The Miami Manatees were a minor league ice hockey team in the World Hockey Association 2 .
72-455: The Manatees originally played their home games at Miami Arena ; however, owner David Waronker had an out clause in the teams lease that stated that if the team's attendance average was under 1,500 after 20 of 32 homes games, the Manatees could play their home games elsewhere. This would prove to be the case, as recorded attendance was well below the mark for most home games; one contest against
144-680: A jump shot to win the game, 87–86, and the series for Chicago, 4–2. In the 1999 season , shortened to 50 games due to a lockout , the Jazz finished 37–13, tied with the Spurs for the best record in the league. They defeated the Sacramento Kings in five games in the first round of the playoffs . However, they lost in the second round of the playoffs to the Portland Trail Blazers . Despite yet another disappointment, Malone
216-464: A .517 winning percentage, and thus missed the playoffs. 1 - Jacksonville Barracudas (81 pts in 59 games = .686 percentage) 2 - Alabama Slammers (72 pts in 58 games = .621) 3 - Macon Trax (66 pts in 56 games = .589) 4 - Miami Manatees (53 pts in 48 games = .552) After having their roster severely depleted, the Manatees managed to win one game before losing the best-of-three playoff series with Jacksonville, thus ending their season. Following
288-531: A 3–0 series lead in the process) to advance to the Western Conference Finals, where they lost to the eventual NBA champion Houston Rockets 4–1. In the 1994–95 season, the Jazz had significant depth and talent and were expected to make a serious run for the championship. However, they lost starter Spencer 34 games into the season with a ruptured Achilles tendon . Despite this setback, the Jazz finished 60–22 before again losing to Houston in
360-901: A member of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference . Since the 1991–92 season , the team has played its home games at the Delta Center , an arena they share with the Utah Hockey Club of the National Hockey League (NHL). The franchise began as an expansion team in the 1974–75 season as the New Orleans Jazz (as a tribute to New Orleans' history of originating jazz music ). The Jazz relocated from New Orleans to Salt Lake City on June 8, 1979. The Jazz were one of
432-470: A mid-season slump, was still an integral piece of the Jazz offense. The Jazz stayed in the playoff race until the third-to-last game, when they lost to the Dallas Mavericks . The Jazz ended the season 41–41, three games out of the playoffs . Ostertag retired at the end of the season, having spent 10 of his 11 NBA seasons with the Jazz. In the 2006 NBA draft , the Jazz selected Ronnie Brewer in
504-583: A serious foot injury; however, Seikaly insisted the Jazz torpedoed the deal and that he wanted to play for them; however, Seikaly's refusal to report effectively killed the deal. After the trade was off, Orlando pivoted and traded Seikaly to the New Jersey Nets, where he would play a total of 18 games over the next 1 1/2 seasons before retiring from the NBA. The Jazz played better after Stockton returned from his early-season injury. The team went 51–13 over
576-634: A slow start to win Game 2, 93–88, easily took Game 3, 96–54, and won Game 4, 86–82, to lead the series 3–1. The Jazz fought back and won Game 5 on the road, 83–81, to trail 3–2 in the series, with Game 6 (and a Game 7 if needed) in Salt Lake City. The Jazz held a lead in most of Game 6, but the Bulls rallied, and in the last seconds of the game, Michael Jordan stole the ball from Malone on the final Jazz possession and then pushed off of Bryon Russell and made
648-811: A spot in the All-Star Game . The Jazz missed the playoffs by one game to the Denver Nuggets , ending a streak of 20 consecutive seasons in the playoffs. Jerry Sloan finished second in the voting for the NBA Coach of the Year Award , losing to Hubie Brown of the Memphis Grizzlies. During the off-season, the team made moves to change the roster; they acquired Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur as free agents and re-signed Carlos Arroyo and Gordan Giricek to extensions. The 2004–05 season
720-572: A year earlier when Miller purchased half for $ 8 million) before Miller stepped in at the last minute, purchasing Battistone's remaining 50 percent for $ 14 million and keeping the team in Utah. Wolfenson and Ratner later became the founders of the Minnesota Timberwolves expansion franchise which, coincidentally, was almost sold and moved to New Orleans in 1994. In 1986, Adrian Dantley, the team's star player who had carried them through
