1988–89 NBA season

43rd NBA season August 2023 December 2022 1988–89 NBA season National Basketball Association Basketball November 4, 1988 – April 23, 1989April 27 – June 2, 1989 (Playoffs)June 6–13, 1989 (Finals) 25 CBS, TBS Draft 1988 NBA Draft List of first overall NBA draft picks Danny Manning Los Angeles Clippers Regular season Detroit Pistons Magic Johnson (L.A. Lakers) NBA MVP Michael Jordan (Chicago) Playoffs 1989 NBA Playoffs Eastern Eastern Conference (NBA) Detroit Pistons Chicago Bulls Western Western Conference (NBA) Los Angeles Lakers Phoenix Suns Finals 1989 NBA Finals Detroit Pistons Los Angeles Lakers Joe Dumars (Detroit) NBA Finals MVP List of NBA seasons NBA 1987–88 NBA season 1987–88 1989–90 NBA season 1989–90 thumb|150px|right|Los Angeles Lakers facing the Boston Celtics in December 1988. This would be Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's last jump ball at Boston Garden. The 1988–89 NBA season was the 43rd season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Detroit Pistons winning the NBA championship, sweeping the Los Angeles Lakers. This was the first season of the Miami Heat and Charlotte Hornets. Notable occurrences +Coaching changesOff-season Team 1987–88 coach 1988–89 coach Boston Celtics K.C. Jones Jimmy Rodgers Charlotte Hornets Expansion Dick Harter Houston Rockets Bill Fitch Don Chaney Miami Heat Expansion Ron Rothstein Phoenix Suns John Wetzel Cotton Fitzsimmons San Antonio Spurs Bob Weiss Larry Brown Golden State Warriors Ed Gregory Don NelsonIn-season Team Outgoing coach Incoming coach Portland Trail Blazers Mike Schuler Rick Adelman Los Angeles Clippers Gene Shue Don CaseyIndiana Pacers Jack Ramsay Mel Daniels Mel Daniels George Irvine George Irvine Dick Versace Utah Jazz Frank Layden Jerry Sloan The NBA adopts the three-official system used in college basketball permanently. The league experimented with three officials per game in 1978–79, but went back to two officials per game for the next nine seasons, although they actually have three with the inclusion of an alternate referee for all playoff games and selected regular season games. The Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat become the league's 24th and 25th franchises. The Heat plays its inaugural season in the Midwest Division. As a result, the Sacramento Kings move to the Pacific Division. The Hornets play their inaugural season in the Atlantic Division. The 1989 NBA All-Star Game was played at the Astrodome in Houston, Texas, with the West defeating the East 143–134. Karl Malone of the Utah Jazz takes home the game's MVP award. New Arenas: The Milwaukee Bucks move from the MECCA Arena to the then-Bradley Center, the Sacramento Kings move from ARCO Arena I to the then-ARCO Arena (later Power Balance Pavilion, now Sleep Train Arena), and the Detroit Pistons move from the Pontiac Silverdome to The Palace of Auburn Hills. Michael Jordan records ten triple-doubles in eleven games near the end of the season. Prior to the season, the first-year Hornets announce that they choose teal as their primary color, which gave them immediate attention. In the next decade, expansion teams in the other professional sports leagues (most notably the San Jose Sharks of the NHL, the Florida Marlins of Major League Baseball's NL, and the Jacksonville Jaguars of the NFL) further popularized the use of the color. The Hornets also popularized the use of pinstripes on the uniforms, which were later adopted by the Orlando Magic, Chicago Bulls (alternates only), Toronto Raptors, Indiana Pacers and the later Charlotte Hornets' predecessor franchise, the second incarnation of the Hornets (formerly known as the Charlotte Bobcats). The Chicago Bulls started a playoff tradition by wearing black sneakers. Prior to that, the Boston Celtics were the only team to wear black sneakers. Following the Bulls' unlikely playoff run, other teams began adopting the style, beginning with the Philadelphia 76ers in 1990. This was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's last season. The Los Angeles Lakers became the first team to sweep two consecutive best-of-seven series. The Celtics, who had never won fewer than 57 games in any of the previous nine seasons, slump to 42 as Larry Bird played only six games due to injuries. The Indiana Pacers