John Stockton makes a pass during last year's playoff series with the Kings. (Glenn James NBAE/Getty Images)

John Stockton was preparing to graduate from college with the hope that some scout may have seen him play at little-known Gonzaga University and convince an NBA team to call his name in that September's NBA Draft. Karl Malone was busy disproving the myth of the sophomore jinx at Louisiana Tech.

The first round of the NBA Playoffs was a best-of-three, but that didn't really matter to the Jazz, who had just completed their fifth consecutive 50-loss season, despite the heroics of Adrian Dantley, Darrell Griffith, Rickey Green and shot-blocking machine Mark Eaton.

Back then it would have been a big deal for the Jazz to make the playoffs, because they never had.

Fast-forward to 2003. The Jazz have not started their summer vacations in the spring since that April of '83. The Playoffs have become as much a part of Utah as the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, great skiing, and well, Stockton to Malone. It's almost taken for granted.

While there are no plans circulating among members of the Salt Lake City Chamber of Commerce about a championship parade for the Utah Jazz, that's okay. After all, only the most devout Jazz fans and, of course, the 12 players, head coach Jerry Sloan and his staff even entertain the possibility of the Jazz winning the NBA title. Championship expectations are supposed to be the domain of fans in Los Angeles, Sacramento, Dallas and San Antonio -- Eastern Conference teams can, of course, only harbor dreams of finishing in second.

The Utah Jazz? They're the ones with the two old guys who run that one play (the pick-and-roll), right? There's nothing sexy about 'em. Heck, none of their players make commercials for Sprite.

At the start of the season, there were whispers that the Jazz wouldn't reach the postseason, that they'd be looking up at, among others, the Los Angeles Clippers! The Clippers!

Yet here we are. Once again Delta Center public address announcer Dan Roberts is encouraging fans to get their Jazz playoff tickets.

This season marks the 20th consecutive season the Jazz have qualified for the playoffs. It's the second-longest streak in the NBA and the longest such stretch without suffering a losing season (Portland has qualified in 21 straight years, but twice did so with records under .500).

Reaching the playoffs has become habit for the team, but it will never become "old hat."

"It's just like a regular-season game to us in that they're all exciting," said head coach Jerry Sloan, who will be coaching in his 15th playoff series with the Jazz and has a lifetime 75-72 postseason record, despite losing six of his first eight playoff encounters. "If you can't get excited, you shouldn't be here."

This season may be the best coaching jobs Sloan has ever done, as it followed last season's 44-38 season -- the Jazz's lowest full-season win total since Sloan took over on Dec. 9, 1988.

After the givens -- the 20-plus points per game and solid rebounding of Malone, who led the team in scoring and rebounding for the 17th consecutive season, and the floor leadership and iron will of Stockton -- the Jazz had questions marks, especially following the defections of free agents Bryon Russell and Donyell Marshall.

Matt Harpring has had a career year this season with the Jazz. (Ron Turenne/NBAE/Getty Images)

But Vice President of Basketball Operations Kevin O'Connor had the answers, signing free agents Matt Harpring, Calbert Cheaney and Mark Jackson. Again, not the sexiest signings, but the type of hard-nosed professionals who fit perfectly in Sloan's system.

"Those guys have been very important to us all year," said Malone.

Harpring set career highs in points, field-goal percentage, three-point field-goal percentage and free-throw percentage and is a strong candidate for Most Improved Player.

Veteran castoffs Cheaney (who left Denver) and Jackson (who escaped from New York) also filled important roles. Cheaney experienced a rebirth in Utah. Playing primarily at two-guard, the 10-year NBA veteran scored at his highest rate in five years, shot close to 50 percent from the field and over 40 percent from three for the first time in his career.

The 38-year-old Jackson may have played a career-low 17.9 mpg. -- a testament to Stockton's durability -- but, remaining the consummate pro, the 16-year veteran chipped in with almost five points a game while dishing out 4.5 assists. He had a better than 2:1 assists-to-turnover ratio and provided stability while spelling Stockton.

Second-year pro Andrei Kirilenko showed tremendous improvement in every facet of his game. He shot almost 50 percent from the field and well over 30 percent from three, up from 45 and 25 from last season. His athleticism added another dimension to the offense while his shot-blocking and intensity give the team energy on defense.

For a team that was supposedly getting older, the Jazz played some of their best ball over the season's last two months (10-5 in March, the team's first 10-win March in three years, and 2-2 as of April 7th).

But if people wish to overlook the Jazz, that's fine with Sloan. He believes his players might have an advantage being in the unusual position of underdog.

"They don't have the pressure on them that we've played under before probably because we are an underdog and whoever we play against in the first round will be a favorite," said Sloan. "But you can't worry about that. You have to worry about execution, you have to worry about getting yourself ready to play and those things. You try to play the mind games and all that other stuff and you forget to play."

