Sports movies are so cliché. You know what I’m talking about - The Mighty Ducks, Major League, Glory Road, etc. Same script, different characters. A bunch of no-name players show up, everybody laughs at them, a coach inspires them, then they win it all, the end.

You got to love Hollywood. But every so often, these fairytale Hollywood stories really happen. Case in point: The 2003-2004 Jazz team.

Looking at their roster coming into training camp was about as familiar as a cast of a 2 a.m. HBO movie.

For the first time in 18 years, John Stockton and Karl Malone were not on the roster. At age 41, Stockton decided to hang it up, while the Mailman chased his championship dreams by joining the already stacked Lakers. Five other Jazz players also moved on.

Critics were quick to shower the Jazz with less than flattering preseason predictions. Not only were some experts a picking the Jazz to finish dead last in the league, but others went so far to anoint them as the team to challenge the record for the fewest wins in a season, which was just 9 wins held by the 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers.

This is where the Hollywood script kicks in.

Despite a young and inexperienced roster, along with injuries to key players throughout the season, the Jazz refused to give into expectations. In one of Coach Jerry Sloan’s finest coaching season, the team fell one game short of making the playoffs, as they finished the season with 42 victories.

One of the main reasons for the Jazz’s improbable success was the play of a young rookie point guard out of the University of Alabama. Maurice “Mo” Williams was the Jazz’s second round pick that season and was nearly cut in the preseason.

Williams proved to be worthy of a roster spot, as he displayed plenty of heart and a willingness to hit big shots. His most memorable moment came in an away game against the Lakers. Although the Jazz lost, Williams scored 16 points, including several clutch shots in the final minute.

Since his sole season with the Jazz, Williams moved on to the Milwaukee Bucks.  In his third season with the Bucks, he is now their starting point guard.

Utahjazz.com recently caught up with Williams to ask him about his Cinderella season in Utah.    

For a team that was supposed to win 8 games, how did you guys end up winning 42 games?

“Great team chemistry, nobody cared about who scored the most points it was just about winning.  We came out and played together every night and gave great effort every night.  We had a lot of work hard guys … Raja Bell, Andrei Kirilenko, Carlos Arroyo, Raul Lopez … we just had a lot of guys who worked hard and competed every night.” 

Did you guys have a chip on your shoulder that year, since everyone was counting you out?

“Oh yeah, we had guys on that team that wasn’t necessarily proven yet.  The only guy that was probably a proven player was Andrei (Kirilenko) and everybody else had something to prove.  I was rookie that year so I had to prove to the league that I could play.  We had guys like Raja Bell that was overlooked for so many years and he had the opportunity to play a lot in Utah.  I think everybody had a chip on their shoulders to prove themselves and it worked in a positive way because everybody just had winning on their minds.” 
 
Was that one of the closest teams you have ever been on?

“I would say that it was one of them … not necessarily close but chemistry wise on the court, it was one of the best teams. You don’t have to hang out together or be together all the time to be the closest.  I think that chemistry wise on the court that it was one of the best teams I ever played for.”     

-by Gerald Narciso