Show J 3 D 0 HS t By Eric Bresee Managing Editor here are many catch catchphrases catchphrases catchphrases T There phrases in the sports world today You gotta love it baby is a exclamation Utah Jazz announcer Hot Rod frequently proclaims during during during dur dur- ing Jazz games Just win baby is the motto of mob-like mob Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis Well it is about time to add another expression to baby tion Its It's destiny baby Im I'm employing this phrase for the simple fact that it describes this years year's Utah Jazz team to a tee Think back to the off The Jazz go into the season off-season with Bryon Russell S Shandon andon Anderson Ander Ander- son Howard Eisely Antoine Carrand Carrand Carr Carrand and Stephen Howard having the ability to test the free agent market Management signs all but Howard who went on to sign with Seattle and play in 13 games all season Its It's destiny baby The Jazz have the pick in inthe inthe inthe the annual college draft and no less than two picks before they are considering considering considering con con- trading the pick That is until Kansas guard Jacques Vaughn drops to the pick and the Jazz snare him Its It's destiny baby Hours before the s season ason opener against the Los Angeles Lakers Jazz center Greg is leveled by a slap from tubby center Shaquille ONeal proceeds to havethe havethe have havethe the kind of season that reminds one of Chuck Nevitt Its It's destiny baby Guard deity John Stockton misses miss miss- es his first game since 1989 when he goes down with a knee injury and misses the first 18 games of the sea sea- son Despite t the e injury the Jazz finish finish finish fin- fin ish the season 62 20 two games less than last years year's record and clinch advantage throughout the entire playoffs even in the Finals Its It's destiny baby Shortly after clinching home- home court advantage the Jazz promptly blow all expectations out of the water with a disappointing 90 loss to the Jurassic Houston Rockets in Game 1 of the first round Western I Conference series They fall behind 2 games to 1 and are down by 12 in Game 4 prior to making an enormous enormous enormous enor enor- comeback to force a Game 5 I and win the series I Its It's destiny baby I In Game 1 I of the Western Con Con- ference semi-finals semi San Antonio Spurs Rookie of the Year Tim Duncan Duncan Duncan Dun Dun- can has a chance to steal a win but misses a shot with four seconds left and the Jazz win 83 Two nights later Jaren Jackson misses a three point shot at the buzzer to win Game 2 and the Spurs go on to lose by three in overtime Its It's destiny baby In San Antonio the Spurs whal- whal lop the Jazz in every way possible in ina a 86 64 drubbing in Game 3 which set a surplus of records for the Jazz the Spurs and the Playing on back to back nights Game 4 displays the determination the Jazz have in a return trip to the Finals as they defeat the Spurs 82 73 to take a dominating 3 1 series lead coming back to Salt Lake Its It's destiny baby The Jazz take care of business and dispatch the Spurs in Game 5 87 77 mostly in part to the disappearing disappearing disappearing act David Robinson pulled in the fourth quarter The Jazz advance to the Western Conference Finals for the third straight year and for the fifth time in seven years Their opponent The same Los Angeles Laker team that ONeal patrols the paint for and slapped around like a rag doll Its It's destiny baby The Jazz pound the Lakers in Game 1 of the Conference Finals by 35 points while Leslie Nielsen I mean Del Harris continues to moan about Karl Malones Malone's flailing legs Its It's destiny baby v 1 r J 1 |