SALT LAKE CITY — In 1985, as Utah Jazz backup center Billy Paultz was celebrating a Game 5 series-clinching win over the Houston Rockets, he said, "I'm gonna look back in 10 years and say this is one of the most satisfying wins for me personally in my career.”

It was almost like Paultz knew what was going to come a decade — or two decades or maybe even three decades — later.

That 1985 series ended up serving as a prelude to a series that became one of the league’s best in the 1990s and just keeps continuing.

So maybe it shouldn’t have been too big of a surprise that even against very long odds, the Rockets and Jazz are set to play each other yet again.

“It’s almost like the basketball gods wanted us to play Houston,” Jazz center Rudy Gobert said.

On Sunday, the Rockets and Jazz will begin their ninth series against each other. It’s been a series filled with iconic moments, Hall-of-Fame players and plenty of contempt.

Here’s a look back at the Jazz’s longest playoff rivalry.

1985: The Olajuwon slap

It's pretty easy to see why Paultz considered Game 5 in Utah's 3-2 series win one of his most satisfying victories.

The backup center was forced into playing increased minutes after Mark Eaton had gone down with a hyper-extended knee. And Hakeem Olajuwon sure didn't like him — at all.

Olajuwon, then just a rookie, elbowed Paultz in the face during a post up and then later full on slapped him.

Interesting facts: This was the first playoff series for rookie guard John Stockton. He played nearly 18 minutes per game, averaging 5.8 points and 3.8 assists.

Quotable: ”I don’t do many smart things, but the reason I got Billy Paultz was exactly for this type of day.” — Frank Layden after Game 5

1994: The clock incident

There is one play that lives on from this series.

It wasn’t a play that had an impact on who won the series — or even a game — but it angered many in the Houston area and helped add to the lore of Utah’s famed homecourt advantage.

With 13.5 seconds left in Game 4, the Jazz inbounded the ball down 90-88. There was just one problem: the clock didn't start. And it didn’t for about eight seconds, as the Jazz worked the ball around.

The “clock incident,” however, didn’t end up helping the home team. Tom Chambers missed a midrange jumper and Houston grabbed the rebound and ran out the remaining time to take a commanding 3-1 series lead before finishing off the series in Game 5.

Interesting fact: This was the first of four Jazz-Rockets matchups over the next five seasons. The winner of each one eventually ended up in the NBA Finals.

Quotable: “Boy, that’s one of the dirtiest plays I have ever seen. … You talk about a homecourt advantage.” — Rockets radio broadcaster Gene Peterson after the clock didn’t start

1995: The one that got away

For the first time in franchise history, the Jazz won 60 games and entered the playoffs as one of the favorites for the title. Utah held the second-best record in the league, but due to division winners getting the top seeds, the Jazz had to settle for the third seed and a matchup with the defending champion Rockets right out of the gate. And it didn't end well.

The Rockets came back from a seven-point deficit in the final five minutes of Game 5 to shock the Jazz and win the series, 3-2.

"I feel bad for Utah," Hakeem Olajuwon said. "They played hard all season. I'm just happy this series is over. That is a championship team we beat.”

Interesting facts: The No. 6-seed Rockets are the lowest seeded team to ever win an NBA championship.

Quotable: "Despite what you may think, this does not stack up as one of my all-time low moments.” — Karl Malone

1997: The Shot

All of the Jazz’s previous playoff heartbreaks were forgotten with one swish of a net.

John Stockton’s game-winning 3-pointer that sent the Jazz to their first NBA Finals is without a doubt the greatest shot in Jazz history. It would have been regardless of the opponent, but it makes it a little sweeter that it came against the Rockets.

Interesting facts: The Jazz trailed by as many as 13 in the final quarter of Game 6 and were down by 10 with three minutes remaining before coming back and setting up “The Shot.”

Quotable: “These guys have been criticized the last few years for not getting to where we’re going, but I’ve always said that the most important thing in sports is to keep trying. Let this be an example of what it means to say it’s never over.” — Jerry Sloan

1998: A near disaster

Did an accidental elbow save the 1998 Jazz from infamy?

This year once again showed the seeds and records didn't matter much during this era of the rivalry. Despite having the NBA’s best record, the Jazz trailed 1-0 and 2-1 in the opening round series. But when Greg Foster and Charles Barkley collided in Game 4 — a collision that ended Barkley’s season with an injured right tricep — the series turned.

Houston scored only 29 points in the second half of Game 4, as Utah rolled to a 93-71 win and then to another easy one in Game 5 at home.

"We didn't have enough energy and we didn't have any firepower off the bench after we lost Charles to injury," Clyde Drexler said.

Interesting fact: Game 5 was Drexler’s final NBA game.

Quotable: "We felt very confident that we could win this. But nobody cares about that. It's over." — Houston coach Rudy Tomjanovich

2007: AK tears

Following a practice in between the first two games of the series, Andrei Kirilenko used a towel to wipe away tears. The reason for his sadness and frustration: he had only played 16 minutes in Utah's Game 1 loss.

"I'm not trying to hurt anybody's feelings or anything," Jerry Sloan said. "My job is to win. The way you do that is to have everybody play hard and play well. We can't do it any other way. We need Andrei's play. We need him to come and play."

And in Game 7, it was Kirilenko who hit a key fourth-quarter 3-pointer to help the Jazz to the 4-3 series victory.

Interesting fact: This series featured the fourth win-or-go-home game in the rivalry, but the first Game 7.

Quotable: "It's a great win for our young guys. I couldn't be happier." — Jerry Sloan

2008: McGrady gets sarcastic

After the Jazz won the first two games in Houston, the series had a feeling of inevitability to it (Utah would go on to win 4-2).

That's something even Houston's Tracy McGrady seemed to feel as he continually got questioned about how he hadn't made it out of the first round.

“It’s my fault,” McGrady said sarcastically. “It’s my fault we are missing free throws. It’s my fault we lost both games. It’s my fault that, you know, that we fouled to tie the game up with I think there was a minute left and one of the wings fouled, that was my fault.

“It's my fault they are getting easy layups,” he continued. “It’s my fault we are not executing well enough on the offensive end. It’s my fault a couple people in the stands ordered Heinekens and got Budweisers. It’s my fault. I’m sorry.”

Interesting fact: The Jazz had the best home record in the league during the regular season with a 37-4 mark and won just 17 games on the road. Yet, the Jazz won the first two games on the road and lost the third on the road. Shrug.

Quotable: "Memo saved my butt. I ought to give him something. I ought to buy him a car or something.” — Deron Williams after Mehmet Okur made two free throws following two Williams’ misses in the closing moments of Game 4

2018: Mitchell's frustration and put back

The Jazz were overmatched in this five-game series with the Rockets' four wins coming by an average of 14.5 points. But that didn’t stop it from having some memorable moments.

Donovan Mitchell had putback dunk in Game 2 that quickly went viral. And then, after Game 4, Mitchell was caught on camera frustratingly talking about James Harden's, um, craftiness as he walked to the Jazz locker room.

“If that’s what he needs to be the (expletive) MVP," Mitchell said to no one in particular. "(Expletive) it.”

He later apologized and said he regretted the rant.

“Obviously he’s the MVP,” Mitchell said. “There’s no doubt about that. But you know, I’m pretty sure we’ve all said things that, you know, in the heat of the moment you get upset.”

Interesting fact: This was the first time in the long history of the rivalry that the Jazz and Rockets faced in the second round.

Quotable: “I just happened to be up there, so I figure why come down with it?” — Donovan Mitchell after his putback dunk

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