The John Stockton Thread

[nuraman00]

Just a feeling. He doesn't seem to have it, to me. He doesn't seem to be the genius who can draw up a play when it's needed (though he probably knows the playbook very well), instill confidence in his players before a winning shot opportunity, outsmart the other coach in gameplanning, and his name, the way he ties his shoes, eats his fries, man. Just kidding. I have to say he's much better than I would be and I can't say he's the worst coach, either.

Yes, I know, coaches don't draw up (good) plays at timeouts per se. I just don't see him as being all that good.

Thanks.

 

[MHSL82]

Animated: John Stockton Almost Showing Emotion Dot GIF - The Slipper Still Fits

 

[nuraman00]

Animated: John Stockton Almost Showing Emotion Dot GIF - The Slipper Still Fits

I didn't like the article.

 

[MHSL82]

I didn't like the article.

Well, the article doesn't like you.

 

[nuraman00]

Well, the article doesn't like you.

Did you like the article? If so, what attributes did you like about the article?

 

[MHSL82]

Did you like the article? If so, what attributes did you like about the article?

I liked the letters of the alphabet they used, though not necessarily the groupings, order, or distribution. Font was ok, pictures were too small when unzoomed, and I did not appreciate the temperature. I liked particularly how they put Stockton after John, not before or during. Wouldn't have seemed right any other way.

 

[nuraman00]

I liked the letters of the alphabet they used, though not necessarily the groupings, order, or distribution. Font was ok, pictures were too small when unzoomed, and I did not appreciate the temperature. I liked particularly how they put Stockton after John, not before or during. Wouldn't have seemed right any other way.

I agree, the pictures were too small.

It seems that there were bigger issues with the things you didn't like about the article, than what you did like about it. So did you not like the article overall? Or did you?

 

[MHSL82]

Gary Payton says John Stockton was harder to guard than Michael Jordan - CBSSports.com

 

[MHSL82]

Kevin Johnson at 5th and no Isaiah Thomas in the Top Ten? Top 10: NBA Point Guards - AskMen

Shaking my head.

Oh, and about top PGs. I refuse to really rank them. I'll use terms like best or top three or indicate that one is better at one thing versus the other, but ranking is not my thing. Everyone knows who I like best. Everyone knows how great Magic was. I simply say that Magic was more than a point guard and Stockton was the best point guard, in the strict sense of being a floor general.

But if Magic has to be categorized as a point guard, I'm not going to rank them because he had something Stockton didn't - size and a system that asked him to score. I know who I'd take and Stockton would look pretty good with Kareem, Worthy, and the rest - but his numbers would be ok point wise, GREAT assist wise, good-to-great steals wise, good to great shooting wise, and the free-throws the same. Rebounding, ehh.

 

[MHSL82]

Amazing Trivia for the Amazing Utah Jazz legend John Stockton - SLC Dunk

 

[nuraman00]

Gary Payton says John Stockton was harder to guard than Michael Jordan - CBSSports.com

Why are you posting about this now? I posted about this a long time ago.

Don't you read my threads?

http://www.sportshoopla.com/forums/utah-jazz/113957-basketball-hall-fame-enshrinement-ceremony.html

 

[MHSL82]

Why are you posting about this now? I posted about this a long time ago.

Don't you read my threads?

http://www.sportshoopla.com/forums/utah-jazz/113957-basketball-hall-fame-enshrinement-ceremony.html

Different article . I did a Google "John Stockton PPS" search and this came up... so I posted it. Not sure what is so confusing.

 

[nuraman00]

Different article . I did a Google "John Stockton PPS" search and this came up... so I posted it. Not sure what is so confusing.

My thread was more in depth about why Payton said Stockton was the best, than that article you linked to.

That article didn't add anything that wasn't already in the thread.

(I can't decide what fun emoticon to reflects this mood).

 

[MHSL82]

My thread was more in depth about why Payton said Stockton was the best, than that article you linked to.

That article didn't add anything that wasn't already in the thread.

(I can't decide what fun emoticon to reflects this mood).

It's ok to feel jealous, but just because I look and read and post other stuff, some inferior to what you post, doesn't mean I didn't like your comments better.

Just kidding. To be serious, I don't place as much importance as you do on bang for the buck or worthiness of what I post. I read a lot of stuff and post a lot. I don't filter that much. I also posted for the videos.

 

[MHSL82]

Twelve Bits from John Stockton?s Autobiography, ?Assisted? | jazzfanatical

One. It was John Stockton’s idea to write this autobiography. He wanted to write it first and then try to find a publisher. This was perhaps the most surprising aspect of the book, given his notorious love of privacy.

The project was four years in the making.

Two. John Stockton’s grandfather, Houston, was John Houston Stockton. John Stockton’s dad, Jack, is John Houston Stockton II. Our John Stockton is John Houston Stockton III. Our John’s son, Houston, is John Houston Stockton IV.

Can you imagine if our John Stockton had gone by “Trey”? Lol.

