Utah Jazz · Franchise era 2 of 7
Surviving in Utah: the Utah Jazz story
Franchise era
1979–80—1983–84
Surviving in Utah
Utah Jazz
The story in one sentence
The relocated Jazz struggled financially before a surprise 1984 division title began a run of twenty straight playoff appearances.
01
Dantley carries a fragile franchise
02
Adrian Dantley, Darrell Griffith and Mark Eaton gave the era its recognizable core.
03
Its ending created the conditions for stockton and malone.
Timeline
How it unfolded
Before 1979–80
What came before
Maravich gave the expansion club a local star, but arena costs and traded draft capital made survival in New Orleans impossible.
1984
Western Conference First Round: Utah Jazz vs Denver Nuggets
1984
Western Conference Semifinals: Utah Jazz vs Phoenix Suns
After 1983–84
What came next
Stockton and Malone formed the league's most durable partnership and led consecutive Finals appearances in 1997 and 1998.
The core