792-651: A young Kobe Bryant . The Jazz set the tone for the series with a win in Game 1, 112–77. Game 2, a 99–95 Jazz victory, and Games 3 and 4 in Los Angeles were decided by an average of 7.5 points. The Jazz swept the Lakers and earned a second consecutive trip to the NBA Finals. In the 1998 NBA Finals (again against the Chicago Bulls), the Jazz took Game 1 at home, 88–85 in overtime. However, the Bulls overcame
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#1732787546752864-526: The Chicago Bulls in the Finals, losing the series 4–2, with the last two games decided in the final seconds (scores of 90–88 and 90–86). During the off-season, the Jazz made no changes to the roster. As the 1997–98 season neared, they were expected to be contenders for the championship again. However, Stockton suffered a serious knee injury before the season, and missed the first 18 games, in which
936-543: The Houston Rockets in the first round, a match-up of number 4 and number 5 seeds (Utah was seeded higher due to winning the Northwest Division, but Houston had a 52–30 record opposed to Utah's 51–31, giving them home court advantage in the series). It was a physical, close-fought match-up, with each of the first six games being won by the home team. The Jazz broke this trend in the seventh game, and beat
1008-787: The NBA championship that season by defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers 4 games to 0 in the NBA Finals . During the off-season, the Jazz gained a hometown NBA Development League affiliate in the Utah Flash (based in Orem ), which they shared with the Boston Celtics . They selected Morris Almond in the first round, although ultimately they made few lineup changes. One of the biggest lineup changes that caught fans' attention
1080-701: The San Antonio Spurs each season during their city's rodeo . Deciding the Jazz were no longer viable in New Orleans, Battistone decided to move elsewhere. After scouting several new homes, he decided on Salt Lake City, even though it was a smaller market. Salt Lake City had previously been home to the Utah Stars of the American Basketball Association (ABA) from 1970 to 1976. The Stars had been extremely popular in
1152-588: The Washington Bullets , while Eric Leckner and Bob Hansen were sent from Utah to the Sacramento Kings and Pervis Ellison going from Sacramento to Washington. The Jazz began the season 22–15 before going 27–8 in January and February, with new addition Jeff Malone averaging 18.6 points, giving them three strong scoring options (Karl Malone, Jeff Malone, and John Stockton – 64.8 of the team's 104 points per game). The Jazz finished 54–28, second in
1224-521: The 2003–04 season, the WHA2 teams jumped ship to the new Southern Professional Hockey League . The Manatees were given permission to suspend operations for the season and attempt to relocate to a new venue, whether in the Miami area or somewhere else. After failing to find another suitable arena, the franchise folded, and there has not been minor league hockey in Miami since. Miami Arena Miami Arena
1296-645: The Heat moved to the new American Airlines Arena located three blocks east of Miami Arena on the shore of Biscayne Bay. After the year 2000, the arena became mostly inactive, as most of the concerts that were held at Miami Arena moved to the newer venues. However, the Miami Manatees of the WHA2 played at the Miami Arena in 2003, and the Miami Morays indoor football from 2005 to 2006. The arena
1368-613: The Jazz began restructuring after Sloan's retirement and Williams' trade to the New Jersey Nets . Quin Snyder was hired as head coach in June 2014. With the development of Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell into All-Stars, the Jazz launched themselves back into title contention, eventually earning the league's best regular season record in the 2020–21 season . However, following disappointing early playoff exits in both 2021 and 2022,
1440-485: The Jazz improved to 53–29. In the playoffs, they faced San Antonio in the first round, shutting down NBA scoring leader David Robinson throughout the series. Robinson had averaged 29.8 points on 50 percent shooting during the regular season, numbers that dropped to 20.0 and 41 percent in the series against Utah. The Jazz then fought off a determined Denver Nuggets team 4–3 in the Conference semifinals (almost blowing
