Three players were absent: Pete Maravich, who had died in 1988, at forty; Shaquille O'Neal, who was recovering from a knee injury; and Jerry West, who was scheduled to have surgery for an ear infection and could not fly.
Os tres xogadores ausentes foron: Pete Maravich, quen morrera en 1988 aos corenta anos; Shaquille O'Neal, que se estaba a recuperar dunha lesión de xeonllo; e Jerry West, que tiña programada unha intervención por unha infección de oído e non podía voar.