1998-99 NBA season
| 1999 NBA season | |
|---|---|
| League | National Basketball Association |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Duration | February 5 – May 5, 1999 May 8 – June 11, 1999 (Playoffs) June 16 – 25, 1999 (Finals) |
| Number of games | 50 |
| Number of teams | 29 |
| TV partner(s) | NBC, TBS, TNT |
| Draft | |
| Top draft pick | Michael Olowokandi |
| Picked by | Los Angeles Clippers |
| Regular season | |
| Top seed | San Antonio Spurs |
| Season MVP | Karl Malone (Utah) |
| Top scorer | Allen Iverson (Philadelphia) |
| Playoffs | |
| Eastern champions | New York Knicks |
| Eastern runners-up | Indiana Pacers |
| Western champions | San Antonio Spurs |
| Western runners-up | Portland Trail Blazers |
| Finals | |
| Champions | San Antonio Spurs |
| Runners-up | New York Knicks |
| Finals MVP | Tim Duncan (San Antonio) |
The 1999 NBA season was the 53rd season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Due to a lockout, the season did not start until February 5, 1999, after a new six-year Collective Bargaining Agreement was reached between the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association. All 29 teams played a shortened 50-game regular season schedule- 61% of the regular 82 games- and the 16 teams who qualified for the playoffs played a full post-season schedule. That season's All-Star Game was also canceled. The season ended with the San Antonio Spurs winning the franchise's first NBA championship, beating the New York Knicks 4 games to 1 in the 1999 NBA Finals.
The second lockout in the history of the NBA lasted from July 1, 1998, to January 20, 1999. NBA owners were seeking changes to the league's salary cap system and a ceiling on individual player salaries. The National Basketball Players Association opposed the owners' plans and wanted raises for players who earned the league's minimum salary.
As the labor dispute continued into September, the preseason was shortened to just two games instead of the normal eight, and training camps were postponed indefinitely. By October, it became the first time in NBA history that games were canceled due to a labor dispute. Further games were canceled by November and December, including the All-Star Game, which had been scheduled to be played on February 14, 1999. The preseason was canceled as well.
An agreement between the owners and players was eventually reached on January 18, 1999. When play resumed, the regular season was shortened to 50 games per team, as opposed to the normal 82. As a result, some teams did not meet each other at all during the course of the shortened season. In addition, to preserve games between teams in the same conference, much of the time missed was made up for by skipping well over half of the games played between teams in the opposite conference.
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