1998–99 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Second qualifying round
Colours: Green = Manchester United win; Yellow = draw; Red = opponents win.


1998–99 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Group stage
United were drawn in Group D, quickly labelled the competition's "group of death", along with Spanish club Barcelona, German champions Bayern Munich and Danish side Brøndby.


1998–99 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Group stage
Both games against Barcelona ended in draws. Despite Giggs, Scholes and Beckham putting the team into a 3–2 lead at Old Trafford, the visitors were awarded a late penalty after Butt was sent off for handling the ball. Luis Enrique converted the ball into the net to leave both teams with a point on Matchday One. In the return game on 25 November at the Camp Nou, a fixture that Barça needed to win to avoid elimination, Dwight Yorke's goals put United ahead 3–2, but Barça star Rivaldo equalized and nearly scored again but his effort hit the crossbar.


1998–99 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Group stage
United were denied victory by Bayern Munich twice, home and away. In Munich, the home side equalised with two minutes to go with United leading 2–1, after Schmeichel uncharacteristically went for and missed Bixente Lizarazu's throw-in, allowing Giovane Élber to tap in from a few yards out and score his second of the match. The return leg ended in a stalemate; Roy Keane scored just before half-time via a low header before Hasan Salihamidžić equalised for the visitors.


1998–99 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Group stage
United inflicted two heavy defeats on Brøndby, beating them 6–2 in Copenhagen and 5–0 at Old Trafford.


1998–99 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Group stage
Results in the other groups meant that a second-place finish was enough for United to progress into the quarter-finals, joining group leaders Bayern Munich.


1998–99 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Group stage
Colours: Green = Manchester United win; Yellow = draw; Red = opponents win.


1998–99 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Knockout phase
In the knockout stage United played two Italian sides in the quarter and semi-finals, Internazionale and Juventus respectively; United had never won on an Italian pitch.


1998–99 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Knockout phase
In the quarter-finals, Beckham faced Diego Simeone for the first time since the 1998 World Cup. In the first leg at Old Trafford, United beat Inter 2–0 with two almost identical goals from Yorke, both from crosses by Beckham; Simeone's second-half goal was disallowed for pushing. At the San Siro, Scholes scored a late away goal to level the game at 1–1 as United advanced 3–1 on aggregate.


1998–99 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Knockout phase
In the semi-finals, Juve's captain Antonio Conte met Edgar Davids' pass to give Juventus an away goal. United equalised in injury-time through Giggs, who converted a Beckham cross: a Teddy Sheringham goal a few minutes earlier had been disallowed. A draw meant that United either needed to win in Italy, or get a score-draw of 2–2 or greater.


1998–99 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Knockout phase
At the Stadio delle Alpi, Filippo Inzaghi scored twice in the first 11 minutes to give Juve a 3–1 aggregate lead. Team captain Roy Keane, however, who was shown a yellow card preventing him from playing the final, headed in a Beckham cross. Dwight Yorke added a second to level the match just before the break. In the second half, Cole put United ahead for the first time in the match and the tie.


1998–99 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Knockout phase
Yorke was brought down by the Juve keeper Angelo Peruzzi in the area as he went round him, but the referee played the advantage and Cole tapped in from an acute angle. United held on for their first victory in Italy and booked their place in the Camp Nou for the final, against group opponents Bayern Munich.


1998–99 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Knockout phase
Colours: Green = Manchester United win; Yellow = draw; Red = opponents win.


1998–99 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Final
United were without first-choice central midfielders Keane and Scholes, as both were suspended after receiving a second yellow card in the competition. Ferguson reorganised the team, with Blomqvist and Butt replacing Keane and Scholes, Beckham moving from right-wing to centre-midfield and Giggs moving from the left to the right wing. United lined up in their normal 4–4–2 formation. This was the final match for Peter Schmeichel, who captained the team.


1998–99 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Final
Mario Basler's free kick after six minutes opened the scoring for Bayern Munich. Bayern then had the chance to extend their lead with Mehmet Scholl hitting the post and Carsten Jancker the crossbar, forcing Peter Schmeichel to make numerous saves. In reaction to going a goal down, Ferguson substituted in Solskjær and Sheringham. As the game went to injury time, referee Pierluigi Collina indicated that three minutes would be played. In almost the last attack of the game, United won a corner, which Beckham took and goalkeeper Schmeichel went up front for. The ball was partially cleared by the Bayern defence before being played back to Giggs, who sent a low volley into the path of Sheringham, whose scuffed shot squeezed low inside the post.


1998–99 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Final
Almost immediately after the equaliser United won another corner, again taken by Beckham. He landed the ball on the head of Sheringham who nodded it to Solskjær who in turn toe-poked it into the roof of the net. Oliver Kahn, the Bayern goalkeeper, was motionless on the line. United had completed the come-back. Bayern barely had time to restart the game, which referee Collina brought to a close just a few seconds later.


1998–99 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Final
Schmeichel and Ferguson were presented with the trophy by UEFA president Lennart Johansson. Despite their suspensions, both Keane and Scholes received winners' medals on the rostrum. Keane claims that to date he has not looked at the medal, feeling that his absence had tainted the accomplishment to the extent that he "didn't deserve the medal". Substituted Bayern legend Lothar Matthäus removed his runner-up medal as soon as he received it, and later remarked that United were "lucky" to win the final.


1998–99 Manchester United F.C. season, UEFA Champions League, Final
Manchester United became the first English team to win the Champions League since it was rebranded in 1992, and the first to win the European Cup overall since Liverpool beat Roma in 1984. Coincidentally, the final was played on what would have been Sir Matt Busby's 90th birthday; he had died five years earlier and never saw the club repeat his achievement of 31 years earlier.


1998–99 Manchester United F.C. season, Legacy
I can't believe it. I can't believe it. Football, bloody hell.


1998–99 Manchester United F.C. season, Legacy
Less than 24 hours after the dramatics in Barcelona, a crowd of 500,000 people turned up on the streets of Manchester to greet the United players, who paraded through the city with their trophies in an open-top bus. As champions of Europe, Manchester United played against 1998–99 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup winners Lazio in the 1999 UEFA Super Cup, but lost the match 1–0. On the eve of that game, David Beckham was named as the winner of the UEFA Club Footballer of the Year, as well as UEFA's Best Midfielder award.


1998–99 Manchester United F.C. season, Legacy
Beckham was also voted as the runner-up for the 1999 Ballon d'Or and the 1999 FIFA World Player of the Year awards. Manchester United were also invited to play in the Intercontinental Cup against the winners of the 1999 Copa Libertadores, Brazilian side Palmeiras, in Tokyo. Roy Keane scored the winner, making the team the first and last British side to win the trophy before it was abolished in 2004.


1998–99 Manchester United F.C. season, Legacy
Having been led to believe it would help The Football Association with their bid to host the 2006 FIFA World Cup, United controversially withdrew from the 1999–2000 FA Cup, the first time the holders had done so, in order to play in the inaugural Club World Championship. They did not progress past the group stage, and Ferguson later regretted how they handled the situation.


1998–99 Manchester United F.C. season, Legacy
Along with the Busby Babes, the 1999 Treble-winning team is regarded by supporters as the benchmark of Manchester United teams. In 2007 The Daily Telegraph in association with World Soccer Magazine published a list of the 20 greatest football teams of all time: United were ranked in last position, behind Liverpool's double winners of 1977. The extra-time winner scored by Ryan Giggs in the FA Cup semi-final against Arsenal topped a poll for the best goal in the competition and Channel 4 viewers rated the team's comeback in the Champions League final at number four on the list of 100 Greatest Sporting Moments.


1998–99 Manchester United F.C. season, Legacy
Winning the Treble is also considered the greatest achievement in the career of manager Alex Ferguson, although he has disagreed with that assessment. In recognition of the team's success, Ferguson was made a Knight Bachelor and also received the Freedom of his home city of Glasgow.


1998–99 Manchester United F.C. season, Legacy
On 26 May 2019, Manchester United and Bayern Munich legends sides played each other in a charity match at Old Trafford to commemorate the 20th anniversary of United completing the Treble. Manchester United won the match 5–0, with goals from Solskjær, Yorke, Butt and Beckham, as well as Louis Saha, who played for the club from 2004 to 2008.


1998–99 Manchester United F.C. season, Attempted takeover by BSkyB
In September 1998 Manchester United were the target of a proposed takeover by British Sky Broadcasting, a subsidiary of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Negotiations between both sides had begun during the summer, but had stalled after disagreements over the asking price. The satellite group's original bid of £575 million – initially thought to be their final offer – was deemed too low by two members of United's board (chairman Martin Edwards and Professor Sir Roland Smith), who pressed for a higher figure. Two days of talks followed and in an attempt to close the deal, BSkyB made a final bid of £623.4 million.


1998–99 Manchester United F.C. season, Attempted takeover by BSkyB
A year earlier, Murdoch's Fox Entertainment Group purchased the Los Angeles Dodgers for $311m. Fox also held exclusive rights to Major League Baseball which meant from a strategic point of view, Murdoch's acquisition looked more appealing. He was now able to control both programming content on his network and distribution rights to the Dodgers. For the very same reason BSkyB replicated Fox's formula and went ahead with a takeover of a Premier League club. Manchester United thus was the unanimous choice of Murdoch and board members.


1998–99 Manchester United F.C. season, Attempted takeover by BSkyB
The club was the most valuable in English football, making £30.1 million from gate receipts and programmes in 1997 alone. At the same time, more than 200 supporters' groups were established worldwide and the club's fanbase exceeded 100 million, despite only a million having been to Old Trafford to watch the first team play. As a means of capitalising on this growing market, MUTV, a television station operated by the club was launched in August 1998. In co-operation with Granada Media Group and BSkyB it was the world's first channel dedicated to a football club, funded entirely through subscriptions. On the pitch United's success was largely down to the nurturing talents of manager Ferguson, who assembled a team capable of dominating in the long haul.


1998–99 Manchester United F.C. season, Attempted takeover by BSkyB, Formation of Shareholders United
When BSkyB publicised their intentions to take over Manchester United, supporters reacted angrily to the news. Many felt the club's traditions, built on a loyal fanbase and the attractive football played under Matt Busby and now Alex Ferguson would be tarnished. United were no longer an independent entity, and major decisions affecting the club looked increasingly likely to be taken on the other side of the globe.


