🕰️History Without Its Heroes: 1996–97 🏀 NBA Rewritten✍️

In 1984, we erased Michael Jordan from the NBA Draft. Now, we must do the same for Kobe Bryant. Yes, that’s right — we’re about to dive into the 1996–97 NBA season, the year Kobe was supposed to arrive.

In this universe, both Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant will be entering the NBA after LeBron James. James enters the league in 2003, so Kobe will join in the 2004 draft, while Jordan comes in 2005.

Before we recap the season or the draft, let’s look back at last year’s events. The Miami Heat won the title, and Shaquille O'Neal was the Finals MVP — years before he would do the same with the Lakers and Kobe. 

Shaq and Alonzo Mourning captured their first championship, while Tim Hardaway earned his second title (’91 with the Celtics). Hardaway never won a championship in real life, but here, by the end of the 1996 season, he is already a 2-time NBA champion.

Can this Heat squad repeat, or will reality strike? In our universe, players stay with their drafted team until their first real-life move. This means the Diesel is headed west.

Before we jump into the season, let’s see where the 1996 first-round draft picks landed. Allen Iverson was the top prize, and he goes to the New York Knicks thanks to a pick they owned from the Pistons.

 

Marcus Camby, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, and Antoine Walker went to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Milwaukee Bucks, and Vancouver Grizzlies, but the result is the same: more lottery seasons for these franchises.

Lorenzen Wright lands in Denver, and with the addition of Mark Jackson, the Nuggets make the playoffs after years of absence. Using the Sonics’ pick, the Atlanta Hawks select Kerry Kittles, adding a key piece for the future.

Even without Kobe, the ’96 draft remains one of the greatest of all time, and we’ll be hearing from these players — and others — for years to come.

As for the season itself, we start in the East where the New Jersey Nets (62-20) finished 1st in the Conference. They returned to the playoffs in 1995 as a 5th seed, and ever since they have improved year by year. 

As a 3 seed last year, they made the Conference Semis before losing to the then defending champion Chicago Bulls. They lost Shawn Bradley, but added Jim Jackson and former champion Sam Cassell (’95 Bulls) to keep climbing.

At #2 we have the Atlanta Hawks (53-29), our ’94 champions who have had a couple of rough years since. After winning the title, their Finals MVP retired, and then they lost their All-Star Derrick Coleman the following season. 

Now they’ve retooled around the last member of that championship squad, Mookie Blaylock, and the addition of All-Star Dikembe Mutombo has made all the difference—lifting them from 7th last year to 2nd this year.

Coming in at #3 are the New York Knicks (58-24), with the second-best record in the Conference and their best season yet in our history. Rookie Allen Iverson was an All-Star in his first year, Larry Johnson brought championship experience from the Bulls, and of course, franchise cornerstone Patrick Ewing was still anchoring the middle. With AI’s electricity and Ewing’s steady leadership, this team finally looks like a contender.

The Orlando Magic (55-27) finished 4th for the third straight year. Ever since making the playoffs for the first time in 1994, they’ve been stuck as either the 4th or 5th seed. 

In that stretch, Penny Hardaway has led them to two Conference Semis, but they’ve never broken through. The question remains: is this finally the year they get over the hump?

Seeds #5–8 went to the Miami Heat, Charlotte Hornets, Washington Bullets, and Chicago Bulls. The defending champion Heat declined without their Finals MVP, who is now in Los Angeles. 

The Hornets made it back to the playoffs for just the second time in franchise history, their first being 1994. Muggsy Bogues is the lone holdover from that team, while newcomers Anthony Mason (first-time All-Star) and Vlade Divac now lead the way. 

The Bullets have been playoff regulars since Chris Webber arrived in 1995, pulling off back-to-back upsets in that time. And then there are the Bulls—losing Larry Johnson only cost them four more losses, but it dropped them all the way from the 2 seed to the 8. Wow.

Missing from the playoffs this year are the Toronto Raptors, who finished 8th last year in their debut season. This year, they improved by four wins but still missed the postseason by just two games. 

Replacing them are the Hornets, thanks to their stellar frontcourt. The East was especially brutal this year, as even the 8 seed Bulls finished with an impressive record of 45-37.

