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SALT LAKE CITY — You know the play. Bryon Russell inbounded the ball to John Stockton. Stockton took one dribble, and pulled up from outside the 3-point arc. The Shot went in, nothing but net. Stockton leaped, fist in the air, and celebrated with his teammates surrounding him.
But it wasn't 1997, as much as that feeling was in the air. This happened in 2017.
Stockton, Russell, Greg Ostertag, Antoine Carr, Howard Eisley, Chris Morris, Adam Keefe, and Stephen Howard gathered Wednesday to celebrate the 20-year anniversary of that 1996-97 team, the winningest team in Jazz franchise history. Coaches Jerry Sloan, Phil Johnson, Kenny Natt, and David Fredman joined in as well.
Given free rein of the Zions Bank Basketball Center, the 1997 team chatted, catching up on where they are now and remembering where they were then. They shot hoops, with each other and with their children. They laughed with each other, taking advantage of Karl Malone's absence to get a few jokes in at his expense. And mostly, they were happy to be a team again.
They also came together to see Sloan again, their coach who was diagnosed with Parkinson's and Lewy body dementia in 2016. "It's kind of sad. I kind of get a little bit emotional because he gave me the opportunity to play," bench wingman Chris Morris said. "He taught me a lot. He made me more of a man when I got here."
"He made me want it. He made me work. He had faith and believed in me," Russell said. "I don't know how many coaches take time with players at that level."
"Jerry definitely is a father figure for most of us. He's also a mentor, he's also a teacher, he's a guy who eliminated all of the nonsense," Stockton said. "He shared his love for this game, and made us understand that it isn't about us. It isn't about how much jewelry you can get out of the deal."
Up and down the 1997 roster, players credited Sloan for the style of play that led to 64 wins and an NBA Finals appearance.
"Teams knew what we were going to run and we would execute and score. It was just a lot of fun to be a part of this team, because we would just beat people, physically and mentally," Greg Ostertag, the team's starting center, said.
At the Jazz game against the Knicks Wednesday night, Sloan and the rest of the players, coaches, front office staff, and even athletic trainers for the team will be honored at halftime. Jeff Hornacek and Howard Eisley, Knicks coaches and members of the 1997 Jazz squad, will join the group that gathered this morning, celebrating their appearance in the NBA Finals, and of course, Stockton's shot.
"I had probably shot that shot a hundred times in my head. Maybe a thousand times as a kid. It was quiet," Stockton said. "All I could think was 'follow through. Finish the shot.' That one followed through, and it found its mark."
Quiet, but not silent, Russell said.
"You couldn't hear anything but Jazz screaming on the court."
