1997-98 Cleveland Cavaliers Recap

1997-98 Cleveland Cavaliers Recap

Retooling the Roster in the Offseason

Missing the 1997 NBA playoffs, the Cleveland Cavaliers were determined to find the right mix of players that could not only take the team back into the playoffs, but also take them deep into the playoffs. It would come down to the Cavaliers needing to make a couple of key moves in order to develop a nucleus that they felt comfortable putting on the floor. During the offseason, the Cavaliers would get themselves involved in two separate 3-team trades that saw them acquire power forward Shawn Kemp from the Seattle SuperSonics and shooting guard Wesley Person from the Phoenix Suns. It was moves like these that helped the 1997-98 Cleveland Cavaliers regain some footing in the Eastern Conference.

Season Overview

The 1997-98 Cleveland Cavaliers went 47-35 in the regular season, finishing 15 games behind the Chicago Bulls in the Central Division. The Cavaliers went 27-14 on their home court of the Gund Arena while going only 20-21 on the road. The Cavaliers went an even 14-14 in divisional play. While February wasn’t such a good month for them, the Cavaliers generally triumphed in every other month of the regular season as they went 9-5 in November, 8-5 in December, 9-7 in January, 11-4 in March, and 6-4 in April.

Individual Statistical Leaders

Kemp, Person, and Ilgauskas Lead the Way

Shawn Kemp had 1,442 points, 745 rebounds, 108 steals, and 90 blocks, making 404 of 556 free throws. Wesley Person had 1,204 points, 363 rebounds, and 129 steals, making 192 of 447 3-point shots and 132 of 170 free throws. Center Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who would later be known as simply “Z” by teammates and fans alike, had 1,139 points, 723 rebounds, and 135 blocks, making 454 of 876 field goal shots and 230 of 302 free throws in his rookie season.

Rookie Contributions from Henderson, Anderson, and Knight

Small forward Cedric Henderson was selected by the Cavaliers with the 45th pick in the 2nd Round of the 1997 NBA Draft, and he had a successful rookie season as he had 832 points and 325 rebounds while making 136 of 190 free throws. Shooting guard Derek Anderson was selected by the Cavaliers with the 13th pick in the 1st Round of the same draft, and he also had a great rookie season as he had 770 points and 221 assists, making 17 of 84 3-point shots and 275 of 315 free throws. Just a few picks later at #16 in the same draft, the Cavaliers chose point guard Brevin Knight, and he provided sparks for the team when necessary. Knight had 723 points, 656 assists, and 196 steals, making 201 of 251 free throws.

Depth Off the Bench

Center Vitaly Potapenko had 570 points and 313 rebounds, making 102 of 144 free throws. Power forward Danny Ferry made 33 of 99 3-point shots and 32 of 40 free throws. Shooting guard Bob Sura made 19 of 60 3-point shots. Shooting guard Carl Thomas made 15 of 38 3-point shots. Power forward Henry James made 11 of 25 3-point shots.

Awards and Accolades

Cleveland’s front office was certainly impressed by how well the team came together and worked together to win basketball games, and as proof of this, some Cavaliers players would receive individual accolades. Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Brevin Knight would both make the All-Rookie 1st Team, while Derek Anderson and Cedric Henderson would both make the All-Rookie 2nd Team. Shawn Kemp would be voted into his 6th NBA All-Star Game, which turned out to be the last All-Star Game of his solid career.

Regular Season Highlights

A 10-Game Winning Streak

Another piece of proof that this Cavaliers team did have the potential to remain consistently good would be their 10-game winning streak, which occurred early on in the regular season. This winning streak started with a 103-80 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on November 21, and it ended with a close 79-77 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on December 11.

Blowout Win Over Houston

On January 6 at the Gund Arena, the Cavaliers enjoyed one of the best victories of the regular season as they absolutely crushed the Houston Rockets 100-70. Derek Anderson had 19 points and 3 assists. Wesley Person had 15 points and 5 assists. Shawn Kemp had 14 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.

Overtime Win Over the Knicks

Another good regular season game that showed the team’s rebounding skills occurred on March 14, when the Cavaliers narrowly defeated the New York Knicks 88-85 in overtime at the Gund Arena. Kemp had 22 points and 6 assists while grabbing 10 rebounds. Ilgauskas had 18 points and grabbed 7 rebounds. Anderson had 17 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists.

Playoff Run Against the Pacers

Ideally, the 1997-1998 Cleveland Cavaliers were hoping to impose their will on the boards against the Indiana Pacers in the 1st Round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. However, the sharp perimeter shooting of Indiana was the key thing that did Cleveland in, as the Pacers eliminated the Cavaliers 3 games to 1.

The power off the boards would be on fine display in one game of this series for Cleveland. In Game 3 on April 27 at the Gund Arena, the Cavaliers avoided a 3-game sweep by winning 86-77. Shawn Kemp had 31 points and made 9 of 10 free throws, but he was a force off the boards as he grabbed 7 rebounds. Zydrunas Ilgauskas had 13 points and 5 rebounds. Brevin Knight had 11 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals. Derek Anderson had 11 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. Cedric Henderson only had 9 points, but he had 6 rebounds and 5 assists.

Legacy

The 1997-1998 Cleveland Cavaliers would have to start rebuilding their franchise from scratch just a few years after this playoff run, as they would quickly lose their identity of easily rebounding the basketball. In 2003, the Cavaliers would enter a brand-new era led by young basketball phenomenon LeBron James, and the Cavaliers would make the playoffs again in 2006.