SALT LAKE CITY — Three nights earlier, John Stockton had propelled the Utah Jazz to their first NBA Finals appearance by delivering the game-winning 3-pointer in Game 6 of the 1997 Western Conference Finals against the Houston Rockets.
The Jazz and their fans were still riding high.
Utah then had the chance to build on that momentum and steal home-court advantage from the Chicago Bulls when Karl Malone, aka the Mailman, stepped to the free-throw line with 9.2 seconds remaining and the opportunity to deliver the Jazz a victory on Sunday, June 1, 1997.
Two missed free throws and a 19-foot jumper from Michael Jordan at the buzzer later, though, Malone and the Jazz fell 84-82 to the Jordan and the Bulls in Game 1 of the 1997 NBA Finals.