1997-98 Western Conference Finals Game 1 Utah Jazz vs Los Angeles Lakers Part 1

May 16 1998

[@leeirorere8313]

Thank you for this rare NBA on NBC game with the full broadcast and extended intro! I had no idea there was even an extended intro in the NBA Playoffs past 1996.

[@basketballenforcertv5214]

This shows how good utah is. Youngsters says 90s era is full of plumbers, look at this game efficiency and physicalities. Great game

[@sdmurphy20]

It's annoying as hell, but it's making me appreciate the Era my parents grew up watching. The same guys these so-called plumbers admired

[@meharinationsportspodcast2582]

Most people need to ignore the idiotic comments from ESPN analysts and dumb people on social media. When we all watch basketball, all of us need to appreciate how much the sport has evolved from where it started to now. You'll have people who will enjoy the old-school basketball, and others will enjoy modern basketball. But, at the end of the day, most of us will still watch it.

[@westenshadowcult]

Three teams in the western conference won 60 plus games. It was an extremely top heavy league. The system Utah had in place since the late 80s was strong enough to bulldoze thru the conference. A depleted tired Bulls team beat the jazz for two reasons. MJ and they were more talented. Pippin had a bad back and could barely play. That series shows how bad this Jazz team really was. Front Runners, but collapsed when the pressure was applied. The Jazz scored 54 points in a Finals game this year, they were a mediocre team in one of the weakest years in NBA. Almost any other year that would've gotten bounced in the 2nd round. Hell the old ass Rockets team almost beat them in the 1st round this year.

[@yomamasofat77]

Who the hell said the 90's was full of plumbers?

[@kirk7295]

@@westenshadowcultBy your own logic every team that loses a Finals is a bad team dummy, Utah swept 🧹 Chicago 2-0 in regular season and lost 2-4 in Finals, 4-4 overall, Bulls were Not more talented, Jazz had equal talent, they made the Finals in one of the NBA’s strongest seasons, Hornacek averages better career stats than Ginobili, Bryon Russell was a great defender, Houston wasn’t close to beating Utah, they choked a double-digit lead in Game 4, best of 5 format so it’s easier for higher seeds to get taken to elimination games dummy, Jazz swept 🧹 Rockets 4-0 in regular season, 9/12 Finals games against the Bulls were decided by 5 Pts or less, Utah beat Twin Towers Spurs led by two 20+ PPG & 10+ Rebounds HOF big men and beat Prime Shaq’s Superteam Lakers with 3 other All-Stars.

[@sdmurphy20]

What's funny is that the losing teams in both conference finals would face each other for the 2000 finals lol

[@chrisuncleahmad]

To say that this blowout was unexpected would be an understatement.

[@ericradford2142]

The Jazz were more experienced and the Lakers were young.

[@davidschmidt227]

@@ericradford2142 But the Jazz had won 62 games to the Lakers's 61. The Lakers also had 4 All stars that season. Jazz were better, but a blowout followed by a sweep was not expected. As much as a Shaq-Kobe vs Jordan and the Bulls would have been a fun matchup, the best western team certainly made the finals that year.

[@darrendoyle568]

As a Lakers fan we got to cocky going into that series thinking we were big stuff and the Jazz humbled us and really put us in our place made us realize we weren’t as ready to win as we thought we were

[@kirk7295]

1998 was one of the strongest years of the NBA, the Jazz had to go through Rockets, Spurs, Lakers & Bulls, all 4 of those teams won every NBA Title from 1991-2003, imagine if Malone & Stockton had a cakewalk playing in today’s weak era when mediocre teams like Denver can be gifted a title by Not having to play a single 48 win team like in 2023!!!!

[@aarondyer4770]

Thanks so much for posting this. Do you have the other games of this series by chance? I look for these games all the time especially this year and the year before.?? 1997

[@letsrevieweverything144]

nothing better than all the interviews by the lakers calling utah dirty...all the talk...then...swept.

[@notmyrealname1730]

Where is the rest of the game?

[@TomDelayBeats]

Love how it takes everything in Nick Van Exel’s being not to slam Jim Gray’s head against the wall behind them.

[@letsrevieweverything144]

cant forget the obnoxious little song they sing 33:47. Swept.

[@wanderer34]

22:33 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@SpikeShooter92]

Wow, never thought NBA On NBC used Stone Temple Pilots in one of their intros, that's pretty cool

[@redpillfreedom6692]

33:27 I would say that didn't age well, but it was dead on arrival.

[@TomDelayBeats]

1:05:15 - mason handshake

[@mariobryant8803]

Good times, sure the blowout but this was hard nosed defense

[@spencerhammer5870]

I think Chuck Daly would have been a good fit for coach of the Lakers. Del Harris was definitely not.

[@redpillfreedom6692]

Chuck might have been considered too old for a young team. At the time, he was pushing 70.