1512-417: The Jazz played games in the cavernous Louisiana Superdome , but things were no better, because of high demand for the stadium, onerous lease terms, New Orleans' 11 percent amusement tax (highest in the nation), and Maravich's constant knee problems. They also faced the prospect of spending a whole month on the road each year because of New Orleans' Mardi Gras festivities, similar to the long road trip faced by
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#17327875467521584-485: The Jazz returned to the playoffs, facing the Houston Rockets and their All-Star centers, Hakeem Olajuwon and Ralph Sampson . The Jazz prevailed in the series, 3–2, and advanced to the second round, losing the series to the high-scoring Denver Nuggets , 4–1. The team's perennial financial woes and instability were somewhat stabilized during April 1985, when auto dealer Larry H. Miller bought 50 percent of
1656-662: The Jazz traded Mitchell and Gobert to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Minnesota Timberwolves , respectively, in the 2022 offseason and entered a new era of rebuilding centered around Lauri Markkanen , who became an All-Star in his first season with the Jazz after being acquired in the Mitchell trade. On June 7, 1974, the New Orleans Jazz were admitted as an expansion franchise into the National Basketball Association (NBA). The first owner of
1728-471: The Jazz went 11–7. On February 17, 1998, at the NBA trade deadline, the Jazz consummated a trade with the Orlando Magic, to acquire center Rony Seikaly in an attempt to bolster their center rotation. However, Seikaly refused to report within the mandated 48 hours required by NBA rules. From there, the trade was called off, and the Jazz took Chris Morris & Greg Foster back. Rumors had Seikaly with
1800-406: The Jazz won Game 2 in Los Angeles, 101–97, and took the lead in the series 2–1 with a Game 3 win in Salt Lake City. The Jazz lost Games 4 and 5, but won Game 6, 108–80, tying the series 3–3. In the decisive Game 7, the Lakers won 109–98. During the 1988–89 season, Frank Layden stepped down as head coach of the Jazz after the first 17 games, and was replaced by Jerry Sloan . The Jazz won 51 games and
1872-655: The Lakeland Loggerheads drew an estimated attendance of only 250 fans. After this, Waronker wanted to move the team to Maitland , FL to play in the RDV Sportsplex, but the players shot down this idea; then the Manatees' ownership decided to play only away games. The players liked this idea even less and several left to play for other teams, mostly in the South East Hockey League while others tried to catch on with ECHL squads. With
1944-706: The Miami Arena, like most indoor sports arenas built in the late 1980s, was beginning to show its age, despite being only 10 years old. Its seating capacity was one of the lowest of any NBA or NHL arena. In addition, sports teams in general began wanting newer, more updated facilities, specifically luxury suites and new concessions. In 1998, the Panthers moved into the National Car Rental Center (now Amerant Bank Arena ) in Sunrise , near Florida's largest outlet mall, Sawgrass Mills . On January 2, 2000,
2016-667: The Midwest Division and finished with the best record in the Western Conference. The team included Stockton , Malone and Hornacek , as well as Bryon Russell , Antoine Carr , Howard Eisley and Shandon Anderson . Malone won his first NBA MVP award, averaging 27.4 points, 9.9 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. The Jazz reached the NBA Finals for the first time after beating the Clippers 3–0, Lakers 4–1 and Rockets 4–2. The Jazz then met Michael Jordan and
2088-454: The Midwest Division championship as they grew better overall. Malone and Stockton, as well as Mark Eaton, were the leaders of the team and also All-Star selections. Eaton won Defensive Player of the Year for the second time, and it appeared the Jazz were ready to take the next step toward contending for an NBA title, after having pushed the Lakers to seven games in the Western Conference semifinals
2160-586: The Rockets 103–99 in Houston. The Jazz went on to face the eighth-seeded Golden State Warriors , who were coming off a historic upset of the number 1-seeded Dallas Mavericks . However, the Jazz easily handled the Warriors, and won the series 4–1. The Jazz then faced the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference finals, but lost to the more experienced Spurs, 4 games to 1 in the series. The Spurs eventually won
