Denver staved off elimination in Game 5, but in Game 6, Boozer poured in 22 points and 20 rebounds as the Jazz closed out Denver. Still, with stars Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer leading the way, and a key bench performance from (now-Nuggets forward) Paul Millsap, Utah won the next three games. Carmelo Anthony’s series-high 42 points in Game 1 staked Denver to an early lead, while the Jazz were dealt a double-whammy when sharpshooting center Mehmet Okur was lost to a torn Achilles. The top two teams in the Northwest Division finished with identical 53-29 records. In the subsequent Western Conference finals, the Jazz lost 4-1 to the Rockets. There, Karl Malone racked up 31 points, 14 rebounds and six assists, and the Nuggets were held to 38.4% shooting in a 91-81 Jazz victory. However, on the verge of a sweep, the Jazz fell 83-82 in Game 4, then also dropped tight contests in Games 5 and 6, and suddenly were facing a winner-take-all Game 7. And initially it seemed as though Denver had used up all its magic against Seattle, as the Jazz rolled to a 3-0 series lead. 1 seed, as Denver had shocked the SuperSonics. 8 Nuggets 3 (Western semifinals)Īfter knocking off the Spurs in the first round, the Jazz were suddenly matched up with a Nuggets team that was the first in NBA history to pull off a No. Rookie guard John Stockton averaged 7.8 points and 4.8 assists in only about 19 minutes per game in the series. Utah’s only victory in the series was a 131-123 win in Game 3 that briefly gave them some hope. Denver averaged 125 ppg in the series and constantly overwhelmed the Jazz with their offense. Utah was quickly brought back down to earth in the second round by the Midwest champion Nuggets, though. That changed, though, with a shocking first-round upset of the Houston Rockets team led by the then-Akeem Olajuwon and Ralph Sampson. 6 Jazz 1 (Western semifinals)Īfter going just 41-41 in the regular season, there were not high expectations surrounding the team. The Jazz were then defeated 4-2 by the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference semifinals. However, the Nuggets won Games 2 and 3, putting Utah on the brink of elimination in the best-of-five series and prompting Denver Post columnist Woody Paige to write, “The Jazz have no heart.” League scoring leader Adrian Dantley scored 39 points to carry the Jazz in Game 4, and in the finale, they blew Denver out 127-111. Their first-ever postseason game, on Apat the Salt Palace, saw them claim a 123-121 victory. 7 Nuggets 2 (first round)Īfter nine years of mostly mediocrity, the Jazz won the Midwest Division and qualified for the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.
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