1997-98

The Clippers were deemed overachievers in 1997-98, so a 17-65 season in 1997-98 was a hard pill to swallow for veteran coach Bill Fitch. The tone for the 1997-98 season was set early, when Loy Vaught's degenerative disc condition in his lower back limited him to only 10 early-season games. Stepping it up in the absence of Vaught and free-agent losses Malik Sealy and Bo Outlaw was forward Lamond Murray, who enjoyed his finest pro season, averaging 15.5 ppg and 6.1 rpg. Murray, in his fourth pro season, led the team in scoring and was also solid defensively, leading Los Angeles with 1.45 steals per game. Murray was one of six players to average double-figures under Fitch, who employed a multitude of different starting lineups this season and had 11 players that averaged 10 or more minutes per game, including Maurice Taylor (11.5 ppg, 4.1 rpg), a promising rookie from Michigan. The team's leading rebounder was second-year pro Lorenzen Wright, who averaged 8.8 rpg. Wins were tough to come by, despite a team that never quit. The Clippers came up with their most impressive win on Feb. 3, a 111-102 victory over the Utah Jazz, the eventual conference champion. Coach Fitch reached a milestone on February 25, when the Clippers recorded a 117-108 win over Philadelphia. The win was #939 for the 63-year-old coach, moving him past Red Auerbach into second place in career NBA wins. His milestone win featured a solid 19-point, 12-rebound effort from Isaac Austin, who had been acquired only days earlier from the Miami Heat in exchange for Brent Barry. Austin, a hard-working center, averaged 13.5 ppg and 7.1 rpg on the season and ended the year as the Clippers' staring center. Fitch's most memorable win this season may have been his 941st, on March 13. The Clippers out-dueled the Toronto Raptors, 152-120, in perhaps the craziest NBA contest played all season. The Clippers shot 69.3 percent from the field, and their 152 points were the most in any NBA game since Dallas scored 156 in a double-overtime victory over Houston on April 11, 1995. The highlight of the Clippers' season occurred weeks after the season was over. Los Angeles drew the top overall selection in the 1998 NBA Draft Lottery and tabbed center Michael Olowokandi. The Clippers began the off-season hoping to lure free agents and keep the talented players they have, including Austin. They also began their search for a coach to replace Fitch, relieved of his duties after four seasons on the Clippers' bench.