It was an otherwise uneventful day in Flint, Mich., two years ago as the Utah Jazz readied for a preseason game. But then Coach Jerry Sloan was called to the hotel room of John Stockton by a team official. Entering the room, he saw Stockton lying on the bed, his knee locked, unable to move his leg and tears coming from his eyes. And Sloan was sure of what he was seeing. "I thought, `Well, this is the end of his career,'" Sloan recalled.

The Jazz called a chiropractor to the room and got Stockton's knee unlocked. Hours later, he was on the floor, playing in a game against the Detroit Pistons that was meaningless in the standings but told you all that you needed to know about Stockton.

When the Jazz came to Madison Square Garden last night, there was speculation that this could be the last time in town for Stockton. There have been rumors that he will walk away after 19 years in Utah and 18 years as half of the productive offensive tandem with Karl Malone.