2232-479: The best numbers of his career. The Jazz approached 50 wins going into the playoffs , but ended up falling short with a record of 47–35. They faced the Sacramento Kings in the playoffs again, and lost in a five-game first-round series, 4–1. After the season, Stockton retired, and Malone left as a free agent to join the Los Angeles Lakers . Without Malone and Stockton, the faces of the Jazz franchise,
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2304-465: The city and had even won an ABA title in their first season after moving from Los Angeles. However, their financial situation deteriorated in their last two seasons, and they were shut down by the league 16 games into the 1975–76 season in December 1975 after missing payroll. Although Salt Lake City was not known for its jazz culture, the team decided to keep the name, as there was not enough time before
2376-598: The division to San Antonio by a game, similar to their division finish the prior year. In the playoffs, they met the Phoenix Suns for the second year in a row. In Game 1 Utah won 129–90, which set the tone for the series, as Utah eliminated the Suns 3–1, earning a second-round matchup with the Portland Trail Blazers, the defending Western Conference champions. The Jazz played well, keeping close in most of
2448-476: The draft party booed the selection. The 1984–85 season saw the emergence of Mark Eaton as a defensive force. Eaton averaged 5.6 blocks per game (still an NBA single-season record) along with 9.7 points and 11.3 rebounds, and won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award . On the downside, John Drew played only 19 games all season, which deprived the team of their high-scoring sixth man. However,
2520-473: The early years in Utah, was traded to Detroit for Kelly Tripucka , who ended up splitting time with Thurl Bailey. Darrell Griffith, back from injuries that caused him to miss the 1985–86 season, lost his starter spot at guard to Bob Hansen . Stockton warranted more time at the point guard position. Despite all these changes, the team finished 44–38 before losing to the Golden State Warriors in
2592-492: The falling of the west wall on October 21, 2008. A parking lot now exists where the arena used to stand. Basketball Ice hockey/arena football Concerts Other February 21, 1991, with King's X and January 21, 1996, with The Poor Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City . The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as
2664-586: The few remaining players, the Manatees wound up playing only 48 regular-season games, but still qualified for the playoffs (see below). The play-by-play voice of the Manatees was Mark Fischel, with color analyst John Daley who was the head coach of the Jr. Manatees ice hockey program, with games carried on IRN.fm internet radio. The Manatees also received limited newspaper coverage in the Miami Herald , and nearby Ft. Lauderdale's Sun-Sentinel . The Manatees finished
2736-402: The first round and in the second round selected Dee Brown and Paul Millsap . Several young players were traded to the Golden State Warriors for Derek Fisher , which give the Jazz frontcourt a veteran point guard. The Jazz were heralded by several major sports websites for drafting well and making good off-season moves. During the 2006–07 season, the Jazz improved considerably compared to
2808-465: The first round of the 2000 NBA draft . In the 2000–01 season, the Jazz posted a 53–29 record, but lost in the playoffs, surrendering a 2–0 series lead in the first round of the playoffs to the Dallas Mavericks to lose the series 3–2. This was their earliest exit from the playoffs since the 1994–95 season. In the 2001–02 season, Andrei Kirilenko made his rookie debut, averaging 10.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.91 blocks per game. The team started
2880-408: The first round of the playoffs. For the 1987–88 season, Stockton took over for Rickey Green as the starting point guard, and Malone established himself as one of the better power forwards in the league. The team finished 47–35 and defeated Portland, 3–1, in the first round, earning a second-round matchup with the reigning NBA champions, the Los Angeles Lakers . After Los Angeles took Game 1 at home,
2952-456: The first round, led by All-Stars Tom Chambers and Kevin Johnson . The Suns defeated the Jazz 3 games to 2. Again, the Jazz were left with questions as to how they could do so well in the regular season but fail to advance in the playoffs. For the 1990–91 season, the Jazz made another move to improve the team by executing a three-way trade that brought shooting guard Jeff Malone to Utah from
