The J-Notes
Fansided

10 best individual Finals preformances in Utah Jazz history

By Jonah Kubicek

Michael Jordan (L) of the Chicago Bulls smiles while standing next to Karl Malone of the Utah Jazz 07 June in the first half of game three of the NBA Finals at the United Center in Chicago, IL. The seven game series is tied at 1-1. AFP PHOTO Jeff HAYNES (Photo by JEFF HAYNES / AFP) (Photo by JEFF HAYNES/AFP via Getty Images)
Michael Jordan (L) of the Chicago Bulls smiles while standing next to Karl Malone of the Utah Jazz 07 June in the first half of game three of the NBA Finals at the United Center in Chicago, IL. The seven game series is tied at 1-1. AFP PHOTO Jeff HAYNES (Photo by JEFF HAYNES / AFP) (Photo by JEFF HAYNES/AFP via Getty Images) /
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Karl Malone and John Stockton of the Utah Jazz (GEORGE FREY/AFP via Getty Images) /

#1: Karl Malone – 1998 Game Five

The last Finals win in franchise history. We all know what happened in the game after this, but the Jazz were able to stun the world and get a win in Chicago, which was no easy feat. In this game, Malone was perhaps the best version of himself ever.

He started with nine rebounds, just shy of a double-double, but in an elimination game, there are bigger fish to fry.  Five assists, because it’s a team game after all, and an insane 39 points on 17/27 shooting. Is it one of the best games in Finals history, period? Oh yeah, it is.

The Jazz only won this game by two points. Only Antoine Carr managed to rack up a double-digit game. Stockton added five steals and 12 assists, as he tended to do, but Russell and Hornacek were non-factors in this game. Had the Jazz won this series, Game Five would have been the career game that defined Karl Malone for future generations. This is one of the best games in NBA history, but since the Jazz lost the series, people forgot about it.

Next. The time Karl Malone pancaked Isiah Thomas. dark

It’s worth noting that Malone alone outscored Pippen and Jordan. Those are two of the best players ever, and Malone outplayed the duo. It’s a wonder the Jazz only won by two points. This could be the best game in Jazz history, Finals or not.