The 1997–98 NBA season was the Hawks' 49th season in the National Basketball Association, and 30th season in Atlanta. Due to the demolition of The Omni during the off-season, the Hawks played their home games between the Georgia Dome, home of the NFL's Atlanta Falcons, and the Alexander Memorial Coliseum, home of the NCAA's Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets basketball team. The Alexander Memorial Coliseum (known as "Alexander Memorial Coliseum at McDonald's Center" at the time) was also the Hawks' original home from 1968 to 1972. In the off-season, the team signed free agent Chucky Brown, and re-signed Greg Anderson, who previously played for the Hawks during the 1994–95 season. The Hawks got off to a fast start winning their first eleven games of the season. However, after a 19–5 start, they would struggle losing seven straight games between December and January, but then won six straight afterwards and held a 29–20 record at the All-Star break. The Hawks won eight of their final eleven games, finishing fourth in the Central Division with a solid 50–32 record. Dikembe Mutombo averaged 13.4 points, 11.4 rebounds and 3.4 blocks per game, and was named Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight year, and was also named to the All-NBA Third Team, and NBA All-Defensive First Team, while Steve Smith led the Hawks in scoring averaging 20.1 points per game for the second straight season. Mutombo and Smith were both selected for the 1998 NBA All-Star Game. In addition, Alan Henderson averaged 14.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per game, after replacing Christian Laettner as the team's starting power forward at midseason, and was named Most Improved Player of the Year, while Laettner provided the team with 13.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per game, and Mookie Blaylock contributed 13.2 points, 6.7 assists, led the league with 2.6 steals per game, and was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team. Tyrone Corbin provided with 10.2 points and 1.3 steals per game, and Eldridge Recasner contributed 9.3 points per game off the bench. Blaylock also finished tied in fifth place in Defensive Player of the Year voting. However, in the playoffs, the Hawks lost in four games to the Charlotte Hornets in the Eastern Conference First Round, despite a 32-point margin in a Game 3 home win over the Hornets, 96–64. Following the season, Laettner was traded to the Detroit Pistons, while Recasner and Brown