The 1998–99 Portland Trail Blazers season was the 29th season for the Portland Trail Blazers in the National Basketball Association. Due to a lockout, the regular season began on February 5, 1999, and was cut from 82 games to 50.
Season summary
Off-season During the off-season, the Trail Blazers signed free agents Jim Jackson and Greg Anthony, who would reunite with his former University of Nevada, Las Vegas teammate Stacey Augmon, and acquired rookie shooting guard, and first-round draft pick Bonzi Wells out of Ball State University from the Detroit Pistons, who selected him with the eleventh overall pick in the 1998 NBA draft.
Regular season With the addition of Jackson and Anthony, the Trail Blazers got off to a fast start by winning seven of their first nine games of the regular season. The team posted an eight-game winning streak between February and March, and then posted a six-game winning streak in March, which led to a 27–6 start to the season. Despite losing four of their final five games of the season, the Trail Blazers finished in first place in the Pacific Division with a 35–15 record, and earned the second seed in the Western Conference. The Trail Blazers won their fourth Division title in franchise history, and their first since the 1991–92 season; the team qualified for the NBA playoffs for the 17th consecutive year, and also for the 22nd time in 23 years. Head coach Mike Dunleavy was named the NBA Coach of the Year.
Isaiah Rider led the Trail Blazers in scoring with a low team-high average of 13.9 points per game, while Rasheed Wallace played half the season off the bench, averaging 12.8 points and 4.9 rebounds per game, and Damon Stoudamire provided the team with 12.6 points and 6.2 assists per game. In addition, Brian Grant contributed 11.5 points and 9.8 rebounds per game, while Arvydas Sabonis provided with 12.1 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. Meanwhile, Walt Williams contributed 9.3 points per game, Jackson averaged 8.4 points per game, Anthony contributed 6.4 points per game, and Augmon provided with 4.3 points and 1.2 steals per game.
Sabonis finished tied in 13th place in Most Valuable Player voting, while Wallace finished tied in 16th place; Wallace also finished in second place in Sixth Man of the Year voting, behind Darrell Armstrong of the Orlando Magic, and Grant finished tied in eighth place in Most Improved Player voting. The Trail Blazers finished fifth in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 486,556 at the Rose Garden Arena during the regular season.
NBA playoffs In the Western Conference First Round of the 1999 NBA playoffs, the Trail Blazers faced off against the 7th–seeded Phoenix Suns, a team that featured Tom Gugliotta, former Trail Blazers forward Clifford Robinson, and All-Star guard Jason Kidd. The Trail Blazers won the first two games over the Suns at home at the Rose Garden Arena, before winning Game 3 on the road, 103–93 at the America West Arena to win the series in a three-game sweep, and advanced to the Western Conference Semi-finals for the first time since the 1991–92 season.
In the Semi-finals, the team faced off against the 3rd–seeded Utah Jazz, who were led by the trio of All-Star forward, and Most Valuable Player of the Year, Karl Malone, All-Star guard John Stockton, and Jeff Hornacek. Despite the Trail Blazers winning the Pacific Division title, the Jazz, who finished with a better regular-season record, had home-court advantage in the series. Despite this, the Trail Blazers took a 3–1 series lead over the Jazz, before losing Game 5 on the road, 88–71 at the Delta Center. The Trail Blazers won Game 6 over the Jazz at home, 92–80 at the Rose Garden Arena to win the series in six games.
In the Western Conference Finals, the Trail Blazers then faced off against the top–seeded, and Midwest Division champion San Antonio Spurs, who were led by All-Star forward Tim Duncan, All-Star center David Robinson, and Sean Elliott. The Trail Blazers lost the first two games to the Spurs on the road at the Alamodome, and then lost the next two games at home, which included a Game 4 loss to the Spurs at the Rose Garden Arena, 94–80, thus losing the series in a four-game sweep.
The Spurs would advance to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history, and defeat the 8th–seeded New York Knicks in five games in the 1999 NBA Finals, winning their first ever NBA championship.
Aftermath Following the season, Rider and Jackson were both traded to the Atlanta Hawks, and Williams, Augmon, and second-year center Kelvin Cato were all traded to the Houston Rockets, who soon released Augmon to free agency as he would re-sign with the Trail Blazers soon after.