Three. Olympic basketball numbers only go from 1 to 15. Because Stock kept his No. 12 jersey on the Dream Team, Karl Malone picked No. 11 so that they could stand shoulder-to-shoulder (chest) on the medal podium as “The Star-Spangled Banner” played in Barcelona.

Four. Phil Johnson kept (keeps?) a full-grown bobcat as a pet.

Five. Stock wasn’t exactly a big name prospect when the NBA Draft rolled around. George Karl, then head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers, was most open about his interest in drafting Stock. Stock also received a draft promise from then-Portland Trailblazers head coach Jack Ramsay–for the 26th pick of the second round.

The Jazz inquired about Stock once and then never followed up, but the man taking phone calls from NBA teams, his former Gonzaga coach Dan Fitzgerald, told Stock on draft day, “Keep your eye on Utah.”

Six. Stock proposed to Nada Stepovich during his second season.

It took him three tries.

He canceled his first attempt after some over-eager driving got him a speeding ticket on the way to the restaurant where he was going to propose. He canceled his second attempt after the Jazz lost a home game. The third (successful) attempt came in sweats on the couch in front of the TV.

Seven. One of my favorite lines in the entire book appeared immediately after Stock recounts how he proposed to Nada. “I must have been on a hot streak because Karl Malone arrived in my life that same year.”

They had met at the Olympic trials one year earlier, and had the chance to get reacquainted when Karl flew to Salt Lake for his post-draft introductory press conference. John and Karl spent an afternoon together walking around a zoo, and by the end of the afternoon, John knew he and Karl would become friends. ♥

Eight. Stock accidentally pledged to Nada his “love and infidelity” at their wedding rehearsal.

Nine. During their Jazz tenures, John and Karl competed for lowest body fat…until the training staff determined that both their body fat levels had plummeted below “safe levels.” Both of them consistently stayed in the 1-3 percent body fat range.

Ten. We all know by now, even if we didn’t before, that John Stockton didn’t become a full-time starter until his fourth season (because the front office loves reciting this stat more than any other). Largely ignored is that Stock started 38 of the first 41 games in his second season. Throughout this time, he was still wondering whether he’d be cut if he got hurt and when his basketball career would be over.

He was “slated” to be the Jazz’s starting point guard by his third season, but twisted his ankle while rushing to deposit coins in a parking meter the day before the Jazz’s first game. He was afraid to tell the trainers about the injury and played anyway. Matched up against Derek “You go live in Utah” Harper, Stock played badly and Frank Layden didn’t give him another shot at starting until the next season.

Eleven. Jeff Hornacek was a “godsend.” The Jazz went on a winning streak after his arrival and began winning consistently on the road for the first time. Basketball skills aside, Hornacek’s basketball IQ was invaluable to the Jazz.

During games, Horny would draw plays on his hand while calculating in his head the shooting percentages of every player on the floor. He would tell his teammates which opponents to let shoot and which teammates to give the ball to.

Twelve. Both the 1992 and 1996 Olympic gold medal game balls reside in the Delta Center (EnergySolutions Arena)…because Stock happened to be holding the ball during both games when the final buzzer sounded.

With the clock ticking down to zero in 1992, it occurred to Stock to hold onto the ball. The Croatians wanted Stock to hold the ball, because they wanted to preserve their margin of loss, which was the smallest throughout the Dream Team’s run to the gold medal. In 1996, coach Lenny Wilkens instructed Stock to get the ball with time running down, and Stock got a hold of the ball as the buzzer sounded.

As coaches don’t get medals, Stock found particular joy in draping his medal around the neck of assistant coach Jerry Sloan after the medal ceremony. John, Karl and Jerry then took a group photo that still has a great deal of meaning to all three of them.

 

[Steelboy84]

Greatest PG I've ever watched play the game. A bit too young to have watched Magic in his prime.

 

[MHSL82]

Greatest PG I've ever watched play the game. A bit too young to have watched Magic in his prime.

If we for any reason ever get into an argument on anything, remind me of this post. This proves that you're alright by me.

 

[Steelboy84]

If we for any reason ever get into an argument on anything, remind me of this post. This proves that you're alright by me.

I'm a big fan of pure pg play and he epitomized that. Was not flashy, did not look for the limelight, just got it done. Made the correct plays and scored when needed. His court awareness and intellect really set him apart. He was also a really good defender and that gets overlooked because he was so good at running a team.

 

[MHSL82]

I'm a big fan of pure pg play and he epitomized that. Was not flashy, did not look for the limelight, just got it done. Made the correct plays and scored when needed. His court awareness and intellect really set him apart. He was also a really good defender and that gets overlooked because he was so good at running a team.

I think you guys would've won the 2004 Finals if Stockton went instead of Payton. Of course, I think you would've won with Payton if Malone hadn't gotten hurt.

 

[Steelboy84]

I think you guys would've won the 2004 Finals if Stockton went instead of Payton. Of course, I think you would've won with Payton if Malone hadn't gotten hurt.

Meh, Detroit's defense was too good and that Lakers team pretty much threw in the towel. Stockton would have made a better impact, but he would have spent half the time parenting Shaq and Kobe.