Out West, the Houston Rockets (62-20) make it back-to-back years finishing with the top seed in the Conference. The difference this season? They added Charles Barkley, a four-time champion (Mavericks), giving them the extra muscle they hope will push them from runner-up to champion.

At #2 once again are the Sacramento Kings (61-21). Shawn Kemp and company have been an elite squad for years, but only have one Conference Finals appearance (’94) to show for it. With this kind of regular season dominance, the pressure is on to finally break through.

Coming in 3rd are Barkley’s old squad, the Dallas Mavericks (60-22). They haven’t been this good since his final year there, when they won the title back in 1992. 

John Stockton, a four-time champion, is the lone holdover from those glory days. Now, the team belongs to All-Star Grant Hill, but it’s the arrival of All-Star Shawn Bradley that sparked this year’s turnaround.

The Los Angeles Lakers (57-25) made the biggest splash of all by landing last year’s Finals MVP, Shaquille O’Neal. In just his first season in purple and gold, he took the Lakers from 10th in the West to 4th—a massive leap. 

Even better, Shaq claimed his first league MVP award. But as dominant as he is, this isn’t the same Miami Heat squad he led to the Finals. Can the Diesel carry this younger Laker team all the way?

Seeds #5–8 went to the Minnesota Timberwolves, San Antonio Spurs, Phoenix Suns, and Denver Nuggets. The Wolves matched their 5th-place finish from last year, when they stunned the then defending Conference champion Spurs in the opening round. 

Speaking of those Spurs, they only lost one more game compared to last year but slipped from 4th to 6th in the standings. The Suns felt the full impact of losing Barkley, tumbling with 11 more losses than a season ago.

As for the 8th seed, the Denver Nuggets returned to the playoffs for the first time since 1992. That roster is long gone—no holdovers remain—but these Nuggets are led by veteran Mark Jackson, whose leadership helped get them back in the mix.

Missing the playoffs this year are the Utah Jazz and Golden State Warriors, both of whom were in last season. The Jazz lost David Robinson to injury, while the Warriors saw Dikembe Mutombo depart for Atlanta. 

The result? Both fell to the bottom of the Conference. Replacing them are the Lakers and Nuggets both of whom made some moves to climb back —however there’s no bigger move than Shaq bringing his power game to L.A.

Now on to the playoffs! We start in the East, where for the first time in our history the New Jersey Nets entered as the #1 seed. Their opponents? Probably one of the toughest #8 seeds we’ve ever seen: the Chicago Bulls.

It was just two years ago that the Bulls won their second title behind their trio of Scottie Pippen, Chris Mullin, and Larry Johnson. Johnson is now in New York, and another key piece left too—Sam Cassell, who had been running point for the Bulls the last two seasons (including their 1995 title run), now running the show for the Nets.

The Bulls still had their two-time champions Pippen and Mullin, along with Toni Kukoč from that ’95 squad. The former champs pushed the Nets to five games, but in the deciding contest, talent won out. 

The Nets lineup of Cassell, Kendall Gill, Jim Jackson, Vin Baker, and Jayson Williams was simply too much to handle. Pippen and the Bulls fought valiantly, but the Nets pulled away late, winning 112–105.

The 2/7 matchup was a rematch from a couple of years ago. In 1995, the then defending champion Atlanta Hawks entered as a 3 seed. After spending two seasons on top of the East, winning a title in the process, they lost their Finals MVP Brad Daugherty, who was forced to retire due to injury. Without him, they slipped—but still had All-Stars Mookie Blaylock and Derrick Coleman.

That year, the Washington Bullets were a hungry 6 seed, led by young newcomer Chris Webber, and they pulled out the upset in style, eliminating the champs 3–1.

Fast forward to 1997, the Hawks only had Blaylock left from those glory days. They retooled, adding Christian Laettner last season and All-Star Dikembe Mutombo this year, forming one of the league’s most talented frontcourts. The Bullets still had Webber and his core, and as a Bullet, Webber had never failed to reach the Semis. He expected the same here.

This time, the party wasn’t in D.C. In Game 5 in Atlanta, Blaylock and the new-look Hawks controlled the tempo and closed the series out 103–93, celebrating with their home fans.

In the 3/6 matchup, the New York Knicks (58–24) had their best season in franchise history. Rookie Allen Iverson was an All-Star, and paired with veteran Patrick Ewing and two-time champion Larry Johnson, the Knicks finally had the pieces to make a run. 

