As we enter the 1997 off-season, let's take a moment to appreciate what we've just witnessed. After Hakeem Olajuwon led the Clippers to back-to-back championships in 1994 and 1995, another dominant big man took center stage as Shaquille O'Neal guided the Orlando Magic to consecutive titles.
In our previous 14 seasons, three more franchises had won back-to-back championships, but none could complete the elusive three-peat. In fact, only the 1986 Celtics even returned to the Finals in their third straight title defense. Could Shaq and the Magic finally make history?
Before we find out, let's rewind to an off-season that reshaped the league.
The biggest retirement belongs to Larry "Legend" Bird. Even in this alternate timeline, Bird cemented himself among basketball's immortals with three NBA championships, two Finals MVPs, and 14 All-Star appearances.
Joining him in retirement are 1982 Rookie of the Year Buck Williams, a five-time All-Star, and two-time Rockets champion Larry Nance. Bird's legendary career is immediately honored with induction into the Hall of Fame and his number retired by the Celtics.
The draft lottery delivers instant chaos. The Hornets entered with the best odds to land Tim Duncan but fell all the way to fourth. The Lakers capitalized, winning the first overall pick and selecting Duncan to begin a new era in Los Angeles.
The Knicks followed by drafting Tracy McGrady, while the 76ers selected Keith Van Horn. Charlotte settled for Antonio Daniels at fourth, and Chauncey Billups rounded out the top five after being selected by the Bulls.
Then came free agency, where the biggest move in league history unfolded.
Four-time MVP Len Bias shocked the basketball world by leaving Detroit for Golden State. Individually, no player has accomplished more in this Jordanless era, but despite his growing collection of MVP trophies, championships have continued to elude him.
The Warriors haven't advanced beyond the Western Semifinals in this timeline and haven't reached the playoffs since 1995. Bias arrives looking to change both of those facts.
Detroit quickly found its replacement, signing two-time champion Shawn Kemp away from the defending champion Magic. Meanwhile, Vlade Divac signed with the Lakers—the franchise that drafted him in reality.
The trade market stayed busy as well, especially in Chicago. The Bulls acquired Horace Grant, added Cliff Robinson, and then completed the blockbuster of the off-season by sending Patrick Ewing to Houston. In return, Chicago received Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf and Dennis Hopson, while the Rockets also landed Kerry Kittles.
Before opening night, Miami suffered an early setback as newly signed Reggie Lewis went down with an injury that would sideline him for several weeks.
The regular season continued to reshape the league. Antonio Davis joined the Knicks, Pervis Ellison signed with Seattle after Felton Spencer departed, and veteran Alaa Abdelnaby signed with the Nets.
The trade deadline proved just as eventful.
Future Hall of Famer Clyde Drexler was dealt from Washington to Sacramento for Kevin Willis, only to be traded again just ten days later to Vancouver.
After adding Dominique Wilkins late last season and reaching the playoffs, the Grizzlies are hoping Drexler can provide another postseason spark.
Washington answered by acquiring Reggie Lewis from Miami in exchange for Walt Williams, while Golden State addressed its point guard problems after Magic Johnson suffered a major injury, trading Erik Dampier in a deal with Toronto to get Sherman Douglas.
When the regular season came to a close, one thing remained unchanged: Len Bias stood alone atop the NBA. He captured his third consecutive MVP and fifth overall after averaging an incredible 34 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists per game. In this Jordan-less era, Bias has firmly established himself as the league's greatest player.
The only thing missing from his résumé is an NBA championship.
Meanwhile, Tim Duncan lived up to every expectation, averaging 13 points and 10 rebounds to earn Rookie of the Year honors.
Unfortunately, injuries will once again shape the postseason. Penny Hardaway and Alonzo Mourning are both lost for the year, dealing crushing blows to Milwaukee and Minnesota.
Magic Johnson remains several weeks away from returning for Golden State, while Detroit enters the playoffs with both Damon Stoudamire and Dee Brown sidelined.
