1992-93 Utah Jazz record: 47-35, Lost Western Conference First Round 2-3 vs Seattle SuperSonics
The 1992-93 Utah Jazz had a higher winning percentage than any iteration of the team we’ve covered in this article so far. Unfortunately, a flameout in the playoffs holds this team’s ranking behind even some less impressive regular season Jazzmen.
It was Karl Malone’s age 29 season, and his counterpart John Stockton’s age 30 campaign. With both men firmly entrenched in their primes, one may expect that this Jazz squad would be among the best that Salt Lake City ever witnessed. One would be wrong for at least two reasons.
The first would be that both former Utah Jazz superstars aged into later-than-average primes. As good as Malone (27.0 points, 11..2 rebounds, 3.8 assists per game) and Stockton (15.1 points, 12.4 assists, 2.4 steals) were by 1993-94, they would both, remarkably, get better.
The second is that the duo was lacking a quality supporting cast. Jeff Malone was solid with an 18.1 point per game scoring average, but otherwise, this team was simply lacking in premiere talent. Utah Jazz legend Mark Eaton, by 36, was rapidly losing his effectiveness. He managed a humble 17.3 minutes per game in 1992-93.
Ultimately, these Utah Jazz would drop the first round to a Seattle SuperSonics club featuring a younger power forward/point guard duo in Shawn Kemp and Gary Payton, in addition to a much deeper supporting cast.
2002-03 Utah Jazz record: 47-35, Lost NBA Western Conference First Round vs Sacramento Kings (1-4)
The 1992-93 Jazz were on the cusp of greatness. The 2002-03 Jazz were desperately attempting to relive the same greatness their decade-earlier iteration were on the cusp of.
By 2002-03, Karl Malone was 39 and John Stockton was 40. Both men were still effective, but decidedly removed from their primes. Malone averaged 20.6 points, 7.8 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game, with Stockton posting 10.8 points and 7.7 assists per contest.
Meanwhile, the Jazz’s cupboards were somewhat restocked, but the job had not been finished. Matt Harpring had a career year for the Jazzmen, averaging 17.6 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. A 21-year-old Andrei Kirilenko was effective, but still a few years away from his impressive peak.
All told, it would be the Mailman’s last season in Salt Lake City, and Stockton’s last in the NBA, period.