1998–99 Manchester United F.C. season, Attempted takeover by BSkyB, Formation of Shareholders United
As a means of rallying supporters to get behind their cause, awareness campaigns against the takeover were launched. Red Issue issued pamphlets to fans and demonstrations in and around Old Trafford took place before the match against Charlton Athletic on 9 September. Football fans across the United Kingdom also lent support by lobbying their local MPs into passing a legislation, preventing further sport takeovers in the future.


1998–99 Manchester United F.C. season, Attempted takeover by BSkyB, Formation of Shareholders United
Perhaps the significance of the protests was the formation of Shareholders United Against Murdoch, more commonly known as Manchester United Supporters' Trust today, by journalist Michael Crick. Working alongside IMUSA (Independent Manchester United Supporters Association), their joint aim was to seek for the merger to be referred by the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission. Both groups therefore submitted papers to the Office of Fair Trading, stressing the importance of why the merger should not be carried out.


1998–99 Manchester United F.C. season, Attempted takeover by BSkyB, Formation of Shareholders United
IMUSA in particular argued that BSkyB's main intention was not that of United's but their already dominant position. Sky Television's relevant market was premium subscription channels and by buying an established Premier League team when they already had rights to the division was purely for financial gain. Moreover, Manchester United's market was on the pitch and an acquisition by a media organisation – particularly one run by Murdoch – may create detrimental damage to the sport in the long term.


1998–99 Manchester United F.C. season, Attempted takeover by BSkyB, Formation of Shareholders United
Bowing down to public pressure, the trade secretary Peter Mandelson referred the deal to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission in October 1998. The report, finalised in April 1999, found that BSkyB acted selfishly and blocked the broadcaster's bid.


1998–99 Manchester United F.C. season, Attempted takeover by BSkyB, Formation of Shareholders United
Figures announced during the season named Manchester United as the richest in world football, with a turnover of £88 million for 1996–97, 50% more than Barcelona in second place at £59 million.


1998–99 Manchester United F.C. season, Transfers
Manchester United's first departure of the 1998–99 season was Ben Thornley, who joined Huddersfield Town for £175,000 on 3 July 1998. A day later, Leon Mills signed for Wigan Athletic for an undisclosed fee, and Adam Sadler was released. Two of the club's longest-serving players, Brian McClair and Gary Pallister, also left. McClair had been at United since 1987, and opted for a return to Motherwell in the Scottish Premier League; he had played at Fir Park in the early 1980s. Pallister agreed to return to Middlesbrough in a £2.5 million deal, nine years after he had left them for a £2.3 million transfer to Old Trafford. On 4 November 1998, Chris Casper signed for Reading for a fee of £300,000.


1998–99 Manchester United F.C. season, Transfers
Addressing the loss of Pallister, Ferguson signed Jaap Stam from PSV Eindhoven, becoming the world's most expensive defender in a £10 million deal. Swedish winger Jesper Blomqvist soon followed, completing a £4.4 million transfer in July before Dwight Yorke was controversially drafted in from Aston Villa to become the club's record signing. Dutch striker Patrick Kluivert, who impressed during the World Cup, was on the verge of finalising a £9 million move from Milan, only for talks to fall through. A£5.5 million offer for Ole Gunnar Solskjær from Tottenham Hotspur was accepted, but Solskjær himself turned down the transfer after a meeting with Alex Ferguson.


1998–99 Manchester United F.C. season, Transfers
On 24 March, Michael Ryan signed for Wrexham for an undisclosed fee. A day later, Paul Gibson signed for Notts County, and on the same day, Philip Mulryne signed for Norwich City. On 16 April, Terry Cooke signed for United's cross-town rivals, Manchester City. On 30 June, United released Gerard Gaff and Jason Hickson, the same day that Peter Schmeichel signed for Sporting CP, John Thorrington joined Bayer Leverkusen, and Lee Whiteley departed for Salford City.


1998–99 Manchester United F.C. season, Transfers
United's only winter arrival was Bojan Djordjic, who signed for an undisclosed fee on 17 February.


1998–99 Mansfield Town F.C. season
During the 1998–99 English football season, Mansfield Town Football Club competed in the Football League Third Division where they finished in 8th position on 67 points, missing out on a play-off position by four points.


1998–99 Maryland Terrapins men's basketball team
The 1998–99 Maryland Terrapins men's basketball team represented the University of Maryland in the 1998–1999 college basketball season as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). The team was led by head coach Gary Williams and played their home games at the Cole Field House. Ranked as high as #2 in the AP and Coaches' polls, the team finished 28–6, 13–3 in ACC play and lost in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament to UNC. They received an at-large bid as a number 2 seed in the 1999 NCAA Tournament, where they lost to St. John's in the Sweet Sixteen. .


1998–99 Maryland Terrapins men's basketball team, Season Recap
With nearly all of its starters returning and a #6 preseason ranking, the Maryland Terrapins men's basketball team began the 1998–99 season with high expectations for a successful season and a deep run in the NCAA tournament. In their opening game, the team broke its record for margin of victory in a 113–46 victory against Western Carolina (a record that would be broken six weeks later with a 75-point victory over North Texas ). The Terrapins also went 6–0 against nonconference opponents at home, increasing their nonconference home winning streak to 64, the longest in the country at the time.


1998–99 Maryland Terrapins men's basketball team, Season Recap
The team participated in two preseason tournaments, winning both. They defeated AU-Puerto Rico, UCLA, and Pittsburgh in the Puerto Rico shootout, and Stanford and Depaul in the 4-team BB&T Classic. Their first loss of the season came in Lexington against Tubby Smith's #5 ranked Kentucky Wildcats.


1998–99 Maryland Terrapins men's basketball team, Season Recap
In ACC play, the team outscored its opponents by an average of 17.4 points in victories while posting an overall home record of 13–1 (7–1), its lone home loss coming against Duke. The team would finish 2nd in the ACC regular season standings with a 13–3 record, Maryland's best run since the 1994–95 season. In the 1999 ACC Tournament, the Terrapins defeated Florida State before losing to North Carolina in the semifinals.


1998–99 Maryland Terrapins men's basketball team, Season Recap
The Terrapins received a #2 seed in the South region on the NCAA tournament – the highest seed ever received by a Gary Williams team  – and breezed through their first two matches against Valparaiso and Creighton. However, in the regional semifinals, the team struggled against #3 seed St. Johns, ending the first half of the game in a nearly eight-minute scoring drought. Maryland lost 76–62 and once again failed to advance past the Sweet Sixteen.


1998–99 Maryland Terrapins men's basketball team, Season Recap, Accolades
Steve Francis2nd Team All-AmericanNaismith and Wooden Award Finalist1st Team All-ACCACC All-Tournament Team


1998–99 Meistriliiga (ice hockey) season
The 1998-99 Meistriliiga season was the ninth season of the Meistriliiga, the top level of ice hockey in Estonia. Four teams participated in the league, and Tartu Valk 494 won the championship.


1998–99 Mersin İdmanyurdu season
Mersin İdmanyurdu (also Mersin İdman Yurdu, Mersin İY, or MİY) Sports Club; located in Mersin, east Mediterranean coast of Turkey in 1998–99. Mersin İdmanyurdu (MİY) participated in 1998–99 Second League season for the 25th time. MİY couldn't attend promotion group but had finished classification in the first place and attended promotion play-offs, but couldn't promote. Team also participated in Turkish Cup in 1998–99 and eliminated at Round 2.


1998–99 Mersin İdmanyurdu season
Mehmet Küver was club president. Müjdat Yalman managed the team in the first half. In the second half Kahraman Karataş was head coach. Oğuzhan Doğar appeared in all league games. In total Gökhan Sakar share the most appearance with 32 appearances. Gökhan Sakar was also league and season top goalscorer.


1998–99 Mersin İdmanyurdu season, 1998–99 Second League participation
Mersin İdmanyurdu took place in Group 1 in 1998–99 Second League season. League was played in three stages. In the first stage 50 teams in five groups (10 clubs in each) played for first two rankings to play in promotion group. The promotion group consisted of those 10 teams. At the end of the second stage top two teams promoted to 1999–00 First League. Remaining 8 teams in each ranking group played in classification groups, by carrying points and goals from ranking groups. Bottom two teams relegated to 1999–00 Third League at the end of the season. In the third stage, 8 clubs (3 from the promotion group and 1 each from 5 classification groups) played one-leg play-off games in Antalya Atatürk Stadium to determine the third team to be promoted to First League.


1998–99 Mersin İdmanyurdu season, 1998–99 Second League participation
Mersin İdmanyurdu took place in Group 1 consisted of 10 teams and finished first stage at third place and couldn't took place in promotion group. In classification group, team finished at top and attended to promotion play-off games but eliminated at first round (quarter finals).


1998–99 Mersin İdmanyurdu season, 1998–99 Second League participation, Ranking group league table
Mersin İY's league performance in TFF Second League Ranking Group 1 in 1998–99 season is shown in the following table.


1998–99 Mersin İdmanyurdu season, 1998–99 Second League participation, Ranking group games
Mersin İdmanyurdu (MİY) 1998–99 Second League season first half game reports in Ranking Group 1 is shown in the following table. Kick off times are in EET and EEST.


1998–99 Mersin İdmanyurdu season, 1998–99 Second League participation, Classification group league table
Classification group 1 was played with 8 teams remaining after top two of ranking group were promoted to promotion group. Top team in the group promoted to promotion play-offs, while bottom two teams relegated to 1998–99 Third League season. Points and goals were carried from ranking group. MİY obtained 6 wins, 3 draws and 5 losses and finished fourth. However,  because points and goals were carried from ranking group, in aggregate MİY finished first and became eligible to play promotion play-offs. Mersin İY's league performance in Second League Classification Group 1 in 1998–99 season is shown in the following table.


1998–99 Mersin İdmanyurdu season, 1998–99 Second League participation, Classification group games
Mersin İdmanyurdu (MİY) 1998–99 Second League season first half game reports in Classification Group 1 is shown in the following table. Kick off times are in EET and EEST.


1998–99 Mersin İdmanyurdu season, 1998–99 Second League participation, Promotion play-offs
Five classification group winners and the teams who took 3rd, 4th and 5th places in promotion group played promotion play-offs at a neutral venue. Play-offs played in one-leg elimination system in Antalya between 24–30 May 1997. In quarter finals Mersin İdmanyurdu was eliminated by Çaykur Rizespor who finished Promotion Group at fifth place. Later Kartalspor has been eliminated by Göztepe at finals and Promotion Group second runners-up Göztepe won play-offs.