The playoff bracket is finally set.
In the East, Chris Webber and Kevin Garnett have powered the Celtics to their first conference-best record since 1993. Waiting for them are those same New York Knicks they defeated five years ago.
The second-seeded Cavaliers, led by David Robinson, draw Allen Iverson and the Raptors, who are still searching for the franchise's first playoff win.
Milwaukee claims the third seed despite losing Penny Hardaway, leaving Scottie Pippen to carry the Bucks against Shawn Kemp and the injury-plagued Pistons.
The defending champion Magic fall to fourth after Kemp's departure and begin their title defense against Reggie Miller and the Nets in another 1993 rematch.
Out West, MVP Len Bias has transformed Golden State into the conference's top seed. Head coach Don Nelson already owns championships with both the Rockets and Clippers.
Can he guide a third franchise to the promised land?
Standing in the Warriors' path is Hakeem Olajuwon and Nelson's former team, the Clippers.
Karl Malone, Mark Price, and the Spurs rebound from an injury-riddled season to capture the second seed and will battle the Vancouver Grizzlies. The defending Western champion Trail Blazers, led by Isiah Thomas and Brad Daugherty, meet Patrick Ewing's rebuilt Rockets.
Can Ewing finally win his first playoff series in over a decade?
Finally, the Lakers return to the playoffs for the first time since 1994. Behind rookie Tim Duncan, rising star Stephon Marbury, and prized free-agent signing Vlade Divac, Los Angeles faces a Seattle team desperate for redemption after last year's shocking first-round collapse to the eighth-seeded Suns.
The stage is set. Sixteen teams remain. One championship awaits.
The 1998 NBA Playoffs tipped off with plenty of questions. Could Orlando keep its three-peat hopes alive? Would Len Bias finally begin his championship run? And which underdog would shock the basketball world?
The first series takes us to the 3 vs. 6 matchup in the East. Milwaukee entered the playoffs without its star point guard, while Detroit was missing its entire starting backcourt.
That left Eric Snow and late-season pickup Lee Mayberry to run the offense, and they answered the call. The Pistons stunned the Bucks by stealing both games in Milwaukee, marking the second straight year the Bucks had dropped their first two home playoff games. Last season it was Cleveland doing it without David Robinson. This year it was Detroit.
Game 3 looked destined to keep the series alive. Milwaukee led by four with just two minutes remaining after an Isaiah Rider basket. Then the Pistons came alive.
Snow found Shawn Kemp for an easy two before drilling a clutch corner three to put Detroit ahead with under a minute to play. That proved to be the dagger as the Pistons completed the first-round sweep, led by Kemp's dominant 36 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 blocks.
The top-seeded Celtics opened their postseason against the eighth-seeded Knicks, a rematch of the 1993 first round when Boston swept New York.
Five years later, almost everything had changed. In fact, Danny Manning was the only player remaining from either roster. Boston protected home court before heading to Madison Square Garden looking for another sweep.
The Knicks refused to go quietly. They carried a late lead in Game 3 before Kevin Garnett reminded everyone why Boston finished atop the East. The young superstar scored two clutch baskets in the closing moments to give the Celtics breathing room and secure another three-game sweep. Garnett finished with 22 points and 13 rebounds, sending Boston comfortably into the next round.
The defending champion Magic found themselves locked in the most dramatic series of the opening round against the Nets. After splitting the first two games in Orlando, the Magic grabbed Game 3 to move within one win of advancing.
Then came an unforgettable Game 4.
The Nets erased a late deficit before Reggie Miller buried a clutch three to force overtime. Orlando answered by building another five-point lead with just over two minutes remaining, but the Nets refused to quit. Alaa Abdelnaby and Chris Gatling scored back-to-back baskets before Kendall Gill tied the game with another huge three.