had four different head coaches during the season, a rare occurrence that has not happened since. Seattle SuperSonics guard Dale Ellis won the All-Star game's 3-point shootout. The first postponement of an NBA game due to a civil disturbance. In the wake of the Miami riots, the game between the Miami Heat and Phoenix Suns on January 17, 1989, was postponed. Utah Jazz coach Frank Layden, citing burnout, resigns from the Jazz after 17 games and an 11–6 record. Assistant Jerry Sloan begins the first season of 23 for the Utah Jazz, at the time of his retirement, the longest tenure of any professional coach for one city and franchise, but since surpassed by Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs. This was the only season for Ricky Berry, who was selected by the Sacramento Kings with the 18th overall pick in the 1988 NBA draft, who committed suicide during the off-season. On January 6, 1989,The last time the Washington Bullets played in Baltimore United Press International the Bullets franchise played its first regular season game in Baltimore since 1973; this was the first of 35 regular season "home" games the Bullets played in Baltimore through the 1996–97 season."Bullets leave Baltimore with win Mavericks fall, 94-87" The Baltimore Sun Akeem Olajuwon becomes the only player in NBA history to accumulate over 200 steals with over 200 blocks in a season.https://thesportsrush.com/nba-news-300-million-hakeem-olajuwon-outdid-michael-jordan-with-200-blocks-and-steals-but-lost-dpoy-to-74-jazz-star/ $300 million Hakeem Olajuwon outdid Michael Jordan with 200+ blocks and steals but lost DPOY to 7'4 Jazz star 11 September 2022 1988–89 NBA changes The Detroit Pistons moved into The Palace of Auburn Hills. The Los Angeles Clippers changed their jersey number colors on their road uniforms from blue to white. The Milwaukee Bucks moved into the Bradley Center (now as BMO Harris Bradley Center). The Sacramento Kings moved into ARCO Arena II (now as Sleep Train Arena). The Washington Bullets split home games at the Capital Centre and the Baltimore Arena during the season. Final standings By division thumb|right|150px|A ticket for a November 1988 game between the Dallas Mavericks and the season's eventual champions Detroit Pistons. By conference thumb|right|125px|A ticket for a game between the Miami Heat and the Charlotte Hornets during their inaugural season. Notes z – Clinched home court advantage for the entire playoffs c – Clinched home court advantage for the conference playoffs y – Clinched division title x – Clinched playoff spot Expansion The League expands from twenty-three to twenty-five franchises, with new expansion teams in Charlotte and Miami. The Heat began its season as a member of the Western Conference despite its geographical position, enduring its longest road trips when playing Western Conference teams. It also began the season 0–17, at the time the worst start in NBA history. The Hornets finished at 20–62. Such records are typical of expansion NBA franchises in their initial seasons, with 15–67 being the poorest record repeated by the Cavaliers, Grizzlies, Rockets, and Mavericks, as well as the Heat.List Expansion Team & Date: http://www.nba.com/analysis/00422957.html https://web.archive.org/web/20110312070616/http://www.nba.com/analysis/00422957.html 2011-03-12 The Sacramento Kings were belatedly moved to the Pacific Division in their fourth season after leaving Kansas City. thumb|right|250px|A ticket for Game 1 of the 1989 Eastern Conference Semifinals between the New York Knicks and the Chicago Bulls. Playoffs 1989 NBA playoffs Teams in bold advanced to the next round. The numbers to the left of each team indicate the team's seeding in its conference, and the numbers to the right indicate the number of games the team won in that round. The division champions are marked by an asterisk. Home court advantage does not necessarily belong to the higher-seeded team, but instead the team with the better regular season record; teams enjoying the home advantage are shown in italics. 