1998–99 Mersin İdmanyurdu season, 1998–99 Turkish Cup participation
1998–99 Turkish Cup was played by 90 teams in 6 rounds prior to quarterfinals. First five round were played in one-leg elimination system, starting from 6th round two leg elimination rounds were played. [ Mersin İdmanyurdu] had participated in 37th Turkish Cup (played as Türkiye Kupası in 1998–99) at Round 2 and eliminated. The opponents Hatayspor were from Second League like MİY. Previous year Hatayspor was the team to which MİY had lost in 4th round. Galatasaray won the cup for the 12th time.


1998–99 Mersin İdmanyurdu season, 1998–99 Turkish Cup participation, Cup track
The drawings and results Mersin İdmanyurdu (MİY) followed in 1998–99 Turkish Cup are shown in the following table.


1998–99 Mersin İdmanyurdu season, 1998–99 Turkish Cup participation, Game details
Mersin İdmanyurdu (MİY) 1998–99 Turkish Cup game reports is shown in the following table. Kick off times are in EET and EEST.


1998–99 Mersin İdmanyurdu season, Management, Club management
Municipality official Mehmet Küver was president of the club at the start of the season. Halil Kuriş was acting mayor of Mersin city. However, on 18 April 1999 local elections were held in Turkey, and mayor of the city changed. Macit Özcan won the elections in Mersin. Mayors presided the club many times in its history and Özcan elected president in club congress.


1998–99 Mersin İdmanyurdu season, Management, Coaching team
Müjdat Yalman was head coach at the first half of the season. Kahraman Karataş came to the position before the start of the second stage and completed the season.


1998–99 Mersin İdmanyurdu season, 1998–99 squad
Appearances, goals and cards count for 1998–99 Second League Ranking and Classification Groups games, promotion play-offs QF game and 1998–99 Turkish Cup. 18 players appeared in each game roster, three to be replaced. Players who only appeared in game rosters were included and listed in order of appearance.


1998–99 Miami Heat season
The 1998–99 NBA season was the 11th season for the Miami Heat in the National Basketball Association. During the offseason, the Heat signed free agents Terry Porter and Clarence Weatherspoon. In the lockout-shortened NBA season, which was cut to 50 games, the Heat went on a 7-game winning streak after a 1–3 start, winning 18 of their first 23 games, despite Jamal Mashburn playing just 24 games due to a knee injury, and Voshon Lenard missing 38 games with a stress fracture in his left leg.


1998–99 Miami Heat season
Miami finished with a 33–17 win-loss record, which earned them the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference. Alonzo Mourning averaged 20.1 points, 11.0 rebounds and 3.9 blocks per game, and was named Defensive Player of the Year, and finished second in MVP voting behind Karl Malone of the Utah Jazz. He was also named to the All-NBA First Team, and NBA All-Defensive First Team. Tim Hardaway averaged 17.2 points and 7.3 assists per game, and was selected to the All-NBA Second Team, while P.J. Brown made the NBA All-Defensive Second Team.


1998–99 Miami Heat season
In the playoffs, the Heat faced the New York Knicks for the third consecutive time. The 8th-seeded Knicks defeated the Heat in the Eastern Conference First round, with Allan Houston of New York hitting a buzzer-beater basket in the winner-take-all Game 5, which prevailed the Knicks over Miami, 78–77. With this loss, the Heat became the second number one seed in league history to lose a playoffs series against a number eight seed. This was also their final full season playing at the Miami Arena. Following the season, Porter signed as a free agent with the San Antonio Spurs, Terry Mills re-signed with his former team, the Detroit Pistons, and longtime Heat forward Keith Askins retired.


1998–99 Miami Heat season, Player statistics
NOTE: Please write the players statistics in alphabetical order by last name.


1998–99 Miami RedHawks men's basketball team
The 1998–99 Miami RedHawks men's basketball team represent Miami University in the 1998–99 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Redskins, led by 3rd-year head coach Charlie Coles, played their home games at Millett Hall in Oxford, Ohio as members of the Mid-American Conference. The team finished atop the conference regular season standings and, despite falling in the championship game of the MAC Tournament, earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. As the No. 10 seed in the Midwest region, Miami defeated Washington and Utah to reach the Sweet Sixteen. The run came to and end in the Regional semifinals as the RedHawks fell to Kentucky, 58–43, to finish 24–8 (15–3 MAC).


1998–99 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team
The 1998–99 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team represented Michigan State University in the 1998–99 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team played their home games at Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan and were coached by fourth-year head coach, Tom Izzo. The Spartans finished the season 33–5, 15–1 to win the Big Ten regular season championship. MSU defeated Northwestern, Wisconsin, and Illinois to win the Big Ten Tournament and receive the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.


1998–99 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team
As the No. 1 seed in the Midwest region, they defeated Mount Saint Mary's and Ole Miss to advance to their second straight Sweet Sixteen. In the Sweet Sixteen they defeated Oklahoma to advance to the school's first Elite Eight since 1979. In the Elite Eight, they defeated Kentucky to earn a trip to the Final Four for the first time since 1979. There they lost No. 1-ranked Duke. The 33 wins marked a school record for wins in a season.


1998–99 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team, Previous season
The Spartans finished the 1997–98 season 22–8, 13–3 in Big Ten play to earn a share of the Big Ten regular season championship. They lost in the quarterfinals of the inaugural Big Ten Tournament to Minnesota. Michigan State received an at-large bid as a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament, their first trip to the Tournament under Tom Izzo. They defeated Eastern Michigan and Princeton to advance to the Sweet Sixteen before losing to No. 1-seeded North Carolina.


1998–99 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team, Season summary
The Spartans, fresh off their first trip to the Sweet Sixteen since 1990, started the season ranked No. 5 in the country. Michigan State was led by juniors Mateen Cleaves (11.7 points and 7.2 assists per game) and Morris Peterson (13.6 points and 5.7 rebounds per game).


1998–99 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team, Season summary
The Spartans played three top seven teams in their first seven games. MSU lost all three: at No. 7 Temple, versus No. 4 Duke at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, and at No. 1 Connecticut. However, the Spartans finished the non–conference season without another loss and a record of 11–3 while ranked No. 14 in the country.


1998–99 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team, Season summary
After losing their first Big Ten game to No. 24 Wisconsin, the Spartans won the remaining 15 games in conference. The wins included wins against No. 19 Minnesota, No. 14 Iowa, at No. 18 Indiana, No. 15 Ohio State, at No. 14 Iowa, at No. 22 Minnesota, No. 17 Purdue, No. 14 Wisconsin, and at No. 23 Purdue. The Spartans won the Big Ten conference regular season by three games with a record of 15–1. MSU finished the regular season ranked No. 2 in the country. (Ohio State, who finished in second place with a 12–4 record, was later forced to vacate 29 games including all conference wins.)


1998–99 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team, Season summary
The Spartans earned the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten Tournament and faced Northwestern in the quarterfinals. MSU struggled in the game and appeared to be headed toward a second-straight early exit from only the second-ever Big Ten Tournament, but Matteen Cleaves hit a clutch shot with 37 second remaining to give MSU a two-point win. In the semifinals, MSU faced No. 19 Wisconsin, the only team that had beaten MSU in the regular season. The Spartans held Wisconsin scoreless for nearly 11 minutes in the second half on their way to 56–41 win.


1998–99 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team, Season summary
The win propelled the Spartans to the championship game against Cinderalla Illinois, who had finished last in conference, but had made a run to the championship game. With MSU looking to lock up a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and Illinois looking to simply make the Tournament with a win, the Spartans blew out the Illini 67–50 to win their first Big Ten Tournament championship. The win gave the Spartans the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.


1998–99 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team, Season summary
The Spartans were awarded a No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region. In a First Round victory over Mount St. Mary's, MSU used tough defense to hold off the Mountaineers, 76–53. In the Second Round, the Spartans faced No. 9-seeded Mississippi. Michigan State used a late 13–0 run to hold off the upset and defeat the Rebels, 73–66. Cleaves led the Spartans with 18 points as they advanced to their second straight Sweet Sixteen. In the Sweet Sixteen, No. 13-seeded Oklahoma pushed the Spartans and MSU struggled offensively.


1998–99 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team, Season summary
However, Andre Hutson's 13 points led the Spartans to hard-fought 54–46 win, their 21st straight win. In the Elite Eight for the first time since winning the championship since 1979, MSU faced No. 3-seeded and No. 8-ranked Kentucky. Michigan State trailed by as many 13 points early in the contest, but they fought back to beat Kentucky 73–66 to advance to the Final Four. There, they were re-matched against the overall No. 1 seed, Duke, who had defeated them 73–67 early in the season. With the Spartans riding a 22-game winning streak, Duke was able to beat the Spartans 68–62, ending their season.


1998–99 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team
The 1998–99 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team represented the University of Michigan in intercollegiate college basketball during the 1998–99 season. The team played its home games in the Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and was a member of the Big Ten Conference. Under the direction of head coach Brian Ellerbe, the team finished tied for ninth in the Big Ten Conference. The team earned a tenth seed and advanced to the second round of the 1999 Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Tournament.


1998–99 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team
The team failed to earn an invitation to either the 1999 National Invitation Tournament or the 1999 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. The team was unranked for all eighteen weeks of Associated Press Top Twenty-Five Poll, and it also ended the season unranked in the final USA Today/CNN Poll.


1998–99 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team
The team had a 6–11 record against ranked opponents, including the following victories: November 23, 1998, against #24 Clemson 59–56 in the Maui Invitational at Lahania Civic Center in Maui, Hawaii, December 30, 1998, against #19 Wisconsin 59–55 at home, January 5, 1999, against #13 Indiana 82–70 at home, January 16, 1999, against #21 Ohio State 84–74 at home, February 7, 1999, against #18 Minnesota 75–65 at home, February 27, 1999, against #16 Wisconsin 51–39 on the road at the Kohl's Center in Madison, Wisconsin.


1998–99 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team
Louis Bullock and Robbie Reid served as team co-captains, while Louis Bullock earned team MVP honors. The team's leading scorers were Louis Bullock (643 points), Robbie Reid (418 points) and John Asselin (275 points). The leading rebounders were Peter Vignier (229), John Asselin (183), and Bullock (117).


1998–99 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team
Bullock led the Big Ten Conference in free throw percentage in all games (86.4%). Reid led the conference in three-point field goals made in conference games (49) and three-point field goal percentage in conference games (45.8%).


