and records

• Dikembe Mutombo, NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award
• Alan Henderson, NBA Most Improved Player Award
• Dikembe Mutombo, All-NBA Third Team
• Dikembe Mutombo, NBA All-Defensive First Team
• Mookie Blaylock, NBA All-Defensive Second Team

See also

• 1997-98 NBA season

References

1. 1997-98 Atlanta Hawks