John Stockton is arguably the greatest passer the NBA has ever seen. Sure, Magic Johnson had flasher passes, and he is the all-time assists average leader at 11.2 per game, but Stockton is second at 10.5 per game.
- John Stockton’s 3 Clinches Utah’s First Birth To NBA Finals
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Stockton wasn’t a flashy passer, but he knew how to get you the ball, which is why he has the most assists in a career than any other player in NBA history. On top of his passing ability, Stockton was a great pickpocketer, as he’s also the all-time NBA leader in career steals.
One of the biggest negatives about John Stockton’s career leading up to the 1996-97 season was, despite playing alongside another great in Karl Malone, Stockton could never lead his Utah Jazz to the NBA Finals. He’d get his chance in the 1997 Western Conference Finals against the Houston Rockets.
John Stockton’s 3 Clinches Utah’s First Birth To NBA Finals
The Utah Jazz finished with the best record in the Western Conference at 64-18. They played the Houston Rockets, who finished with a 57-25 record, which gave them the third seed.
The Rockets, of course, had Hakeem Olajuwon, but that season they also had Clyde Drexler and Charles Barkley. After winning the first two games in Utah, the Jazz lost the next two games in Houston.
The Jazz would defend their home court in Game 5, winning 96-91. This brought the series back to Houston, where the Jazz hadn’t won in the series. Could they get a win in Houston in Game 6?
That’s exactly what John Stockton had in mind, but Houston had other plans. By halftime, the Rockets led 49-43. Stockton had 4 points, 4 assists and was a -7 on the floor. If Utah planned on getting the win, Stockton needed to raise the level of his play.
Stockton would do this in the second half of the game, as he scored 21 second-half points. He also recorded 9 assists in the second half.
Stockton shot 7-10 from the field and 3-5 from three in the second half. None bigger than his third three-point made field goal…
At one point in the fourth, the Jazz trailed by 13 points, but Stockton would score 15 of his 21 second-half points in the quarter.
Then, with 2.8 seconds remaining in the game, the score was tied 100-100. The Jazz held possession, and Stockton was ready to push his team over the edge.
Bryon Russell inbound the ball to Stockton, who broke free of his defender. Stockton caught the ball deep behind the arch, but there wasn’t a defender in sight.
After receiving the ball, Stockton took one big dribble and pulled up from three as Charles Barkley rushed up to him. Stockton’s three got off over the outstretched arms of Barkley.
“Even though I hit the shot, I never sensed so much that it was me that hit it,” Stockton said about hitting the clutch shot. “It was a ‘We did it.’ I remember breathlessly saying, ‘We did it!’ We finally reached the Finals, and that was something we had been knocking at the door for a number of times.”
The Utah Jazz won the game 103-100, thanks to John Stockton’s clutch three. Utah would go on to their first NBA Finals and lose to the Chicago Bulls, something they’d do the following season, as well.
Even though the Utah Jazz never won the NBA title, Stockton’s shot was still glorious, and it’s a shot that will live in Utah Jazz lore forever.