1998–99 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team
Bullock established the current Big Ten Conference record for career three-point field goals made (339). The record carries an asterisk in the Big Ten Media guide and Pete Lisicky's (332, 1998) name is below Bullock's with a 1 next to it signifying it is the highest recognized total. There is a similar asterisk in the Michigan record book where his name is above Dion Harris's 268 total in 2007. Bullock also ended his career with the highest total number of free throws made (505) in Michigan history, above Cazzie Russell's 486 total set in 1966. Bullock's career free throw percentage of 86.03 surpassed Russell's 82.65 from 1966 and still is above Lester Abram's 82.93 from 2007. Bullock surpassed his 1997 single-season free throw record with a 91.11%.


1998–99 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team
The team surpassed the 1987 team's 75.0% mark as the best free throw shooting team in school history with a 75.2% average. This stood as the best in school history until 2002. On December 9, 1998, it set the school single-game record by making 34 free throws against the Eastern Michigan. This surpassed the 33 made on January 23, 1971, and was surpassed twice the following season.


1998–99 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team
Bullock set the career records for minutes played (4356) and games started (129), surpassing Gary Grant’s 1988 totals of 4231 and 128. Both continued to be school bests with Grant holding the highest untarnished totals until 2012 when Zack Novak finished his career with 4357 minutes.


1998–99 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team
In the 1999 Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Tournament at the United Center from March 4–7, Michigan was seeded tenth. In the first round they defeated number 7 Purdue 79–73 in overtime. In the second round, they lost to number two Ohio State 87–69.


1998–99 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team, Team players drafted into the NBA
One player from this team was selected in the NBA Draft.


1998–99 Middlesbrough F.C. season
During the 1998–99 English football season, Middlesbrough competed in the FA Premier League (known as the FA Carling Premiership for sponsorship reasons).


1998–99 Middlesbrough F.C. season, Season summary
Middlesbrough were the only newly promoted side to avoid relegation in 1998–99. They attained an impressive ninth-place finish in the final table - too high for relegation, but not quite high enough for a UEFA Cup place; they even rose as high as fourth by Christmas after a surprise 3–2 win at Old Trafford against champions Manchester United but they drew 15 games throughout the league season which ultimately prevented them from finishing any higher. Still, it was their highest finish for more than 20 years and a step in the right direction for manager Bryan Robson – who had come close to European qualification (via the cup competitions) in the previous two campaigns.


1998–99 Middlesbrough F.C. season, Squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


1998–99 Middlesbrough F.C. season, Squad, Left club during season
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


1998–99 Middlesbrough F.C. season, Squad, Reserve squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


1998–99 Midland Football Alliance
The 1998–99 Midland Football Alliance season was the fifth in the history of Midland Football Alliance, a football competition in England.


1998–99 Midland Football Alliance, League
The league featured 19 clubs from the previous season, along with one new club:


1998–99 Midland Football Combination
The 1998–99 Midland Football Combination season was the 62nd in the history of Midland Football Combination, a football competition in England.


1998–99 Midland Football Combination, Premier Division
The Premier Division featured 16 clubs which competed in the division last season, along with two new clubs, promoted from Division One:


1998–99 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim season
The 1998–99 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim season was the sixth season in franchise history.


1998–99 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim season, Off-season
The roster was shaken up a lot during the previous season and only a few changes took place in the summer. The Ducks traded Dave Karpa and a 2000 4th round pick to the Carolina Hurricanes for Kevin Haller and Stu Grimson on June 18. Two months later they acquired Jim Mckenzie for Jean-Francois Jomphe on August 11. They signed veteran Fredrik Olausson, who was with the Ducks before, to give the team scoring from the blue line, and Pascal Trepanier. Rookies Antti Aalto and Johan Davidsson made the roster while Mike Crowley who played very well last season would see more ice time with the parent team.


1998–99 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim season, Off-season
For the first time since the Ducks traded Ron Tugnutt to the Montreal Canadiens in 1994 the team saw just their second change in net, losing Mikhail Shtalenkov to the Nashville Predators in the 1998 NHL Expansion Draft. That left them with Prospects Patrick Lalime and Chris Mason for the back up position. Just before the season started the Ducks acquired Dominic Roussel from the Nashville Predators for Chris Mason and Marc Moro on October 5, 1998 which gave the team more experience in case Hebert would be sidelined like last season. Days later they sent Doug Houda to Detroit on October 9.


1998–99 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim season, Regular season
The season was much more consistent than last season. Anaheim started off slow, losing their first three games and scoring only one goal but was unbeaten the next six games. On October 27, 1998 they added Marty McInnes, a key player who gave them more scoring depth for the team's upcoming success and dominating Powerplay. On November 8 Tomas Sandstrom suffered a broken left wrist which kept him sidelined until late December thus relying more on their star players and hoping for others to fill the void.


1998–99 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim season, Regular season
The team managed to comeback a few times after going winless some games and even put up winning streaks like in early December (4-0-2) and early February (4-0-0). January turned out to be the very tough going 4-9-1 and winless (0-5-1) a second time since late November. Overall the Ducks were hovering around the .500 mark fighting to go to the post season.


1998–99 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim season, Regular season
In February the team pushed themselves into the Play Off as the Mighty Ducks went 13-3-1 from February 3 until March 10 including a team record seven game winning streak. The Ducks finished the season 6 in the west as the team was unable to maintain their amazing run. The Blues only lost 1 game in their last nine games where as the Ducks only won one game out of their last seven, ironically against the Coyotes, missing out on 5th place facing Phoenix rather than the Red Wings.


1998–99 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim season, Regular season
During that 7 game-winning-streak the team only allowed 1 goal in each of those games, highlighting the great goaltending of Guy Hebert, who had a career year and his best season since 1996/97. Dominic Roussel also enjoyed a stellar comeback in the NHL as the team's backup. Both goalies provided excellent goaltending for the Ducks, each posting a save percentage above .920 as well as a superb GAA. Those great numbers were supported by their Defense as the team allowed 55 goals less than last year.


1998–99 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim season, Regular season
Offensively the Ducks only scored 10 goals more than last season and relied heavily on their first line ( Kariya - Rucchin - Selanne ) combining for 109 goals. Additional scoring was only provided by Marty McInnes (17 goals), Fredrik Olausson (16 goals) and Tomas Sandstrom (15 goals), who missed 24 games due to injury. Matt Cullen enjoyed a good second season, tallying 11 goals which was almost double than last year while Travis Green only scored 13 goals and 30 points which was below expectation.


1998–99 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim season, Regular season
The Mighty Ducks finished the regular season with the most power-play goals, 83, and the best power-play percentage, 21.96% (83 for 378) in the NHL.


1998–99 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim season, Regular season, Final standings
Note: CR = Conference rank; GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points         Bolded teams qualified for the playoffs.


1998–99 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim season, Regular season, Final standings
Divisions: CEN – Central, PAC – Pacific, NW – Northwest


1998–99 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim season, Regular season, Final standings
bold – Qualified for playoffs; p – Won Presidents' Trophy; y – Won division


1998–99 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim season, Playoffs
The Mighty Ducks met the Detroit Red Wings in the first round of the playoffs. The Wings swept the Mighty Ducks in four games.


1998–99 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim season, Playoffs
Late in Game 3 Stu Grimson cross-checked Kris Draper in the face in front of the Red Wings which caused a brawl between both teams.


1998–99 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim season, Transactions
Acquired Marty McInnes from the Chicago Blackhawks ( previously acquired from the Calgary Flames ) for a 4th round draft pick on October 27, 1998


1998–99 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim season, Transactions
Traded Drew Bannister to the Tampa Bay Lightning for a 2000 5th round pick on December 10, 1998


1998–99 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim season, Transactions
Traded Josef Marha to the Chicago Blackhawks for future considerations (became a 1999 4th round draft) on January 28, 1999


1998–99 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim season, Draft picks
Anaheim's draft picks at the 1998 NHL Entry Draft held at the Marine Midland Arena in Buffalo, New York.


1998–99 Milwaukee Bucks season
The 1998–99 NBA season was the Bucks' 31st season in the National Basketball Association. After a lockout cut the season to 50 games, the Bucks hired George Karl, who previously coached the Seattle SuperSonics as their new head coach. The team selected German basketball star Dirk Nowitzki with the ninth pick in the 1998 NBA draft, but soon traded him to the Dallas Mavericks for top draft pick Robert Traylor, and signed free agents Dell Curry and Vinny Del Negro.


1998–99 Milwaukee Bucks season
The Bucks transition continued at midseason trading Terrell Brandon to the Minnesota Timberwolves, and acquiring Sam Cassell and Chris Gatling from the New Jersey Nets in exchange for Elliot Perry in a three-team trade. However, Cassell only played just four games with the team due to an ankle injury. In another trade, they dealt Tyrone Hill to the Philadelphia 76ers for second-year forward Tim Thomas and Scott Williams, while signing free agent Haywoode Workman.


1998–99 Milwaukee Bucks season
Under Karl, the Bucks won five of their first six games, and played above .500 for the entire season as they finally entered the playoffs after a seven-year playoff drought, finishing fourth in the Central Division with a 28–22 record. Glenn Robinson led the team in scoring with 18.4 points per game, while Ray Allen averaged 17.1 points per game. However, in the Eastern Conference First Round of the playoffs, the Bucks would be swept by the Indiana Pacers in three straight games. Following the season, Curry signed as a free agent with the Toronto Raptors, Gatling was traded along with Armen Gilliam to the Orlando Magic, and Michael Curry re-signed with the Detroit Pistons.


1998–99 Minnesota Golden Gophers women's ice hockey season
In the 1998–99 season, the Golden Gophers had a third-place finish at the 1999 AWCHA National Championship.


1998–99 Minnesota Timberwolves season
The 1998–99 NBA season was the Timberwolves' 10th season in the National Basketball Association. A year after signing Kevin Garnett to an unprecedented six year $126 million contract, the Timberwolves had a heavy payroll and were forced to let Tom Gugliotta walk away and trade Stephon Marbury, fearing both would seek similar deals to Garnett. Gugliotta would sign as a free agent with the Phoenix Suns before the start of the season.


1998–99 Minnesota Timberwolves season
Meanwhile, in an effort to shore up their defensive back court weakness, the Timberwolves signed free agent Malik Sealy and acquired second-year guard Bobby Jackson, and Dean Garrett (who previously played for the T-Wolves during the 1996–97 season) from the Denver Nuggets in a three-team trade during the offseason. The team also signed free agent Joe Smith as their starting power forward.