Their opponents were the Charlotte Hornets, only making their second playoff appearance ever, but with a dangerous frontcourt led by newcomers All-Star Anthony Mason and Vlade Divac.

On paper, this had the makings of a sweep. But for Mason, this was personal. After years playing in Ewing’s shadow in New York, he left and blossomed into an All-Star. In Game 4, with Charlotte’s season on the line, Mason delivered—finishing with 23 points and 14 rebounds, including the offensive board that sealed the Hornets’ 4-point win.

Back at Madison Square Garden for Game 5, the Knicks never let the upset take form. They led wire-to-wire and advanced to the Semis. After the win, Ewing praised Mason: “It was a hell of a series, and they have a hell of a player over there.”

Finally, the 4/5 matchup gave us the Orlando Magic in the 4th seed for the third straight year. They’d lost here before—most recently to Webber’s Bullets last season—but this time they were determined to advance. 

Standing in their way were the defending champion Miami Heat, now without Shaquille O’Neal, who left for Los Angeles. It was now tAll-Stars Tim Hardaway and Alonzo Mourning's team, who were eager to prove Miami wasn’t just Shaq.

The series went the distance, all the way to Game 5 in Orlando. In the deciding contest, Mourning and Hardaway rose to the occasion, reminding everyone that the Heat were still defending champions. Miami closed out the Magic and advanced with grit and pride.

Three of our four teams also make the Conference Semis in reality. The Hawks, Knicks, and Heat all reach the second round, while the Bulls are the only team to do so in real life but not in our world—for one reason: Michael Jordan.

On to the West, where the Houston Rockets were once again the #1 seed. Last year they made it all the way to the Finals before falling to the Miami Heat with Shaq, Mourning, and Tim Hardaway. 

Now they are back and add 4-time champion Charles Barkley to the lineup. Is this the year Olajuwon and Drexler finally hoist their championship trophy?

First up they face the 8 seed Denver Nuggets, a franchise that hadn’t been in the playoffs since 1992. Back then, as an 8 seed, they were swept by the eventual champion Dallas Mavericks led by Barkley. 

This time it’s a completely different Nuggets squad led by veteran Mark Jackson. Despite the changes, the result is the same: a Barkley-led team sweeps the Nuggets out of the playoffs.

The 2/7 matchup featured the Sacramento Kings, once again Pacific Champs and the #2 seed. Their opponents, the Phoenix Suns, were still searching for an identity after losing their leader Barkley to the Rockets. 

The Suns still had Kevin Johnson and now paired him with newcomer Jason Kidd. They managed a home win in Game 3, but that’s all they could muster, as the Kings responded in Game 4 and closed the series 3-1.

The 3/6 matchup brought the Dallas Mavericks back into the spotlight as a top seed. They finished 60-22, their best mark since Barkley’s last year in 1992 when they won the title. 

The team drafted Grant Hill a few years ago and now added Shawn Bradley in the middle. With Hill and Bradley both All-Stars, and Stockton still steering the ship, the Mavericks were back.

Their opponents were the San Antonio Spurs, the same franchise that just two years ago reached the NBA Finals with Karl Malone and Dennis Rodman. 

Rodman has since left for the Bulls, and the Spurs were upset in the first round last year. That set up Stockton vs. Malone Part II. The two real-life teammates first met in our universe back in the 1991 Conference Semis, when Barkley’s Mavericks beat Malone’s Spurs 4-2. 

Now, years later, Dallas had rebuilt into a contender. Malone and the Spurs fought hard, forcing a Game 5 in Dallas, but Bradley proved to be the difference—finishing with 20 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 blocks, including the game-saving swat in a 101-99 Mavericks win.

Finally, the 4/5 matchup featured the LA Lakers with new addition Shaq against the Minnesota Timberwolves, who landed the 5 seed again. 

Last year the Wolves pulled off the upset against the then-defending Conference Champion Spurs—could they do it again? Not against Shaq. The Diesel was dominant, and though All-Star Tom Gugliotta and Joe Smith gave Minnesota a spark by winning Game 3—the Wolves had no answers. The Lakers closed it in Game 4, 3-1.

In the end, the Lakers and Rockets were the only two to advance in both our world and reality. The other two teams that moved on in reality were the Sonics with Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp. 

