1984-85 Utah Jazz record: 41-41, Lost NBA Western Conference Semifinals 1-4 vs Denver Nuggets
Just like the 2005-06 version of the Utah Jazz, the club finished an even .500 in 1984-85 at 41-41. The major difference between those two historic squads, however, is that this version made the playoffs.
They actually managed to do some damage when they got there as well, upsetting the Houston Rockets in the first round to advance to the Western Conference semifinals.
For more recent Utah Jazz fans, the notion of upsetting the Rockets in the playoffs has to be deeply, if not sickly, satisfying.
The Rockets were led by the twin towers of Ralph Sampson and a rookie (then) named Akeem Olajuwon. It simply wasn’t enough to stifle a Jazz attack led by franchise icons like Adrian Dantley, Mark Eaton, Darrell Griffith and Rickey Green.
Plus, the Utah Jazz had a soon-to-be franchise icon playing out his rookie season as well. John Stockton wasn’t quite ready to prove himself the greatest guard in Jazz history yet, as the rookie point guard averaged 5.6 points and 5.1 assists over the course of the 1984-85 season. That’s a far cry from the 20.6 points, 11.9 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game Olajuwon would average in his maiden campaign.
Nonetheless, Stockton and his Utah Jazz would have the last laugh, dispelling the Rockets 3-2 in what was then a 5-game first round series. They’d continue on to lose to the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference semis, but on the bright side, John Stockton wouldn’t submit such a modest statistical output for 18 more years in the National Basketball Association.