11 years later, Jazz still facing Jordan News Utah Jazz

Two Jazz legends have been nominated for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and who else shows up? Michael Jordan, naturally. Eleven years since he put a dagger in their hearts and they still can't shake him. Does this man never go away?

It seems inevitable that since Jerry Sloan and John Stockton are nominees for the hall, Jordan would be, too. Each is in the first year of eligibility. Winners among 16 finalists in four categories will be announced April 6 at the Final Four in Detroit, and enshrined Sept. 10-12 in Springfield, Mass., home of the hall. Nominees need 18 of 24 votes to be elected. If you're wondering where is the other key figure from the Good Ship Regret is, he's around. But Karl Malone hasn't been retired the requisite five years. Neither has former Bulls forward Scottie Pippen. Phil Jackson, who coached the Bulls to wins over the Jazz in the 1997 and 1998 NBA Finals, is already in the hall. Sloan is in exactly the same place he was in '98, wearing the same perturbed expression. He qualifies as a candidate under the "coach" division. One must be either retired or have coached for a minimum of 25 years to be nominated. Other first-year nominees are David Robinson and WNBA legend Cynthia Cooper. Also on this year's ballot are another former Jazz player, Bernard King, as well as players Dennis Johnson, Chris Mullin and Richard Guerin, coaches Bob Hurley Sr., Don Nelson, Vladimir Kondrashin and Vivian Stringer, foreign player Pereira Maciel "Ubiratan" and contributors Al Attles and Johnny "Red" Kerr. Jordan is entwined with Stockton and Sloan in Jazz lore. He almost single-handedly kept Utah from a pair of NBA titles. Or don't you remember? Of course you do, unless you were unborn or living in Kiribati. In 1997, Jordan stole the Jazz's hopes by scoring 38 points in a Game 5 win, while nursing a high fever. But the '98 loss was the one that most tormented Jazz fans. The two disputed baskets, Jordan slap-smacking the ball away from Malone, the drive and pull-up over Bryon Russell in Game 6. Jazz fans recall officials allowed a Ron Harper basket, even though replays showed it had been launched after the shot clock expired. Later, a Howard Eisley 3-pointer seemed good but was deemed too late. Then there was Jordan's steal from Malone, followed by the signature play, in which many say Jordan pushed off. Maybe getting in the hall would give Sloan and Stockton closure. But it's doubtful. These are guys who think awards are for show; titles are what counts. Even if Sloan and Stockton are elected, it will be Jordan who gets the most attention. They'll end looking like a couple of his earrings ? impressive but not the main attraction. For years, media on a local and national basis have said Sloan and Stockton didn't get their due. Now they're up for one of the game's most prestigious honors, yet about to be outshone by MJ. Again. Maybe this whole affair will open the way for an entirely new set of grievances by Jazz fans. If Jordan gets in the Hall of Fame this year but Stockton and Sloan don't, fans can dust off an old refrain from '98: "We wuz robbed!" E-MAIL: rock@desnews.com