George Hill, Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
Honorable Mentions
There were several memorable trios in Utah Jazz history that either didn’t play together for very long, or just missed the cut for my All-Time top five. These teams include but are not limited to:
Gordon Hayward, Rudy Gobert, George Hill, 2016-17
Playoff appearances: One. Made it to the second round (2017)
All-Stars: Gordon Hayward (2017)
This trio could have done a lot more damage had it been intact for longer. In fact, this is the only Utah Jazz trio that won 50+ games that didn’t make the list.
They won 51 games, and according to the metric man-games lost, they were capable of being a 60-win team at full health. The offensive system was built around getting the ball to Gordon Hayward, which was a brilliant idea.
G-Time shot over 50 percent from the field that season and averaged over 20 points. The only other Jazz players to do that? Adrian Dantley, Karl Malone, Jeff Malone, and Carlos Boozer.
Adrian Dantley, Darrell Griffith, Rickey Green, 1981-85
Playoff Appearances: Two. Made it to the second round (1984, 1985)
All-Stars: Adrian Dantley (1981, 1982, 1984, 1985), Rickey Green (1984)
This group of guys was “the team with heart” that made the playoffs a reality for the first time in Utah Jazz history. If they hadn’t made the playoffs, the Jazz very well could have been long gone from the State of Utah.
The reason they get an honorable mention here is because of the fact their two playoff runs were preceded by three seasons of 30 wins or less. That’s a rarity in Utah Jazz culture and ultimately keeps them out of the top five.
@HoopsHabit <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2020/04/29/utah-jazz-greatest-trios/2/"https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBATwitter?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>#NBATwitter</a> <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2020/04/29/utah-jazz-greatest-trios/2/"https://t.co/Oz2gWWvmCk">https://t.co/Oz2gWWvmCk
<p>— Daniel Lubofsky (@D_Lubofsky) <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2020/04/29/utah-jazz-greatest-trios/2/"https://twitter.com/D_Lubofsky/status/1251285252913405952?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>April 17, 2020</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>They put up more of a fight than a young LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers did, who were swept in the NBA Finals.</p>
<p>This team had a blazing hot offense and finished with a top-three offensive rating in 2007, 2008, and 2010. That was thanks in no small part to Deron Williams as he was the best point guard in the game during that time.</p>
<p>He averaged double-digit assists three seasons in a row, made a formidable pick and roll combination with Carlos Boozer, and a pick and pop combination with Mehmet Okur.</p>
<p>Were it not for injuries, this team could have grabbed a higher seed in the Western Conference and avoided <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2020/04/29/utah-jazz-greatest-trios/2/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/bryanko01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" ref="nofollow">Kobe Bryant</a> and the Los Angeles Lakers until the conference finals. Perhaps, Utah would’ve even made an NBA Finals with a little luck.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #00265D" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://thejnotes.com/2020/04/29/utah-jazz-greatest-trios/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Number Two </a>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-74505 size-full" src=https://thejnotes.com/2020/04/29/utah-jazz-greatest-trios/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2119,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Fthejnotes.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F886607.jpeg" alt="Utah Jazz" width="3200" height="2119" srcset="https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/886607.jpeg 3200w, https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/886607-768x509.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Mark Eaton, Utah Jazz (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)</p>
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<h3>Number Two</h3>
<h2>Karl Malone, John Stockton, Mark Eaton, 1986-92</h2>
<p><strong>Playoff Appearances: </strong>Seven. Made it to the first round (1986, 1987, 1989, 1990), second round (1988, 1991), conference finals (1992)</p>
<p><strong>All-Stars: </strong>Karl Malone (1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992), <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2020/04/29/utah-jazz-greatest-trios/2/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/stockjo01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" ref="nofollow">John Stockton</a> (1989, 1990, 1991, 1992), <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2020/04/29/utah-jazz-greatest-trios/2/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/e/eatonma01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" ref="nofollow">Mark Eaton</a> (1989)</p>
<p>Ah, finally a Stockton/Malone trio makes the list! The early Jazz playoff teams had a dominant defense thanks to the towering 7-foot-four behemoth Mark Eaton.</p>
<p>The big man helped shut down <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2020/04/29/utah-jazz-greatest-trios/2/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/a/abdulka01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" ref="nofollow">Kareem Abdul-Jabbar</a> and his backup <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2020/04/29/utah-jazz-greatest-trios/2/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/t/thompmy01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" ref="nofollow">Mychal Thompson</a> in the 1988 playoff series, a seven-game showdown that awoke the league of just how dangerous the Utah Jazz were.</p>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">The <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2020/04/29/utah-jazz-greatest-trios/2/"https://twitter.com/utahjazz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>@utahjazz took on the Showtime Lakers in May of 1988 in the Western Conference semifinals and scared the defending NBA champs to death. Here's our look back at what was the Jazz's big playoff breakthrough on the national stage, from <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2020/04/29/utah-jazz-greatest-trios/2/"https://twitter.com/tribjazz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>@tribjazz: <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2020/04/29/utah-jazz-greatest-trios/2/"https://t.co/VnABmQV2Ub">https://t.co/VnABmQV2Ub
