The 1997-98 Seattle SuperSonics season was marked by consistency and competitive play, as the team continued to be a formidable force in the NBA’s Western Conference. Under the leadership of head coach George Karl, the SuperSonics finished the regular season with a record of 61-21, securing the second seed in the Western Conference.
Seattle’s success was largely driven by the stellar performances of their star players, including Gary Payton, who was instrumental in both defensive and offensive plays. Payton averaged 19.2 points, 8.3 assists, and 2.3 steals per game, earning him an All-NBA First Team selection. Forward Vin Baker, in his first season with the team, complemented Payton’s efforts by averaging 19.2 points and 8 rebounds per game, which led to an All-Star selection.
The SuperSonics had a solid supporting cast, including Detlef Schrempf, who contributed significantly with his scoring and versatility, and Hersey Hawkins, who provided a reliable shooting threat from the perimeter. The team’s robust defense and efficient offense were key factors in their successful regular season run.
In the playoffs, Seattle faced the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round, winning the series 3-2. However, their postseason journey ended in the Conference Semifinals, where they were defeated by the Los Angeles Lakers in a 4-1 series loss. Despite the playoff exit, the 1997-98 season reinforced the SuperSonics’ status as a competitive team in the NBA landscape.
- Regular Season Record: 61-21
- Playoff Result: Western Conference First Round: 3-2, Western Conference Semifinals: 1-4
Seattle SuperSonics Roster and Stats for 1997-98 Season
| Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | GP | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3P% | GP | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3P% |
| Vin Baker | 82 | 19.2 | 8.0 | 1.9 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 14.3 | 10 | 15.8 | 9.4 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 1.5 | 0.0 |
| Gary Payton | 82 | 19.2 | 4.6 | 8.3 | 2.3 | 0.2 | 33.8 | 10 | 24.0 | 3.4 | 7.0 | 1.8 | 0.1 | 38.0 |
| Detlef Schrempf | 78 | 15.8 | 7.1 | 4.4 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 41.5 | 10 | 16.1 | 7.7 | 3.9 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 14.3 |
| Dale Ellis | 79 | 11.8 | 2.3 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 46.3 | 10 | 5.6 | 1.3 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 42.3 |
| Hersey Hawkins | 82 | 10.5 | 4.1 | 2.7 | 1.8 | 0.2 | 41.5 | 10 | 13.4 | 5.7 | 3.6 | 1.8 | 0.1 | 39.5 |
| Sam Perkins | 81 | 7.2 | 3.1 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 39.2 | 10 | 5.4 | 3.2 | 1.4 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 41.7 |
| Jerome Kersey | 37 | 6.3 | 3.6 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 0.4 | 10.0 | 10 | 7.8 | 4.0 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 |
| Greg Anthony | 80 | 5.2 | 1.4 | 2.6 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 41.5 | 9 | 3.6 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 26.3 |
| Aaron Williams | 65 | 4.6 | 2.3 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 3 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
| Nate McMillan | 18 | 3.4 | 2.2 | 3.1 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 44.1 | 7 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 2.1 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 16.7 |
| Jim McIlvaine | 78 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 1.8 | 0.0 | 6 | 2.2 | 1.7 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 1.0 | 0.0 |
| James Cotton | 9 | 2.7 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |
| David Wingate | 58 | 2.6 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 42.8 | 3 | 2.7 | 1.3 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Stephen Howard | 13 | 1.9 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |
| George Zídek | 6 | 1.8 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 50.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |
| Eric Snow | 17 | 1.5 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |
Seattle SuperSonics in the 1998 NBA Playoffs
Playoffs First Round vs. Seattle SuperSonics
In the 1998 NBA Playoffs, the Seattle SuperSonics faced off against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round. The series was tightly contested, but the Sonics, led by Gary Payton and Vin Baker, managed to advance by winning the series 3-2. Seattle's experience and defensive prowess proved crucial in overcoming a youthful Timberwolves squad.
| Date | Opponent | Result | High Scorer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 24, 1998 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 108-83 | |
| Apr 26, 1998 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | W 98-93 | |
| Apr 28, 1998 | @ Minnesota Timberwolves | L 98-90 | |
| Apr 30, 1998 | @ Minnesota Timberwolves | W 92-88 | |
| May 02, 1998 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 97-84 |
Playoffs Second Round vs. Seattle SuperSonics
In the 1998 NBA Playoffs, the Seattle SuperSonics faced off against the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Semifinals. Despite a strong regular season, the Sonics were overpowered by the emerging Lakers, led by Shaquille O'Neal and a young Kobe Bryant, ultimately losing the series in five games. Seattle's dynamic duo, Gary Payton and Vin Baker, couldn't muster enough firepower to counter the Lakers' rising dominance, marking a tough end to their playoff run.
| Date | Opponent | Result | High Scorer |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 04, 1998 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 106-92 | |
| May 06, 1998 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | W 92-68 | |
| May 08, 1998 | @ Los Angeles Lakers | L 119-103 | |
| May 10, 1998 | @ Los Angeles Lakers | L 112-100 | |
| May 12, 1998 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | W 110-95 |
Seattle SuperSonics 1997-98 Regular Season Game Log
Here is the game log for the 1997-98 season for the Seattle SuperSonics.
