Sonics vs. Jazz - the Rivalry that Defined the 90’s
SEATTLE – Was there a Sonics rival more obnoxious than the Utah Jazz?
Seriously, despite John Stockton’s ties to Washington, or maybe even because of them, there were few things more irritating than his short shorts dribbling off the pick-and-roll and feeding Karl Malone for that automatic midrange jumper. And elbows - lots of elbows.
The Jazz were easy to dislike and their prime coincided with the rise of The Glove and The Reignman.
Contrary to their name, the Jazz felt stodgy. They were consistent, but they weren’t exciting, particularly when compared to the Sonics, who certainly lived up to their nickname in those days.
If there is one series that typifies that rivalry, it’s the matchup in the Western Conference Finals during the 1995-96 season. For Sonics fans, it felt like everything was aligned for a potential championship run.
Sure, a potential matchup with Michael Jordan and the Bulls was looming in the NBA Finals, but to get there, the Supes had to knock off Utah. After making quick work of the Kings and Rockets in the first two rounds of the playoffs, the Sonics handled the Jazz in Game 1, 102-72. All five Seattle starters finished in double figures, with GP and Kemp finishing with 21 points apiece.
Malone dropped 32 points in Game 2, but the Sonics held on for a 91-87 win to take a 2-0 lead in the series. Seattle would end up with a 3-1 lead in the series.
But the Jazz refused to go quietly with Malone and Jeff Hornacek rallying Utah.
Game 7 was in Seattle. KeyArena was, at the time, a “beautiful building” according to David Stern (funny how things would change years later and, yes, we’re still bitter). And, the team had rolled out a new logo. More than 17,000 fans were in the Key for that final game of the series.
After a pair of early postseason exits the previous two seasons (we won’t talk about that) there was tremendous pressure on the Sonics to get over the hump and advance to the Finals.
In the game, Kemp channeled the pressure into a masterful performance against Malone, finishing with 26 points and 14 rebounds to get the Sonics back to the NBA Finals for the first time since the team won the title in 1979.
The Jazz would have their time in the spotlight, following in the footsteps of the Sonics and losing to the Bulls in the Finals the following season – and the year after that.
It was always irritating to play the Jazz. The scrappy image that team embodied was such a sharp contrast to the brash flair of the Sonics it always felt a little sweeter to beat Utah. And, a seven-game series that leads to a trip to the NBA Finals does a lot to fuel a rivalry.
Overall, the Sonics and Jazz met in the postseason four times, with each team winning twice. The Jazz knocked the Sonics out of the playoffs in the second round during the 1991-92 playoffs. However, the Sonics exacted some revenge the next season, beating Utah in an opening round series in five games. Sam Perkins was dominant in the decisive game, finishing with 20 points and 13 rebounds.
And, finally, in the 1999-2000 season, the Jazz beat the Supes in the first round in five games.
The teams played in just enough important games over the years to develop some healthy bad blood. And, unless you were an actual fan of the Jazz, you probably didn’t much care for Stockton and Malone. Give them credit, they mastered the pick-and-roll. But we’ll always prefer lobs from The Glove to The Reign Man.