#1843 pure magic

Tonight the Utah Jazz are celebrating and honoring the 1996 - 1997 Jazz team that went to the NBA Finals for the first time. Karl Malone isn't here for the celebration; he had already committed to something and was double booked. It's not exactly the same without Malone being here, but a lot of the players from that great team are in town as are the coaches. I wish I was at the game tonight. I would love to see all those guys together again.

MT and I moved to Salt Lake in 1996 and I went to as many Jazz games as I could afford to go to. I remember going to the playoffs in 1996 and some of the early rounds in 1997. Of course I never got to go to any Finals games because tickets were impossible to get, but we watched every game on TV.

One of the best memories for any Jazz fan is the shot that John Stockton made in Houston to send the Jazz to the NBA Finals for the first time. I remember that MT were living in our basement apartment over in Murray. We were sitting on the edge of our seats and when the shot went in, both MT and I jumped up and started yelling and cheering. We could hear other people in the apartment complex cheering, too. It was so great.

The vibe around the city in June of 1997 and June of 1998 (both years the Jazz ever made it to the Finals) was electric and hopeful. Of course, the Jazz lost in the Finals both of those seasons as the competition was the Chicago Bulls and one Michael Jordan. I could write a whole post of that final shot from Jordan in 1998; maybe another time.

Tonight it's all about the '96 - '97 team and that shot by John Stockton. Enjoy!