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3024-466: The first time, where they again faced and lost to Portland, this time 4–2. The 1992–93 season was a letdown, as the team slumped to 47–35 and third place in the division. The center position, manned by defensive workhorse Mark Eaton for most of the past decade, became suspect as Eaton struggled with injuries and age. The bright spot for the season was the hosting of the NBA All-Star Game and
3096-649: The first victory came a month and a half later against the Utah Jazz , 101–80. The arena also hosted the 1990 NBA All-Star Game , the 1991 WWF Royal Rumble , the 1994 NCAA men's basketball East Regional final , the NHL's 1996 Stanley Cup Finals between the Florida Panthers and Colorado Avalanche and the NBA's 1997 NBA Playoffs Eastern Conference Finals between the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls. By 1998,
3168-490: The forward positions, Eaton and Rich Kelley jointly manning the post, Green and Griffith at the guards, and Drew adding 17 points per game off the bench. They went 45–37 and won the Midwest Division , the first winning season and division championship in team history. Jazz fans were not happy when the team picked an unknown guard in the first round of the 1984 NBA draft , John Stockton . The Jazz fans on hand for
3240-487: The games, but lost the series 4–1 to a deeper and more experienced Trail Blazers team. The 1991–92 season proved to be the most successful in team history to that time. The Jazz moved to the Delta Center , a state-of-the-art arena that featured a seating capacity of 19,911. The new venue was a considerable improvement over the Salt Palace, which seated just over 12,000 and lacked luxury suites and retail space. Early in
3312-436: The last 64 games, to finish at 62–20, and won the Midwest Division and received home-court advantage for the playoffs . In the playoffs, the Jazz beat Houston 3–2, and San Antonio 4–1, to advance to the Western Conference Finals for the third straight year. Utah, with a veteran roster of Stockton, Malone and Hornacek, faced a Los Angeles Lakers team led by superstar Shaquille O'Neal , guards Eddie Jones , Nick Van Exel and
3384-476: The least successful teams in the league in their early years. Although 10 seasons elapsed before the Jazz qualified for their first playoff appearance in 1984 , they did not miss the playoffs again until 2004 . During the late 1980s, John Stockton and Karl Malone arose as the franchise players for the team and formed one of the most famed pick and roll duos in NBA history. Led by coach Jerry Sloan , who took over from Frank Layden in 1988, they became one of
3456-552: The next three years. Venue issues were a continual problem for the team while it was based in New Orleans. In the Jazz's first season, they played in the Municipal Auditorium and Loyola Field House , where the basketball court was raised so high that the NBA Players Association made the team put a net around the court to prevent players from falling off of the court and into the stands. Later,
3528-675: The number 3 overall pick, which they used to select Deron Williams . Other transactions included Raja Bell leaving the team for the Phoenix Suns , the Jazz re-obtaining center Greg Ostertag from the Sacramento Kings , and oft-injured Raúl López being traded to the Memphis Grizzlies . The 2005–06 season was injury-plagued before it started; Boozer missed the first 49 games and Gordan Giricek and Kirilenko both missed significant time due to injuries. Okur and Kirilenko, however, showed consistently good play, and Williams, despite
3600-515: The playoffs, 3–2, in the first round. Greg Ostertag was added to the team for the 1995–96 season. The Jazz went 55–27, and reached the Conference Finals for the third time in history, nearly overcoming 3–1 series deficit before eventually succumbing to Seattle, 4–3. In the next two seasons, the Jazz were finally able to capitalize on regular-season success. In 1996–97 , the Jazz had the best record in franchise history (64–18), won
3672-510: The postseason, and the Jazz lost in the first round to the Dallas Mavericks , 3–1. During the 1986 off-season, Battistone was approached to sell the team to Marv Wolfenson and Harvey Ratner, who would have moved the team to Minneapolis . Larry Miller did not want to sell the team, but because of contractual language in his agreement with Battistone, could have been bought out by the new owners if he had refused to sell. Offers went as high as $ 28 million (the Jazz were valued at $ 16 million less than
