What if the Utah Jazz had advanced to the 1994 NBA Finals, instead of losing in the Western Conference Finals?
In Part I, we discussed the Jazz completing a 4-2 win over the Phoenix Suns in the West Finals, earning their first trip to the NBA Finals to face the Eastern Conference Champions, the New York Knicks.
Today we will focus on this alternate history, where the Utah Jazz take on a rugged, physical Knicks team, led by one of the greatest coaches of the sport in Pat Riley.
During the regular season, the teams had faced off twice, both won by the Jazz: 86-72 in New York, and 103-96 in Salt Lake City. With this matchup, the Knicks (57-25) would have homecourt against the Jazz (53-29).
The Knicks' offense was 21st in the NBA (98.5 points per game), while their defense was first (91.5 allowed per game). Patrick Ewing led them with 24.5 points a night, with John Starks providing 19.0 points as a strong second option.
The Jazz offense, meanwhile, was 10th in the league (101.9), while the defense ranked ninth overall (97.7). Karl Malone led the way with 25.2 points and 11.5 boards, while John Stockton had 15.1 points and a league-leading 12.6 assists, to go with 2.4 steals a night.
Utah had added Jeff Hornacek at midseason, and he fit right in next to Stockton and Malone, averaging 14.6 points, along with shooting splits of .509/.429/.891 for his 27 games after the trade.
The Knicks had added longtime Dallas Mavericks point guard Derek Harper to make up for the loss of Doc Rivers in December 1993 to a season-ending injury, and while his stats weren't gaudy (8.6 points, 4.4 assists, 1.5 steals after the deal), his defensive prowess was welcomed by Knicks fans and a big reason for their 15 game win streak late in the season that year.
How the series would play out
The Knicks would be ready in Game 1, and with a sold-out Madison Square Garden crowd, would grind out a tough win to open the series at home.
The Jazz would counter in Game 2 and get on track, as Karl Malone would go over 30 points in leading the Jazz to a surprise win to push the series back to Salt Lake City tied at 1-1.
In Game 3, John Stockton would have a game for the ages, brushing off the defense of Derek Harper and going for 20 points and 15 assists, with Karl Malone benefiting (28 points), as the Jazz rolled to a 2-1 series lead.
Game 4 would see the Knicks counter with a grinding, slowed pace that was their trademark in that season, as they would even the series 2-2 (with a few questionable elbows).
Game 5 in Utah would be a hectic affair as the Jazz looked to push the tempo, while the Knicks tried to hang on and keep things slow. Overtime would result, and the Knicks would ultimately prevail to take a 3-2 lead heading back to New York.
The Jazz would come out strong even in a rocking Madison Square Garden, opening a double-digit lead by the half. After a raucous halftime talk by Pat Riley to 'win it for Patrick', the Knicks came out in the second half and suffocated the Jazz, winning a 91-87 slugfest that earned the Knicks their first NBA title since 1973, and sadly extended the Jazz's title drought, much to the dismay of the Jazz faithful.
Still, the Jazz would enter the 1994 offseason with renewed hope, knowing they had excised some playoff demons in reaching the NBA Finals for the first time. John Stockton and Karl Malone would come back motivated to reach the mountaintop in 1995, and Jazz ownership would make the needed moves to help them get there.
Also, the outcome of that season would impact other teams, the Houston Rockets in particular. Having failed to reach the conference finals for the eighth straight season, Hakeem Olajuwon would once again demand a trade, and this time it would be granted - breaking up the Rockets as we knew them.
The Phoenix Suns, meanwhile, would likely stay the course with Barkley and Kevin Johnson as their All-Stars, while continuing to add talent around them with eyes on returning to the NBA Finals.
That completes today's revised history about the 1994 playoffs for the Utah Jazz. What did you think?