The player that Jazz fans hate the most must be Jordan, who once had hope of winning the championship twice

On July 9, in the long history of the NBA, Michael Jordan's name is almost equivalent to "legend", but for Utah Jazz fans, this name carries unreliable pain. In the late 1990s, the Jazz made the finals twice, but fell twice at the feet of Jordan and his Chicago Bulls. Even though nearly thirty years have passed, Salt Lake City fans still cannot forget those two unforgettable losses, and Jordan has become their eternal "nemesis" in their hearts.

###1, 1997-1998: The Jazz's Golden Age and the Shadow of Jordan

In 1997, the Jazz built a team with balanced offense and defense with Carl Malone and John Stockton as the core. Malone averaged 27.4 points and 9.9 rebounds per game in the season and won the regular season MVP; Stockton revitalized the team with 12.3 assists per game. They passed the West and entered the finals for the first time, with the opponent being the Bulls led by Jordan. The script of the

finals is full of drama. In the first game, Jordan made a perfect final shot at the last moment, helping the Bulls win 84-82. The fifth game "Flu Battle" became an NBA classic - Jordan, who had a high fever of 39 degrees, scored 38 points, including a key three-pointer in the first 25 seconds of the final game, and the Bulls won 90-88. Although the Jazz stubbornly dragged the series into Game 6, Jordan broke the ball from Malone in the final moments and hit the anecdotal jump shot in front of Brian Russell, ending the game 87-86. The Jazz's first finals journey was strangled by Jordan.

###2. 1998: History repeats itself and the Jazz's regrets

In 1998, the Jazz made a comeback. Malone and Stockton are getting stronger and stronger, and the team ranks first in the West with a record of 62 wins and 20 losses. Again in the finals, the Jazz even led 2-1 in the first three games. However, Jordan is once again a nightmare. In the last moment of the sixth game, he first intercepted Malone, and then completed the final victory with an iconic mid-range shot. The Bulls won 87-86 and completed the second three-game championship with a total score of 4-2.

That shot was played countless times, but for Jazz fans, every revisiting was painful. Stockton later recalled: "We are so close to the championship, but Michael is Michael." Malone admitted: "If it weren't for him, we could at least win one championship."

###3. The aftermath of the Jazz in the shadow of Jordan

The two finals defeats hit the Jazz far-reaching. Malone and Stockton have no crowns throughout their lives and have become representatives of the "King of Uncrowned". The team failed to return to the Finals for many years since then, and it was not until the emergence of the combination of Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer in 2007, but it still failed to break through the West.

What makes Jazz fans even more unpleasant is that Jordan's dominance completely rewritten the team's historical positioning. Without the bull, the Jazz might have been able to establish a short dynasty, and Malone's historical status might have been further improved. But the reality is that they became the "background board" of Jordan's legend.

###4. Complex emotions intertwined by hatred and respect

To this day, Jazz fans' feelings towards Jordan are still full of contradictions. On the one hand, they could not forgive him for destroying the team's dream of winning; on the other hand, they had to admit his greatness. Local media in Salt Lake City once launched a vote, and Jordan was elected as the "Jazz fans hate the most" with an overwhelming advantage, but some fans also said: "I hate him because he is too strong."

When the 2020 Jordan documentary "The Last Dance" was aired, a heated discussion on Jazz fans' social media. Some people joked: "It is recommended that Utah TV ban this film." Some people also calmly analyzed: "That Jazz lost to the best in history, and it is not embarrassing."

###5. Conclusion: The imprint of the times and the continuation of memory

Today in 2025, the Jazz have entered a new round of reconstruction after the era of Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, and Jordan's legend is still alive. For the younger generation of Jazz fans, that history may be just a story in the video; but for old fans who have experienced the 1990s, Jordan's name will always be bound to regret.

As an old Utah fan said, "We hate Jordan, but basketball wouldn't be so great without him." This kind of hatred may be the highest respect for the opponent.