‘What’s a little shove among friends?’

Welcome to the Heartbreak Hotel. Located in downtown Salt Lake City, we have a rare collection of rooms guaranteed to draw moisture from even the driest of tear ducts. You must show your colors as a true Jazz fan to reserve a room here. This means no turning off the television when things look bleak, no heading for the Energy Solutions Arena exit until the final second has slipped off the clock. A real Jazz aficionado holds out until the bitter end. If you prove yourself worthy, you can stay with us for many restless nights of tossing, turning, and wondering what might have been. You’ll also get a chance to see many of your heroes, past and present, for the ghosts Karl Malone, John Stockton, Carlos Boozer, Deron Williams, and others have been known to haunt the corridors of the Heartbreak Hotel.

We have eight games—er, rooms—from which you can choose. Taking into account proximity to a championship, as well as ramifications for the franchise, the following are ranked backward, ending with the most heartbreaking performance in Utah Jazz history. Leave now if you wish, for once you enter this hotel, the burn of sadness will linger as long as you root for the Jazz.

8. Game 6 loss to Portland, Second Round, 1999
The Jazz literally aged before our very eyes in the 1999 playoffs. First, they held on for dear life against a Sacramento team that would eventually compete for a Western Conference crown. Then the Jazz simply failed to keep up with a younger, quicker, more explosive Portland squad. The Blazers added insult to injury when some of their players removed their shirts during the on-court, post-game celebration. Had the Jazz managed to win Game Six, they would have returned to the Delta Center’s friendly confines for the deciding match. Even if they had won, however, it’s unlikely the Jazz would have gotten by San Antonio in the Conference Finals. Still, 1999 marked the Bulls’ first season without Michael Jordon, and thus perhaps the last real shot for an aging Stockton and Malone to win a championship.

7. Game 5 loss to Los Angeles, Second Round, 2008
Undoubtedly one of the most frustrating games in recent memory, the Jazz had numerous opportunities to take the lead in the second half but couldn’t break through. After struggling to find their confidence in the first two contests, the Jazz fought back to even the series at home. The Jazz finally looked ready to achieve their break through victory in Los Angeles during Game Five. As the third quarter wore on, a sense of inevitability seemed to build. The Jazz were getting defensive stops and running their offense, they just needed that big bucket to put them over the top. But it never happened, and what should have been a chance to eliminate the Lakers at home in Game Six became, instead, a failed attempt to prolong the season.

6. Game 5 loss to Los Angeles, Second Round, 1988
A young and upstart Jazz squad loses a second round, fifth game heartbreaker to the heavily-favored Lakers on the road. I must have accidentally listed the same game twice, right? Last May’s loss to the Lakers was eerily similar to a disappointment that occurred twenty years ago. I was nine years old at the time and, though upset, assumed the young Jazz would have plenty of future opportunities to go all the way. Utah did have many more chances, but none blossomed fully. And suddenly, the unthinkable happened—the Jazz grew old and ran out of chances, just like when you wake up and realize you’re not a kid anymore. The Jazz actually led by one at two different points in the final minute of Game Five, including when the Lakers inbounded with only twelve seconds to play. Michael Cooper hit a twenty-footer to win the game. The Jazz bounced back to crush the Lakers in Game Six in the Salt Palace but couldn’t muster enough strength to grab Game Seven on the road. What if the young Jazz had won Gave Five and then eliminated the Lakers in Game Six, ruining Pat Riley’s guarantee that his Hall of Fame-loaded club would repeat in 1988? Along with achieving one of the greatest upsets in NBA history, the additional playoff experience and confidence might have altered events in 1989 and 1990, when the Jazz suffered consecutive first round defeats.

5. Game 7 loss to Seattle, Western Conference Finals, 1996
Now we’re getting into the heavy stuff—a loss in the Conference Finals. Earlier in the series it appeared the Jazz would retire quietly into the night. Utah lost Game One by 30 points, then fell behind 3-1 after losing Game Four in the final minute. But something strange happened in Game Five, and the Jazz broke free from an old pattern. Somehow Utah managed to stave off elimination with a huge road win, thus forcing the series back to a deafening Delta Center. Suddenly the Jazz found themselves in uncharted waters, one game from the NBA Finals. They lost that one game by four points, a margin that Karl Malone could have eclipsed by hitting his free throws. Had they disposed of Seattle, the Jazz surely would have lost to the Bulls, who compiled a mind-boggling 72 victories in 1996. Perhaps, though, the opportunity to tussle with Chicago a year earlier could have helped the Jazz learn how to conquer this seemingly unbeatable foe in 1997 or 1998.

