On April 24th, after several days of rest, the NBA 1996-1997 season playoffs ignited.
In the Western Conference, the Utah Jazz achieved their first-ever division regular season top ranking, facing the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round, a matchup without much suspense.
The third-seeded Houston Rockets will face the sixth-ranked Phoenix Suns in the first round; they fell short in the battle for fourth against the Seattle SuperSonics.
If they win this round, they will meet the winner between the Trail Blazers and the Minnesota Timberwolves in the semifinals—this is the first time the Timberwolves have made the playoffs since their founding.
The SuperSonics face the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round; although avoiding the Trail Blazers in the semifinals, they now face a tough opponent in the first round.
