The
New Jersey Nets made the playoffs for the first time since
1994, but did not appear again until
2002. Their presence was a mere asterisk compared to what they accomplished in
2002, getting swept by the eventual champion Bulls. The Minnesota Timberwolves won their first playoff game in franchise history by winning Game 2 of their series against the Seattle SuperSonics. However, the SuperSonics prevailed in five games despite the Timberwolves taking a 2–1 series lead. The
Cleveland Cavaliers lost to Indiana in the first round 3–1 and did not appear again until
2006. It would also be the final playoff appearance for the Cavaliers without
LeBron James on the roster. The Heat–Knicks series was extremely notable for two reasons • Game 4: A fight broke out between
Larry Johnson and
Alonzo Mourning at the end of the game (in which the Knicks won 90–85). A lasting image of the fight was Knicks coach
Jeff Van Gundy clinging to Mourning's leg. Both players were suspended for two games. Johnson and Mourning had bad blood dating back to their stint as
Charlotte Hornets teammates. • Game 5: The New York Knicks became the fourth seventh seed to knock off a second seeded team in the first round of the playoffs. This would not occur again until
2010. Game 5 of the Jazz–Rockets series would be the final game of
Clyde Drexler's career. The
Los Angeles Lakers advanced to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since
1991. They were ultimately swept by the Jazz. The
Indiana Pacers entered the postseason with a franchise record 58 wins. Although they would lose to the
Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals, this team was later named by Pacers.com as the greatest in franchise history primarily due to their record, even better than the
2000 team that won the Eastern Conference Title. The Eastern Conference Finals series between the Chicago Bulls and Indiana Pacers was extremely notable for several reasons: • Game 4:
Reggie Miller's game winning 3 pointer with 0.7 seconds, which has been marked one of the greatest postseason moments in NBA History. Michael Jordan attempted a game winning 3 pointer of his own, but it rimmed out, effectively tying the series at 2–2. • Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals: With a win, the Pacers took the Bulls to the limit by becoming 1 of only 2 teams to force a Game 7 in the Bulls' title years (the
Knicks achieved this in
1992). • Game 7: This was the first (and as of 2025, only) Game 7 to take place at the
United Center. • Game 7: This was the last Game 7 the Bulls would play until
2009. For the first time since
1989 NBA Finals, there was a rematch of the same two teams: the
Chicago Bulls and the
Utah Jazz. This would not happen again until
2014.
Game 6 of the NBA Finals was extremely notable for several reasons: • In the waning moments of the game
Michael Jordan made the title winning shot over
Bryon Russell. This moment was marked as one of the greatest moments in NBA playoff history. • It was the highest rated and most watched game in NBA History, with 72 million viewers watching at least part of the game and an average of 35.9 million viewers in the U.S. • It was the last Chicago Bulls postseason game until
2005 and the last involving the Michael Jordan-led Bulls. • Michael Jordan's final NBA playoff game. •
Phil Jackson's final game as coach of the Chicago Bulls (he would go on to coach the Los Angeles Lakers two seasons later). • As of 2026, this remains the most recent NBA Finals game for the Chicago Bulls and the Utah Jazz. ==Bracket==