The1996–97 Utah Jazz season was the 23rd season for theUtah Jazz in theNational Basketball Association, and their 18th season inSalt Lake City, Utah.^[1] Prior to the start of the season, the Jazz changed their primary logo that more closely reflects the state of Utah, featuring purple mountains and light blue in the script,^[2][3][4] plus adding new uniforms.^[5][6]

After a 2–2 start to the regular season, the Jazz posted a 15-game winning streak between November and December,^[7] and held a 33–14 record at the All-Star break.^[8] The team then posted a 31–4 record for the remainder of the season, where they posted another 15-game winning streak between March and April,^[9] and won 19 of their final 20 games. The Jazz finished in first place in theMidwest Division with a franchise-best 64–18 record, and earned the first seed in theWestern Conference;^[10] they made their fourteenth consecutive trip to theNBA playoffs.^[11] The Jazz also had the second-best home record in the league with a 38–3 record at theDelta Center.

Karl Malone averaged 27.4 points, 9.9 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.4 steals per game, and was named theNBA Most Valuable Player of the Year, finishing in first place ahead ofMichael Jordan in Most Valuable Player voting,^[12][13][14] while being named to theAll-NBA First Team, and to theNBA All-Defensive First Team. In addition,Jeff Hornacek averaged 14.5 points, 4.4 assists and 1.5 steals per game, whileJohn Stockton provided the team with 14.4 points, 10.5 assists and 2.0 steals per game, and was named to theAll-NBA Third Team, and to theNBA All-Defensive Second Team. Meanwhile,Bryon Russell showed improvement becoming the team's starting small forward, averaging 10.8 points and 1.4 steals per game, and leading the Jazz with 108 three-point field goals, while second-year centerGreg Ostertag averaged 7.3 points and rebounds per game each, and led the team with 2.0 blocks per game, andAntoine Carr contributed 7.4 points per game off the bench.^[15]

During theNBA All-Star weekend at theGund Arena inCleveland, Ohio, Malone and Stockton were both selected for the1997 NBA All-Star Game, as members of the Western Conference All-Star team.^[16][17][18] However, Malone was booed by the fans at the Gund Arena throughout the entire All-Star Game. Prior to the game, Malone stated that he would rather be at his home in Salt Lake City than play in the All-Star Game in Cleveland; he later on stated that he did not mean to disrespect the city of Cleveland, and that his comments were taken out of context.^[19][20][21] In addition, Stockton also participated in theNBA Three-Point Shootout for the second time.^[16][22]

Stockton finished in fifteenth place inMost Valuable Player voting,^[23] while head coachJerry Sloan finished in third place inCoach of the Year voting;^[24][23] despite showing a lot of improvement over the previous season, Russell did not receive any votes inMost Improved Player voting.^[23]

In the1997 NBA playoffs, the Jazz swept theLos Angeles Clippers in three straight games in the Western Conference First Round,^[25][26][27] then in the Western Conference Semi-finals, they defeated theLos Angeles Lakers four games to one.^[28][29][30] In the Western Conference Finals, they took a 2–0 series lead over theHouston Rockets, who were led byHakeem Olajuwon,Charles Barkley andClyde Drexler.^[31][32][33] However, the Rockets would even the series at two games a piece, as Rockets forwardEddie Johnson hit a dramatic three-pointer at the buzzer to win Game 4, 95–92.^[34][35][36] After the Jazz took Game 5 at home, 96–91,^[37][38][39] Game 6 would be another battle and appeared to be heading for overtime, until Stockton nailed a three-point buzzer beater that launched the Jazz to theNBA Finals for the first time in franchise history, defeating the Rockets on the road, 103–100.^[40][41][42] In the1997 NBA Finals, the Jazz lost in six games to Jordan,Scottie Pippen, and the defending NBA championChicago Bulls.^[43][44][45]

The Jazz finished fourth in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 811,439 at the Delta Center during the regular season.^[15][46] One notable highlight of the season was the Jazz trailing 70–36 at halftime to theDenver Nuggets at the Delta Center on November 27, 1996, but came back from a 34-point deficit, outscoring the Nuggets 71–33 in the second half to win the game, 107–103.^[47][48][49]

The Jazz's new primary logo and uniforms would both remain in use until 2004.

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	College
1	25	Martin Müürsepp	PF/SF	Estonia
2	54	Shandon Anderson	SF/SG	United States	Georgia

• Small forwardJamie Watson was waived on March 5, 1997.

z – clinched division title

y – clinched division title

x – clinched playoff spot

^[50]

In the Finals, the Jazz faced theChicago Bulls losing the first two games on the road. However, the Jazz upon arriving at theDelta Center continued their home court advantage by taking Game 3, and Game 4 to even the series. With a chance to take a series lead in Game 5, the Jazz were beaten by a heroic performance byMichael Jordan playing with the flu like ailment 90–88.^{[51][52][53][54][55]} Back in Chicago for Game 6, the Jazz battled the Bulls tightly before falling by four points as the Bulls won their fifth title in seven years.^[56]

Player Statistics Citation:^[15]

• Karl Malone,NBA Most Valuable Player Award
• Karl Malone,All-NBA First Team
• John Stockton,All-NBA Third Team
• Karl Malone,NBA All-Defensive First Team
• John Stockton,NBA All-Defensive Second Team

• Utah Jazz seasons
• Western Conference (NBA) championship seasons
• 1996 in sports in Utah
• 1997 in sports in Utah
• 1996–97 NBA season by team

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