The teams traded blows until the final seconds. With only seconds remaining, Grant Hill attacked the rim and scored the game-winning basket, ending the series in heartbreaking fashion for New Jersey.
Shaquille O'Neal dominated with 25 points, 15 rebounds, and 5 blocks, but it was Hill's clutch finish that kept Orlando's three-peat dream moving forward.
Out West, the Rockets shocked the defending conference champion Trail Blazers by stealing Game 1 in Portland. The Blazers quickly responded with two straight victories before looking to eliminate Houston in Game 4.
The Rockets had other plans.
A Kenny Smith three cut the deficit to two before Patrick Ewing tied the game with just 40 seconds remaining. After Portland called timeout with only 3.5 seconds left, the ball found Nick Anderson waiting in the corner.
Nothing but net.
Anderson's clutch three clinched both the game and the series, ending Houston's season and extending Patrick Ewing's streak of first-round playoff extends to over a decade. Corliss Williamson added 20 points and 13 rebounds in the series-clinching victory.
Back East, Allen Iverson and the Raptors returned to the playoffs after being swept by Detroit a year ago. Their reward was another difficult matchup against David Robinson and the Cavaliers. Cleveland defended home court in the first two games, leaving Toronto on the brink once again.
This time, however, Iverson stayed healthy.
Behind their superstar guard, the Raptors earned the first playoff victory in franchise history in Game 3. But Cleveland quickly regained control.
Holding a four-point lead with just over a minute remaining in Game 4, the Cavaliers never let Toronto get any closer, closing out the series behind Kenny Anderson's outstanding performance of 24 points, 11 assists, and 4 steals.
The top-seeded Warriors nearly stumbled out of the gate after the Clippers stole Game 1 in Oakland. Instead of panicking, Golden State responded exactly how a championship contender should, winning three straight games to reach the second round for the first time since 1990. Reigning MVP Len Bias was spectacular 32 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists as his championship quest officially began.
The Lakers and Sonics delivered perhaps the most competitive series of the opening round. Los Angeles claimed Game 1. Seattle answered in Game 2. The Lakers responded in Game 3. The Sonics answered again in Game 4. It was literally a back-and-forth series.
Seattle tried to break the pattern as they cut the deficit to five with just over a minute remaining, but Stephon Marbury slammed the door shut with two clutch baskets to send the Lakers into the second round. The young point guard finished with 33 points and 10 assists.
The final first-round matchup featured another familiar storyline. For the second straight season, the Vancouver Grizzlies stole Game 1 on the road. Last year it came against Houston. This year it was San Antonio.
Unlike last season, Vancouver protected home court in Game 3 and moved just one win away from the first playoff series victory in franchise history.
San Antonio answered in Game 4 before returning home and dominating the decisive Game 5, ending the Grizzlies' magical run with a convincing 15-point victory. Glenn Robinson led the way with 31 points and 17 rebounds.
With the first round complete, eight teams remained, and the road to the 1998 NBA Finals was only getting tougher.
With the Conference Semifinals set, the race for the 1998 NBA Finals was down to just eight teams. Some series ended quickly, while others produced instant classics.
We begin in the West, where MVP Len Bias and the top-seeded Warriors faced a young Lakers squad led by Rookie of the Year Tim Duncan, Stephon Marbury, and Vlade Divac. It was the league's biggest individual matchup—the MVP versus the ROY.
After recovering from their Game 1 loss to the Clippers in the first round, the Warriors continued their dominance by sweeping the Lakers, extending their playoff winning streak to seven straight games.
Bias closed out the series with 39 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals, sending Golden State to its first Conference Finals since 1976. It was also the seventh Conference Finals appearance of Bias' remarkable career, but the ultimate goal still remained out of reach.
The other Western Semifinal delivered one of the greatest series this simulation has ever seen.
The defending Western champion Trail Blazers stole Game 1 in San Antonio, but Karl Malone, Mark Price, and the Spurs answered by winning the next two games before an unforgettable Game 4 in Portland.
