The1996–97 Cleveland Cavaliers season was the 27th season for theCleveland Cavaliers in theNational Basketball Association.^[1] In the1996 NBA draft, the Cavaliers selected Ukrainian centerVitaly Potapenko out ofWright State University with the twelfth overall pick, and Lithuanian centerZydrunas Ilgauskas with the 20th overall pick;^[2][3][4] however, Ilgauskas would miss the entire regular season due to a broken bone in his right foot.^[5][6][7] During the off-season, the team signed free agent and former Cavaliers centerMark West.^[8][9]

The Cavaliers started the regular season by winning nine of their first twelve games, but after a 21–10 start, they lost six straight games in January while losing 11 of their next 14 games. The team played above .500 basketball for the entire season, holding a 25–22 record at the All-Star break,^[10] but started to struggle down the stretch, losing 10 of their 16 games in March.^[11] On the final day of the regular season on April 20, 1997, the Cavaliers faced off against theWashington Bullets at theGund Arena, as both teams were fighting for the eighth seed in theEastern Conference; the Bullets won the game, 85–81, as the Cavaliers missed theNBA playoffs for the first time since the1990–91 season, finishing in fifth place in theCentral Division with a 42–40 record.^[12][13][14]

Terrell Brandon led the team with 19.5 points, 6.3 assists and 1.8 steals per game, and also contributed 101 three-point field goals, whileChris Mills averaged 13.4 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, andTyrone Hill provided the team with 12.9 points, 9.9 rebounds per game and shot .600 in field-goal percentage. In addition,Bobby Phills contributed 12.6 points and 1.6 steals per game, whileDanny Ferry provided with 10.6 points per game, and led the Cavaliers with 114 three-point field goals. Off the bench, second-year guardBob Sura contributed 9.2 points and 4.8 assists per game, while Potapenko averaged 5.8 points and 2.7 rebounds per game, and West provided with 3.2 points and 2.7 rebounds per game, starting at center for half of the regular season.^[15]

During theNBA All-Star weekend, in which the Cavaliers hosted at the Gund Arena inCleveland, Ohio, Brandon was selected for the1997 NBA All-Star Game, as a member of the Eastern Conference All-Star team; it was his second and final All-Star appearance.^[16][17][18] Meanwhile, Sura participated in theNBA Slam Dunk Contest,^[16][19] and Potapenko was selected for theNBA Rookie Game, as a member of the Eastern Conference Rookie team.^[16][20]

For the third straight season, the Cavaliers were known as a low-scoring, defensive team led by head coachMike Fratello's slow-paced, defensive coaching style;^[21][22] the team finished last in the NBA in scoring averaging 87.5 points per game, while allowing 85.6 points per game from their opponents, which was the best in the league, and also had the fifth best team defensive rating.^[23][24]

On February 27, 1997, the Cavaliers defeated the defending NBA championChicago Bulls at the Gund Arena, by a low score of 73–70, in whichMichael Jordan missed a three-pointer at the buzzer;^[25][26][27] the Bulls, along with theUtah Jazz, led the NBA in scoring averaging 103.1 points per game, and also had the third best team defensive rating.^[23][24] One month later on March 25, the Cavaliers lost to theSan Antonio Spurs at theAlamodome, 64–59, in which both teams combined for a total of 123 points, and combined for 21 points alone in the fourth quarter; it was the second lowest-scoring game in NBA history at the time, and since the shot clock was introduced in the1954–55 season.^[28][29][30]

Following the season, Brandon and Hill were both traded to theMilwaukee Bucks in an off-season three-team trade,^[31][32][33] while Mills signed as a free agent with theBoston Celtics,^[34][35][36] who then traded him to theNew York Knicks two months later,^[37][38][39] Phills signed with theCharlotte Hornets,^[40][41][42] and West signed with theIndiana Pacers.^[43][44]

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	School/Club team
1	12*	Vitaly Potapenko	Center	Ukraine	Wright State
1	20	Zydrunas Ilgauskas	Center	Lithuania	Atletas
2	56**	Reggie Geary	Guard	United States	Arizona

^*1st round pick acquired fromWashington inMark Price deal.^[45]
**2nd round pick acquired fromOrlando inSteve Kerr deal.^[46]

• 2nd round pick (#50) traded toHouston in Keith Hughes deal. Used to draftTerrell Bell.

• Rookie centerZydrunas Ilgauskas was on theinjured reserve list due to a broken bone in his right foot, and missed the entire regular season.

Player statistics citation:^[15]

Terrell Brandon -1997 NBA All-Star Game

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• 1997 in sports in Ohio

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