1989 NBA playoffs Bracket yes no Statistics leaders + Category Player Team Stat Points per game Michael Jordan Chicago Bulls 32.5 Rebounds per game Akeem Olajuwon Houston Rockets 13.5 Assists per game John Stockton Utah Jazz 13.6 Steals per game John Stockton Utah Jazz 3.21 Blocks per game Manute Bol Golden State Warriors 4.31 FG% Dennis Rodman Detroit Pistons .595 FT% Magic Johnson Los Angeles Lakers .911 3FG% Jon Sundvold Miami Heat .522 NBA awards Most Valuable Player: Magic Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers Rookie of the Year: Mitch Richmond, Golden State Warriors Defensive Player of the Year: Mark Eaton, Utah Jazz Sixth Man of the Year: Eddie Johnson, Phoenix Suns Most Improved Player: Kevin Johnson, Phoenix Suns Coach of the Year: Cotton Fitzsimmons, Phoenix Suns 99% 33% All-NBA First Team: F – Karl Malone, Utah Jazz F – Charles Barkley, Philadelphia 76ers C – Akeem Olajuwon, Houston Rockets G – Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls G – Magic Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers 33% All-NBA Second Team: F – Tom Chambers, Phoenix Suns F – Chris Mullin, Golden State Warriors C – Patrick Ewing, New York Knicks G – John Stockton, Utah Jazz G – Kevin Johnson, Phoenix Suns 33% All-NBA Third Team: F – Dominique Wilkins, Atlanta Hawks F – Terry Cummings, Milwaukee Bucks C – Robert Parish, Boston Celtics G – Dale Ellis, Seattle SuperSonics G – Mark Price, Cleveland Cavaliers 66% 33% NBA All-Rookie First Team: Rik Smits, Indiana Pacers Willie Anderson, San Antonio Spurs Mitch Richmond, Golden State Warriors Charles D. Smith, Los Angeles Clippers Hersey Hawkins, Philadelphia 76ers 33% NBA All-Rookie Second Team: Rex Chapman, Charlotte Hornets Kevin Edwards, Miami Heat Chris Morris, New Jersey Nets Brian Shaw, Boston Celtics Rod Strickland, New York Knicks 66% 33% NBA All-Defensive First Team: Dennis Rodman, Detroit Pistons Larry Nance, Cleveland Cavaliers Mark Eaton, Utah Jazz Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls Joe Dumars, Detroit Pistons 33% NBA All-Defensive Second Team: Kevin McHale, Boston Celtics A.C. Green, Los Angeles Lakers Patrick Ewing, New York Knicks John Stockton, Utah Jazz Alvin Robertson, San Antonio Spurs Player of the week The following players were named NBA Player of the Week. WeekPlayerNov. 4 – Nov. 13Akeem Olajuwon (Houston Rockets)Nov. 14 – Nov. 20Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls)Nov. 21 – Nov. 27Patrick Ewing (New York Knicks)Nov. 28 – Dec. 4Magic Johnson (Los Angeles Lakers)Dec. 5 – Dec. 11Michael Adams (Denver Nuggets)Dec. 12 – Dec. 18Robert Parish (Boston Celtics)Dec. 20 – Dec. 25Clyde Drexler (Portland Trail Blazers)Dec. 26 – Dec. 30Magic Johnson (Los Angeles Lakers)Jan. 2 – Jan. 8Dale Ellis (Seattle SuperSonics)Jan. 9 – Jan. 15Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls)Jan. 16 – Jan. 22Chris Mullin (Golden State Warriors)Jan. 23 – Jan. 29Tom Chambers (Phoenix Suns)Jan. 30 – Feb. 5Ron Harper (Cleveland Cavaliers)Feb. 6 – Feb. 19Akeem Olajuwon (Houston Rockets)Feb. 20 – Feb. 26Patrick Ewing (New York Knicks)Feb. 27 – Mar. 5Chuck Person (Indiana Pacers)Mar. 6 – Mar. 12Isiah Thomas (Detroit Pistons)Mar. 13 – Mar. 19Kevin Johnson (Phoenix Suns)Mar. 20 – Mar. 26Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls)Mar. 27 – Apr. 2Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls)Apr. 3 – Apr. 9Clyde Drexler (Portland Trail Blazers)Apr. 10 – Apr. 16Karl Malone (Utah Jazz)Apr. 17 – Apr. 23Xavier McDaniel (Seattle SuperSonics) Player of the month The following players were named NBA Player of the Month. MonthPlayerNovemberCharles Barkley (Philadelphia 76ers)DecemberMichael Jordan (Chicago Bulls)JanuaryChris Mullin (Golden State Warriors)FebruaryKevin Johnson (Phoenix Suns)MarchMichael Jordan (Chicago Bulls)AprilPatrick Ewing (New York Knicks) Rookie of the month The following players were named NBA Rookie of the Month. MonthRookieNovemberWillie Anderson (San Antonio Spurs)DecemberMitch Richmond (Golden State Warriors)JanuaryMitch Richmond (Golden State Warriors)FebruaryCharles Smith (Los Angeles Clippers)MarchMitch Richmond (Golden State Warriors)AprilCharles Smith (Los Angeles Clippers) Coach of the month The following coaches were named NBA Coach of the Month. MonthCoachNovemberChuck Daly (Detroit Pistons)DecemberLenny Wilkens (Cleveland Cavaliers)JanuaryDel Harris (Milwaukee Bucks)FebruaryDon Nelson (Golden State Warriors)MarchChuck Daly (Detroit Pistons)AprilCotton Fitzsimmons (Phoenix Suns) See also List of NBA regular season records References