Leading by four with just 35 seconds remaining, the Spurs appeared ready to take complete control. Isiah Thomas converted an and-one to cut the lead to one, but Malone answered with a clutch turnaround jumper. Down three with only six seconds left, Portland once again turned to Nick Anderson, who buried another corner three to force overtime.
The drama was only beginning.
In overtime, the Blazers built a five-point lead before Malone answered with consecutive baskets. Thomas split a pair of free throws, leaving San Antonio one final chance. Malone's floater beat the buzzer, sending the game to double overtime.
The Spurs led by four with one minute remaining in the second extra period, before Thomas, and reserve guard Derek Fisher got consecutive buckets, tying the game with only 25 seconds left. Fisher was subbed in after Corliss Williamson fouled out. The move to go small proved to be effective as Fisher scored 6 points down the stretch.
But Malone had one final answer. His late basket gave San Antonio the lead for good, completing an unforgettable double-overtime victory and a commanding 3-1 series lead.
Game 5 somehow brought even more drama. Portland erased an eight-point deficit in the final two minutes behind Thomas, Brad Daugherty, and Anderson, forcing yet another overtime.
This time, however, the Spurs finally slammed the door shut, completing the gentleman's sweep behind Malone's 23-point, 12-rebound, 10-assist triple-double.
Back East, the Cavaliers continued their impressive postseason run against the Pistons. Cleveland protected home court to grab a 2-0 series lead before surviving a close Game 3 in Detroit.
The Pistons avoided the sweep with a Game 4 victory, but back in Cleveland the Cavaliers remained unbeatable, closing out the series in five games to reach their first Conference Finals since their 1993 championship run. Reserve forward Evers Burns provided a huge lift in the clincher with 20 points and 13 rebounds.
The final semifinal featured the defending champion Magic against the East's top seed Celtics, who were making their first serious championship push in years behind Kevin Garnett and Chris Webber.
The Magic stunned Boston by stealing both games at the Garden, then won Game 3 to push the Celtics to the brink. Boston finally answered with a road victory, but they never solved Orlando on their own floor. The Magic closed out the series back in Boston, extending the Celtics' drought without a Conference Finals appearance to 8 years (1990).
Grant Hill led the closeout effort with 31 points and 6 assists, while the Magic moved one step closer to making history.
The stage was now set. Bias vs Malone III, and Shaq vs the Admiral III. While in Detroit, Bias lost consecutive Finals to Malone's Rockets, as for Shaq and Robinson they have faced off twice before, with each winning once.
The Conference Finals have arrived, and after 15 seasons of unforgettable moments, only four teams remain.
In the West, it was a battle between two franchises chasing history.
Len Bias and the Warriors entered the series riding an incredible seven-game winning streak, while the Spurs arrived just behind them after winning four straight in a gentleman's sweep of the defending Western champions.
Who would take it, would it be Golden State, a franchise that had not reached the Finals since 1975? Or would it be San Antonio, a team that had never reached the Finals before?
The answer came quickly.
The Warriors continued their dominance, winning three straight blowouts and putting Karl Malone and the Spurs on the brink of elimination. Golden State's playoff winning streak reached 10 games, and it appeared there was nothing San Antonio could do.
Then came Game 4.
For the first time in the series, the Spurs looked ready to fight back. With less than two minutes remaining, San Antonio actually held the lead. They were ahead by three before Bob Sura hit a clutch three-pointer to tie the game with 1:30 left.
Then came The Mailman.
Karl Malone scored eight straight points, but every time he delivered, Golden State had an answer. Sura struck again, drilling another three to give the Warriors the lead with only 21 seconds remaining.
But Malone wasn't finished.
His fadeaway jumper gave San Antonio the lead with 15 seconds left. The Warriors responded one more time. Sura connected on his third clutch three of the game, putting Golden State ahead with only 0.9 seconds remaining.
With no timeouts left, the Spurs had no miracle left.
