[1] The Jazz had been runner-ups in the 1997 NBA Finals, where they lost to the Chicago Bulls in six games.
[9] At mid-season, the team traded Foster and Chris Morris to the Orlando Magic in exchange for Rony Seikaly.
[10][11][12][13] However, after Seikaly failed to report within the mandated 48 hours required by NBA rules because of a foot injury, the trade was called off as the Jazz took Foster and Morris back;[14][15][16][17] the Magic then traded Seikaly to the New Jersey Nets.
[18][19][20][21] The Jazz won 31 of their final 36 games after the All-Star break, including an 11-game winning streak between February and March.
[40][41][42][38][39] In the Western Conference First Round of the playoffs, the Jazz trailed 2–1 to the 8th-seeded Houston Rockets,[43][44][45] but managed to win the series in five games.