To the Brink: Stockton Malone and the Utah Jazz's Climb to the Edge of Glory

by Michael C. Lewis

A sportswriter for The Salt Lake Tribune chronicles the ups and downs of the Utah Jazz's quest for the National Basketball Association championship, led by players Karl Malone and John Stockton. 40,000 first printing.

Genres: Sports, Nonfiction, Basketball

288 pages, Hardcover

First published November 11, 1998

About the author

Librarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure why I did this to myself...

I was a missionary living in Lima during the 1998 Finals and had very limited access to what was happening in the real world. I remember getting a letter one day with newspaper clippings talking about the Jazz sweeping the Lakers and having a long layoff before a likely rematch with the Bulls. The only other related memory is of befriending a couple kids who lived in the apartment below me and who had cable TV. The day of Game 6, they told me the Jazz were playing and had to win to extend the series, so my companions and I stayed up later than we were supposed to (per strict mission rules) and our two apartment buddies called up score updates through the open windows.

Well...fast forward to tonight. I'm sitting here pissed off about several things:

1) I didn't realize the Pacers took the Bulls to 7 games, and had a 12-point lead in the second half, in Chicago, in game 7. If the Pacers win, can they hang with a red-hot Jazz team??
2) I didn't realize how pitiful the Jazz were in game 3, losing 96-54. 54 points?? Seriously?
3) I didn't fully know how costly two terrible shot-clock calls were: a waived-off 3-pointer by Howard Eisley which, replays would verify, wasn't actually a violation; and a counted basket by Ron Harper that was actually a violation. 5-point swing. Kill me. I hate Dick Bavetta now.

So, the Jazz lose, and have never come close again. I am 37 years old and this series happened 17 years ago...and I'm still stewing over the result tonight.

I enjoyed reading this, but was bracing myself the whole time for the ending that I knew would leave me disappointed. So...3 stars it is.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was really well done. I was inspired to read it after watching The Last Dance documentary about Michael Jordan and the Bulls. The book covered the entirety of the 1997-1998 season. Although the author got into the minutiae of a lot of regular season games, the book flowed really well and was presented in an easy to understand way. As a reporter, Lewis obviously had access to a lot of information, quotes, testimonials, and information that fleshed out the story. The pace of the book was fantastic and it was a quick read. The ending was just as devastating as it was in real life for Jazz fans, especially seeing behind-the-scenes and knowing what the team went through. Overall it was a fantastic book that gives great insight into the best Jazz team of all-time.

[Teewhy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks for making me relive some of the worst and best moments of my childhood.

[Judge · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a time it was to be a Utah Jazz fan. Kind of hard to read all these years later opening that wound back up. The Jazz were so close, but the GOAT just got in the way. Maybe with a few different players they could have overcome MJ in '98, but we will never know.
Excellent back story on the Jazz and their history. A must read for a Jazz fan, especially the younger ones who were not around from '79-'98.

[Grant Garcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid retelling of the Jazz’s most heart-breaking season, but it lacked finishing touches, thus the four stars.

Can we all take a second to appreciate the 1998 Jazz playoff run?

Barkley & Hakeem’s Rockets
Duncan & Robinson’s Spurs
Kobe & Shaq’s Lakers
Jordan, Pippen, & Rodman’s Bulls

I mean, are you kidding me?!? That’s one of the hardest and most historic runs ever!

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

The library had this on display as a March Madness related book. I've been a Utah Jazz fan as long as I can remember, so I thought it looked interesting.

What I liked about the book: it had some behind the scenes details of the 1997-98 Jazz team, as well as a history of the team in general, that I found interesting. The 97-98 team has become the team of the "good old days" in my memory, so it was interesting to be reminded of the struggles the team went through, and that despite their problems, they came incredibly close to winning the championship.

What I didn't like: the author quotes players and coaches directly several times, including profanity. Also, while the author does provide some behind the scenes details occasionally, overall I came away with the feeling that big chunks of the book could have been written by someone who got their information from the sports page the next day.

[Ken · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book because it was quite interesting to see what happens behind the scenes. Sometimes it is hard to see the Jazz as more than just a basketball team. We don't always realize that they are business in addition to an entertainment industry. Not only did I learn a lot about the Jazz, I also was able to learn more about Jerry Sloan. This is definitely a good read for any Jazz fan.

[Pato · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a really good book if you want detailed information about the Jazz organization especially 1997-98, also if looking to understand why refs should have access always to review plays as it might have changed the outcome of the finals agaisnt Bulls.

Great book if you are a Utah fan and want to know deeper about the teams history.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Jazz had a great run with some amazing players, too bad they could never complete the championship. It was still a fascinating book and it was amazing how much I remember and where I was when I saw it all unfold. Good/Bad memories for any Jazz fan!

[Dave Daines · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was nice to re-live the glory days of 1997-1998. Lewis is a good sportswriter, but this is more like reading a 200 page game recap than a book. Also, it didn't seem like he did any real research or interviews. I could have written this book based on reading the paper and watching the games.

[Dylan Y.]

The utah Jazz are going to a final game. The way they got there some the coach and mostly teamwork. Teamwork makes up a sport there is no way there is not teamwork in a sport. I hope they win