Draft picks The Trail Blazers did not own any picks in the 1998 NBA draft.
Roster
Regular season
Season standings
z – clinched division title y – clinched division title x – clinched playoff spot
Game log
|-style="background:#fcc;" | 1 | February 7 | @ Seattle | | Damon Stoudamire (19) | Brian Grant (11) | Damon Stoudamire (9) | KeyArena17,072 | 0–1 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 2 | February 8 | @ Vancouver | | Arvydas Sabonis (24) | Arvydas Sabonis (11) | Damon Stoudamire (8) | General Motors Place18,353 | 1–1 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 3 | February 10 | Indiana | | Isaiah Rider (26) | Isaiah Rider (11) | Damon Stoudamire (9) | Rose Garden19,980 | 2–1 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 4 | February 14 | @ Golden State | | Arvydas Sabonis (23) | Arvydas Sabonis (17) | Rider, Jackson (5) | The Arena in Oakland10,847 | 2–2 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 5 | February 15 | Dallas | | Arvydas Sabonis (16) | Brian Grant (11) | Sabonis, Stoudamire (9) | Rose Garden18,231 | 3–2 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 6 | February 17 | Denver | | Isaiah Rider (19) | Brian Grant (17) | Isaiah Rider (6) | Rose Garden17,726 | 4–2 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 7 | February 19 | Boston | | Brian Grant (21) | Brian Grant (18) | Damon Stoudamire (7) | Rose Garden18,345 | 5–2 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 8 | February 20 | Golden State | | Isaiah Rider (27) | Brian Grant (24) | Damon Stoudamire (10) | Rose Garden17,645 | 6–2 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 9 | February 24 | @ New Jersey | | Walt Williams (22) | Arvydas Sabonis (12) | Damon Stoudamire (6) | Continental Airlines Arena17,298 | 7–2 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 10 | February 26 | @ Charlotte | | Isaiah Rider (27) | Arvydas Sabonis (10) | Damon Stoudamire (9) | Charlotte Coliseum18,633 | 7–3 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 11 | February 27 | @ Washington | | Brian Grant (19) | Brian Grant (18) | Damon Stoudamire (6) | MCI Center18,550 | 8–3 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 12 | February 28 | @ Minnesota | | Rasheed Wallace (22) | Grant, Sabonis (8) | Damon Stoudamire (9) | Target Center16,219 | 9–3
|-style="background:#cfc;" | 13 | March 2 | Utah | | Rasheed Wallace (22) | Brian Grant (12) | Damon Stoudamire (8) | Rose Garden19,980 | 10–3 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 14 | March 3 | @ Sacramento | | Brian Grant (20) | Brian Grant (18) | Damon Stoudamire (5) | ARCO Arena15,160 | 11–3 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 15 | March 5 | Minnesota | | Rasheed Wallace (17) | Arvydas Sabonis (15) | Arvydas Sabonis (7) | Rose Garden19,264 | 12–3 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 16 | March 7 | Houston | | Isaiah Rider (21) | Grant, O'Neal (6) | Damon Stoudamire (7) | Rose Garden20,062 | 13–3 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 17 | March 8 | @ Vancouver | | Jim Jackson (21) | Brian Grant (9) | Damon Stoudamire (8) | General Motors Place13,552 | 14–3 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 18 | March 9 | Sacramento | | Isaiah Rider (21) | Brian Grant (11) | Damon Stoudamire (7) | Rose Garden18,147 | 15–3 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 19 | March 12 | Utah | | Damon Stoudamire (20) | Arvydas Sabonis (8) | Damon Stoudamire (8) | Rose Garden20,668 | 15–4 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 20 | March 13 | @ L.A. Clippers | | Brian Grant (25) | Brian Grant (14) | Stacey Augmon (3) | Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena9,484 | 16–4 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 21 | March 15 | @ Dallas | | Isaiah Rider (30) | Arvydas Sabonis (16) | Damon Stoudamire (6) | Reunion Arena14,046 | 17–4 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 22 | March 16 | @ Houston | | Damon Stoudamire (17) | Grant, Sabonis (9) | Damon Stoudamire (5) | Compaq Center16,285 | 17–5 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 23 | March 