| Date | Opponent | Result | High Scorer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 31, 1997 | @ Portland Trail Blazers | W 91-83 | |
| Nov 01, 1997 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | W 89-81 | |
| Nov 04, 1997 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 118-94 | |
| Nov 06, 1997 | @ Toronto Raptors | W 109-92 | |
| Nov 07, 1997 | @ Indiana Pacers | W 99-93 | |
| Nov 09, 1997 | @ Philadelphia 76ers | W 112-105 | |
| Nov 11, 1997 | @ Atlanta Hawks | L 89-87 | |
| Nov 13, 1997 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 95-89 | |
| Nov 14, 1997 | @ Utah Jazz | L 110-104 | |
| Nov 16, 1997 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 119-99 | |
| Nov 19, 1997 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 107-87 | |
| Nov 21, 1997 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 94-74 | |
| Nov 22, 1997 | @ Denver Nuggets | W 84-80 | |
| Nov 25, 1997 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 91-90 | |
| Nov 28, 1997 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 113-96 | |
| Nov 30, 1997 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 103-81 | |
| Dec 02, 1997 | @ Washington Wizards | L 95-78 | |
| Dec 03, 1997 | @ New Jersey Nets | W 93-89 | |
| Dec 05, 1997 | @ Detroit Pistons | W 94-89 | |
| Dec 07, 1997 | @ Milwaukee Bucks | L 97-91 | |
| Dec 09, 1997 | @ Minnesota Timberwolves | W 108-99 | |
| Dec 12, 1997 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 111-98 | |
| Dec 14, 1997 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 107-101 | |
| Dec 16, 1997 | @ Los Angeles Clippers | W 109-94 | |
| Dec 18, 1997 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 119-106 | |
| Dec 20, 1997 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 108-89 | |
| Dec 23, 1997 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | W 112-103 | |
| Dec 26, 1997 | @ Sacramento Kings | W 111-95 | |
| Dec 28, 1997 | @ Phoenix Suns | W 106-97 | |
| Dec 30, 1997 | @ Golden State Warriors | W 101-87 | |
| Jan 02, 1998 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 90-73 | |
| Jan 04, 1998 | @ Vancouver Grizzlies | W 120-108 | |
| Jan 06, 1998 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 102-81 | |
| Jan 08, 1998 | @ Cleveland Cavaliers | W 109-84 | |
| Jan 09, 1998 | @ Boston Celtics | W 111-92 | |
| Jan 11, 1998 | @ New York Knicks | L 92-91 | |
| Jan 13, 1998 | @ Chicago Bulls | L 101-91 | |
| Jan 15, 1998 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 103-85 | |
| Jan 17, 1998 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 99-91 | |
| Jan 19, 1998 | @ Houston Rockets | W 114-80 | |
| Jan 20, 1998 | @ Dallas Mavericks | L 107-98 | |
| Jan 24, 1998 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 101-95 | |
| Jan 26, 1998 | @ Sacramento Kings | L 111-92 | |
| Jan 28, 1998 | @ Utah Jazz | W 101-93 | |
| Jan 29, 1998 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 109-97 | |
| Feb 01, 1998 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 97-87 | |
| Feb 04, 1998 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 104-97 | |
| Feb 10, 1998 | @ Houston Rockets | L 97-83 | |
| Feb 11, 1998 | @ San Antonio Spurs | W 106-105 | |
| Feb 13, 1998 | @ Los Angeles Lakers | W 113-108 | |
| Feb 14, 1998 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | W 111-91 | |
| Feb 18, 1998 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 101-95 | |
| Feb 20, 1998 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | W 106-96 | |
| Feb 22, 1998 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 88-68 | |
| Feb 23, 1998 | @ Los Angeles Clippers | W 101-100 | |
| Feb 27, 1998 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 90-88 | |
| Mar 01, 1998 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 89-87 | |
| Mar 03, 1998 | @ Miami Heat | W 97-91 | |
| Mar 04, 1998 | @ Orlando Magic | L 96-83 | |
| Mar 06, 1998 | @ Charlotte Hornets | L 104-98 | |
| Mar 08, 1998 | @ Minnesota Timberwolves | W 99-98 | |
| Mar 10, 1998 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 111-93 | |
| Mar 14, 1998 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 114-80 | |
| Mar 16, 1998 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 101-89 | |
| Mar 18, 1998 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 99-80 | |
| Mar 20, 1998 | @ Los Angeles Lakers | L 93-80 | |
| Mar 21, 1998 | @ Phoenix Suns | L 109-102 | |
| Mar 23, 1998 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 109-83 | |
| Mar 25, 1998 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 133-109 | |
| Mar 26, 1998 | @ Golden State Warriors | L 98-91 | |
| Mar 28, 1998 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 104-78 | |
| Mar 31, 1998 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 88-86 | |
| Apr 02, 1998 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 107-86 | |
| Apr 03, 1998 | @ Vancouver Grizzlies | W 138-98 | |
| Apr 05, 1998 | @ Denver Nuggets | W 87-83 | |
| Apr 06, 1998 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | W 102-92 | |
| Apr 09, 1998 | @ Dallas Mavericks | W 103-101 | |
| Apr 10, 1998 | @ San Antonio Spurs | L 99-84 | |
| Apr 12, 1998 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 103-95 | |
| Apr 14, 1998 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 110-98 | |
| Apr 17, 1998 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | W 89-87 | |
| Apr 19, 1998 | @ Portland Trail Blazers | W 90-82 |