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#17327875467523744-420: The powerhouse teams of the 1990s, culminating in two NBA Finals appearances in 1997 and 1998 , where they lost both times to the Chicago Bulls , led by Michael Jordan . Both Stockton and Malone moved on in 2003. After missing the playoffs for three consecutive seasons the Jazz returned to prominence under the on-court leadership of point guard Deron Williams . However, partway through the 2010–11 season ,
3816-509: The previous few seasons, finishing with a 51–31 record. Boozer was selected as an All-Star for the first time (though he missed the game due to a minor injury) and center Mehmet Okur was selected to the All-Star game as well. Deron Williams finished third in the league in assists per game with 9.3 (behind Steve Nash and Chris Paul ). The team also developed a deep bench; in the 10 games that Boozer and Okur (the two leading scorers) missed,
3888-400: The previous season. However, the second-seeded Jazz were eliminated in the first round in three games by the seventh-seeded Golden State Warriors. The following year, 1989–90, the Jazz made some changes. Thurl Bailey, who was relied on for 19 points per game the previous season, saw his playing time reduced in favor of rookie Blue Edwards , who played a prominent role with the team. The result
3960-400: The price the city of Miami paid for its original construction. On August 3, 2008, Straub announced in a television interview that the interior of the arena had been cleared out and that the building would be demolished by the end of the month. On September 21, 2008, the roof of the Miami Arena was imploded. While the exterior walls remained standing after the implosion, demolition continued until
4032-453: The season in 5th place with 53 points in 48 games, an impressive 20 points over the 6th place Lakeland Loggerheads who played 58 games. However, after the Manatees decided to play only road games, the league changed its playoff format to allow the four best win percentages into the playoffs. This turned out to be bad news for the 4th place Orlando Seals ; despite finishing with 59 points, or six more than Miami, they did it in 57 games for only
4104-485: The season slowly, with a record of 16–15 over the first two months, and finished 12–13 to go 44–38 overall. They lost to the Sacramento Kings 3–1 in the first round of the playoffs . Prior to the 2002–03 season, Marshall and Russell moved on to other teams. Matt Harpring was brought over from the Philadelphia 76ers , and took over the starting forward spot next to Malone, averaging 17.6 points and 6.6 rebounds,
4176-430: The start of the 1979–80 season to receive league approval for a name change. The Jazz's attendance declined slightly after the team's move from New Orleans to Utah, partly because of a late approval for the move (June 1979) and also poor marketing in the Salt Lake City area. Tom Nissalke departed as coach after the Jazz started the 1981–82 season 8–12, and general manager Frank Layden replaced him. In 1983, team
4248-458: The surrounding events of All-Star Weekend in Salt Lake City. In the playoffs, the Jazz lost to Seattle in the first round, 3–2. During the postseason, the team addressed its struggles at the center position by acquiring Felton Spencer from Minnesota in return for backup center Mike Brown. During the 1993–94 season, the Jazz traded Jeff Malone to the Philadelphia 76ers for shooting guard Jeff Hornacek . Hornacek meshed well with Stockton, and
4320-426: The team from Battistone for $ 8 million. Battistone had been seeking to move the team. In the 1985 NBA draft , the team added Louisiana Tech forward Karl Malone , who made an immediate impact in the 1985–86 season , averaging 14.9 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. However, starter Darrell Griffith missed the season with a stress fracture, and the Jazz hovered around .500 most of the year. Adrian Dantley missed
4392-450: The team lacked foundation as it went into the 2003–04 season. They were expected to finish near the bottom of the NBA by several NBA preview magazines, including Sports Illustrated . The Jazz finished with a 42–40 record. The team featured several unheralded players who emerged as key contributors, including Kirilenko, Raja Bell , and Carlos Arroyo . In particular, Kirilenko demonstrated versatility on both offense and defense and earned
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#17327875467524464-590: The team was an ownership group led by Sam Battistone. Team officials selected the name because of its definition in the dictionary: collective improvisation. The team began its inaugural season in New Orleans in the 1974–75 season . The team's first major move was to trade for star player Pete Maravich (who had played college basketball at LSU ) from the Atlanta Hawks for two first-round draft picks, three second-round picks, and one third-round pick over
