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1997 NBA Finals
1997 NBA Finals: Chicago Bulls beat Utah Jazz 4-2 for their fifth 1990s title; Jordan Finals MVP (32.3/7.0/6.0), Flu Game in Game 5, Kerr's Game 6 clincher.
1997–98 Chicago Bulls season
1997-98 Chicago Bulls: final title season of the Jordan-Pippen dynasty, 62-20, sixth NBA championship, beating Utah 4-2 in the 1998 Finals on Jordan's 45-point Game 6 and last shot with 5.2 seconds left.
1997–98 NBA season
The 1997–98 NBA season, the Bulls' "Last Dance": Chicago beat Utah 4–2 for a sixth 1990s title, Jordan won MVP and Finals MVP, and the July 1998 lockout soon ended the dynasty.
1998 NBA draft
1998 NBA draft: June 1998 selection draft; Michael Olowokandi taken No. 1 by the Clippers, Mike Bibby No. 2 by Vancouver; Dirk Nowitzki (9th) and Paul Pierce (10th) became the class's stars.
1998 NBA Finals
1998 NBA Finals: Chicago Bulls beat Utah Jazz 4-2 for their sixth title in eight years; Jordan's 45-point Game 6, steal of Malone and 5.2-second game-winner sealed 87-86 and his record sixth Finals MVP.
1998–99 NBA season
1998–99 NBA season: lockout-shortened 50-game season, first games cancelled to labor disputes; Spurs won first title, beating Knicks 4-1; Karl Malone MVP, Iverson scoring leader, no All-Star Game.
1999 NBA draft
1999 NBA draft, held June 30, 1999 at Washington's MCI Center; Chicago Bulls won the lottery (15.70%) and drafted Elton Brand first overall. 58 picks, 9 All-Stars, and second-round steal Manu Ginóbili.
1999 NBA Finals
1999 NBA Finals: San Antonio Spurs beat the New York Knicks 4-1 (June 16-25, 1999) for the franchise's first title; Tim Duncan was Finals MVP (27.4 ppg, 14.0 rpg) against the first No. 8 seed finalist, in a lockout-shortened 50-game season.
1999–2000 Los Angeles Lakers season
1999-2000 Los Angeles Lakers season: Phil Jackson's first LA year; 67-15, Pacific Division title, Shaquille O'Neal MVP (121/122 first-place votes), NBA championship won 4-2 over Indiana Pacers, first title since 1988.
1999–2000 NBA season
1999-2000 NBA season: the Los Angeles Lakers (67-15) won the title, beating Indiana 4-2 in the Finals. Shaquille O'Neal won MVP and Finals MVP (29.7 ppg); Lakers beat Portland in a Game 7 comeback.
2000 NBA draft
The 2000 NBA draft, held June 28, 2000, in Minneapolis, saw the New Jersey Nets select Cincinnati center Kenyon Martin with the first overall pick of 58.
2000 NBA Finals
2000 NBA Finals: Los Angeles Lakers beat Indiana Pacers 4-2 for their first title since 1988; Shaquille O'Neal won Finals MVP (38.0 ppg) after regular-season MVP and All-Star Game MVP.
2000–01 NBA season
2000–01 NBA season, 55th NBA season (2000-01). Los Angeles Lakers won their second straight title, beating Philadelphia 4-1 in the 2001 Finals after a 15-1 playoff run; Allen Iverson was MVP.
2001 NBA draft
2001 NBA draft, held June 27, 2001 in New York; 57 picks, 49 played. Kwame Brown went first to Washington (15.7% lottery odds); Pau Gasol, Tony Parker, and Tyson Chandler led the class in win shares.
2001 NBA Finals
2001 NBA Finals: Los Angeles Lakers beat Philadelphia 76ers 4-1 for a second straight title; Shaquille O'Neal Finals MVP (33.0 ppg, 15.8 rpg) after Iverson's 48-point Game 1 overtime win; Lakers finished 15-1.
2001–02 NBA season
2001–02 NBA season: Lakers won a third straight title, sweeping New Jersey 4-0 after a Game 7 overtime win over Sacramento; Jordan returned with Washington; zone defense was legalized.
2002 FIBA World Championship
2002 FIBA World Championship, held in Indianapolis Aug 29-Sep 8, 2002; Yugoslavia beat Argentina 84-77 OT for a second straight title, Nowitzki MVP, and Team USA with NBA players lost three games and finished sixth.
2002 NBA draft
The 2002 NBA draft was the NBA's annual player selection, held in June 2002. Yao Ming went first overall to Houston, the first international player without U.S. college experience taken No. 1.
2002 NBA Finals
2002 NBA Finals: Los Angeles Lakers swept the New Jersey Nets 4-0 (June 5-12, 2002) for a third straight title; Shaquille O'Neal won a record third consecutive Finals MVP at 36.3 points per game.
2002–03 NBA season
2002-03 NBA season: San Antonio Spurs won the title, beating the New Jersey Nets 4-2 in the Finals. Tim Duncan won MVP and Finals MVP; first round expanded to best-of-seven; New Orleans Hornets debuted.
2003 NBA draft
2003 NBA draft, held June 26, 2003 in New York; Cleveland won the lottery (22.50% odds) and drafted LeBron James No. 1, ahead of Darko Milicic, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade; one of the greatest classes ever.
2003 NBA Finals
2003 NBA Finals: San Antonio Spurs beat New Jersey Nets 4-2 for their second title; Tim Duncan Finals MVP (24.2/17.0/5.3/5.3), near quadruple-double in Game 6; David Robinson retired.
2003–04 Detroit Pistons season
2003-04 Detroit Pistons season: the NBA campaign in which Detroit went 54-28, beat the favored Shaq-and-Kobe Lakers 4-1 in the 2004 Finals, and won its third title behind Ben Wallace's defense and Finals MVP Chauncey Billups.
2003–04 Los Angeles Lakers season
2003–04 Los Angeles Lakers season: the 'first superteam' with O'Neal, Bryant, Malone, and Payton under Phil Jackson; 56–26, lost the 2004 NBA Finals 4–1 to Detroit, ending the Shaq–Kobe dynasty.
2003–04 NBA season
2003–04 NBA season, the league's 58th with 29 teams; Detroit Pistons (54-28) beat the Lakers 4-1 for the title, Chauncey Billups Finals MVP, Kevin Garnett MVP, LeBron James Rookie of the Year, scoring at a shot-clock-era low.
2004 NBA draft
2004 NBA draft, held June 24, 2004 in New York; Orlando won the lottery at 25% and drafted Dwight Howard first overall over Emeka Okafor. 59 picks, 5 All-Stars, record eight high schoolers in round one, Bobcats expansion year.
2004 NBA Finals
The 2004 NBA Finals was won by the Detroit Pistons, who upset the favored Los Angeles Lakers four games to one for their third title.
2004–05 NBA season
2004–05 NBA season: San Antonio Spurs beat Detroit 4-3 for the title; Steve Nash MVP with 62-win Suns; hand-checking restricted; Malice at the Palace brawl led to 146 games of suspensions.
2005 NBA draft
The 2005 NBA draft, held June 28, 2005 in New York, selected Andrew Bogut first overall by Milwaukee, which won the lottery at 6.30% odds; Chris Paul (4th, New Orleans) became the class's star with 215.2 win shares.
2005 NBA Finals
The 2005 NBA Finals: the San Antonio Spurs beat the defending champion Detroit Pistons 4-3, June 9-23, 2005. Tim Duncan won Finals MVP; Robert Horry's Game 5 overtime three decided the series.