The Utah Jazz were undoubtedly among Michael Jordan’s greatest challengers toward the late 90s.
With John Stockton, Karl Malone, Jeff Hornacek, and others, they posed a very serious challenge for anyone who stood in their way.
In 1998, the Jazz had earned a trip to the Finals by beating the Shaq and Kobe Lakers in a 4-0 clean sweep. It spelled the end of that dynasty and there was a lot of fear that they would be the ones to finally put an end to the Bulls.
Of course, as we know, it would be Chicago’s “Last Dance,” but they wouldn’t go down with a loss. They beat the Jazz 4-2 to win their sixth title and Jordan’s fearless attitude was no doubt a huge reason why.
Check out this clip from “The Last Dance,” which features MJ’s response upon folks mentioning the Jazz and their play against Shaquille O’Neal.
https://twitter.com/FadeawayWorld/status/1262809750141468673
Shaq certainly wasn’t invincible, but he was definitely a powerful force at the time. For the Jazz to neutralize him as they did showed how good they were.
But, in the end, it wasn’t Shaq who stood in their way on the NBA’s biggest stage — it was Michael.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfB7xSw0bqw