1998–99 Minnesota Timberwolves season
In a three-team midseason trade, the Timberwolves dealt Marbury along with Chris Carr to the New Jersey Nets, and acquired Terrell Brandon from the Milwaukee Bucks, while signing free agent and three-point specialist Dennis Scott, who was previously released by the New York Knicks. After a lockout cut the season to 50 games, the Timberwolves got off to a fast start winning eight of their first ten games, but played below .500 for most of the remaining season.


1998–99 Minnesota Timberwolves season
They finished fourth in the Midwest Division with a 25–25 record, and made their third consecutive trip to the playoffs, winning a tie-breaker for the #8 seed in the Western Conference over the Seattle SuperSonics. Garnett was named to the All-NBA Third Team averaging 20.8 points, 10.4 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game. However, in the Western Conference First Round of the playoffs, the T-Wolves would lose in four games to the San Antonio Spurs. Following the season, Scott signed with the Vancouver Grizzlies.


1998–99 Minnesota Timberwolves season
For the season, the Timberwolves added new black alternate road uniforms, which would last until 2008.


1998–99 Minnesota Timberwolves season, Player statistics
NOTE: Please write the players statistics in alphabetical order by last name.


1998–99 Moldovan "A" Division
The 1998–99 Moldovan "A" Division season is the 8th since its establishment. A total of 16 teams are contesting the league.


1998–99 Moldovan National Division, Overview
It was contested by 10 teams and Zimbru Chişinău won the championship.


1998–99 Montreal Canadiens season
The 1998–99 Montreal Canadiens season was the club's 90th season of play. The club finished 5th in the Northeast Division and did not qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs. It had been the worst season in over 48 years for the club. The Canadiens finished last in their division. Martin Rucinsky led the club with 17 goals. It was the first time since the 1940–41 season that the Canadiens did not have at least one 20-goal scorer. On March 31, 1999, ownership announced it has lost $3.8 million in its last fiscal year. Following the season, team president Ronald Corey resigned in May 1999.


1998–99 Montreal Canadiens season, Regular season, Final standings
Note: CR = Conference rank; GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points         Bolded teams qualified for the playoffs.


1998–99 Montreal Canadiens season, Regular season, Final standings
Divisions: ATL – Atlantic Division, NE – Northeast Division, SE – Southeast Division


1998–99 Montreal Canadiens season, Draft picks
Montreal's draft picks at the 1998 NHL Entry Draft held at the Marine Midland Arena in Buffalo, New York.


1998–99 Motherwell F.C. season
The 1998-99 season was Motherwell's 1st season in the Scottish Premier League, and their 14th consecutive season in the top division of Scottish football.


1998–99 Motherwell F.C. season, First team squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


1998–99 Munster Rugby season
The 1998–99 Munster Rugby season was Munster's fourth season as a professional team, during which they competed in the IRFU Interprovincial Championship and Heineken Cup. It was Declan Kidney's first season in his first spell as head coach of the province.


1998–99 Munster Rugby season, 1998–99 squad
Note: Flags indicate national union as has been defined under WR eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-WR nationality.


1998–99 NBA lockout
The 1998–99 NBA lockout was the third lockout of four in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA). It lasted from July 1, 1998, to January 20, 1999, and forced the 1998–99 regular season to be shortened to 50 games per team and that season's All-Star Game to be canceled. NBA owners reopened the league's collective bargaining agreement (CBA) in March 1998, seeking changes to the league's salary cap system and a ceiling on individual player salaries. The National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) opposed the owners' plans and wanted raises for players who earned the league's minimum salary. After the two sides failed to reach an agreement, the owners began the lockout.


1998–99 NBA lockout
The dispute received a tepid response from sports fans and provoked criticism from media members. It continued into January 1999, threatening the cancellation of the entire season. After division within the players union, however, NBPA executive director Billy Hunter reached an agreement with NBA commissioner David Stern on January 6 to end the work stoppage. Quickly ratified by the owners and players, the deal was signed later in January, ending the lockout after 204 days. The settlement provided for maximum salaries for players and a pay scale for first-year players. In the months after the lockout, television ratings and ticket sales declined during the 50-game season, and both remained below pre-lockout levels in subsequent seasons.


1998–99 NBA lockout, Background
Before 1998, there had been two lockouts in the previous three years: a labor dispute that lasted more than two months in 1995 and a brief work stoppage in 1996 that ended within three hours. However, on both occasions, the players and owners reached a deal before the start of the season, and before 1998, the NBA was the only major sports league in the United States that had never lost a game because of a work stoppage. A six-year CBA had been in place since September 1995, but it included a clause allowing NBA owners to reopen the contract after three years if more than 51.8 percent of "basketball-related income" went to player salaries.


1998–99 NBA lockout, Background
By the 1997–98 season, 57 percent of basketball-related income was used to pay players, while the previous deal called for a 48 percent split. According to the NBA, 15 of the 29 teams posted losses that season. The NBPA disputed this figure and claimed that only four teams had losses. The league's owners voted on whether to reopen the CBA on March 23, 1998, and the vote passed by a 27–2 margin. Negotiations between the NBPA and owners started on April 1, and nine further bargaining sessions took place in the next three months.


1998–99 NBA lockout, Background
The primary issue was that of player salaries, which owners sought to curb. A salary cap had been a part of the CBA since 1983, but it included loopholes that allowed teams to exceed the payroll limit. Among them was the "Larry Bird exception", named after the former player who was an early beneficiary of the rule. The Bird exception enabled teams to spend an unlimited amount of money to re-sign their own players, causing a substantial increase in the value of upper-end contracts. Club owners wanted to remove the exemption and place limits on maximum player salaries.


1998–99 NBA lockout, Background
Owners also sought to prevent large contracts for young players similar to the $126 million, six-year deal that Kevin Garnett had recently signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves. They desired a modified pay scale for rookie players that would prevent them from gaining unrestricted free agency after three seasons, and wanted to ban the use of marijuana and performance-enhancing drugs. The players union, wanting to avoid a decline in salaries, opposed changes to the salary cap system, in particular those involving the Larry Bird exception. Other NBPA positions included opposition to a cap on individual player salaries and support for a raise of the minimum salary, which 22 percent of NBA players earned during 1997–98.


1998–99 NBA lockout, Lockout
After negotiations between the sides broke off on June 22, the lockout started nine days later. Teams were barred from making player transactions and holding workouts and meetings for the duration of the work stoppage. The Hofstra Labor and Employment Law Journal's Grant M. Hayden described the NBA's action as an "offensive lockout", in which an employer attempts to force its workers into a settlement that does not favor them. An early byproduct of the lockout was the exclusion of NBA players from the U.S. national team that played at the 1998 FIBA World Championship.


1998–99 NBA lockout, Lockout
USA Basketball, the governing body for the sport in the U.S., elected to send a team consisting of lower-level professional players and amateurs. Negotiations resumed at an August 6 bargaining session, the first since the start of the lockout. NBA commissioner David Stern and several owners left the talks after the NBPA presented an offer that included increased revenue sharing between teams.


1998–99 NBA lockout, Lockout
By September 25, 24 exhibition games were canceled and training camps were postponed indefinitely as a result of stalled talks. Further negotiating sessions took place in October and November, but no agreement was reached. The season's first two weeks were officially canceled on October 13, and 99 games scheduled for November were lost as a result. It was the first time in NBA history that games were canceled due to a labor dispute. On October 20, arbitrator John Feerick ruled that the owners did not have to pay players with guaranteed contracts during the lockout. Feerick's decision gave the owners leverage in bargaining talks. Another factor favoring the owners was that their teams received money from the NBA's television broadcasters, whose contracts with the league called for payments to be made if games were not played.


1998–99 NBA lockout, Lockout
Further games were canceled as the lockout continued through November and December, including the league's Christmas games (which had been played on an annual basis since 1947) and the 1999 All-Star Game (which had been scheduled to be played on February 14, 1999, at the First Union Center in Philadelphia). As a result of the All-Star Game's cancellation, the NBA later awarded the 2002 All-Star Game to Philadelphia. Discussions during the lockout were characterized by frequent hostility between the players and owners.


1998–99 NBA lockout, Lockout
One example of the heated nature of the talks came at an early December bargaining session, when Stern and NBPA executive director Billy Hunter became involved in what CBS News called "an extremely heated, expletive-laden screaming match". Both men temporarily walked away from the bargaining table, and indicated after the session that the entire season might be canceled. Although the 1998 portion of the schedule was not played because of the lockout, 16 NBA players participated in a December 19 exhibition game in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The event's organizers intended to give NBPA members a share of the money raised, but the idea proved controversial, and charities ultimately received the proceeds.


1998–99 NBA lockout, Lockout, Settlement
On December 23, Stern announced that he would recommend canceling the season if there was no deal by January 7, 1999. At a December 27 meeting, a "final" deal was proposed by the owners. The sides met again on January 4, and the NBPA gave its last proposal to the owners, who turned it down. Stern discussed the possibility of having replacement players brought in to begin the following season. As Stern's deadline approached, the NBPA showed signs of division from within. Highly paid players were seen as the ones most affected by the disputed issues, rather than the union's membership as a whole. Agent David Falk, who was considered an influential voice for the players, represented NBPA president Patrick Ewing and nine players on the union's 19-person negotiating committee.


1998–99 NBA lockout, Lockout, Settlement
The NBPA scheduled a meeting on January 6 in New York City, where players would vote on the proposal by the owners, which the committee had recommended opposing. Several players, including Shaquille O'Neal and Hakeem Olajuwon, wanted the vote to be conducted by secret ballot, while others indicated a desire to return to competition regardless of how the vote went. Kevin Johnson stated that most players "were just ready to [fight] Wednesday at our meeting if an agreement hadn't been reached." Faced with a splintering union, Hunter moved to resume talks with Stern. On January 6, the day before Stern's deadline, he and Hunter reached an agreement, which was ratified by the NBPA later that day and by the NBA Board of Governors on January 7.


1998–99 NBA lockout, Lockout, Settlement
Widely viewed as a victory for Stern and the owners, the agreement was signed by both parties on January 20, officially ending the lockout after 204 days. It capped players' salaries at between $9 million and $14 million, depending on how long they had played in the NBA. The league became the first major sports organization in the U.S. to limit the salaries of its players. A rookie pay scale was introduced, with salary increases tied to how early a player was selected in the NBA Draft. The Larry Bird exception was retained, though maximum annual pay raises were capped.


