Today, we revisit the 1994 NBA Playoffs and the Utah Jazz's run to the Western Conference Finals. While we all know how that season ended, many people don't realize how good that Jazz team could have been had things gone differently.
The Jazz finished 53-29 during the regular season in 1993-94, good for third in their division (behind Houston and San Antonio), which gave them the No. 5 seed in the West.
The Jazz didn't have homecourt in the first round, but were still able to manhandle the 55-27 San Antonio Spurs and NBA MVP runner-up David Robinson in a 3-1 opening round victory.
In the second round, the Jazz were given a gift, on first glance - Denver had upset the one-seeded Seattle in five games and upended the playoff picture in the West. And the Jazz would take full advantage of the youthful Nuggets, going up 3-0 and putting Denver on the brink of elimination.
However, the remainder of that series became a quagmire as Denver clawed back and tied the series 3-3, making the Jazz expend a lot more energy than needed, which cost them down the road.
While the Jazz did win Game 7 against Denver to advance to the West Finals, they were clearly spent and struggled against the Houston Rockets and league MVP Hakeem Olajuwon, losing 4-1 and sending the Jazz home short of the NBA Finals once again.
The new timeline
In today's multiverse example, Utah is still up 3-0 in the second round, but in a close Game 4 with a different outcome, they defeat the Nuggets, ending the Cinderella run of Dikembe Mutombo's dreams. This would make a world of difference, since they would get needed rest in preparation for the West Finals.
The Houston vs. Phoenix West Semifinal series would also end up differently - remember, Houston went down 0-2 at home in that series, and was derided as "Choke City" by some fans and media.
The Rockets will still win Game 3 in this reality, but by a closer margin, and Phoenix would rebound in Game 4 at home to take a 3-1 series lead. Game 5 in Houston would go the Rockets' way, but Phoenix would close out the series in Game 6 and advance to their second straight Western Conference Finals to take on the Jazz.
1994 Western Conference Finals, Utah vs. Phoenix
With a West Finals matchup stacked with recent All-Stars (Malone, Stockton, Barkley, Kevin Johnson, Jeff Hornacek, Dan Majerle), Phoenix and Utah would go head-to-head in a tough series that would rely on the premier players, and see a revenge factor for Jazzmen Jeff Hornacek and Tom Chambers.
Both former Suns would be going against a team and system that they knew well, and would pass that knowledge to their teammates and coaches in preparation for the Suns.
And remember - neither Utah nor Phoenix had stellar centers that year. Felton Spencer manned the middle for the Jazz, with Tom Chambers providing backup minutes, while the Suns had Oliver Miller, Joe Kleine, and an aging Mark West.
Phoenix would have homecourt in this series, and likely would win Game 1 with their faster paced attack. Utah would counter in Game 2 and grind things down to a lower-scoring affair, pulling out a Game 2 victory and swiping the home-court advantage.
In Game 3, the Delta Center would be rocking, and the Jazz would respond in kind by defeating the Suns to take a 2-1 lead in the series. The Suns would respond in Game 4, pushing the pace and refusing to go quietly, evening the series at 2-2.
Game 5 would be a battle, with both Malone and Barkley giving their best, and Stockton and KJ pushing the ball all over the court. Jeff Hornacek would be right at home in his old digs and go off as the Jazz pull the upset and send the series back to Salt Lake City.
Game 6 would be a fever pitch in Utah, with the Jazz fans bringing the noise like never before, knowing their team would advance to the NBA Finals with a win. Malone would deliver once again, with a strong performance that would send the Suns home for the summer and take the Utah Jazz to their first NBA Finals, while Stockton and Malone were still in their primes (ages 31 and 30, respectively).
How would that NBA Finals against the New York Knicks have gone? We'll discuss that in Part Two, coming soon.