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(AP Photo/Bill Haber)
SALT LAKE CITY (April 5, 2009) - With Sunday's Utah Jazz's 108-94 win over the New Orleans Hornets, coupled with the Phoenix Suns' 140-116 road loss to the Dallas Mavericks, the Jazz (47-30) has officially clinched a berth in the 2009 NBA Playoffs. Jazz single game playoff tickets will go on sale Wednesday, April 8 at 10 a.m. at www.utahjazz.com, (801) 325-SEAT the EnergySolutions Arena box office as well as all Ticketmaster outlets.
The Jazz, who currently sits third in the Northwest Division, would be the seventh seed in the Western Conference and would match up with second-seeded Denver if the playoffs began today. This will mark the third straight playoff appearance for the Jazz, and the 23rd time in the last 26 seasons. The Jazz has advanced past the first round of the playoffs each of the last two seasons, falling to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games in the Conference Semifinals a year ago.
The Jazz is the third-winningest team in the NBA since the start of the 1994-95 season trailing only San Antonio and the Los Angeles Lakers. Guaranteed of finishing with a winning record, the 2008-09 season will mark the 25th time in the last 26 seasons that the Jazz have finished .500 or better. It is also the 18th time in 21 seasons at the helm that Jerry Sloan has guided the Jazz to the playoffs, and his 93 career playoff wins rank sixth in NBA history.