1998–99 NBA lockout, Lockout, Settlement
New "average" and "median" salary cap exemptions, which the NBPA had proposed, allowed teams to sign one player per category even if they were over the spending limit. For teams that wished to exceed the salary cap, a luxury tax was instituted requiring offenders to pay on a dollar-for-dollar basis, provided total league salaries were above a specified level. The league's minimum salary was increased to $287,500, a $15,000 raise from before the lockout. The players were promised that their salaries would equal 55 percent of league revenues over the agreement's final three seasons. However, any higher percentage would lead to a salary decrease. The NBA's drug policy was expanded to cover performance-enhancing drugs and marijuana, with once-yearly testing.


1998–99 NBA lockout, Reaction and aftermath
The lockout prompted indifference among most American sports fans, who thought that greed was shown by both sides; the latter was a similar sentiment to what fans voiced during the 1994–95 Major League Baseball strike. A CBS News–New York Times poll conducted in October 1998 showed that, while most fans' opinion of professional basketball was unaffected by the work stoppage, 29 percent reported that their views had become more negative. The same poll showed that fans backed the NBPA in the dispute by a 36–29 margin, while the general public supported the owners 24 percent to 22 percent.


1998–99 NBA lockout, Reaction and aftermath
One-quarter of basketball fans who responded to the poll stated that they did not know enough about the lockout to give an opinion, along with 45 percent of the general public. Media members were frequently critical of the owners and players. Sportswriter Tony Kornheiser described the labor dispute as one "between tall millionaires and short millionaires." An article in Newsweek termed the lockout "an incomprehensible and unconscionable dispute between rival gangs of millionaires". Time's Bill Saporito believed that each side was damaged by the lockout, in terms of financial losses and negative publicity. Stern said that he had made concessions in the agreement, while Hunter said that the parties "both blinked."


1998–99 NBA lockout, Reaction and aftermath
From a broader labor perspective, Hayden commented that the lockout was "rather pedestrian" and "made no noteworthy contributions to legal doctrine." He considered the NBPA to be a union that had more power, and a greater ability to enter a labor dispute, than most other labor organizations, which he believed to hold weaker positions comparatively.


1998–99 NBA lockout, Reaction and aftermath
In addition, Hayden noted that a contrast existed between the work activities of regular workers and NBA players, as perceived by typical employees, and that "the NBA lockout may have strengthened the view of many that unions are out of touch with their lives and thus have little to offer them."


1998–99 NBA lockout, Reaction and aftermath
The 1998–99 season, which began on February 5, 1999, was shortened to 50 games per team, as opposed to the normal 82. As a result of the 204-day lockout, 464 regular-season games were lost. In addition to the lockout, the NBA's popularity was affected by the second retirement of Michael Jordan, who had been largely responsible for an increase in fan interest during his career. The average attendance during the shortened season was 16,738 fans per game, down 2.2 percent from the 1997–98 average of 17,117 spectators per contest.


1998–99 NBA lockout, Reaction and aftermath
Ticket sales fell nearly two percent further in the opening months of 1999–00, and remained under 17,000 per game for the following three seasons. The league also saw television ratings drop for three consecutive seasons after the lockout. On the court, players struggled to condition themselves for the season on short notice, leading to subpar play around the NBA. Scoring declined by about four points per game per team on average, to the lowest total in 20 years. Turnovers increased, field goal percentages decreased, and teams typically played at a reduced pace.


1998–99 NBA lockout, Reaction and aftermath
In the years following the lockout, a higher percentage of players signed contracts worth the maximum amount possible under the cap. Some young players, such as LeBron James, began signing shorter contracts that allowed for more flexibility in team choice and salary. The agreement expired in 2005, and both sides became concerned about the possibility of another work stoppage, at a time when the National Hockey League had recently lost its 2004–05 season to labor issues. A lockout was prevented, however, when a six-year CBA was reached in June 2005. After the expiration of that CBA, a lockout occurred in 2011; it was the fourth in league history and lasted for about five months before the sides came to an agreement. Each team's schedule in the 2011–12 NBA season was cut by 16 games.


1998–99 NBA season
The 1998–99 NBA season was the 53rd season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Due to a lockout, the season did not start until February 5, 1999, after a new six-year Collective Bargaining Agreement was reached between the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association. All 29 teams played a shortened 50-game regular season schedule and the 16 teams who qualified for the playoffs played a full post-season schedule. That season's All-Star Game, which would have been held in Philadelphia, was also canceled, but was rescheduled for 2002. The season ended with the San Antonio Spurs winning the franchise's first NBA championship, beating the New York Knicks 4 games to 1 in the 1999 NBA Finals. This was the 50th season since the BAA and NBL had merged into the NBA.


1998–99 NBA season, Lockout
The third lockout in the history of the NBA lasted from July 1, 1998, to January 20, 1999. NBA owners were seeking changes to the league's salary cap system and a ceiling on individual player salaries. The National Basketball Players Association opposed the owners' plans and wanted raises for players who earned the league's minimum salary.


1998–99 NBA season, Lockout
As the labor dispute continued into September, the preseason was shortened to just two games instead of the normal eight, and training camps were postponed indefinitely. By October, it became the first time in NBA history that games were canceled due to a labor dispute. Further games were canceled by November and December, including the league's Christmas games (which had been played on an annual basis since 1947) and All-Star Game, which had been scheduled to be played on February 14, 1999. (Since then, the National Hockey League and Major League Baseball have cancelled their own All-Star Games, with the former due to a lockout that wiped out an entire season, and the latter due to COVID-19 concerns, although a 60-game season was played.) The preseason consisted of 2 exhibition games.


1998–99 NBA season, Lockout
An agreement between the owners and players was eventually reached on January 18, 1999. When play resumed, the regular season was shortened to 50 games per team, as opposed to the normal 82. To preserve games between teams in the same conference, much of the time missed was made up for by skipping well over half of the games played between teams in the opposite conference. As a result, some teams did not meet each other at all during the course of the shortened season.


1998–99 NBA season, Playoffs
Teams in bold advanced to the next round. The numbers to the left of each team indicate the team's seeding in its conference, and the numbers to the right indicate the number of games the team won in that round. The division champions are marked by an asterisk. Home court advantage does not necessarily belong to the higher-seeded team, but instead the team with the better regular season record; teams enjoying the home advantage are shown in italics.


1998–99 NBA season, NBA awards, Players of the month
The following players were named the Players of the Month.


1998–99 NBA season, NBA awards, Rookies of the month
The following players were named the Rookies of the Month.


1998–99 NBL season
The 1998–99 NBL season was the 21st season of competition since its establishment in 1979. A total of 11 teams contested the league. This season marked the first summer season for the NBL. The Townsville Suns were renamed the Townsville Crocodiles


1998–99 NBL season, Regular Season
The 1998–99 Regular Season took place over 23 rounds between 9 October 1998 and 14 March 1999.


1998–99 NBL season, Ladder
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.


1998–99 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
The 1998–99 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings was made up of two human polls, the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll, in addition to various other preseason polls.


1998–99 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
The 1998–99 NCAA Division I men's basketball season concluded in the 64-team 1999 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament whose finals were held at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Connecticut Huskies earned their first national championship by defeating the Duke Blue Devils 77–74 on March 29, 1999. They were coached by Jim Calhoun and the NCAA Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player was Richard Hamilton.


1998–99 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
In the 32-team 1999 National Invitation Tournament, the California Golden Bears defeated the Clemson Tigers at the Madison Square Garden in New York City.


1998–99 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
Following the season, the 1999 NCAA Men's Basketball All-American Consensus First team included Elton Brand, Mateen Cleaves, Richard Hamilton, Andre Miller and Jason Terry. The consensus second team was composed of Evan Eschmeyer, Steve Francis, Trajan Langdon, Chris Porter and Wally Szczerbiak.


1998–99 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, Season outlook, Pre-season polls
The top 25 from the AP Poll November 6, 1998 and the ESPN/USA Today Poll November 5, 1998.


1998–99 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, Regular season, Conference winners and tournaments
28 conference seasons concluded with a single-elimination tournament, with only the Ivy League and the Pac-10 choosing not to conduct conference tournaments. Conference tournament winners generally received an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.


1998–99 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey rankings
Two human polls made up the 1998–99 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey rankings, the USCHO.com/CBS College Sports poll and the USA Today/American Hockey Magazine Coaches Poll. As the 1998–99 season progressed, rankings were updated weekly. There were a total of 10 voters in the USA Today poll and 30 voters in the USCHO.com poll. Each first place vote is worth 10 points in the rankings with every subsequent vote worth 1 point less.


1998–99 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season
The 1998–99 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season began on October 3, 1998, and concluded with the 1999 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament's championship game on April 3, 1999, at the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim in Anaheim, California. This was the 52nd season in which an NCAA ice hockey championship was held and is the 104th year overall where an NCAA school fielded a team.


1998–99 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season
The 1998-99 season was the inaugural year for Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference's hockey division. Because only Canisius, Fairfield, and Iona were full members of the MAAC, five additional associate members were included to make the conference viable. All five teams had been part of ECAC lower classifications in the past (as had Canisius, Fairfield and Iona) and were promoted to Division I for the 1998-99 season.


1998–99 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season, Player stats, Scoring leaders
The following players led the league in points at the conclusion of the season.


1998–99 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season, Player stats, Scoring leaders
GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes


1998–99 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season, Player stats, Leading goaltenders
The following goaltenders led the league in goals against average at the end of the regular season while playing at least 33% of their team's total minutes.


1998–99 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season, Player stats, Leading goaltenders
GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; OT = Overtime/shootout losses; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; SV% = Save percentage; GAA = Goals against average


1998–99 NCAA Division I women's basketball rankings
Two human polls comprise the 1998–99 NCAA Division I women's basketball rankings, the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll, in addition to various publications' preseason polls. The AP poll is currently a poll of sportswriters, while the USA Today Coaches' Poll is a poll of college coaches. The AP conducts polls weekly through the end of the regular season and conference play, while the Coaches poll conducts a final, post-NCAA tournament poll as well.


1998–99 NCAA Division II men's ice hockey season
The 1998–99 NCAA Division II men's ice hockey season began in October 1998 and concluded on March 13 of the following year. This was the 27th season of second-tier college ice hockey.