4536-415: The team went 8–2. Millsap became a competent backup to Boozer, averaging 8.1 points and 5.6 rebounds while playing just under 21 minutes per game off the bench. Despite the elevated play of the Jazz, Kirilenko had a significant drop in his statistics and seemed to struggle adapting to a reduced role, which eventually led to a well-publicized breakdown early in the first round of the playoffs. The Jazz faced
4608-422: The year, a trade brought Tyrone Corbin , a tough defensive forward, from Minnesota in exchange for fan-favorite Thurl Bailey . The Jazz went 55–27 and won the Midwest Division championship for the first time since 1989. In the playoffs, the Jazz defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 3–2 in the first round, then beat the Seattle SuperSonics in the second round, 4–1, to advance to the Western Conference Finals for
4680-463: Was an indoor arena located in Miami, Florida . The venue served as the home of the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL). From 1988 until 1999, it also was the indoor arena for the Miami Hurricanes . Completed in 1988 at a cost of $ 52.5 million, its opening took business away from the Hollywood Sportatorium and eventually led to that venue's demolition. The arena
4752-405: Was awarded his second MVP. During the 1999–2000 season, the Jazz finished 55–27 and won the Midwest Division but again struggled in the postseason , and lost to the Portland Trail Blazers in the second round. In the off-season, Hornacek retired and Howard Eisley was traded in a four-team deal that brought in Donyell Marshall . They selected high-school basketball star DeShawn Stevenson in
4824-463: Was easily accessible via mass transit, with a Metrorail stop at Historic Overtown/Lyric Theatre station just across the street (once known as Overtown/Arena station). Miami-Dade city buses also service the arena area downtown. Miami Arena was sometimes called the "Pink Elephant", because it was a white elephant with pink colored walls. In 2004, the arena was sold in a public auction to Glenn Straub, an investor from Palm Beach County , for half of
4896-418: Was losing money, and management was crafting stunts, such as playing games at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas , to help the team become more profitable. The team was rumored to be moving as a result of Battistone's cash shortage as well as the fact they were playing in the league's smallest market. However, fortunes on the court improved, with a healthy Dantley, Jeff Wilkins , and rookie Bailey at
4968-419: Was marked by injuries, first to Arroyo and Raúl López , and later to Boozer and Kirilenko, which were a large part of the team's fall to the bottom of the division. When healthy, Boozer averaged 17.8 points and 9.0 rebounds in 51 games. The Jazz ended the 2004–05 season 26–56, their worst since the 1981–82 season. In summer 2005, the Jazz continued to change their roster by trading three draft picks to acquire
5040-412: Was the best win–loss mark in team history, as the Jazz finished 55–27 , second in the division to the San Antonio Spurs (56–26). Malone had his best season statistically, averaging 31.0 points and 11.1 rebounds. Stockton averaged 17.2 points and 14.5 assists per game, both career highs, with the assist total and average leading the NBA that season. In the playoffs, the Jazz played the Phoenix Suns in
5112-416: Was the decision to let Derek Fisher go. Fisher had become a fan favorite due to his strong play, and also a sympathetic one due to his daughter's well-publicized battle with a rare form of eye cancer. Fisher moved to Los Angeles during the off-season to be closer to better care for his daughter, and later signed with the Los Angeles Lakers . Controversy arose after Kirilenko led his Russian national team to
5184-990: Was the home of the Miami Heat from 1988 to 1999, the Florida Panthers from 1993 to 1998, the University of Miami basketball teams from 1988 to 2003, the Miami Hooters of the Arena Football League from 1993 to 1995, the Miami Matadors of the ECHL in 1998 and the Miami Manatees of the WHA2 in 2003. The first game played by the Heat in their first home was a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers , 111–91, on November 5, 1988;
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