In our world, both of those players advanced as well—but Kemp is on the Kings, while Payton is on the Lakers. And while the real Utah Jazz advanced behind Stockton and Malone, here they faced each other in the first round, with only Stockton moving on with his Mavericks

Back to the East, where the New Jersey Nets were trying to return to the Conference Finals—something they had only done once before, all the way back in Year 1 of our world in 1985.

Standing in their way were the defending NBA champion Miami Heat. They weren’t the same team without Shaq, but don’t tell that to Mourning or Tim Hardaway. Never underestimate the heart of a champion.

In Round 1, the Nets had faced another former champion in the Bulls, with Pippen and Mullin pushing them to the brink. Now, once again, they had a proud champion refusing to bow out. Once again, the Nets were tested. And once again, it went to a do-or-die game.

In the end, talent outperformed heart. The Heat fought like champions, but the Nets, fueled by Cassell, Baker, Gill, and company, rose in front of their home fans when it mattered most. 

New Jersey was finally going back to the Conference Finals—and historians would later say this squad was far more talented than that 1985 team led by Michael Ray Richardson and Buck Williams.

On the other side, it was the Atlanta Hawks trying to recapture their glory from just a few years ago against the New York Knicks, who still hadn’t reached the Conference Finals in our world.

Thanks to their better record, the Knicks actually had homecourt advantage—only the second time in our universe that had ever happened for them. The first was in 1990, when they were the #1 seed and lost in the Semis to Pippen and the Bulls. Now they had another golden opportunity.

The series was a battle, going the full seven games. And unlike 1990, this time the Knicks had the privilege of playing the deciding game at Madison Square Garden. MSG was electric, and Patrick Ewing seized the moment.

Ewing finished with 25 points and 13 rebounds, including two late offensive boards that led to made free throws, sealing the win and finally sending the Knicks to the Conference Finals.

Out West, it was arguably the best team vs the best player. Both the Houston Rockets and New Jersey Nets finished 62-20 for the top record in the league. Shaq won his first league MVP, so Rockets vs Lakers in the Conference Semis was literally the best team vs the best player.

These two had met in the 1995 Semis, when the 6 seed Rockets upset the Lakers in Drexler’s first year in Houston. Back then, the Lakers had Alonzo Mourning in the middle—not the reigning MVP. But the Rockets had also leveled up, adding 4-time champion Charles Barkley to a core already led by Olajuwon and Drexler.

The series was a war. They split the first four games, setting up a critical Game 5 in Houston. Experience mattered—Barkley, Drexler, and Olajuwon had all been through battles. Shaq was the only Laker with championship experience.

The Diesel matched The Dream blow for blow, but Barkley and Drexler delivered monster performances, pushing Houston to a 10-point win. Back in LA, the crowd roared and Shaq finally got real help from Gary Payton and Nick Van Exel. The Lakers held on by 5, forcing a do-or-die Game 7.

In Houston, the pressure was too much for the young Lakers. Shaq put up his MVP numbers, but the support dried up. The Rockets pulled away late, 114-102, and advanced to the Conference Finals.

On the other side, the Kings looked to return to the Conference Finals, something they’d only managed once before in this Shawn Kemp era. Their opponents: a new-look Dallas Mavericks, with John Stockton still steering the ship. The 4-time champion hadn’t played with this much talent since their last title run in 1992.

Only one game separated the two in the regular season, and fittingly it went the distance. Game 7 in Sacramento was for all the marbles. Stockton kept Dallas in it, and with 10 seconds left the game was tied. 

The Mavericks defense held strong, but Kemp made a move. Robert Pack quickly came with the double. Then Kemp kicked it last-second to Latrell Sprewell on a backdoor cut. Sprewell caught, released, and laid it in as the buzzer sounded.

The Kings advanced to their second-ever Conference Finals, while Stockton and the Mavericks stood frozen in disbelief.

In reality, only the Rockets reached the Conference Finals. The Bulls with Jordan faced the Heat, but in our world the Nets knocked Miami out. Out West, the Jazz with Malone and Stockton advanced. But in this universe, the two stars were drafted to different teams—so it’s the Rockets and the Kings who will battle for a spot in the Finals.

