1990–91 Utah Jazz season

(lost to Trail Blazers 1–4)

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The **1990–91 NBA season ** was the 17th season for the Utah Jazz in the National Basketball Association, and their 12th season in Salt Lake City, Utah. During the off-season, the Jazz acquired former All-Star guard Jeff Malone from the Washington Bullets in a three-team trade. Early into the regular season, the Jazz traveled overseas to Japan to play their first two games against the Phoenix Suns at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.

The Jazz got off to a 26–12 start to the regular season, and held a 30–16 record at the All-Star break. The team finished in second place in the Midwest Division with a 54–28 record, and earned the fifth seed in the Western Conference; they also made their eighth consecutive trip to the NBA playoffs.

Karl Malone averaged 29.0 points and 11.8 rebounds per game, and was named to the All-NBA First Team, while Jeff Malone finished second on the team in scoring with 18.6 points per game, and John Stockton provided the team with 17.2 points, led the league with 14.2 assists, and contributed 2.9 steals per game, and was named to the All-NBA Third Team, and to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team. In addition, sixth man Thurl Bailey averaged 12.4 points and 5.0 rebounds per game, while second-year guard Blue Edwards contributed 9.3 points per game, Darrell Griffith contributed 5.7 points per game, Mark Eaton averaged 5.1 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game, and Mike Brown provided with 4.8 points and 4.1 rebounds per game.

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Charlotte Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina, Karl Malone and Stockton were both selected for the 1991 NBA All-Star Game, as members of the Western Conference All-Star team, while Edwards participated in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest. Karl Malone also finished in fifth place in Most Valuable Player voting, while Stockton finished in twelfth place; Stockton also finished tied in seventh place in Defensive Player of the Year voting, and Bailey finished tied in sixth place in Sixth Man of the Year voting.

In the Western Conference First Round of the 1991 NBA playoffs, and for the second consecutive year, the Jazz faced off against the 4th–seeded Suns, who were led by the trio of All-Star guard Kevin Johnson, All-Star forward Tom Chambers, and Jeff Hornacek. The Jazz won Game 1 over the Suns on the road by a 39-point margin, 129–90 at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, before losing Game 2 on the road, 102–92. The Jazz won the next two games, which included a Game 4 home win over the Suns, 101–93 at the Salt Palace to win the series in four games.

In the Western Conference Semi-finals, the team faced off against the top–seeded, and Pacific Division champion Portland Trail Blazers, who were led by the All-Star trio of Clyde Drexler, Terry Porter and Kevin Duckworth. The Jazz lost the first two games to the Trail Blazers on the road at the Memorial Coliseum, before winning Game 3 at home, 107–101 at the Salt Palace. However, the Jazz lost the next two games, which included a Game 5 road loss to the Trail Blazers, 103–96 at the Memorial Coliseum, as the team lost the series in five games.

This was also the Jazz's final season playing at the Salt Palace. Following the season, Griffith was released to free agency and then retired.