4. Game 5 loss to Portland, Western Conference Finals, 1992
Seeing this game ranked higher than the Seattle loss might surprise you. Looking at the implications of the Game Five disappointment in Portland, however, gives perspective. The Jazz did not match their 1988 success—going late into the second round—until 1992. Similarly, they would not surpass the accomplishments of 1992 for another four years. If the Jazz had squeaked by Portland in Game Five—a cliff-hanger where Delaney Rudd stepped in for an eye-gouged Stockton and forced overtime with a three-point bomb—the Jazz surely would have written a different script at home in Game Six. As the series actually played out, the Jazz knew they’d have to travel back to the northwest if they beat the Blazers in Game Six. I firmly believe Malone and Stockton would have prevailed in a potential clincher at home, sending the Jazz on to face Chicago in the NBA Finals. Similar to 1996, the Jazz would have lost to Jordan’s Bulls in 1992. But consider what the Finals experience would have meant to a Malone-Stockton duo still in its prime. Jazz history might have been very different. As it was, the Jazz wouldn’t claim a breakthrough victory on the road for several more years, and they’d have to wait until their superstars were entering the twilight of their careers to earn a spot in the title bout.

3. Game 5 loss to Houston, First Round, 1995
The only first round game on this list, the reason for the high ranking is easy—1995 gave the Jazz their best chance to beat all the other teams in the field. This actually has more to do with Michael Jordan playing baseball than anything. Sure, he returned to the hardwood in March of 1995, but it wasn’t enough to propel the Bulls past Orlando. Remember, Horace Grant had joined the Magic and Chicago hadn’t yet acquired Dennis Rodman. Utah won 60 games in 1995, a franchise record to that point. The Jazz jumped to a 2-1 lead in their best-of-five series with Houston. Even after losing Game Four in Texas, Utah needed only a home win to clinch the series and eliminate the defending champs. Despite 35 points from the Mailman, the Jazz suffered a shocking four point defeat and their second consecutive playoff elimination at the hands of the Rockets. Houston went on to take out Phoenix, who would have been the next toughest test for the Jazz. But only the Spurs finished the season with a better record than Utah, and the Jazz took out Robinson’s team in 1994 and 1996, winning games in San Antonio both years. If they’d survived Houston, the Jazz likely would have found themselves hosting a young Orlando team in a duel for the 1995 NBA Championship, a series the Jazz certainly could have won.

2. Game 5 loss to Chicago, NBA Finals, 1997
One of the biggest “what just happened?” games in franchise history, the Jazz led by double digits in the second quarter of a contest that could have put them one game away from eternal glory. Game Five took place on Granger High School’s yearbook night when I was a senior. Staff rolled televisions into the cafeteria, and we signed pages during timeouts. Over a decade later, Game Five of the 1997 NBA Finals has become part of NBA mythology. What was really up with Michael Jordan? Did he have food poisoning? The flu? A supreme sense of theater? The Jazz had all the momentum, coming off a stirring Game Four victory that tied the series. Sure, they’d still have to win one in Chicago, but they’d be riding a three game winning streak and a wave of confidence, plus they’d have two chances to get the job done. The Jazz proved in Game One that they could hang with the Bulls in Chicago. The possibility of a one-win-away scenario vanished, however, as Michael Jordan led the Bulls back from the dead, scoring 37 points and adding another story to his legend. The final loss in the next game left Jazz fans wondering if they’d ever come this close again. They would.

1. Game 6 loss to Chicago, NBA Finals, 1998
In some ways, Utah’s first series with Chicago seemed a lot closer than the rematch. Even though the Jazz fell behind 2-0 in 1997, they went into Game Five with the series tied. In 1998, the Jazz found themselves on the brink of elimination before Game Five even tipped off. The Bulls outscored the Jazz by a total of four points in the 1997 Finals. A year later, Chicago posted 47 more points than Utah. The Bulls did much of this damage by humiliating the Jazz in Game 3. Still, several important factors made 1998 more disappointing than the previous year. For one, the Jazz beat the Bulls in both regular season match-ups and had home court advantage in 1998. The Jazz also prevailed in Game One of the 1998 series, giving them the lead, something they never had the year before. Finally, even though they fell behind 3-1, the Jazz managed to send the series back to Salt Lake where they could become NBA Champions by winning twice at home. With Scottie Pippen’s back ailing, Michael Jordan took on most of the burden himself, scoring 45 of the Bulls’ 87 points in Game Six. While his famous jumper over Bryon Russell stands as the classic moment from that series, Jordan’s move to strip the ball from Karl Malone on the previous Jazz possession may have been the most pivotal play. Only moments before, John Stockton had connected from long range, giving the Jazz a three point lead with under a minute to play. At that point, a Game Seven date seemed joyously inevitable. I remember watching Game Six in Seattle, awaiting a flight to Alaska where I wound up working in a salmon cannery all summer. My only thought was how on Earth I might find a television in Naknek, Alaska so I could see the Jazz win it all. Of course, Game Seven never happened. Instead, I found myself spending another night at the Heartbreak Hotel, a place from which all true Jazz fans are still trying to check out.