2004-05 Season Review

The 2004-05 version of the Utah Jazz could probably best be summed up as “Team Jekyll and Team Hyde.” At some points, they were unbeatable while other times they looked disinterested. Injuries and pure bad luck ruined what had been the most anticipated Jazz season since John Stockton and Karl Malone were playing. At the end of it all, utahjazz.com takes a look back at the ups and downs of the 2004-05 campaign – and why fans are already excited about next year.

New Faces

After a surprising 42-40 finish to the 2003-04 season in which the Jazz missed the playoffs by one game, most thought that the team had managed to sidestep the dreaded “rebuilding” phase that most franchises go through when it loses a cornerstone player (or in the Jazz’s case, two – Karl Malone left for the Lakers and John Stockton retired). Andrei Kirilenko was on the brink of superstardom, Carlos Arroyo had performed exceptionally well at the Olympics and the Jazz made two of the biggest acquisitions in team history by signing Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur. Throw in two promising rookies in Kirk Snyder and Kris Humphries and suddenly Jerry Sloan has one of his most promising collections of talent in recent memory.

Andrei Kirilenko

The Hurting Begins

The theme of the year – injuries – began in the preseason when Raul Lopez tweaked his constantly sore right knee, forcing him to miss most of the exhibition games. Carlos Arroyo then sprained an ankle during the team’s final exhibition against New York, meaning the Jazz’s top two point guards were out indefinitely. Keith McLeod, a young unknown invited as a free agent to training camp, was suddenly the starter.

Busting out of the Gate

You only get one chance to make a first impression, and the Jazz made the most of theirs with a nationally televised thrashing of the Lakers on Nov. 3, 104-78. Boozer (27 points, 11 rebounds) and Kirilenko (16 points, 8 blocks) looked like they’d played together for years, Matt Harpring (23 points, 4 assists) provided a spark off the bench and McLeod (1 turnover) ran the point impeccably. Consider the impression made.

Next was a dominating win over Golden State, then consecutive blowouts of the up and coming Denver Nuggets. After a home loss to Toronto eliminated the thoughts of 82-0, the team pulled it together for another three game win streak, including a punishing win over the defending champion Detroit Pistons.

Boozer

After two weeks, the 6-2 Jazz sat atop several media lists as the best team in the league – some were even talking championship. AK was leading the league in blocks, Boozer was near the lead in scoring.

Sadly, the season lasts more than a couple weeks.

Winless Wonders

A usually brutal east coast swing brought heartbreaking losses to Miami (in OT) and Orlando, bringing the Jazz’s record down to a modest 7-3. With two winless teams visiting town the week of Thanksgiving it looked like Utah would be of to its best start since 2000. Throw in a ceremony to retire John Stockton’s number 12 on Nov. 22 as extra motivation and it seemed like a sure bet. The 0-8 New Orleans Hornets and 0-9 Chicago Bulls disagreed, getting their first W’s of the season.

But November 22 was still one of the most memorable nights in Jazz history. A sellout crowd watched as number 12 became the sixth retired number in franchise history. Surrounded by friends, family, teammates and coaches, Stockton gave much credit to the loyal Jazz fans. “"I want you to take some pride in it because you had something to do with it,” he said. “You were here every night."

Stockton Speaks To The Crowd

The Jazz managed to beat a strong Rockets team on Nov. 26, ending the skid. The next night brought another injury, this one much worse than before.

AK Hurt

Nine minutes into a game at old rival San Antonio, Spurs rookie Beno Udrih fell back on Kirilenko’s knee, causing the power forward to hit the floor, grasping the knee in pain. Though he was able to walk off the court on his own power, the prognosis was not good: sprained knee, out at least a few weeks.

Basketball is a game played by much more than one man at a time, but that didn’t diminish the loss of AK-47, who was clearly in the midst of his best season yet. Missing his presence on both sides of the ball, the Jazz went into their first long losing streak of the season – 6 games from Nov. 27 to Dec. 10.

December was indeed a cold month for Utah. Without their fallen star, the team played hard every game but just couldn’t get over the hump. They would take a lead and blow it late, or get into a deep deficit, cut it down, then fall short again. Arroyo, struggling with his play, was sent to the end of the bench with his playing time dwindling.