Neither Karl Malone nor John Stockton have missed the playoffs during their years with the Jazz.

Stockton and Malone have never missed the playoffs, and agree with Sloan about being focused, but they don't necessarily relish the role of underdog.

"I don't know if being an underdog is ever an advantage," said Malone. "You still have to win and prove that you can play with a team that has a better record."

"You really can't think about those things," added Stockton. "You just need to play every game. There are too many other things that you have to concentrate on to concern yourself with who is an underdog."

While Stockton refuses to think about Utah's status as an underdog, it's difficult to argue that Cinderella's slipper seems a better fit on this team's foot than those of past years.

The Jazz haven't exactly prospered against their possible first-round opponents. With one game remaining against Dallas, San Antonio and Sacramento - the Jazz's final three games of the season - Utah is 1-2 against Dallas and Sacramento and 0-3 against San Antonio. Utah has lost 13 straight times against the Spurs, while the Kings and Mavs knocked the Jazz out in the first round the previous two seasons.

Then there's the new wrinkle to this year's playoffs, as the first round has been extended to seven games.

"People say we are getting older as a team, but I don't think it will make much difference," said Malone. "You will have to win more games than the team you are playing."

"I don't see it having much of an affect, other than to put the other rounds on the same par," said Stockton. "A short series isn't always bad."

And while it's a cliché, it's also true that all teams start at 0-0 when the postseason begins. As far as Sloan is concerned, just tell him where to show up and he'll be there, ready to go.

"When you start trying to pick and choose who you're gonna play [you're in trouble]," Sloan said. "You've just got to get ready to play whoever's there and put everything you have into it and hope things come up your way."

One factor that never seems to change is the importance of the supporting cast around Stockton and Malone. Harpring, Jackson, and Cheaney have all been to the postseason before, but of that group, only Jackson, who reached the NBA Finals with the Indiana Pacers three years ago, has ever gotten out of a first-round series.

"Having players with playoff experience is really important," said Stockton. "Guys that have been in big games throughout their careers really help give confidence to everyone else on the team."

Second-year Jazzman Andrei Kirilenko hopes his playoff experience last season will help boost his postseason performance.

An extra year of playoff experience should help Kirilenko. He's looking forward to his second go-round in the postseason.

"I know what to expect," said Kirilenko, who's looking to improve on last year's performance against Sacramento, where he shot only 39.3 percent from the floor and missed all four trey attempts. "But I have been in big games before, so I am used to pressure.

"The NBA is the best players in world and you have to prepare for each game," he added. "Listen to coach and do what he tells you. Learn from other players with more experience."

"Hopefully he'll play better," said Sloan of Kirilenko. "Hopefully the experience of being in the playoffs will teach him more about the NBA and more about what it's all about. You try to get to the playoffs and getting to the playoffs is very, very important to a player's career. Hopefully he can gain something from that."

But neither Kirilenko, other youngsters like Jason Collins, and DeShawn Stephenson, veterans like Greg Ostertag, nor even future Hall of Famers Stockton and Malone will gain anything from the postseason unless the entire team raises its game.

"We had guys with playoff experience last year. The guys that we had had been with us for a long time," said Sloan. "We just didn't play well in some areas. We were close (last year the Jazz's three playoff losses to Sacramento were by a total of 11 points), but we couldn't get everybody to play well.

"Mark Jackson, Calbert Cheaney, Harpring, all those people are going to be important as well as the guys we already have," he added. "If they don't play well, we don't have a chance. We have to have everybody play well."

Playing well means continuing a stingy defense, which was among the top 10 in fewest points allowed. It's the kind of defense that will help the team to steal a game on the road, something that's an absolute necessity. While the Jazz have established clear dominance at the Delta Center (27-11 through April 7th), their 18-21 record away from home is something they need to improve on to advance. Winning consistenly on the road means more this season, with the first round being extended to best-of-seven, where one road win won't necessarily clinch the series.

"We have to [win on the road] if we're going to have any success," said Sloan. "You have to believe that you're going to win. There just can't be any doubt. If you have any doubt, then it's over, real quick, you're four games and out."

Sloan has never had any doubt about what he wants from his team, be it exhibition, regular season or postseason. His approach today has changed little from his first season as a coach.

"Usually the best team wins," he said. "You can make all the changes you want. If you're not good enough to beat [your opponent], it's not going to do you any good. You better have a lot of guys play well to beat some of the teams that we've got to beat. So changes and all that stuff are good if you have guys who are good enough to do it, compete against the players you have to compete against."

On paper that may not give Utah any kind of an edge. So go ahead and count the Jazz out - but do so at your own risk.

"We've surprised people all season," said Malone. "So you never know what will happen."