Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — It’s been 20 years since John Stockton hit the biggest shot in Utah Jazz history, and this week has been about celebrating the historic 1997 Western Conference champions with reunions, highlights and re-enactments of The Shot.
Stockton’s buzzer-beater against Houston sent the Jazz to their first-ever NBA Finals, and the Jazz finished with a franchise-best 64 wins. The team was honored at halftime of Wednesday night’s game with the Knicks, coached by former Jazzman Jeff Hornacek.
Before the game, head coach Jerry Sloan, owner Gail Miller and Stockton relived the magic of a special moment in Utah and Jazz history.
“We ran that play a ton,” Stockton said. “I remember as I started to curl, it felt like the whole Rockets team was waiting for me to curl right into them. The ball was in my hands; Bryon didn’t get paid to pass, but when you think of the timing of the game, it was crucial. He read the same thing we read.
“The only thought I had as I was taking the dribble was ‘follow through.’ Guys like me don’t have the purest jump shot, so I just snapped my wrist and let it fly. I guess the rest is history.”
It was one of his normally stoic coach's happiest moments caught on camera, too.
“I don’t even remember what happened after that,” Sloan said. “I was so excited, but I wasn’t going to bounce too much.
“That was all the bouncing I could do. My legs were a little better back then.”
Yet Stockton has little time to reimagine The Shot 20 years later; he’s been pretty busy as a prominent Gonzaga alum and booster and part-time basketball coach watching his children play at Gonzaga, Montana State and Westminster College.
“When it’s brought up, it’s brought up,” Stockton said. “It’s an emotional feeling, so I guess I don’t like to go there much, just like if something was really bad. I just try to stay in the center and stay busy.
“It isn’t a daily thought, I assure you.”
Of course, he could still re-create it for the media when prompted Wednesday morning.
Stockton’s teammates still love sharing their memories of that night. Bryon Russell was the guy who made the inbounds pass on the play that no Jazz fan will ever forget, and he told KSL Sports that he will never forget the silence of a stunned crowd in Houston.
“It’s still there in my mind; I won’t ever forget that,” he said. “I took the ball out, Stockton came up to the top, and Stockton was wide open.
“Thank you, Charles (Barkley); I’m glad you backed up.”
Trying to guard Michael Jordan was always a monumental task, but Russell did it as well as anyone in the league at a time when Chicago ruled the roost.
“I studied Mike the last five minutes of every fourth quarter he played in the playoffs,” Russell said. “I pretty much knew what he would do. He’s a resilient guy, and that ultimate competitiveness that he has made him the best.”
After the 1997 and 1998 seasons, which both ended with losses to Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, many of the Jazz players began to go their separate ways. Most of them hadn’t seen each other since they left the Jazz until Wednesday’s reunion tour.
But after hanging out with them, you quickly realize why that was such a special team. More than teammates, the bond they forged during that remarkable run came back together as old friends reunited.
“It’s an incredible time, to see some of these guys,” former assistant coach Phil Johnson said. “It’s an incredible time, and to see some of these guys come back is great.”
They’ve all changed, aged, and some have even grown significant facial hair — like the one-time baby-faced Greg Ostertag, who now sports a chin full of gray whiskers.
“I’m not a pretender,” he joked with Russell. “I’m OK with my grayness.”
Added Stockton: “I looked around, and thought everybody looked pretty good. I thought everybody represented pretty well.
“That was fun. You don’t want anyone to come limping in and show too much wear and tear. You want your friends to live healthy lives, and everyone has.”
Chris Morris can still shoot the jumper, and Antoine Carr still prides himself on his defensive quickness. But few have aged less than Stockton.
“You didn’t think he was going to age, did you?” Carr said. “Nobody can keep up with him.”
Yes, the bond is still tight between arguably the greatest Jazz team in history.
“We believed in each other,” Carr said. “We knew that if one guy went down, someone would step up. We knew that we had guys on the bench waiting to go, itching to go, and coach knew what he could do with it.”
Perhaps most important, though, was the coach — Sloan was the most special figure of them all.
“You hear these guys talk reverently of Jerry,” Stockton said. “It’s neat to see; Jerry eliminated the nonsense. Guys came here from other systems, and the nonsense all went bye bye. You got to concentrate on your friends, teammates and coaches.
“It was a great locker room, a great bus, and it finished off with a great season for us.”
Of course Stockton’s shot in Houston and the Finals against Jordan come to mind first when thinking about the magical 1996-97 season. But the most important game — the one that set the tone for everything that came later — occurred Nov. 27, 1996.
The Jazz put in the biggest comeback in NBA history against the Denver Nuggets, and 20 years later, it’s still hard to believe. The Jazz were down 34 at halftime, then flipped the switch.
Karl Malone had 31 points, and Hornacek scored 29, and the Jazz came back to beat the Nuggets by four.
Click the video above to relive that special moment, as well as a special edition Jazz highlight reel from the 1996-97 season.
