2000–01 Utah Jazz Season

The 2000–01 NBA season was the 27th season for the Utah Jazz in the National Basketball Association, and their 22nd season in Salt Lake City, Utah. After the retirement of Jeff Hornacek, the Jazz signed free agents Danny Manning, and John Starks, and acquired Donyell Marshall from the Golden State Warriors in an off-season four-team trade; the team also re-signed former Jazz forward David Benoit, and former Jazz guard John Crotty.

The Jazz got off to a fast start by winning 16 of their first 20 games of the regular season, but struggled a bit down the stretch losing 9 of their next 13 games, and held a 32–15 record at the All-Star break. The team finished in second place in the Midwest Division with a 53–29 record, earned the #4 seed in the Western Conference, and qualified for the NBA playoffs for the eighteenth consecutive season. On a more positive note, the Jazz equaled the Los Angeles Lakers' record of sixteen consecutive winning seasons above .500, set between 1976–77 and 1991–92; the Jazz were ultimately to make it nineteen consecutive winning seasons before finishing with only 26 wins in 2004–05.

Karl Malone averaged 23.2 points, 8.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game, and was named to the All-NBA Third Team, and finished in seventh place in Most Valuable Player voting; he was also selected for the 2001 NBA All-Star Game in Washington, D.C., which was his final All-Star appearance. In addition, Marshall averaged 13.6 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, while Bryon Russell contributed 12.0 points per game, John Stockton provided the team with 11.5 points, 8.7 assists and 1.6 steals per game, and Starks contributed 9.3 points per game. Off the bench, Manning contributed 7.4 points per game, while Jacque Vaughn provided with 6.1 points and 3.9 assists per game, Greg Ostertag provided with 4.5 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game, and starting center Olden Polynice averaged 5.3 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.

In the Western Conference First Round of the 2001 NBA playoffs, the Jazz took a 2–0 series lead over the 5th-seeded Dallas Mavericks, but would lose the next three games, thus the series, losing Game 5 by one point, 84–83 at the Delta Center, the Jazz's first round playoff loss since the 1994–95 season.

Following the season, Manning signed as a free agent with the Dallas Mavericks, while Vaughn signed with the Atlanta Hawks, and Benoit and Polynice were both released to free agency.

Draft picks

Roster

Regular season

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Game log

Regular season

, - align="center"
, colspan="9" bgcolor="#bbcaff", All-Star Break
, - style="background:#cfc;"
, - bgcolor="#bbffbb"

Playoffs

, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 1
, April 21
, Dallas

W 88–86
, Karl Malone (26)
, Bryon Russell (12)
, John Stockton (18)
, Delta Center
19,100
, 1–0
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 2
, April 24
, Dallas

W 109–98
, Karl Malone (34)
, Bryon Russell (8)
, John Stockton (9)
, Delta Center
19,911
, 2–0
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
, 3
, April 28
, @ Dallas

L 91–94
, Karl Malone (29)
, Karl Malone (13)
, John Stockton (10)
, Reunion Arena
18,187
, 2–1
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
, 4
, May 1
, @ Dallas

L 77–107
, Karl Malone (25)
, Donyell Marshall (9)
, John Stockton (9)
, Reunion Arena
18,300
, 2–2
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
, 5
, May 3
, Dallas

L 83–84
, Karl Malone (24)
, Karl Malone (10)
, John Stockton (11)
, Delta Center
19,911
, 2–3
, -

Player statistics

Season

Playoffs

Player Statistics Citation:

Awards and records

* Karl Malone, All-NBA Third Team

Transactions

References

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