18 | @ Sacramento | | Rasheed Wallace (25) | Rasheed Wallace (13) | Damon Stoudamire (11) | ARCO Arena14,397 | 18–5 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 24 | March 19 | San Antonio | | Arvydas Sabonis (28) | Brian Grant (12) | Greg Anthony (5) | Rose Garden20,041 | 19–5 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 25 | March 21 | Philadelphia | | Rasheed Wallace (26) | Arvydas Sabonis (10) | Jim Jackson (7) | Rose Garden19,980 | 20–5 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 26 | March 23 | Golden State | | Isaiah Rider (15) | Brian Grant (12) | Damon Stoudamire (7) | Rose Garden18,731 | 21–5 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 27 | March 25 | Phoenix | | Brian Grant (22) | Brian Grant (14) | Damon Stoudamire (8) | Rose Garden20,328 | 22–5 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 28 | March 28 | @ Phoenix | | Sabonis, Stoudamire, Rider (18) | Brian Grant (14) | Damon Stoudamire (8) | America West Arena19,023 | 23–5 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 29 | March 30 | @ Golden State | | Arvydas Sabonis (21) | Arvydas Sabonis (12) | Stoudamire, Wallace (5) | The Arena in Oakland12,670 | 23–6 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 30 | March 31 | Sacramento | | Damon Stoudamire (21) | Brian Grant (9) | Stoudamire, Anthony (5) | Rose Garden18,468 | 24–6
|-style="background:#cfc;" | 31 | April 2 | Seattle | | Isaiah Rider (23) | Arvydas Sabonis (12) | Arvydas Sabonis (7) | Rose Garden20,341 | 25–6 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 32 | April 3 | Phoenix | | Rasheed Wallace (20) | Arvydas Sabonis (8) | Stoudamire, Rider, Augmon (3) | Rose Garden20,056 | 26–6 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 33 | April 6 | Vancouver | | Wallace, Rider, Williams (15) | Arvydas Sabonis (8) | Damon Stoudamire (8) | Rose Garden18,105 | 27–6 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 34 | April 8 | @ Seattle | | Rasheed Wallace (14) | Brian Grant (14) | Damon Stoudamire (5) | KeyArena17,072 | 27–7 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 35 | April 10 | @ L.A. Clippers | | Rasheed Wallace (19) | Grant, Sabonis,Williams, Jackson (5) | Damon Stoudamire (5) | Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim12,853 | 28–7 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 36 | April 11 | L.A. Clippers | | Isaiah Rider (17) | Kelvin Cato (11) | Wallace, Stoudamire (4) | Rose Garden18,101 | 28–8 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 37 | April 13 | L.A. Lakers | | Stoudamire, Rider (16) | Brian Grant (8) | Damon Stoudamire (6) | Rose Garden20,705 | 29–8 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 38 | April 15 | @ Houston | | Damon Stoudamire (19) | Brian Grant (16) | Damon Stoudamire (6) | Compaq Center16,285 | 29–9 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 39 | April 16 | @ San Antonio | | Rasheed Wallace (23) | Rasheed Wallace (12) | Jim Jackson (4) | Alamodome21,368 | 29–10 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 40 | April 17 | @ Dallas | | Arvydas Sabonis (22) | Brian Grant (9) | Damon Stoudamire (5) | Reunion Arena13,358 | 30–10 |- style="background:#bbb;" | — | April 20 | @ Denver | colspan="6" | Postponed due to the Columbine High School shooting. Makeup date May 2. |-style="background:#cfc;" | 41 | April 21 | L.A. Lakers | | Rasheed Wallace (21) | Arvydas Sabonis (11) | Damon Stoudamire (6) | Rose Garden20,713 | 31–10 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 42 | April 23 | @ Utah | | Jim Jackson (13) | Brian Grant (6) | Damon Stoudamire (6) | Delta Center19,911 | 31–11 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 43 | April 25 | Minnesota | | Brian Grant (24) | Grant, Wallace (11) | Damon Stoudamire (5) | Rose Garden20,437 | 32–11 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 44 | April 26 | Denver | | Walt Williams (28) | Sabonis, Cato (9) | Damon Stoudamire (9) | Rose Garden19,476 | 33–11 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 45 | April 28 | Seattle | | Damon Stoudamire (31) | Arvydas Sabonis (11) | Damon Stoudamire (6)