The Warriors completed the sweep and were heading to their first NBA Finals since 1975.
Sura led the way with 28 points and a legendary clutch performance, while Bias advanced to his fourth NBA Finals, still searching for his first championship.
Meanwhile, the East featured a battle between the defending champion Magic and the rising Cavaliers.
Cleveland appeared to have Game 1 as they built a late lead. The champs refused to panic though. After cutting the lead down to one, Glenn Rice buried a three-pointer with 10 seconds remaining to give Orlando the lead. When David Robinson tried to answer, Shaquille O'Neal was there with the game-saving block.
Cleveland responded in Game 2, then dominated Game 3 in Orlando to reclaim home-court advantage. The Magic answered in Game 4, but the victory came with a major cost as Grant Hill suffered an injury.
Without Hill, the Cavaliers took complete control.
Cleveland won the next two games by blowout margins, ending Orlando's quest for history. For the fifth time in this timeline, a team fell short of completing a three-peat.
The defending champions were eliminated on their own floor.
David Robinson was heading back to the Finals, earning his second championship opportunity after winning it all in 1993 with an entirely different Cavaliers team. He closed out the series with 26 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 blocks.
The matchup was set.
Len Bias vs. David Robinson.
For Bias, it was another chance at the one achievement missing from his legendary career. In his fourth Finals appearance, he would once again face a former champion.
The question remained:
Would 1998 finally be the year Len Bias claimed his first ring?
The 1998 NBA Finals came down to one defining question: the MVP vs. the Champion. Once again, Len Bias found himself staring across the court at a former champion.
In 1992, his Pistons fell to the defending Rockets after Houston had already denied Bias his first title the year before. In 1995, Detroit returned to the Finals with home-court advantage, only to watch Hakeem Olajuwon and the Defending Champions Clippers win in six games.
This time, the challenge was David Robinson, the lone remaining player from Cleveland's 1993 championship team. Would history repeat itself, or was Bias finally ready to rewrite his legacy?
Game 1 belonged entirely to the MVP. Len Bias erupted for 53 points, just 11 days after dropping 58 against San Antonio, the second-highest scoring performance in playoff history in this timeline.
Cleveland kept the game close early, but never got within three points late as Golden State claimed the opener. In his very first season with the Warriors, Bias had already rewritten the franchise record book.
The Cavaliers answered immediately, stealing Game 2 in Oakland before defending home court in Games 3 and 4. Suddenly, the Warriors found themselves trailing 3-1, and Bias was back in a painfully familiar position. Three years earlier, his Pistons had climbed back into the series only to lose on the road. Was another heartbreaking Finals defeat waiting for him?
Golden State protected home court in Game 5, then stunned Cleveland on the road in Game 6 to force a winner-take-all Game 7 in Oakland. With under two minutes remaining, a Michael Finley layup cut the Warriors' lead to three.
It was Cleveland's last push. Bias answered with a layup, Bob Sura followed with another, and the lead quickly grew back to seven. The comeback was complete.
After 12 seasons, five MVP awards, and years of Finals heartbreak, Len Bias was finally an NBA champion.
In his first season in the Bay, Bias delivered the Warriors their first championship in 24 years, completing an unforgettable comeback from a 3-1 series deficit.
Ben Wallace captured the first championship of his career years before doing so in Detroit in reality. Bob Sura became an NBA champion, while Magic Johnson, whose season was nearly derailed by injury after signing with Golden State, earned the fifth championship of his remarkable career, matching his real-life total.
In the year Michael Jordan won his sixth and final championship in reality, it was Len Bias who finally captured his first in this Jordan-less universe.
Already the dominant player of the past decade, Bias completed his résumé by earning Finals MVP after averaging an astonishing 47 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 assists.
The question is no longer whether Len Bias can win a championship.
The question now is whether this is the beginning of a Warriors dynasty.
Stay tuned for the 1998-99 season of Rewritten Rings.
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