1998–99 NCAA Division II men's ice hockey season
After the 1998 Championship many D-II teams raised their programs to Division I including several who had used the Division II level as a stepping stone to the top ranks. With few remaining D-II programs, the tournament dropped the regional selections and took the two teams with the best records, coincidentally they were both members of ECAC Northeast. The division was dealt a further blow when another handful of programs announced they would follow suit after the '99 season. With so few Division II schools fielding varsity ice hockey teams, the NCAA decided to suspend the D-II Tournament at the conclusion of the season. Though Division II ice hockey continues, the tournament has remained mothballed (as of 2019).


1998–99 NCAA Division II men's ice hockey season, Regular season, Standings
Note: the records of teams who were members of Division III conferences during the season can be found here.


1998–99 NCAA Division III men's ice hockey season
The 1998–99 NCAA Division III men's ice hockey season began in October 1998 and concluded on March 20 of the following year. This was the 26th season of Division III college ice hockey.


1998–99 NCAA Division III men's ice hockey season
Division II Findlay joined with 4 Division III schools to form the MCHA. After the season the Oilers jumped up to Division I but were allowed to immediately participate in postseason tournament because they officially remained a D-II program.


1998–99 NCAA football bowl games
The 1998–99 NCAA football bowl games concluded the 1998 NCAA Division I-A football season. In the first year of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) era, Tennessee defeated Florida State in the 1999 Fiesta Bowl, designated as the BCS National Championship Game for the 1998 season.


1998–99 NCAA football bowl games
A total of 22 bowl games were played between December 19, 1998 and January 4, 1999 by 44 bowl-eligible teams. Two new bowl games were established in 1998–99: the Oahu Bowl and the Music City Bowl.


1998–99 NFL playoffs
The National Football League playoffs for the 1998 season began on January 2, 1999. The postseason tournament concluded with the Denver Broncos defeating the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl XXXIII, 34–19, on January 31, at Pro Player Stadium in Miami, Florida.


1998–99 NFL playoffs, Participants
Within each conference, the three division winners and the three wild card teams (the top three non-division winners with the best overall regular season records) qualified for the playoffs. The three division winners were seeded 1 through 3 based on their overall won-lost-tied record, and the wild card teams were seeded 4 through 6. The NFL did not use a fixed bracket playoff system, and there were no restrictions regarding teams from the same division matching up in any round.


1998–99 NFL playoffs, Participants
In the first round, dubbed the wild-card playoffs or wild-card weekend, the third-seeded division winner hosted the sixth seed wild card, and the fourth seed hosted the fifth. The 1 and 2 seeds from each conference then received a bye in the first round. In the second round, the divisional playoffs, the number 1 seed hosted the worst surviving seed from the first round (seed 4, 5 or 6), while the number 2 seed played the other team (seed 3, 4 or 5).


1998–99 NFL playoffs, Participants
The two surviving teams from each conference's divisional playoff games then meet in the respective AFC and NFC Conference Championship games, hosted by the higher seed. Although the Super Bowl, the fourth and final round of the playoffs, was played at a neutral site, the designated home team was based on an annual rotation by conference.


1998–99 NFL playoffs, Schedule
Under the new U.S. television broadcast contracts that took effect starting this season, CBS replaced NBC as the broadcaster of most of the AFC playoff games. ABC continued to broadcast the first two Wild Card playoff games. Fox televised the rest of the NFC games and Super Bowl XXXIII.


1998–99 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, January 2, 1999, AFC: Miami Dolphins 24, Buffalo Bills 17
The Dolphins forced five Bills turnovers, including Buffalo quarterback Doug Flutie's fumble at the Miami 5-yard line with 17 seconds left in the game. Buffalo's wide receiver Eric Moulds set an NFL postseason record with 240 receiving yards, including a 32-yard touchdown catch.


1998–99 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, January 2, 1999, AFC: Miami Dolphins 24, Buffalo Bills 17
The Bills had a great scoring chance when Moulds caught a 65-yard pass from Flutie on the first play from scrimmage, but Terrell Buckley knocked the ball out of his hands and safety Brock Marion recovered the fumble, returning it 17 yards to the Miami 29. Miami then drove 57 yards in 16 plays to score on kicker Olindo Mare's 31-yard field goal. After forcing a punt, Miami went on another long field goal drive, this one covering 66 yards in 11 plays, including a 22-yard reception by Ed Perry and two pass interference calls against Buffalo for a total of 26 yards.


1998–99 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, January 2, 1999, AFC: Miami Dolphins 24, Buffalo Bills 17
Mare's 40-yard field goal gave the Dolphins a 6–0 lead with over 10 minutes left in the second quarter, but a failed surprise onside kick attempt gave Buffalo the ball on the Dolphins 42. Moulds then caught a 37-yard pass to set up Thurman Thomas' 1-yard touchdown run. Near the end of the half, Buffalo drove to the Dolphins 6-yard line, but Marion intercepted a pass from Flutie in the end zone with less than a minute left on the clock. Miami also blew a scoring chance as Dan Marino completed a 52-yard pass to Oronde Gadsden at the Bills 9-yard line on the next play, but Mare missed a 26-yard field goal on the last play of the half.


1998–99 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, January 2, 1999, AFC: Miami Dolphins 24, Buffalo Bills 17
In the third quarter, Miami got an early scoring chance when Derrick Rodgers forced a fumble while sacking Flutie that linebacker Zach Thomas recovered on the Bills 40-yard line. But the Bills defense only allowed three yards over the next three plays and forced a punt. Miami's defense then returned the favor by forcing Buffalo to punt after three plays, and O. J. McDuffie returned Chris Mohr's 39-yard kick 20 yards to the Dolphins 48-yard line.


1998–99 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, January 2, 1999, AFC: Miami Dolphins 24, Buffalo Bills 17
Miami went on to take a 14–7 lead with a 12-play, 52-yard drive to score on Karim Abdul-Jabbar's 3-yard run (and Stanley Pritchett's 2-point conversion). However, Buffalo stormed right back with a 4-play, 81-yard touchdown drive to tie the game, taking advantage of a pass interference call against Patrick Surtain that gave them 29 yards. On the next play, Flutie's 23-yard completion to Moulds moved the ball to the Miami 32-yard line, and he ended up finishing the drive with a 32-yard touchdown completion to Moulds with less than a minute left in the quarter.


1998–99 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, January 2, 1999, AFC: Miami Dolphins 24, Buffalo Bills 17
On Miami's opening drive of the fourth quarter, Marino completed 5/5 passes for 54 yards on a 75-yard drive that ended with Mare's third field goal, giving the Dolphins a 17–14 lead. Then Jerry Wilson forced a fumble while tackling Andre Reed, and Buckley recovered the ball for Miami at midfield, leading to Marino's 11-yard touchdown pass to Lamar Thomas that made the score a 10-point game at 24–14 with 3:42 left on the clock.


1998–99 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, January 2, 1999, AFC: Miami Dolphins 24, Buffalo Bills 17
With time running out in the game, Flutie completed a 31-yard pass to Moulds and then threw the ball to Reed, who was tackled on the Miami 1-yard line. Believing he had scored, Reed argued vehemently with the referee Steve Zimmer and bumped into him, drawing an unsportsmanlike conduct foul that got the receiver ejected from the game. It also pushed the Bills back 15 yards and left them facing second and goal from the 15 instead of the 1. Flutie's next two passes were incomplete, forcing the Bills to settle for Steve Christie's 33-yard field goal with 1:47 left. Buffalo subsequently recovered an onside kick and drove 64 yards in 10 plays to the Dolphins 5-yard line. But as Flutie stepped up to make a throw, he lost the ball while being sacked by Miami's Trace Armstrong and lineman Shane Burton recovered the fumble.


1998–99 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, January 2, 1999, AFC: Miami Dolphins 24, Buffalo Bills 17
"There wasn't any doubt he was in", Bills coach Wade Phillips said about Reed's ejection after the game. "That game looks a lot different at the end. With Andre Reed in the game and us only down 3, we would have done some different things at the end."


1998–99 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, January 2, 1999, AFC: Miami Dolphins 24, Buffalo Bills 17
This was the fourth postseason meeting between the Bills and Dolphins. Buffalo won all three previous meetings.


1998–99 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, January 2, 1999, NFC: Arizona Cardinals 20, Dallas Cowboys 7
Quarterback Jake Plummer passed for 213 yards and two touchdowns as he led the Cardinals to their first playoff victory since 1947, ending the longest playoff win drought in NFL history. Their victory was especially satisfying against the Cowboys, who defeated them twice during the season (38–10 on opening day and 35–28 in week 11).


1998–99 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, January 2, 1999, NFC: Arizona Cardinals 20, Dallas Cowboys 7
Arizona running back Adrian Murrell rushed for 95 yards and caught two passes for 16 yards and a touchdown, while their defense sacked Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman four times (twice by linebacker Jamir Miller and two more by Andre Wadsworth) and intercepted three of his passes (two by cornerback Aeneas Williams).


1998–99 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, January 2, 1999, NFC: Arizona Cardinals 20, Dallas Cowboys 7
Dallas had a chance to score on their second drive when Tyrone Hughes returned an Arizona punt 11 yards to the Cowboys 38. Aikman then led the team to the Cardinals 19-yard line, but the drive ended there and Richie Cunningham missed a 36-yard field goal attempt. On the first play of the Cardinals' following possession, Plummer completed a 59-yard pass to receiver Frank Sanders, setting up Murrell's 12-yard touchdown catch a few plays later.


1998–99 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, January 2, 1999, NFC: Arizona Cardinals 20, Dallas Cowboys 7
In the second quarter, the Cowboys got another scoring opportunity when cornerback Kevin Mathis picked off a pass from Plummer on the Dallas 37. Dallas went on to drive to the Cardinals 7-yard line. On fourth and 1, the Cowboys tried to convert with a run by Emmitt Smith, but he was stopped by linebacker Mark Maddox, who broke through the line and dropped him for a 1-yard loss.


1998–99 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, January 2, 1999, NFC: Arizona Cardinals 20, Dallas Cowboys 7
Dallas' three remaining drives of the half would result in an interception by Williams and two punts, the second which was returned 10 yards to the Cardinals 38 by running back Eric Metcalf with less than two minutes left in the half. Plummer then completed a 15-yard pass to receiver Rob Moore and a 20 yarder to Metcalf, setting up a 37-yard Chris Jacke field goal that gave Arizona a 10–0 lead going into halftime.


