On April 19, 2020, ESPN and Netflix released a landmark documentary series that was over two decades in the making, chronicling a behind the scenes look at the supremacy of Michael Jordan’s last years in Chicago. As Americans and people all across the globe were settling into an entirely new life of pandemic quarantine madness, The Last Dance was a much needed escape, and a fascinating glimpse into the life of one of the most popular figures in the history of sports.

But lost in the spectacle of MJ’s unprecedented greatness, and ultimately reduced to something little more than a footnote in the pages of NBA history, the Utah Jazz came away emptied handed again and again, despite fielding a team that likely could have hoisted a championship banner, had they played in any other era.

Led by a dynamic duo of John Stockton and Karl Malone, two players who still stand among the top 10 of all time at their respective positions, the Jazz had spent much of the late 80s and 90s just on the cusp of taking those final steps into championship glory. But always for one reason or another, the stars never perfectly aligned for the team from Utah, and Stockton and Malone would find themselves forever on another and far less desirable all-time list: as some of the best players to never win a ring.

In today’s episode, we take the NBA time machine back to the 1990s, and explore the rise and fall of the team that tried and failed to steal the last dance, and find out just what went wrong for the Utah Jazz.

This is Once Upon a Dribble!

(04:30) The Foundation - Background on the '80s Jazz

(18:14) The Slow Climb - The Ups and Downs of the Early and Mid '90s

(41:29) The 1996-97 Utah Jazz season

(01:08:56) The 1997-98 Utah Jazz

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Today we continue in part 9 of a 10-part series at Once Upon a Dribble!

During the 2022 playoffs the NBA began awarding MVP awards to the best performing player of each conference finals: the Larry Bird Eastern Conference Finals Most Valuable Player Award and the Magic Johnson Western Conference Finals Most Valuable Player Award, named for the two players credited for building the league up to greater popularity in the 1980s.

This begs the question, with the award just being handed out for the first time last season, who are the deserving winners from the previous 50+ years of NBA history? Find out today as Josh tackles the Eastern Conference in the 2010s!

2010: Boston Celtics vs Orlando Magic - Paul Pierce (03:10)

2011: Miami Heat vs Chicago Bulls - LeBron James (11:35)

2012: Miami Heat vs Boston Celtics - LeBron James (20:03)

2013: Miami Heat vs Indiana Pacers- LeBron James (28:33)

2014: Miami Heat vs Indiana Pacers- LeBron James (36:04)

2015: Cleveland Cavaliers vs Atlanta Hawks- LeBron James (42:35)

2016: Cleveland Cavaliers vs Toronto Raptors- LeBron James (49:28)

2017: Cleveland Cavaliers vs Boston Celtics- LeBron James (54:39)

2018: Cleveland Cavaliers vs Boston Celtics- LeBron James (01:00:22)

2019: Toronto Raptors vs Milwaukee Bucks- Kawhi Leonard (01:11:11)

2020: Miami Heat vs Boston Celtics- Bam Adebayo (01:19:35)

2021: Milwaukee Bucks vs Atlanta Hawks- Khris Middleton (01:28:16)

Recap/Outro: (01:37:04)

(04:48) What led to the Decision? The Breaking Point in Cleveland

(26:00) The Villain Season - 2010-11

(53:48) Redemption, "It's About Damn Time" - 2011-12(01:10:54) Supernova, Back-To-Back - 2012-13

(01:32:00) The Burnout - 2013-14

July 8th, 2010. A 25-year-old phenom sat across from Jim Gray… and set the basketball world on fire.
"'I’m going to take my talents to South Beach.'"

Seven words that shattered Cleveland... united superstars... and turned a beloved MVP into the NBA's greatest villain overnight.
This is the story of The Heatles. Of dominance. Of legacy. And of how one decision changed the course of basketball history.
But before the championships, before the 27-game win streak, before the redemption...
There was heartbreak.
There was pressure.
And there was a reason he had to leave.

From Cleveland’s collapse… to South Beach’s rise… to the fall in 2014—this is the LeBron Miami saga, as you've never heard it before.