2000–01 Utah Jazz season

The 2000–01 Utah Jazz season was the 27th season for the Utah Jazz in the National Basketball Association, and their 22nd season in Salt Lake City, Utah.^[1] After the retirement of Jeff Hornacek, the Jazz signed free agents Danny Manning,^[2][3][4] and John Starks,^[5][6][7] and acquired Donyell Marshall from the Golden State Warriors in an off-season four-team trade;^[8][9][10] the team also re-signed former Jazz forward David Benoit,^[11] and former Jazz guard John Crotty.^[12]

With the addition of Marshall and Starks, the Jazz got off to a fast start by winning 16 of their first 20 games of the regular season. However, the team struggled a bit down the stretch losing 9 of their next 13 games, and held a 32–15 record at the All-Star break.^[13] The Jazz finished in second place in the Midwest Division with a 53–29 record, and earned the fourth seed in the Western Conference;^[14] the team qualified for the NBA playoffs for the 18th consecutive year.^[1] On a more positive note, the Jazz equaled the Los Angeles Lakers' record of sixteen consecutive winning seasons above .500 in winning percentage,^[15] set between 1976–77 and 1991–92; the Jazz were ultimately to make it nineteen consecutive winning seasons before finishing with only 26 wins in 2004–05.^[1]

Karl Malone averaged 23.2 points, 8.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game, and was named to the All-NBA Third Team. In addition, Marshall averaged 13.6 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, while Bryon Russell contributed 12.0 points per game, John Stockton provided the team with 11.5 points, 8.7 assists and 1.6 steals per game, and Starks contributed 9.3 points per game. Off the bench, Manning contributed 7.4 points per game, while Jacque Vaughn provided with 6.1 points and 3.9 assists per game, Greg Ostertag provided with 4.5 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game, and starting center Olden Polynice averaged 5.3 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.^[16]

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C., Malone was selected for the 2001 NBA All-Star Game, as a member of the Western Conference All-Star team; it was his final All-Star appearance.^[17][18][19] Meanwhile, Russell participated in the NBA Three-Point Shootout,^[20][21] and also participated in the NBA 2Ball Competition, along with Natalie Williams of the WNBA's Utah Starzz,^[20][22] while rookie shooting guard, and first-round draft pick DeShawn Stevenson participated in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest.^[20][21] Malone also finished in seventh place in Most Valuable Player voting.^[23][24]

In the Western Conference First Round of the 2001 NBA playoffs, the Jazz faced off against the 5th–seeded Dallas Mavericks, who were led by the quartet of All-Star guard Michael Finley, Dirk Nowitzki, Juwan Howard and Steve Nash. The Jazz won the first two games over the Mavericks at home, which included a Game 2 win at the Delta Center, 109–98 to take a 2–0 series lead.^[25][26][27] However, the team lost the next two games on the road, including a Game 4 loss to the Mavericks at the Reunion Arena, 107–77.^[28][29][30] With the series tied at 2–2, the Jazz lost Game 5 to the Mavericks at the Delta Center, 84–83, thus losing in a hard-fought five-game series; it was the first time that the Jazz lost in the opening round of the NBA playoffs since the 1994–95 season.^[31][32][33]

The Jazz finished seventh in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 792,196 at the Delta Center during the regular season.^[16][34] Following the season, Manning signed as a free agent with the Dallas Mavericks,^[35][36] while Vaughn signed with the Atlanta Hawks,^[37][38] and Benoit and Polynice were both released to free agency.^[39]