I don't know about this comparison. i mean, with the Jazz, you had the perfect mixture of fear and hate going. You hated their guts, not only for the constant cheating, flopping, and whining, but also because you knew they were absolutely capable of beating your team, even with three of the NBA's 50 greatest players and future hall of famers. I don't fear this mavs team at all. Yes they can beat us, but I know that our team is playing short-handed and lately were getting jobbed by the refs. It's not the same. I hate the bastards, but I just don't fear them. In my mind, we have the brighter future, and if we add the right piece his summer, I think we'll move above their level. For my money, the team closest to the Jazz right now are the Spurs. They have the flopping (especially Ginobili), the favorable calls, the old hard-ass b*stard coach, my reluctant and cautious respect, and most importantly, my umitigated hatred. If we ever play them in the playoffs, I'll probably lose it.
I dont' know my combined hatred of daniels, van horn, howard, terry and that little rat devin harris doesn't amount to the amount i have for malone during his Utah days.... but lets just say as a whole, Mavericks aren't **** w/o the refs.
You know back in the halcyon days of the BBS, there was a thread chronicling just how much everyone hated John Stockton. I think it was titled "John Stockton Must Be Injured" or something to that effect. At the time, it was the longest and most widely thread on the whole board and really captured the anti-Jazz passion that existed. While I do see similarities to the 90s Jazz, the Mavs will need to have a cohesive roster for a few more years before they develop Utah's notorious reputation.
