Did you know that before we had the New Orleans Pelicans, the Charlotte Hornets moved to the Bayou? But even before that, the NBA had a team in the Big Easy. In 1974, the NBA expanded to 18 franchises with the introduction of the New Orleans Jazz.
The expansion team lasted only five seasons in New Orleans before being moved to Utah. So if you ever wondered why the franchise in Utah is named the Jazz, it’s because of the music of the Big Easy.
In those five seasons in New Orleans, the team couldn’t muster a single winning season despite having future Hall of Famer Pistol Pete Maravich. The first four seasons in Utah weren’t much different, as through nine seasons the franchise had never finished .500.
1983-84 is when our sim begins, and in reality, the Jazz finally finished above .500 in franchise history with a record of 45-37. Our Jazz fared much better, finishing second in the West at 59-23. Unfortunately for Utah, the result of the season was similar to reality, as they would lose in the semifinals.
The following season was a completely different story. The Jazz made it all the way to the Western Conference Finals and shocked the league by knocking off the Showtime Lakers, winning Game 7 in Los Angeles. That sent Utah to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history, where they ultimately lost to the defending champion Celtics.
Think about that for a moment. In real life, it took the Jazz more than a decade to get that far, and they eventually did it with the legendary duo of John Stockton and Karl Malone. In our universe, Utah got there much earlier, led by players like Adrian Dantley and Darrell Griffith.
Unfortunately, that early success wouldn't turn into sustained success.
In reality, Stockton and Malone helped the Jazz make the playoffs 20 consecutive seasons. In our universe, those two players were drafted elsewhere, and without them, Utah's run of consistency disappeared.
The Jazz missed the playoffs in 1987, just two years after reaching the NBA Finals. But all wasn't lost. With their draft pick that year, Utah was able to snag a player by the name of Scottie Pippen.
Suddenly, the future appeared to look bright again.
However in Pippen's first three seasons with the Jazz, Utah never even made the playoffs. It took until 1991 for Pippen to finally lead his team to the postseason, finishing as the fifth seed and setting up a matchup with Isiah Thomas and the Seattle SuperSonics.
It was supposed to be one of the more intriguing matchups of the playoffs. Pippen versus Thomas. Two potential future Hall of Famers going head-to-head.
Instead, Pippen played only 10 minutes in his playoff debut before being lost for the remainder of the playoffs to injury. Winston Garland stepped up in his absence, but it wasn't enough as the Sonics won the series 3-2.
You have to wonder what might have happened if Pippen had stayed healthy.
The Jazz would return to the playoffs the following year as the eighth seed, but they were swept by the defending champion Houston Rockets, led by Karl Malone. The Rockets would go on to win another title, going a remarkable 15-0 in the playoffs to get there.
The one bright side for Utah was Pippen. He played all three games of the series and put up some incredible numbers, including a Game 2 performance in which he finished with 49 points, 13 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 blocks.
Was this finally the start of something great in Utah?
Unfortunately, it wasn't.
The Jazz missed the playoffs for the next three seasons, and Pippen eventually signed with Penny Hardaway and the Milwaukee Bucks in the 1995 offseason. That season, Utah missed the playoffs again, while Pippen and Milwaukee made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Once again, the Jazz were left wondering what could have been.
In fact, Utah wouldn't make the playoffs again until 2001. By then, the franchise had developed three former draft picks into major pieces: Jason Kidd, Vince Carter and Peja Stojakovic.
After nearly a decade away from the postseason, the Jazz weren't just happy to be back. They made a run all the way to the Western Conference Finals, where they faced the veteran Minnesota Timberwolves trio of Alonzo Mourning, Larry Johnson and Billy Owens.
The Timberwolves had reached the Finals a few years earlier 1997, and their experience proved to be too much for Utah as the Jazz fell short.
But they weren't done.
The following year, Utah was back in the playoffs, and this time they got over the hump. They defeated Tim Duncan's Lakers in the Western Conference Finals to reach the Finals for the first time since 1985.
There was one familiar foe waiting for them.
The Celtics.
Nearly two decades after their first Finals appearance, the Jazz were back on the biggest stage, facing Boston once again. Unfortunately for Utah, the result was identical. The Celtics won the series in five games, leaving the Jazz still searching for that elusive championship.
And now, the franchise faces another major question.
Jason Kidd has left Utah for Portland.
Just like that, one of the players who helped bring the Jazz back from their long playoff drought is gone. And perhaps fittingly for this franchise, the story somehow gets even more frustrating.
Kidd's new team, the Portland Trail Blazers, went all the way to the NBA Finals.
Utah missed the playoffs.
After all the years of waiting, all the near misses, and all the players who seemed capable of finally turning the Jazz into a championship team, the franchise is once again left wondering what might have been.
Check back for future updates as we continue to rewrite the history of the Jazz and discover what comes next in this alternate basketball universe.
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