<p>— Salt Lake Tribune Sports (@sltribsports) <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2020/04/29/utah-jazz-greatest-trios/2/"https://twitter.com/sltribsports/status/1254131620547706880?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>April 25, 2020</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>Most people tend to forget that the Jazz were only a bucket away from taking a 3-1 series lead over the Lakers, and All-Time great team which featured Kareem the scoring machine and <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2020/04/29/utah-jazz-greatest-trios/2/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/johnsma02.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" ref="nofollow">Magic Johnson</a>, the greatest point guard of All-Time.</p>
<p>They did it with their own version of the 1-2 punch of a point guard and a big man. John Stockton was the table-setter for the Jazz offense and racked up a plethora of assists every time he stepped on the court.</p>
<p>He saw passing lanes that seemingly didn’t exist, at least not until Stock was fired the ball down the lane to one of his cutting teammates.</p>
<p>And his partner in crime was no other than The Mailman, Karl Malone. He was quickly becoming one of the best scoring and rebounding bigs in the league at a ripe old age of 24 when the Jazz nearly upset the Lakers.</p>
<p>This trio only reached the conference finals once, in 1992. It’s fun to imagine how far they could have gone if Eaton was born a few years earlier and his prime years coincided better with his All-Star teammates.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #00265D" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://thejnotes.com/2020/04/29/utah-jazz-greatest-trios/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Number One </a>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-82861 size-full" src=https://thejnotes.com/2020/04/29/utah-jazz-greatest-trios/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1083,w_1600/https%3A%2F%2Fthejnotes.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F51544696.jpeg" alt="Utah Jazz Karl Malone" width="1600" height="1083" srcset="https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/51544696.jpeg 1600w, https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/51544696-768x520.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Karl Malone, John Stockton, Utah Jazz. Gary Payton, Seattle SuperSonics. (Photo credit should read DAN LEVINE/AFP via Getty Images)</p>
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<h3>Number One</h3>
<h2>Karl Malone, John Stockton, Jeff Hornacek, 1994-2000</h2>
<p><strong>Playoff Appearances: </strong>Seven. Made it to the first round (1995), second round (1999, 2000), conference finals (1994, 1996), NBA Finals (1997, 1998)</p>
<p><strong>All-Stars: </strong>Karl Malone (1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000), John Stockton (1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2000)</p>
<p>This trio won by a landslide. Not only do they take the trophy for most trips to the NBA Finals, but they also made it to the NBA’s version of the Final Four on two separate occasions.</p>
<p>And it wasn’t just playoff greatness that set this trio apart. The team broke the 60 win barrier three times in the Hornacek era, which no other Jazz team has been able to do.</p>
<p>The Jazz already had a dynamic duo in place with Stockton and Malone, but they needed tweaks to the roster to truly make it over the hump. That piece ended up being <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2020/04/29/utah-jazz-greatest-trios/2/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/hornaje01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" ref="nofollow">Jeff Hornacek</a>.</p>
<p>“Horny” was the knock-down 3-point shooter John and Karl needed to space the floor and provide points without needing to take control of the ball on offense. What he lacked in size and quickness he made up with smarts and hustle plays in his aging body.</p>
<div class="embed embed-video"><iframe loading="lazy" width="500" height="281" src=https://thejnotes.com/2020/04/29/utah-jazz-greatest-trios/2/"https://www.youtube.com/embed/5sFo2okaOiE?feature=oembed%22 frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<p>It’s no wonder why Hornacek’s number 14 is retired in the rafters of Vivint Smart Home Arena. His time in Salt Lake City coincided with the most dominant era of Utah Jazz basketball ever.</p>
<p>And of course, Stockton and Malone put the final stamp on their Hall of Fame submissions in the late 90s with their Iron Man durability despite playing at such an old age.</p>
<p>Fun fact: John Stockton had more occasions where he dished out 20+ assists than he has missed games in his entire career. That’s <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2020/04/29/utah-jazz-greatest-trios/2/"https://www.slcdunk.com/utah-jazz-articles/2015/3/26/8297383/jazz-john-stockton-chris-paul-steve-nash-magic-johnson-isiah-thomas-ridiculous" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pure greatness</a> right there.</p>
<p>Stockton holds the All-Time NBA records for steals and assists, and Malone climbed all the way to second in All-Time points scored. They took <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2020/04/29/utah-jazz-greatest-trios/2/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/jordami01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" ref="nofollow">Michael Jordan</a> and the Chicago Bulls to six games in the NBA Finals two years in a row.</p>
<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="StoryLink" data-theme="dark" data-text="What if the Jazz drafted Devin Booker in 2015?" data-url="https://thejnotes.com/2020/04/28/utah-jazz-drafted-devin-booker-2015/" data-call-to-action="Next"> <div class="story-link-next"> <a class="story-link-next-btn" style="background: #00265D" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="story-link-next-shortcode" href=https://thejnotes.com/2020/04/29/utah-jazz-greatest-trios/2/"https://thejnotes.com/2020/04/28/utah-jazz-drafted-devin-booker-2015/"> <span class="call_to_action">Next:</span> What if the Jazz drafted Devin Booker in 2015? </a> </div>
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<p>If it weren’t for the sheer greatness of His Airness, these two Hall of Famers and Jeff Hornacek would have ended their NBA careers with a ring or two.</p><!—pageview_candidate—>">