1997 NBL season
The 1997 NBL season was the 19th season of competition since its establishment in 1979. A total of 11 teams contest the league. The Hobart Devils, Geelong Supercats and Gold Coast Rollers did not return this season.
| 1997 NBL season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| League | National Basketball League | |||
| Season | 1997 | |||
| Dates | 11 April – 1 November 1997 | |||
| Number of teams | 11 | |||
| TV partner(s) | Australia: | |||
| Regular season | ||||
| Season champions | S.E. Melbourne Magic | |||
| Season MVP | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Andrew Gaze (Melbourne) | |||
| Finals | ||||
| Champions | Melbourne Tigers (2nd title) | |||
| Runners-up | S.E. Melbourne Magic | |||
| Semifinalists | North Melbourne Giants Perth Wildcats | |||
| Finals MVP |  Lanard Copeland (Melbourne) | |||
| Statistical leaders | ||||
| ||||
Regular season
The 1997 regular season took place over 24 rounds between 11 April 1997 and 29 September 1997.
Ladder
This is the ladder at the end of season, before the finals. The top 6 teams qualified for the finals series.
| Pos | 1997 NBL season | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Pld | W | L | PCT | Last 5 | Streak | Home | Away | PF | PA | PP | |
| 1 | South East Melbourne Magic | 30 | 22 | 8 | 73.33% | 4–1 | W1 | 12–3 | 10–5 | 2850 | 2662 | 107.06% |
| 2 | Melbourne Tigers | 30 | 19 | 11 | 63.33% | 5–0 | W13 | 9–6 | 10–5 | 3092 | 3028 | 102.11% |
| 3 | North Melbourne Giants | 30 | 18 | 12 | 60.00% | 3–2 | L1 | 9–6 | 9–6 | 2943 | 2881 | 102.15% |
| 4 | Perth Wildcats | 30 | 17 | 13 | 56.67% | 3–2 | W2 | 10–5 | 7–8 | 2933 | 2825 | 103.82% |
| 5 | Brisbane Bullets1 | 30 | 15 | 15 | 50.00% | 2–3 | L3 | 10–5 | 5–10 | 2731 | 2786 | 98.03% |
| 6 | Canberra Cannons1 | 30 | 15 | 15 | 50.00% | 4–1 | W3 | 11–4 | 4–11 | 2789 | 2773 | 100.58% |
| 7 | Adelaide 36ers2 | 30 | 14 | 16 | 46.67% | 1–4 | L4 | 7–8 | 7–8 | 2973 | 2922 | 101.75% |
| 8 | Townsville Suns2 | 30 | 14 | 16 | 46.67% | 0–5 | L6 | 9–6 | 5–10 | 3084 | 3015 | 102.29% |
| 9 | Newcastle Falcons3 | 30 | 12 | 18 | 40.00% | 2–3 | L1 | 7–8 | 5–10 | 2995 | 3173 | 94.39% |
| 10 | Sydney Kings3 | 30 | 12 | 18 | 40.00% | 1–4 | L3 | 8–7 | 4–11 | 2938 | 2991 | 98.23% |
| 11 | Illawarra Hawks | 30 | 7 | 23 | 23.33% | 2–3 | W2 | 4–11 | 3–12 | 2906 | 3178 | 91.44% |
Updated to match(es) played on 29 September 1997. Source: NBL.com.au
The NBL tie-breaker system as outlined in the NBL Rules and Regulations states that in the case of an identical win–loss record, the results in games played between the teams will determine order of seeding.
1Brisbane Bullets won Head-to-Head (2-1).
2Adelaide 36ers won Head-to-Head (2-1).
3Newcastle Falcons won Head-to-Head (2-1).
Finals
Playoff bracket
| Elimination Finals | Semi-finals | Grand Final | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | South East Melbourne Magic | 92 | 96 | X | ||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Perth Wildcats | 81 | 88 | X | 4 | Perth Wildcats | 82 | 69 | X | |||||||||||
| 5 | Brisbane Bullets | 79 | 71 | X | 1 | South East Melbourne Magic | 74 | 84 | 83 | |||||||||||
| 2 | Melbourne Tigers | 111 | 78 | 93 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Melbourne Tigers | 107 | 112 | X | ||||||||||||||||
| 3 | North Melbourne Giants | 93 | 108 | 102 | 3 | North Melbourne Giants | 99 | 105 | X | |||||||||||
| 6 | Canberra Cannons | 104 | 98 | 75 | ||||||||||||||||
1997 NBL statistics leaders
| Category | Player | Team | Stat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points per game | Andrew Gaze | Melbourne Tigers | 30.9 |
| Rebounds per game | Clarence Tyson | Townsville Suns | 13.7 |
| Assists per game | Darryl McDonald | North Melbourne Giants | 8.9 |
| Steals per game | Darryl McDonald | North Melbourne Giants | 3.3 |
| Blocks per game | Simon Dwight | Canberra Cannons | 4.3 |
| Free throw percentage | Dylan Rigdon | Illawarra Hawks | 88.2% |
NBL awards
- Most Valuable Player: Andrew Gaze, Melbourne Tigers
- Most Valuable Player Grand Final: Lanard Copeland, Melbourne Tigers
- Best Defensive Player: Mike Kelly, South East Melbourne Magic
- Most Improved Player: Ben Pepper, Newcastle Falcons
- Rookie of the Year: Matthew Nielsen, Sydney Kings
- Coach of the Year: Lindsay Gaze, Melbourne Tigers & Brian Goorjian, South East Melbourne Magic
All NBL Team
| # | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| PG | Derek Rucker | Townsville Suns |
| SG | Robert Rose | Canberra Cannons |
| SF | Andrew Gaze | Melbourne Tigers |
| PF | Clarence Tyson | Townsville Suns |
| C | Mark Bradtke | Melbourne Tigers |