Every 1997-98 NBA playoff series, three ways: the season race carried on into the postseason, who beat their seeding, and the bracket.
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The same race these clubs ran all season, carried on through the postseason on one scale and on real dates.
Where each club finished the season against how far it went, ranked on record rather than seed.
Who played whom, round by round, which no line chart can say.
Chicago Bulls won the 1997-98 title from a regular season record of 62-20. 16 teams reached the playoffs and the bracket ran 4 rounds. Every series below is taken from NBA.com; nothing on this page is estimated.
| Round | Won by | Result | Opponent | Played |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First round | Chicago Bulls | 3-0 in games | New Jersey Nets | April 24 to April 29, 1998 |
| First round | Utah Jazz | 3-2 in games | Houston Rockets | April 23 to May 3, 1998 |
| First round | Los Angeles Lakers | 3-1 in games | Portland Trail Blazers | April 24 to April 30, 1998 |
| First round | Seattle SuperSonics | 3-2 in games | Minnesota Timberwolves | April 24 to May 2, 1998 |
| First round | Indiana Pacers | 3-1 in games | Cleveland Cavaliers | April 23 to April 30, 1998 |
| First round | San Antonio Spurs | 3-1 in games | Phoenix Suns | April 23 to April 29, 1998 |
| First round | New York Knicks | 3-2 in games | Miami Heat | April 24 to May 3, 1998 |
| First round | Charlotte Hornets | 3-1 in games | Atlanta Hawks | April 23 to May 1, 1998 |
| Conf. semifinals | Chicago Bulls | 4-1 in games | Charlotte Hornets | May 3 to May 13, 1998 |
| Conf. semifinals | Utah Jazz | 4-1 in games | San Antonio Spurs | May 5 to May 12, 1998 |
| Conf. semifinals | Los Angeles Lakers | 4-1 in games | Seattle SuperSonics | May 4 to May 12, 1998 |
| Conf. semifinals | Indiana Pacers | 4-1 in games | New York Knicks | May 5 to May 13, 1998 |
| Conf. finals | Chicago Bulls | 4-3 in games | Indiana Pacers | May 17 to May 31, 1998 |
| Conf. finals | Utah Jazz | 4-0 in games | Los Angeles Lakers | May 16 to May 24, 1998 |
| The Finals | Chicago Bulls | 4-2 in games | Utah Jazz | June 3 to June 14, 1998 |
The left column ranks this field by regular season record, not by seed number: seeding rules differ by era, so this site uses records everywhere instead. The right column groups clubs by the round they went out in, which is not the same as the number of rounds they won, because a bye carries a club further without it winning anything. The figure beside a name is places moved between the two columns, and part of it is only where a club sat inside its band. Nothing here is a prediction. The data notes carry the whole method.