With the team already wobbling, the prospects of their annual year ending East coast road trip were not bright. The Jazz lost every game except for one, overcoming a ridiculous 51-point performance by Allen Iverson to defeat the 76ers 103-101. But that was sandwiched in between losses to lowly New York, Boston, and Toronto.

Raja Bell

The Jazz were 11-20 when 2004 became 2005.

Team Jekyll, Team Hyde

After the loss to Toronto, the team would go on a nine-game losing streak. San Antonio was coming to town January 10, riding an absurd 18 game win streak over Utah that dated back to the year 2000. Doesn’t really sound like the best of slump busters, especially when the Jazz were able to win only one game against opponents from the Atlantic division, huh?

Well, you may remember Mehmet Okur’s last second tip-in to win the game, 97-96. You’d think the team just won the NBA championship, the way they celebrated and how the fans went gaga. Some may say it’s overblown, but it was the perfect medicine for a team with two massive losing streaks being held over its head. The celebration was worth it.

But the win began a trend that would continue for the rest of the season. The Jazz would show up and beat the NBA’s top teams, but struggle to compete against lower-tier foes. Two nights after the Spurs upset, the Jazz whooped the hot Phoenix Suns 115-108. On January 26 the Jazz whooped Seattle 109-100. In case you’re counting, that’s the three division leaders in the Western Conference, all handled by the lowly Jazz.

Arroyo was traded to the Detroit Pistons on January 21 in exchange for Elden Campbell (who would later be waived) and a future first-round draft pick.

Boozer Too?!

For the sake of space and your time, we haven’t gone through every injury the team suffered through the season; it’d simply take too long. But AK returned on January 22, but was mostly ineffective for the next few games as he got his legs back under him. Just when he was getting comfy and back up to par, Carlos Boozer took his turn. Boozer sprained his foot in a game against the Suns on Feb. 14. The injury would keep him out the rest of the season.

From that point on the season was more of the same – wins and losses that defied explanation. Wins over Minnesota (Flip Saunders was fired the next day), losses to Golden State (April 1). A win over Sacramento (April 18) was matched by a loss to the L.A. Clippers.

Stockton and His Statue

Adding yet another injury to…well, injuries, Andrei broke his wrist when he was undercut by the Wizards’ Kwame Brown on a lay-up. He would miss the rest of the season as well. Lastly, Raja Bell experienced a bruised right leg that would keep him out from March 28 on.

One Last Time

Utah honored Stockton again with a statue outside the Delta Center on March 30, before a game against the Nuggets.

The Jazz gave fans a couple of very solid reasons to come back next year. First, they played a repeat performance of their Spurs upset with a 93-91 rehashing (complete with another Memo last-second tip-in) on April 13. Finally, they beat the playoff bound Kings on April 18. The Jazz finished the season with a 26-56 record.

Reasons for Optimism

In total, the Jazz lost well over 200 player games to injury. Only one player, Memo, played in all 82 games. The two best players, Boozer and Kirilenko, missed large portions of the season. Oh yeah, the Jazz also happen to have one of the two youngest rosters in the league.

Despite the difficulty of the season, there are still a lot of bright spots. Kirilenko has stepped into a rare stratosphere, looking like a guy who could be Defensive Player of the Year as well as an MVP candidate. Bell, Okur and McLeod all had career years. And oh yeah, they’re still one of the youngest squads in the leagues. If they Jazz sign Bell this summer, the core of the team will be signed for years to come.

Mehmet Okur

“(Everyone) saw what we did when we were healthy. I know its tough to remember that,” Boozer said. “But we were pretty good when we were healthy.”

There is the lingering question of whether or not coach Sloan will return, but even if he doesn’t the cupboard is full of talent. The players all have more experience under their belt, and Phoenix showed that any team can turnaround from cellar dweller to the throne.

Because of the low finish, the Jazz will be in line for a high draft pick, which could net yet another franchise cornerstone youngster.

As for next year, assuming everyone stays healthy, it could be the beginning of a new wining era in Jazz basketball.