Recent History

The Jazz developed a very deep and well-rounded team during the 2007 season. Boozer mostly avoided injuries (although missed his first All-Star game selection due to a minor leg injury) and Okur, who had developed a reputation as a great clutch shooter, was selected to the All-Star game as well (as an injury replacement).

Deron Williams improved considerably, finishing second in the league in assists per game with 9.3 (behind Steve Nash).

The team also developed a deep bench; in the 10 games that Boozer and Okur (the two leading scorers) missed, the team went 8-2.

Paul Millsap became one of the biggest surprise rookies of the year and became a competent backup to Boozer.

Despite the elevated play of the Jazz's budding stars, Kirilenko showed a significant drop in his statistics and had struggles adapting to his reduced role. This eventually led to a well-publicized breakdown early in the first round of the playoffs.

The Jazz clinched the playoffs as the #4 seed with a 51-31 record.

The Jazz went on to face the Houston Rockets in the first round. The series was a physical, close-fought one, with each of the first 6 games being won by the home team. The Jazz were able to break this trend in the 7th game, beating the Rockets 103-99 in Houston.

The Jazz then went on to face the eighth-seeded Golden State Warriors, who were coming off of a historic upset of the #1-seeded Dallas Mavericks (who had gone 67-15 in the regular season, one of the best in NBA history). However, the Jazz easily handled the Warriors, winning the series 4-1.

The Jazz went on to face the San Antonio Spurs, fresh off of a controversial victory over the Phoenix Suns, in the Western Conference Finals, but were eliminated from the playoffs 4-1.