The Eastern Conference Finals gave us a Battle of New York for the second straight year. Last season, the Nets and Knicks clashed in the first round, where the 3-seed Nets barely survived the 6-seed Knicks 3-2.

Now the stakes were higher—the winner would represent the East in the NBA Finals, something neither franchise has ever done in our world. Both teams came back stronger than the year before. 

The Nets added Sam Cassell, Jim Jackson, and Jayson Williams, while the Knicks bolstered their roster with Larry Johnson and rookie Allen Iverson.

But once again, the Knicks fans made their presence felt in Jersey. They poured into the Meadowlands in droves, so much so that in Game 1 it felt more like Madison Square Garden. The Nets expected home support, but their own fans were drowned out. The team was rattled, and Patrick Ewing and the Knicks seized the chance, stealing Game 1, 107-99.

The Nets punched back to tie the series in Game 2, but the damage was already done. MSG was waiting. Back in New York, the Knicks fed off their crowd, dominating Games 3 and 4 by double digits.

Facing elimination in Game 5, the Nets barely survived behind Vin Baker’s 24 points and 12 rebounds, winning by the slimmest of margins. 

But Game 6 back at the Garden was all Knicks again. The crowd was electric, and Ewing rose to the moment, leading New York to a 117-108 win. For the first time in his career, Patrick Ewing was headed to the Finals.

Out West, the Houston Rockets were back in the Conference Finals for the second straight year, while the Kings hadn’t been there since 1994. The headline: Kemp vs Barkley IV.

Shawn Kemp’s Kings had faced Charles Barkley’s Suns three times before—and lost all three series. Twice Sacramento had even been the favorite, only to watch Barkley knock them out. Now the question was simple: could Kemp finally beat Chuck?

The Kings had essentially the same roster that Barkley’s Suns eliminated in last year’s Semis. The difference: Barkley had joined forces with Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler in Houston, who without Chuck made the 1996 Finals.

Sacramento fought valiantly, pushing the series to a Game 7 in Houston. It was familiar territory—both of Kemp’s last two series against Barkley also went the distance. But history repeated itself again. With the Rockets’ “Big Three” firing on all cylinders, Houston controlled Game 7 from start to finish, rolling to a 122-110 win.

And so it was set: Barkley, Drexler, and Olajuwon vs Ewing and rookie Iverson in the NBA Finals.

In reality, the Finals featured Jordan’s Bulls against the Utah Jazz. The Jazz with Stockton and Malone outlasted the Rockets’ stars to reach the big stage. 

But in our universe, with Stockton and Malone on different teams, the path cleared for Houston to return to the Finals—this time standing across from the New York Knicks. 

The NBA Finals featured a clash of heavyweights. On one side stood the legendary trio of Charles Barkley, Clyde Drexler, and Hakeem Olajuwon. Barkley entered as a 4-time champion, while Drexler and Olajuwon—each making their third Finals appearance—were still chasing their first ring.

On the other side were the New York Knicks, finally breaking through to their first-ever Finals in our universe. For Patrick Ewing and company, the stage was new, and it showed. Houston came out locked in, taking Games 1 and 2 with authority to grab control of the series.

Back at Madison Square Garden, the Knicks finally punched back. Allen Iverson dropped 33, Ewing added 25, and the Knicks cut the deficit in half. But in Game 4, the Rockets silenced the Garden crowd early, cruising to a 15-point win and putting New York on the brink.

Game 5 was desperation time. With their season on the line, the Knicks dug deep, and it was Larry Johnson—the former Bulls champion turned Knick star—who delivered. Johnson scored 29 points, 13 in the fourth quarter, to seal a 5-point win and send the series back to Houston.

But in Game 6, the Rockets’ stars proved too much. In front of their home crowd, all three—Barkley, Drexler, and Olajuwon—scored 20+ points. 

Olajuwon in particular was unstoppable, finishing with 36 points, 14 rebounds, and 4 blocks. His defense on Ewing was suffocating, holding the Knicks’ captain to just 15 points. Houston closed the door, and Olajuwon was crowned Finals MVP.

While in reality Michael Jordan and the Bulls captured their fifth title in 1997, in our world it was Charles Barkley lifting his fifth championship trophy, standing alone at the top of the mountain.

The question now: can Barkley match Jordan’s six and cement himself as the king of this universe? Or will a new champion rise in Season 14? Stay stunned…