1998–99 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, January 2, 1999, NFC: Arizona Cardinals 20, Dallas Cowboys 7
On the second play of the second half, Murrell took off for a 74-yard run to the Cowboys 3-yard line. It was the longest postseason run ever surrendered by the Cowboys in their 52-postseason game history. On the next play, Plummer threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to fullback Larry Centers, making the score 17–0. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Williams recorded his second interception from Aikman, setting up a 46-yard field goal by Jacke.


1998–99 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, January 2, 1999, NFC: Arizona Cardinals 20, Dallas Cowboys 7
Now desperate for points, Dallas tried to convert a fourth and 1 deep in their own territory, only to have Aikman get sacked by Miller for a 10-yard loss. An interception by Darren Woodson prevented Arizona from scoring, but with only ten minutes remaining on the clock, there was little hope for a comeback. All Dallas could do was avoid a shutout when Deion Sanders' 41-yard punt return set up Aikman's 6-yard touchdown pass to Billy Davis with 3:33 left in the game.


1998–99 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, January 2, 1999, NFC: Arizona Cardinals 20, Dallas Cowboys 7
It was the last time ABC aired a game between these two teams, after six games on Monday Night Football. ESPN finally aired a game between these two in 2017 (though they did meet on Sunday night on ESPN once). It was the last playoff game at Texas Stadium until 2007.


1998–99 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, January 2, 1999, NFC: Arizona Cardinals 20, Dallas Cowboys 7
Arizona ended a nine-game losing streak at Texas Stadium; their previous win was during the Cowboys' 1–15 season of 1989. This was just the Cardinals' second victory vs. the Cowboys in the previous 18 meetings, the other being a 25–22 overtime victory in week two of 1997 at Sun Devil Stadium. Arizona lost its last four visits to Texas Stadium between 1999 and 2005, and finished with an all-time mark of 5–27 in the facility.


1998–99 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, January 2, 1999, NFC: Arizona Cardinals 20, Dallas Cowboys 7
This was the first postseason meeting between the Cardinals and Cowboys.


1998–99 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, January 3, 1999, AFC: Jacksonville Jaguars 25, New England Patriots 10
Running back Fred Taylor ran for 162 yards and a touchdown as the Jaguars won their first home playoff game in team history. Jacksonville kicker Mike Hollis contributed four field goals. Patriots running back Robert Edwards, who rushed for 1,115 yards and nine touchdowns during the season, was held to 28 yards on 17 carries.


1998–99 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, January 3, 1999, AFC: Jacksonville Jaguars 25, New England Patriots 10
The Patriots, playing without starting quarterback Drew Bledsoe, receiver Terry Glenn and linebacker Ted Johnson due to injuries, could not score any points in the first half. Hollis opened up the scoring with two field goals. The second one was set up by a 46-yard run by Taylor and followed two overthrown passes by quarterback Mark Brunell to receiver Keenan McCardell and running back George Jones, who were both wide open in the end zone. Brunell struggled throughout most of the game, finishing with just 14 of 34 completions for 161 yards.


1998–99 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, January 3, 1999, AFC: Jacksonville Jaguars 25, New England Patriots 10
Later in the second quarter, Taylor's 21-yard run gave his team a first down on the Patriots 34-yard line. Four plays later, he scored on a 13-yard touchdown run, giving his team a 12–0 lead after a failed 2-point conversion attempt. Jacksonville got another chance to score when cornerback Aaron Beasley recovered a fumble from Edwards on the Jags 49-yard line. But New England's defense managed to force a turnover on downs at the Patriots 23-yard line, and the score would remain 12–0 going into halftime.


1998–99 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, January 3, 1999, AFC: Jacksonville Jaguars 25, New England Patriots 10
In the third quarter, Patriots quarterback Scott Zolak managed to spark a rally. First he led New England 85 yards, including a 21-yard completion to Troy Brown on third and 9, on a drive that consumed 8:48 off the clock and ended with a 1-yard touchdown run from Edwards. Their defense quickly forced a punt, and Brown returned it 17 yards to the Patriots 46-yard line, where the team proceeded to drive to the Jacksonville 9. Following a dropped pass by tight end Lovett Purnell on third down, Adam Vinatieri's 27-yard field goal cut it to 12–10.


1998–99 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, January 3, 1999, AFC: Jacksonville Jaguars 25, New England Patriots 10
But on the Jaguars ensuing possession, Brunell threw a pass to receiver Jimmy Smith, who managed to break past defensive back Ty Law and make a 37-yard touchdown catch in the back of the end zone. After a punt from each team, Jacksonville lineman Joel Smeenge forced a fumble while sacking Zolak that defensive end Tony Brackens recovered on the Patriots 25-yard line, setting up Hollis' third field goal. He added a fourth field goal to close out the scoring after the Patriots turned the ball over on downs deep in their own territory on their next possession. Then on New England's final play, Zolak was intercepted by safety Chris Hudson.


1998–99 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, January 3, 1999, AFC: Jacksonville Jaguars 25, New England Patriots 10
This would be the Jags' only victory against the Patriots, in either the regular or postseason, until Week 2 of the 2018 regular season. It would also be the Patriots' last playoff loss until 2005.


1998–99 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, January 3, 1999, AFC: Jacksonville Jaguars 25, New England Patriots 10
This was the second postseason meeting between the Patriots and Jaguars. New England won the only prior meeting.


1998–99 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, January 3, 1999, NFC: San Francisco 49ers 30, Green Bay Packers 27
The 49ers defeated the Packers, who had eliminated them from the playoffs in each of the past three seasons, in one of the wildest back-and-forth games in league history in what would be the last hurrah in the 49ers dynasty.


1998–99 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, January 3, 1999, NFC: San Francisco 49ers 30, Green Bay Packers 27
Both teams took advantage of each other's turnovers and mistakes throughout the game. In the first quarter, Green Bay safety Pat Terrell's recovery of a fumble from receiver Terrell Owens set up a 48-yard drive that ended with a Ryan Longwell field goal. But later in the quarter, Chris Doleman recovered a fumble from Dorsey Levens on the Packers 17-yard line. Two plays later, Steve Young threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Greg Clark, giving San Francisco a 7–3 lead.


1998–99 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, January 3, 1999, NFC: San Francisco 49ers 30, Green Bay Packers 27
The Packers offense responded by driving 62 yards in nine plays, and Levens made up for his miscue with a 22-yard run to the 49ers 2-yard line on fourth down and 1. On the next play, quarterback Brett Favre finished the drive with a 2-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Freeman four seconds into the second quarter.


1998–99 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, January 3, 1999, NFC: San Francisco 49ers 30, Green Bay Packers 27
Later in the second quarter, 49ers defensive back R. W. McQuarters returned a punt 19 yards to the 47-yard line. Running back Garrison Hearst then rushed three times for 28 yards on a 37-yard drive that ended with a field goal by Wade Richey, tying the game at 10. But before the half ended, the Packers retook the lead with a 9-play, 83-yard drive, aided by two 15-yard penalties against San Francisco. Levens finished the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run, giving Green Bay a 17–10 halftime lead.


1998–99 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, January 3, 1999, NFC: San Francisco 49ers 30, Green Bay Packers 27
Early in the third quarter, 49ers linebacker Lee Woodall intercepted a pass from Favre and returned it 17 yards to the Packers 33-yard line. Four plays later, Owens dropped a pass in the end zone, but Young threw his second touchdown pass to Clark on the next play, tying the score at 17. Then after forcing a punt, they took the lead by driving 48 yards and scoring with a 48-yard field goal by Richey.


1998–99 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, January 3, 1999, NFC: San Francisco 49ers 30, Green Bay Packers 27
In the fourth quarter, the Packers drove 60 yards in 11 plays, featuring a 33-yard reception by fullback William Henderson, and scored a 37-yard field goal to tie the game. But on the 49ers ensuing drive, a 34-yard completion for Young to Owens set up another Richey field goal to put them back in the lead, 23–20. With 6:16 left in the game, 49ers cornerback Darnell Walker intercepted a pass from Favre and returned it to the Packers 40-yard line, giving his team a chance to put it out of reach. But after two runs by Hearst failed to make a significant gain, Owens dropped a potential first-down catch, his fourth drop of the day, and San Francisco had to punt.


1998–99 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, January 3, 1999, NFC: San Francisco 49ers 30, Green Bay Packers 27
Taking the ball back at their own 11-yard line with 4:19 remaining, Favre led the Packers back to retake the lead on a 15-yard touchdown pass to Freeman at the end of an 89-yard drive, featuring a 47-yard completion to seldom-used rookie receiver Corey Bradford. But San Francisco responded with an equally impressive drive, in which Jerry Rice visibly fumbled on his first reception of the game, but was ruled down by contact even though replays appeared to show the ball came out before his knee hit the ground.


1998–99 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, January 3, 1999, NFC: San Francisco 49ers 30, Green Bay Packers 27
The use of instant replay challenges was not in effect until the following year, allowing the drive to continue behind Young, who completed seven of nine passes on a 76-yard drive for the winning score. Owens, who had dropped four passes and lost a fumble, caught the 25-yard winning touchdown pass with three seconds left in the game.


1998–99 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, January 3, 1999, NFC: San Francisco 49ers 30, Green Bay Packers 27
Hearst finished the game with 128 rushing yards and three receptions for 15 yards. Levens rushed for 116 yards, caught six passes for 37 yards, and scored a touchdown. Favre threw for 292 yards and two touchdowns, while Young passed for 182 yards and three scores. Both Young and Favre were intercepted twice. Packers receiver Roell Preston set a postseason franchise record with 198 kickoff return yards.


1998–99 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, January 3, 1999, NFC: San Francisco 49ers 30, Green Bay Packers 27
This game was later featured on the NFL's Greatest Games as The Catch II.


1998–99 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, January 3, 1999, NFC: San Francisco 49ers 30, Green Bay Packers 27
This was the fourth postseason meeting between the Packers and 49ers. Green Bay won all three previous meetings.


1998–99 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, January 9, 1999, NFC: Atlanta Falcons 20, San Francisco 49ers 18
Atlanta running back Jamal Anderson rushed for 113 yards and two touchdowns, while the Falcons defense intercepted three passes from quarterback Steve Young as they barely escaped with a victory in the first playoff game ever played at the Georgia Dome. This would eventually prove to be the final postseason game in Young's Hall of Fame career, as well as the final game for 49ers defensive end Chris Doleman, who finished his 14-season career with 142.5 sacks.